Shantz had two choices: tear it down or renovate it. After consulting with, as Shantz puts it, “the one-man maintenance department of Gordie Shantz,” the decision was made.

Under his direction, youth group volunteers gutted the building, put on a fresh coat of paint, and turned it into a storage shed. The oldest permanent structure at Highland Retreat still stands.

This is a common problem among many camps with long histories and old buildings, Shantz realized. Maintenance teams must keep an eye on budgets and eco-friendly choices, while still being sensitive to architectural history.

Thus came the origin of a recent workshop, “New Wine in Old Wineskins,” for maintenance teams from camps in the eastern region of the (MCA). The informative visit to ˛ÝÝ®ÉçÇř to learn about sustainability initiatives was facilitated by Ed Lehman, assistant physical plant director.

MCA, which was founded in 1960, is, “a clearinghouse for directing and promoting Christian camping among Anabaptist/Mennonite conferences and congregations around the United States and Canada.” Thirty-one North American camps are members, including Camp Men-O-Lan, the first Mennonite camp, located near Quakertown, Pennsylvania.

While the scale of EMU’s renovations are much larger than that required by the camps, EMU representatives, including building automation coordinator Greg Sachs ’03 and sustainability coordinator l ’00, could provide general trends that translate to a smaller scale.

After a Powerpoint presentation highlighting significant renovation projects at Roselawn, Suter Science Center, and the two LEED-certified dormitories, participants had a brisk discussion about issues related to their specific facilities: , which first began hosting guests in 1935, in New York; Highland Retreat, dating from 1958; and the newest facility to be represented, in Toano, Virginia, which started in 1984. A representative from also attended.

Camp Deerpark, which includes new buildings as well as some older structures that predate the current organization by several years, has a heating system fueled by a large wood stove and generators that run on overdrive during the cold northern winters, said maintenance director Sean McConaghay.

Among the valuable bits of information that Shantz gleaned from the visit is EMU’s 20 percent cost model on new projects. For example, if a new building costs $100, then renovation for an old building should only be considered if the total cost is $80 or less.

Shantz also favored EMU’s five-to-seven-year payback model, in which new equipment is expected to return the investment within a range of five to seven years.

For Shantz and others involved in the important but often overlooked job of keeping camps functioning and aesthetically attractive, the time to sit down, learn and share with other professionals was valuable – regardless of whether the discussion was about replacing a lightbulb, he said, or installing new toilets.

As is the case with some rural camps, the opportunity to acquire adjacent new property sometimes comes with old buildings – and a price tag. That is the case at Highland Retreat, which has recently been offered a nearby property at a favorable price, but with an old but solid building that may need renovation. Shantz has formed a committee to discuss potential uses, he said, adding that EMU’s sustainability initiatives could be a helpful model for Highland Retreat in this instance, and in any future construction project.

Orozco, who performs internationally before enthusiastic crowds, will be appearing on the invitation of the SVCC, and Harrisonburg City Schools. “He is our gift to the community,” said SVCC artistic director , who has prepared nearly 40 students to sing with Orozco at the festival in Hillandale Park.

Orozco and SVCC share the goal of gathering children, families, and communities around a singing culture, Hostetter said. Orozco’s performances employ a singalong style, through which he engages people of all ages.

“He’s like an Hispanic Raffi!” said SVCC assistant director Joy Anderson.

SVCC begins its 2014 season with Hostetter stepping into the artistic director position; a renovated office location in an EMU-owned house on campus; and aspirations for a new set of uniforms to replace the children’s 20-year-old outfits.

To usher in the upcoming term, SVCC held a group retreat at on Sept. 13. Choristers became acquainted with some of this season’s repertoire, while building bonds among themselves and with staff. Rehearsal time, games, dramatic sketches, s’mores, and scampering about the woods packed the 11-hour day at the camp.

Hostetter’s passion for musical education is rooted in her own experiences as a high school chorister. “I learned much about listening and connecting to the people around me in those years,” said Hostetter. “I experienced the way community can be built through the members who give, based on what is needed for the good of the group.”

As a musical instructor, she fondly remembers the transformation of in Dayton (Va.) during her years teaching there. Singing “was not cool” when she arrived, but both attendance and camaraderie burgeoned under her tutelage.

Transposing these experiences into her new position with SVCC is akin to “stepping off a plane into a beautiful flowering field.”

