8 Reveille! Fall/ Holiday, 2008 Letter from MJ " New" was a theme at Aloha in 2008. As the new camp director, I welcomed return-ing counselors into new positions, as well as new counselors to camp for the first time. Our returning campers experienced " new" as being a year older, and in a dif-ferent role at Aloha, while we welcomed new girls to our summer home. We shifted some ways of being in camp to help speed up the transition from feeling like a newcomer to feeling comfortable and at home. While most were simple changes, all included an intentional effort to build the welcoming community we all cherish. In pre- camp, our counselors worked together during a special new day called Ho'olaulima ( a Hawaiian word for working together). The projects tackled included creating a new Aloha vegetable garden, sprucing up the Wishing Fire with new logs for seating and a loving mending of the fireplace and its stones. We also had time to tidy and refresh the camp's library and flower gardens. Lots of new activities happened at camp this summer too – our first ever " Snow Day" in July led by Old Hideaway, and during the Beijing Olympics, an evening circle shaped into the five colorful Olympic Rings to end our own Aloha games planned by the Pines unit. Girls' Council added to the " new" with the first- ever " MJ's Mayhem" day with all sorts of crazy activities and great food. The end of the summer brought " Kanaka-stock," a sixties- themed music festival. We even had a " first ever" evening on our last night of camp when we moved our closing candlelight ceremony to Club Hill, replete with a view of the beautiful, moonlit lake. Looking ahead, campers and counselors of 2009 will enjoy more wonderful additions to camp – a renovated Crossroads jinx and a refurbished Tripping pack- out room and Bike Barn. Our Clubbers will particularly love the beautiful new Club Shack, com-plete with a front porch furnished with Adirondack chairs, over-looking the lake. For all of this talk of " new," I do believe that one camper put it into context well, " Even though there are a few things that are different, Aloha is still the same camp in all of the most important ways, like friends and traditions and a place where I can be myself. This is still my favorite place in the world to be." We look forward to sharing the summer of 2009 with you! Aloha News Marijean Parry, Director Top to bottom: Rebecca Sigel digs in the new garden; coun-selors position new logs at Wishing Fire during pre- camp; counselors Kat Horn, Laura Davis, Hannah Goodwin, Sara Hardin do the heavy lifting together

Fall/ Holiday, 2008 Reveille! 9 Top to bottom: Candlelight on Club Hill; Snow Day coun-selors, Amanda Cooke, Libby Chamberlin, Holly Spicer, Laura Lee; Aloha's Olympic torch carried by Alex Hanken; Olympic Rings evening circle; Kanakastock 2009