The Auxiliary Gymnasium was filled with laughter and energy this morning as ESD’s Baseball Buddies program was well underway. The program, led by rising seniors Robert Crenshaw ’17, Savannah Crow ’17, Nika Willis ’17, and Ella Kelly ’17, provides a camp for children with special needs to have some summer fun.

Students organize games and crafts for the kids, such as basketball dunking, frisbee, and decorating visors with stickers, to name a few. Alum Hunter Crow ’12 began the program after his freshman year at ESD, and it has been passed down each year since. His younger sister, Savannah Crow ’17, is now one of the lead counselors of the Baseball Buddies team this summer for the camp’s eighth year.

“It was great thing and the kids loved it, and the parents loved it,” said Savannah. “I just had to keep it going.”

Fifteen Upper School students volunteered with the camp this year. Other counselors include Julia Eller ’17, Elizabeth Reid ’17, Sydney Helbing ’17, Sophie Henley ’18, Amelia Danklef ’10, Grace Crenshaw ’18, Garret Levy ’19, Patrick Skalniak ’18, Keller Casey ’19, Savannah Troutt ’18, Landry Shive ’18, Blair Oden ’18, Braden Rhone ’18, Lily Charnes ’18, and Jay Browne ’19.

The camp, which ran all week from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., will culminate tomorrow with a water slide celebration on the Troutt Athletic Fields.