Camp Olympia Country Day School, Derwood

Camp Olympia was started in the late 1950's by Stephen and Elizabeth Benedek. They were both involved in athletics all of their lives including teaching physical education from elementary through university levels. They both competed in various sports at the national level in their home country of Hungary. Stephen was inducted into the Georgetown University Hall of Fame for his very successful coaching of the track team. This quality leadership has been the driving force behind our successful program since 1958. Today, Elizabeth continues the legacy that she helped to build with her husband, Stephen. It is our goal to challenge your child to achieve new levels of knowledge. We teach the skills and then let the children practice them in an environment where they have the opportunity to be the best that they can be. Many of our former campers have told us that their Camp Olympia experiences have helped them to achieve their life's goals both personally and professionally. We have campers visit us many years later and remember that their summers at Camp Olympia were the best ever! The activities that we offer are not only supervised and organized, but the children will LEARN. We teach all the basics such as the correct way to run, catch, throw, climb, plus much more. In other words, our program is not a babysitting camp. We are an educational, instructional summer camp and proud of it. This may all sound great but how about some FUN? The children have great fun with their participation in all of the activities, but the real fun comes from improving their skills and achieving a sense of accomplishment. Just look at their faces when they have achieved a new skill and made new friends through the camaraderie of team activities. Our youth program strives to foster the development of the whole child. We provide opportunities for nurturing growth in all of the developmental areas, including cognitive, sensorimotor, communication, social and emotional. We are very fortunate with the environment surrounding our facility. We are located in a country setting that offers many opportunities for nature education experiences. These experiences will foster an appreciation for nature, learning physical characteristics of the natural world, enhance language development and contribute to their sensorimotor skills. Our goal is to prepare you child for the years ahead. Along with the age appropriate academics of math, science, language arts and social studies, we work to develop in your child a good self-esteem, interest in learning and pride in achieving. We also have many activities involving physical skills to develop large motor coordination, listening and following directions. We look forward to working with your child. Directors and Staff: Elizabeth Benedek: Owner/Director, MS in Physical Education. Past positions before retirement include physical education teacher at National Cathedral School, physical education teacher and basketball coach at Stone Ridge School, and Athletic Director and basketball coach at Loyola College. Andrea Lingwood: Camp Director, Director Camp Olympia County Day School, BS in Elementary Education, CHA Advanced Level 4 Certified Horseback Riding Instructor. All of our instructors are carefully screened and selected according to their knowledge of various sports and ability to work well with children. The goal of our staff is to encourage the children to participate in all activities through patience and guidance. Individual counselors are trained in or are certified in First Aid, Adult, Infant and Child CPR, and lifeguard training. All staff undergo an extensive orientation program and criminal background checks.