We can't believe Mercersburg Summer's English as a Second Language (ESL) camp is coming to a close. It seems like it was just yesterday that ESL campers were arriving on campus slowly but surely. But from day one, they hit the ground running.

In the first week they played basketball and did a few laps in the pool, had their first campfire, made their first excursion to Walmart and the Maugansville Creamery, and made their way off campus to visit the National Mall in Washington, D.C. They also enjoyed a Washington Nationals baseball game. 

ESL started the next week with a game of Gaga Ball. Though some didn't get it as quickly as others, there was still a lot of fun and bonding. The gang then headed to Hersheypark for a day of fun, games, rides, and chocolate. (Not that much chocolate, though.) The rest of the week was filled with more team building and bonding experiences with musical chairs, dodgeball, and rock climbing under the watchful eye of a Mercersburg Summer climbing specialist. ESL rounded out that week with a session of Henna tattoos and a shopping spree at the Premium Outlets in Hagerstown, Maryland. 

The next week started with a splash! ESL slid down a slip-n-slide on Sunday, July 17th. These weeks haven't all been fun and games, though. Throughout the whole session, the ESL gang has buckled down on their goal for the summer: improving their English skills. With rotations and classes, campers turned into students learning and improving their grammar, writing, and knowledge of American history. And speaking of American history, ESL visited what could be called the origin of American history: Philadelphia! They visited Independence Hall, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and many other famous landmarks in the city. 

Working together (to beat the other teams), ESL started the week of July 24th with a field day of fun and games. The fun didn't let up at all that week. The gang headed to New York City visiting Broadway, Wall Street, and Columbia University. ESL finished off that week with more class time, rock climbing, another slip-n-slide, and an egg drop. Using team work and communication, groups of ESL campers had to protect an egg...from a three-story drop! 

For their last week, ESL took it easy with game time and a fancy casino night on Monday. On Tuesday, they left campus again for a trip to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. They saw zebreas, Andean bears, otters, seals, and countless other exotic animals. Then they hit the shops of Georgetown. They rounded off their week with a day of sketches and bowling, elegant dessert and a dance party, and one final trip off campus to Rocky Gap State Park in Maryland. 

The recurring theme of Mercersburg Summer is that camps don't always reflect their names. ESL continues that theme. Of course they greatly improved their English, writing, and grammar skills. But they played a few hands of poker, saw some exotic animals, learned how to rock climb, visited some of the most well-known cities in the world. No camp lasts forever, but the memories counselors and campers make will. 

You can relive part of ESL's summer through their closing slideshow.



Be sure to check out our Flickr and Facebook pages for all the latest updates from Mercersburg Summer. Also be sure to relive some great memories with videos on our YouTube channel!