by Eric Maddigan
When I attended VAMPY as a camper, I greatly enjoyed my classes and Optionals, but my favorite parts of camp were community time and hall time. Over the first few days, my campers have been having just as much fun as I did. During community time, campers are allowed to roam around the common areas in Florence Schneider Hall. At any given time, a group of campers may be playing a card game, another making friendship bracelets, and another group tossing around a Frisbee on the lawn. While campers are still supervised by counselors, community time gives campers the chance to hang out where they would like, as well as talk with other campers who may share interests with them.
After community time is hall time. While campers have to stay on their residential hall, the fun certainly does not end. For example, my group has spent their hall time in a variety of ways. Some of my campers have played games of Magic: The Gathering, a VAMPY favorite, while others have simply sat down and told stories of the interesting things that happened in their classes.
While classes and Optionals provide tons of structured fun for the campers, community time and hall time allow them to have a great experience because all campers can choose the activities that they find most interesting.