Wanting more than just happy campers

Programs at reopened Sharon site designed to prepare youth for future

June 16, 2011|By Christie Coombs, Globe Correspondent

SHARON — For five years, the former home of the Horizons for Youth Camp on Lake Massapoag had been left empty, turning into an eyesore to some at the end of a nice residential neighborhood in this affluent suburb.

This month, with renovated cabins and a freshly groomed beach, the now town-owned property is reopening its gates as a new camping facility called Everwood Day Camp, catering to as many as 200 children, ages 4 through 12, at a time.

The town had opted to buy the 50-acre site for $5 million without a definitive plan for its use after Horizons was closed, due to dwindling enrollment and much-needed repairs to the property. Following the purchase, Town Administrator Ben Puritz asked Sharon resident Scott Brody, who owns and operates two overnight camps in New Hampshire, Camp Kenwood and Camp Evergreen, to propose a camp facility for the property.

“I took this on as a new challenge that would be good for the town and its children,’’ said Brody, who is national vice president of the American Camp Association. He and Andy Pritikin, owner and director of Liberty Lake Day Camp in New Jersey, developed the plan for Everwood Day Camp, which Puritz said surpassed the town’s stringent requirements and expectations.

Occupying an unusually large area for a day camp, Everwood won’t be an ordinary camp with just outdoor games and bug juice, said Brody. “While the camp will have the more traditional day camp experiences of arts and crafts, swimming, and sports, it will also feature other programs like theater, photography, some cooking, extensive water activities like tubing and sailing, nature and science, and adventure, including a ropes course,’’ he said.

However, what makes the camp unique is its philosophy of building a sense of community and connec tion to help the children grow, said Brody. He said the camp worked with child psychologist and author Michael Thompson to develop a program that yields the best outcome for children.

“They’ll not only be playing soccer and learning the game, they’ll be learning to problem-solve and communicate at the same time,’’ said Brody. “We’ll also be incorporating the Commonwealth’s 21st Century Skills framework into our program, ensuring that every child develops the skills needed to become productive citizens while they’re engaging in fun activities at the camp.’’

The framework is a national effort backed by 30 leading businesses and organizations to ensure that schoolchildren master the skills and competency they will need to be productive citizens and employees as adults.