Staff Spotlight - Ryan Ward

Ryan Ward returns from across the pond for his second summer. A native of Northhampton in England, he’s a student at Edge Hill University studying Sport and Exercise Science. Swimming and cycling are two of Ryan's hobbies. He worked as a life guard and swim instructor back home. 

Ryan has competed in triathlons. He made it to the world championship qualifiers where he finished 140th out of 400 competitors. His other hobbies include rock climbing and paint ball. We're happy to have Ryan back as a swim and biking instructor.

More about Ryan

Favorite Tombstone pizza type: Not being from the US, I'm not quite sure what a tombstone pizza is but I enjoy a good hawaiian pizza

Your three favorite movies of all time: Inception, The Matrix and Star Wars (the good three).

Preferred wanegan offering: Twix

Best evening program at camp: Braveheart

Favorite cartoon character: Aang

Favorite camp (card) game: Euchre

If you could have lunch with any two people, dead or alive, who would they be?: David Mitchell and Christopher Hitchens

What is your dream job: As a soon to be graduate this is the ultimate question I'm trying to avoid. With far to many options, I'll settle on the cop out answer of whatever makes me most fulfilled.

A little known fact about yourself: I have an unexplainable phobia of icy surfaces 

Ryan with his campers from 2012

Staff Spotlight - Sam Friedland

Sam Friedland will join the staff as a junior counselor. Sam took a few years off from camp after his camper years and joins a group of JCs that will be making their way back to camp. Sam is a senior at Deerfield High School. After several years of running cross country, he made the conversion to throwing shot put and discus. He also plays the drums and harmonica.

Sam teaches religious Sunday school to 3-5 year olds. In the fall, he’ll be headed down to the University of Illinois.At camp he'll be instructing fitness training and sailing. We also hear that he's taken two years of ceramics, so we'll be sure to get him down to the Arts and Crafts, too. 

More about Sam

Favorite Tombstone pizza type: Pepperoni

 
Favorite project at camp (that you don’t necessarily instruct): Sailing

Your three favorite movies of all time: Remember the Titans, Pulp Fiction, Shawshank Redemption

Best evening program at camp: North Star Ball

Favorite cartoon character: Spongebob

Favorite camp (card) game: Squares

If you could have lunch with any two people, dead or alive, who would they be?: Jackie Robinson, Willy Wonka

What is your dream job: Author

Sam from his camper days (2010)

Staff Spotlight - Tom Funge

Tom diving in the Red Sea

Hi, my name’s Tom and i’m 21 years old. I come from the UK. I was born in Bedford, but the majority of my life is now lived in Leicester as that’s where I study at University - studying Geography! Last summer I volunteered in Morocco working with underprivileged kids in a day camp setting. I also completed a marathon recently and am an experienced swimmer.

Ahead of the summer I'll be taking a Water Safety Instructor course so that he can help our campers on their swimming skills. I've also done quite a bit of hiking and camping and will serve as a pathfinders instructors. I’m a very outgoing and active individual and I hope to meet as many new people and make many new friends whilst I undergo my first experience at camp!

More About Tom

 

What is your dream job: One day, my dream is to become a teacher.

Best place you’ve ever traveled to: The Caribbean, St. Lucia - the sandy beaches and picturesque seas won me over, hands down!

Favorite cartoon character: Probably Ash Ketchum - I loved Pokemon in my younger days!

If you could have lunch with any two people, dead or alive, who would they be?: Michael Bay (I’m a major film fanatic, and love so many of the films he has directed!) and Olympian Jessica Ennis - I would love to hear how she trains!

How did you learn about North Star and why did you apply?: I applied through a company call ‘Camp Leaders’. After having my application finalized, I was contacted by North Star. From the moment I first made contact with North Star, I fell in love with the whole place!

What noteworthy/random/menial jobs have you held?: I’ve done an array of things in my life; waited tables, served drinks, worked oncheckouts, distributed fliers and taught and cared for young/disabled children. If

you can think of it, I’ve probably done it!

What did you do last summer?: I worked out in Morocco for 3 weeks, helping disadvantaged children in some of the poorest rural areas. Other than that, saving money for University!

What, if any previous camp experiences have you had?: I briefly worked at a day camp in Morocco with young children, whilst I was working out there in the summer of 2012. I hope to be able to add to my

experience of Camp life, with an unforgettable summer at North Star though!

My first meeting with an actual wild monkey in Morocco!

Staff Spotlight - Jacob Sherman

Jacob on the field at Soldier Field

Jacob Sherman returns to North Star for his ninth summer. A native of Oak Park, IL, he's just finished his second quarter at  at Northwestern University. He's a second generation camper and staff and his family has been coming to post camp for many years. During the summer he'll be one of out tennis instructors and he'll also teach some disc golf as well.

At Northwestern, Jacob is very involved in the local community. He's been working at Chute Middle School (in Evanston) tutoring and leading activies in a after school program. He's also been involved with the Northwestern Community Development Corps,  volunteering and planning special events in the community. Jacob also joined Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. 

More about Jacob

 

Favorite Tombstone pizza type: Sausage and Pepperoni 

Favorite project at camp (that you don’t necessarily instruct): Arts and Crafts

Your three favorite movies of all time: Step Brothers, Mean Girls, and Aladdin

 
Preferred wanegan offering: Charleston Chew

Best evening program at camp: Predator vs prey

Favorite cartoon character: Flapjack from Cartoon Network's The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack

Favorite camp (card) game: Euchre 

If you could have lunch with any two people, dead or alive, who would they be?: Rachel McAdams and Matt Damon because they're my two biggest crushes. 

