Camp Kanesatake is the most popular Christian summer camp around. Their purpose is to know God, teach the youth, and help the local church.
Mr. Connor Hunter, who is a 7th grade teacher in the Bellwood-Antis Middle School, has spent about a third of his life working at Christian summer camps, including Camp Kanesatake. However, he won’t be camp counseling this summer for the first time in 10 years.
“Although I’ll miss designing games and helping kids get to know God better at camp, I’m excited for a camp-free summer too,” said Mr. Hunter.
Mr. Hunter said it’s going to be a nice end to his school year to not go straight into working all day at camp. He’d like to find a part-time job to make some extra money for his family, but he plans to pick something easier on his time than camp.
At Camp Kanesatake, counselors have to be on 24-7. Among other things they design play and sports activities for kids who attend, lead prayer and Bible lessons, and stay with campers in their cabins at night.
Beyond the general break, Mr. Hunter said he is excited to do “normal summer activities,” like going swimming, helping with Vacation Bible School at church, going to a Curve game on a weeknight, or going to the movies.
Mr. Hunter wants to use some of his free time to go places he never had time to visit in past summers, like visiting Gettysburg or the Flight 93 memorial.
Staying close to home is right in line with the kind of person Mr. Hunter is. Some of his friends wanted to move away from Bellwood when they graduated, but he knew he wanted to live in Bellwood forever.
Mr. Hunter is a 2011 graduate of BA. He was a National Honor Society student and his class valedictorian. Many students like that move away for jobs elsewhere but not Mr. Hunter. This is his 10th year teaching and his 5th year teaching at Bellwood.
He said he is thankful that he was able to get teaching experience at other schools before he got to work here, but he genuinely loves teaching at Bellwood and am so thankful God allows him to work here.
One of his students, Chloee Waite said, “Mr. Hunter is a very good teacher and I like how he teaches.”
For his part, Mr. Hunter still feels he has plenty of room of growth as an educator.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a veteran yet, and I still have a lot to learn.” said Mr. Hunter.
One great passion that he has in his spare time is playing board games. He runs a board game club in the middle school, so he’s always looking for new board games to try out and show his students. He has even adapted several board games for school and created his own math game to help teach his students. He wants to make more of those board games this summer.
Mr. Hunter is hoping to start a film/TV critic club next year if he’s permitted to. He thinks it’d be a great way to combine entertainment with education.
It’s unique and innovative ideas like those that impress Mr. Hunter’s colleagues.
Mr. Moyer said, “Mr. Hunter is a very energetic teacher and a very good teacher to work with.”
Although all of his original 7th grade team has moved on since he first began at B-A, he learned a lot from them and hopes to make them proud by emulating the best of each of them.