Camp Kappe

09/01/2026

Hey, you! Yes, YOU! Are you looking for a rewarding experience of working at the happiest place on God's green Earth? Then look no further because the School of Environmental Education at Camp Kappe is hiring a new Environmental Education Instructor!

Are you a teacher? Do you know a teacher? Have you ever wanted to be a teacher? Do you like science? Do you love the planet? Do the great outdoors make you feel alive? Do you have a passion for helping others experience the beauty of God's creation? If you find yourself checking off any of these boxes, then maybe perhaps you should consider applying! Unless you only know a teacher—then tell your friends! Tell your neighbors! Tell your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate! Proclaim it from the rooftops! Please! Our first school of the year is coming soon! 😅🙏

The only hard requirement is a bachelor's degree—those leaning toward education or science are preferred—although for the right candidate, I think you might find that we can quite flexible. So if you're unsure if you're qualified, or if you're even interested, I would urge you to find out what we're all about. And who knows? You might find yourself on the adventure of a lifetime. 🏕️🌳☀️🥾⛰️

05/07/2026

The 2025-26 school year was a difficult year but absolutely one to remember. Though we lost both our S.E.E Director before the school year even started, AND our Camp Kappe Executive Director halfway through year, the outpouring of love and support we’ve received from every student, teacher and chaperone has been overwhelming. In the interim, our Secretariat Director, Jim Barette, has generously helped to fill in the gaps until these positions are eventually filled.

On Tuesday, to celebrate a blisteringly successful school year, especially amidst such tumultuous change, Mr. Barrette took the entire S.E.E. and Camp Kappe staff out to a celebration lunch at The Big Sombrero. On the way back, however, the S.E.E. instructors, all traveling together in a single vehicle, came upon a turtle in the middle of the road, hunkered for dear life inside his shell just outside of Camp Kappe. Mr. Norton hopped out of the car and nabbed him, whisking him to the safety of the Honda Accord Hybrid, handed the lil fella off to Ms. Rene in the passenger seat, and with Mr. Lakatos cheering from the backseat, the S.E.E. team successfully rehomed him in at the small pond of Camp Kappe’s Pond Study class. We unanimously decided to name him “Cinco” after Cinco de Mayo, the day of our celebration lunch, and his rescue.

Remember, fifth graders—and former fifth graders—your challenge to go home and make a change for the better. You’re never too old. (Mr. Norton is forty—yikes!) We love you, we pray for you, and we cannot wait for the next round of fifth graders to enter Camp Kappe’s gate.

All the love,
Mr. Norton
Mr. Lakatos
Ms. Rene

12/24/2025

Merry Christmas from the Camp Kappe Staff!! We hope you have a wonderful and joyful Christmas with friends and family. Our Saviour was born today, and it's time to celebrate his birth.

07/24/2025

Unfortunately, one of our four chicks didn't survive the first twenty-four hours. But these other three are survivors! Meet: Scrumplemuffin (left), Spot (bottom), and Princess Leia (top right).

07/21/2025

Who says Mondays aren't fun days? Our chicks are hatching! Any name ideas?

05/22/2025

Well, would you look at that: it's a column stinkhorn! The fruiting body of this fungus starts out as a subterranean "egg" before erupting into two to five long orange or red spongy columns, joined at the apex. Their foul smell is a key characteristic of stinkhorns, often described as resembling rotting flesh or sewage. Ew. The purpose of this odor is to attract flies and insects, which help carry the spores to new locations, contributing to the mushroom's reproductive cycle. We found this particular specimen on our Orienteering trail. Sources vary on whether or not this mushroom is edible, but based on the smell alone, maybe don't put this stinky boi on your pizza. 🤢🤮

05/20/2025

Buzz! Buzz! What is that sound? It's all the Bees. Happy National Bee Day!! From honeybees to ground bees, carpenter bees to bumble bees, and many more, we are so grateful for these precious pollinators at Camp Kappe: School of Environmental Education. They keep Mrs. Rene's garden healthy because of their pollinator role, and they keep Mr. L happy because he is the bug dude. Here are some fun facts about bees:

1. There are 20,000 species of bees worldwide.
2. Bees are the most productive pollinators. They are responsible for 1/3 of our food industry (crops).
3. Did you know that bees like to dance? Scout bees do something called the waggle dance when they find a good nectar source. This dance alerts all the nearby bees about the nectar source and is a form of communication.
4. Bees have five eyes: two compound eyes and three tiny eyes called ocelli.

Here is a fun video of a ground bee!!!

05/19/2025

Behold, the Texas pocket gopher Ms. Rene found inside her compost pile at Farm & Garden! This little guy can occupy a burrow system with roughly 98 feet of passages. It feeds on the roots of grasses such as paspalum, Bermuda, and sandbur, and to avoid predators, seizes said roots from underground. When defending its burrow against intruders, it emits a wheezy call and gnashes its teeth—which this lil fella did when Ms. Rene caught caught him engorged on compost scraps, lying like a couch potato outside his hole! Too bad he's such a little cutie pie. He ain't scaring no one away. 😍

04/03/2025

04/03/2025

¡Estudio del estanque Camp Kappe!
Camp Kappe Pond Study!