What is your dream job: restaurant owner

A little known fact about yourself: accomplished pie,pie,meal,pie,pie and I really think I can eat 3 chipotle burritos but I've never made it past 2 and a half.

Staff Spotlight - Nick Meyer

I'm Nick Meyer and I'm excited about returning to North Star for my second summer. I'm currently a student at Winona State University in Minnesota. I'm a native of Hamburg, Germany, and recently picked up a second major (Political Science) in addition to my previous major Recreation & Tourism. At camp I'll be instructing climbing and soccer.

I have been actively volunteering with a group called “Project Get Outdoors”, a group that organizes trips and activities for camp-aged children into nature and its mission is to educate kids about the environment they live in and teach them important wilderness skills (navigation, fire safety etc.). I am also currently planning a 3-week trip across Germany and other European countries with two of my best college friends for May.

More About Nick

Favorite Tombstone pizza type: I have no idea what or where Tombstone is, but anything with lots of meat will do!

Favorite project at camp (that you don’t necessarily instruct): I have never been good at it, but log-rolling is a ton of fun!

Your three favorite movies of all time: I love the Matrix triology. Even though I don’t like scary movies, the Paranormal Activity series has captured me.

Preferred wanegan offering: I am probably the only North Star family member that has never had a wanegan, as I don’t eat sweets or candy. But I think I would love a Kit Kat.

Best evening program at camp: The Friday Night services are the absolute highlight for me. Nothing says North Star family like Friday nights at the counsel ring.

Favorite cartoon character: Alfred Jodokus Kwak. A cute duck that was my hero back in Germany.

Favorite camp (card) game: BS, even though we of course didn’t call it that In I-1 ;)

If you could have lunch with any two people, dead or alive, who would they be?: Tom Izzo, Michigan State basketball coach, my idol. And of course a one-on-one candle light dinner with Sue would be fantastic :)

What is your dream job: Working for the German embassy on Washington D.C.
 
A little known fact about yourself: I only brag about it on certain occasions, but I am the first student in history to be admitted to Winona State University with a perfect TOEFL score (test for English as a second language). 

Staff Spotlight - Jeff McCormack

My name is Jeff McCormack and I will be the CIT Director and NSC Disc Golf "Course Manager" at camp this summer (I need that title added to my contract). This will be my 18th summer on staff at North Star.  Prior to being CIT Director I was a counselor, Village Director, fishing and disc golf instructor.  North Star will always hold a special place in my heart as its where I met my wife, Kim.  We have two kids, 8 year old son Lake (who's looking forward to being a camper this summer!) and 7 month old girl Summer (who can't wait to pal up with Laney).  

During the off season I teach 18-21 year old young adults with developmental disabilities adult independent living skills (preparing them and their families for life after school).  I get my fair share of disc golf in as a friend and I run a winter charity disc golf series (13 weeks long) called Winter Warriors.  We play every week, regardless of the weather, at a different course in the Denver area and all money raised goes to The Food Bank of the Rockies (this season we raised almost $9,000).  North Star is my home and family away from home.  We're so lucky to be able to spend our summers in such a beautiful place with such amazing people.  Looking forward to seeing the team of 2013 in June at North Star!

Favorite Tombstone pizza type: Gotta be old school Tombstone...no alternative will suffice!  Thank you Andy for bringing them back!  For me, it's the 4 Meat. 

Favorite project at camp (that you don’t necessarily instruct): Disc golf!  No place I would rather be playing disc golf than on the North Star Camp Disc Golf Course (aka the NSCDGC)!

Your three favorite movies of all time: Dumb and Dumber (NEVER stops being funny), Rocky 4 (I cried when Apollo died), The Princess Bride (I wanted to be Fred Savage)

Preferred wanegan offering: For some reason, Skittles just taste better at camp. 

Best evening program at camp: The Friday Night Service is by far my favorite time of every week. 

Favorite cartoon character: Spongebob Squarepants (Phineas and Ferb are a close second). 

Favorite camp (card) game: Hearts.  Used to be THE camp card game, pre-Euchre. 

If you could have lunch with any two people, dead or alive, who would they be?: Kim McCormack (just the two of us) and my Grandpa Pete Nielsen (used to own Pine Crest resort across the lake, sadly passed in 1992).

What is your dream job: CIT Director at North Star Camp for Boys.  Any way we can make this a year round position? 

A little known fact about yourself: Back in 2000 I was a counselor for then 15 year old camper Andy Shlensky (in Cabin Manor).

My Second Home - A Poem

Camper Jacob, who is gearing up for his second summer at North Star, had an assignment to write a poem about 30 seconds in your life that had meaning. This is what he wrote:

We had been on a fancy coach bus for over eight hours
but everyone was getting restless,
Then over the intercom,
the bus driver shouts
"We're at camp!"
I glance out the window
and sure enough a giant sign said
"Welcome to North Star Camp"
Even I, who had never been there before
was ecstatic
"Screech," the bus stopped on the dirt road,
I jumped off the bus and took my first step
into the place that I now call
My Second Home.

We were so impressed we had to share!