Hostetter is familiar with said field in her prior roles of SVCC parent and guest conductor, but now assumes full responsibility for nurturing SVCC. Studying the choirs inside and out helps her “ensure the ongoing success and continued growth of an already strong and flourishing organization.”

SVCC’s strength and prolificity are evident in their history. They have performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall, two Mahatma Gandhi Global Nonviolence Award ceremonies, and the Tuscany International Children’s Chorus Festival in Italy, among other illustrious venues.

“People are always shocked when they hear us,” said Anderson. She says it is “unheard of” to be this well known, given that SVCC is not based in a major urban area.

There are currently 157 students enrolled for the school year in and performing choir programs. Music Explorers consists of students in kindergarten through third grade, with an emphasis on basic choral education. The performing choirs, made up of the preparatory, treble, and concert choirs, are divided based on age and singing prowess. Preparatory choir eligibility begins in second grade, and students must audition for acceptance into each level. Concert choir, with students from sixth to twelfth grade, is the longest-distance touring group of SVCC.

Participants come from families of Mennonite, Jewish, other Christian, and no religious inclination. This diversity of faith tradition is key to SVCC’s character. “We want this to be a very inclusive atmosphere,” said Anderson.

“Cultivated properly,” Hostetter said, “choral ensembles can give students a place of learning and belonging.”

Other upcoming SVCC performances include:

• JMU’s production of “La BohĂ©me” by Giacomo Puccini, in which nine concert choir students will make up the “Ruffian’s Chorus.” Performances on Nov. 7, 8, and 9 in the Forbes Center, Harrisonburg.
• A fall concert in tandem with the , with the treble and concert choirs each having their own sets as well as two songs in conjunction with the orchestra. This is the first time the orchestras and choirs have collaborated on stage. Performance on Nov. 23, 4 p.m., in Lehman Auditorium.
• A Christmas Concert including all three performing choirs performing a collection of Celtic-themed songs. Performance on Dec. 7, 4 p.m., in Lehman Auditorium.

Children at the 2009 Interfaith Peace Camp enjoyed learning to knot comforters as part of a service project.

Hosted by EMU’s new Center for Interfaith Engagement, Abraham’s Tent, campers will focus on building friendships and understanding across the Abrahamic faith traditions.

The ‘Abrahamic faiths’

The "Abrahamic faiths," Judaism, Christianity and Islam, all claim the Old Testament figure Abraham as a major patriarch in their monotheistic religions which all worship the same God.

Participating groups

Members from The Islamic Association of Shenandoah Valley (IASV), Beth El Congregation, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Valley Friends Meeting, Park View Mennonite Church and Shalom Mennonite Congregation, with administrative support from Abraham’s Tent, are organizing and sponsoring the camp for rising first- through sixth-graders from the Valley.

During a group gathering time, the children fashioned trees from pipe cleaners which became part of an on-going project throughout the week.

Interfaith Peace Camp was first launched as a three-day pilot program in 2008. Children, parents and community members, gave such overwhelmingly positive feedback that last year’s camp was expanded from three to five days and involved more faith communities in the planning, according to Vesna Hart, co-chair of the peace camp planning committee.

Tools that transform conflict

This year’s camp curriculum will pair stories and lessons from the three Abrahamic faith communities with practical conflict transformation skills, Hart said.

"With so much misinformation surrounding all three of the Abrahamic faiths, it’s important to teach tools that will help to dispel common myths without damaging new relationships that emerge from interfaith opportunities," she added.

Zeinab Hassouna of the IASV noted that by teaching children skills to handle interfaith conflict, this will encourage parents, other family members and friends to be more openly engaged on topics that might tend to be sensitive.

Exploring other cultures

Camp activities will utilize large and small group work including recreational, artistic, dramatic and musical activities. Other opportunities to promote interfaith understanding and peacebuilding will come through sharing of cultural foods and open time for exploration and inquiry.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of Interfaith Peace Camp week, field trips are scheduled to Beth El synagogue, the IASV mosque and to Trinity Presbyterian Church. Campers and family members will gather Thursday evening for a potluck to celebrate interfaith peacemaking and share their experiences.

More info

For more information or to schedule an interview with a planning committee member, contact Gretchen Maust at 540-432-4674 or gretchen.maust@emu.edu or Vesna Hart at vesna.hart@gmail.com

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