By Julia Boyle
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

This season’s hottest gift may not be a toy after all.

Francis Peeler sent her granddaughter Julie to NorthBay last summer and says she was still talking about it weeks after she was home. “I know she’d be thrilled to go again next year, and I’d be happy to send her,” Peeler says. And if she registers her granddaughter by January 1, 2008, she’ll receive 20% off the regular rate.

Adventure of a lifetime
NorthBay is a unique summer camp located on nearly 100 acres of Chesapeake Bay waterfront in Maryland.

During the school year, NorthBay reaches out to sixth grade students throughout Maryland to expose them to the environment and teach them decision-making skills. But from June 29 to August 9, it will transform into a fun-filled adventure camp for boys and girls ages 7 to 16.

Campers choose from one to two week adventure programs of outdoor skills, sports, or even hi-tech skills like filmmaking.

A typical NorthBay day
Each day, campers learn three skills that they choose before arrival. After their third skill they head to the pool, the zip line, or other traditional camp activities.

Almost every skill takes campers off-site one day during the week. Kids get to experience the natural beauty and terrain of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay region.

A camp like nothing else
Underneath the adventure component still lies what makes NorthBay unique: its mission to teach kids character and leadership skills through the adventure and discovery they’ll experience outdoors.

“We think it’s extremely important to give kids an experience that not only gets them outside but also goes beyond the typical summer camp,” says Leah Malson, NorthBay’s assistant summer manager. “NorthBay is a place where kids can be kids and have the opportunity to do things they would never have the chance to do at home.”