Archive for June, 2012

Get to Know…Conor N.

Saturday, June 30th, 2012

Yesterday, we challenged some of our Lower Senior girls to “get to know” someone here on the Starlight campus.  Julia S. rose to the challenge by getting to know Camp Starlight Track and Field Specialist Conor N.  Here’s the 4-1-1 on Conor:

Bunk: 23

Birthday: August 4th….That makes him a Leo, for anyone who’s into astrology.

From: Long Island, New York

Attends University of Pennsylvania; Political Science major.

Interesting Facts: He studied for nine months for his SATs!  He’s also a self-professed germaphobe.  He went all the way through high school without touching a single door knob.  When you see him around campus, he can tell you how he managed to do it (HINT: CONVERSATION STARTER).

Parents: Don and Maureen

Siblings: Chris, Dan, and Brian.  Conor is the youngest of a family of high achievers.  His brother Chris attended Cornell University and the University of Louisville and will be working in Kenya for the summer.  Dan graduated from Princeton and spent last year teaching in Vietnam.  Brian is a Columbia grad and works at a trading firm.  Conor is considering a career in law but is still undecided.  One job he knows he definitely doesn’t want:  President of the United States.  He admits that he can’t understand why anyone would want to take on that job.

Pets: 1 dog.  A wheaten terrier named Gary (after Spongebob’s beloved pet snail)

Loves: Public Speaking

Doesn’t Love: Flying.  It hurts his ears.

Faves List…

Food—bacon, egg, and cheddar cheese bagel on a toasted everything bagel with ketchp from Rolf’s Deli, Grilled Cheese with bacon, and veal parmesan heroes from Frank’s Gourmet

Dessert—Blizzards from Dairy Queen (although he’s only had them once while visiting a friend in Ohio)

Movie—Elf

Holiday—Christmas

Flower—white lilac

Camp Starlight Ghost Story—The Gray Lady

Creating Week in Review

Friday, June 29th, 2012

Ben works on Week in Review

One of the Camp Starlight Friday evening traditions to which staff and campers alike most look forward every week is Week in Review.  For those who aren’t in the know already, Week in Review is a weekly review of the activities of the past week presented in a humorous light.  It never fails to provide some of the most talked about and comedic moments of the week.  Today, we checked in with Ben A., who has been working very diligently on this week’s Week in Review for the past couple of days now, to get an inside look into just want goes into the creation of Week in Review.  Here is a bit of what we learned in fast fact form:

*Creation of the Camp Starlight Week in Review begins at least a couple of days beforehand and often begins immediately following the presentation of the current Week in Review.

*The Week in Review creation team, of which Ben A. is a member, meets with Allison to brainstorm ideas.  Bringing the winning ideas to life then becomes a collaborative effort of several people and goes through many stages of development before the final product that we all see on Friday evenings.

*The Week in Review team goes through all of the photos for the week to select the best ones.  For any of you guessing how many that might be, let’s just say thousands!

*Of course, the Camp Starlight Week in Review wouldn’t be Week in the Review without a few secrets that we can’t disclose here in this blog.  We don’t want to give away all of the good stuff…and it’s fun to keep people guessing!

A Bit of Nostalgia Makes Its Way to the CS Waterfront

Friday, June 29th, 2012

Do you know how in movies—or maybe you’ve actually done this yourself—you see those nostalgic scenes of kids swinging from a rope into their local swimming hole?  Well, it may be 2012, but rope swings are not a thing of the past.  In fact, Camp Starlight introduced its own version to the Boys and Girls Waterfronts this year.  Although ours is just a little more technically complex than the old fashioned kind that were just ropes tied around the nearest tree branch, the concept is the same: grab on and swing as high and as far out over the water as you can before letting go and dropping into the water.  The campers are loving it and think it’s great to have yet another fun activity at the extremely popular Waterfront.  Already, they’re challenging themselves to swing higher and farther!

Cooking with Upper Inter Boys

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

Cooking is one of the most popular programs here at Camp Starlight and today was no exception.  We popped in on the Upper Inter Boys in Cooking today.  They were making chocolate dipped Oreo balls.  Each summer, campers spend several periods in our cooking studio learning how to make their own fun snacks.  Sometimes the focus is on healthy foods, like salsa, while sweet treats are the buzz all over camp on other days.  Judging by the yummy aroma that emanates from the cooking studio virtually all day long, we have some budding chefs here at Camp Starlight.  And judging by the smiling faces of all of the campers who come away from cooking still talking about how delicious their latest creations were, the Cooking program here at Camp Starlight will remain one of the most popular activities here on campus for a very long time.

A First Time Counselor on Her First Few Days of Camp

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

As every camper will tell you, the counselors are a big part of the overall sleepaway camp experience.  We at Camp Starlight checked in with one of our Girls counselors about her first few days at camp.  Here is her rather enthusiastic response:

“It’s only been three days and I’ve done so much! On the first night, we had an opening show.  Some of my girls have joined the Polar Bear Club and jump in the lake every morning.  We’ve also done Arts and Crafts, Tennis, Basketball, Boating, Gymnastics, Dance, Soccer, Cooking, Archery, and Softball.  We’ve also played a game called Panic and gotten to go to Canteen.  We do so many fun activities that I just keep losing track of time!”

What I Like Most about Camp so Far…

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012

Today we asked some of the Junior Girls what they have liked best about camp so far.  Here were their replies…

“I love the Waterfront.  The water trampoline is soo much fun.  I like to go in the deep end and play games with friends.  You can also jump off the dock and go in the shallow end and play tag or walk in the water with friends.  The Waterfront is sooo much fun!”–Marlie K.

“Camp Starlight is cool, awesome, and fun.  It’s so much fun you don’t want to leave at the end.  You will come back the next year!  They make it feel like home!  My first thing I got to do, and it was my first time doing it, was Panic and Waterskiing.  The counselors are great!”–Alex P.

“The Waterfront is a place where everybody in camp swims.  There’s a boy’s waterfront and a girl’s waterfront.  There’s a deep end and a shallow end of the lake.  You have free swim and instructional.”–Chloe W.

“Finally!  We are at camp!  There are a lot things to do at camp like waterskiing.  Best experience of my life!”–Tessa G.

“Camp Starlight is awesome with all the fun sports and all the yummy canteen.  You get to play other sports, so you should visit Camp Starlight.”–Alix S.

“Camp Starlight is awesome, cool, and SO much fun!  The counselors there are extremely nice and fun!  We have a good time doing Panic and meeting our camp sisters and much more!  We have an even better time at Olympics!  I love going to Camp Starlight!”–Sara G.

As you can tell, the Waterfront (especially waterskiing), Panic, and the counselors are all extremely popular among the Junior Girls here at Camp Starlight.  Keep reading for updates from other campers and staff members throughout the summer!

Flipping and Twisting in Gymnastics

Wednesday, June 27th, 2012

One of the most popular programs at Camp Starlight is our amazing gymnastics program.  Boys and girls alike enjoy flipping and twisting in Camp Starlight’s state of the art facility.  Gymnastics Program Head John and his staff are impressed by how good the Camp Starlight campers have maintained their skills over the past winter and can’t wait to teach some new tricks this summer.  John is always excited to see how much everyone has improved between summers and this year is no exception.

Campers have been warming up the Camp Starlight gymnastics apparatuses since the first day at camp and, already, everyone is looking forward to another summer of gymnastics competitions.  Last year, Camp Starlight held it’s very first gymnastics competition ever.  This year, we expect to hold our second annual competition, the Tropical Twist, an island themed competition that attracts camps from all over Wayne County.

Camp Starlight takes great pride in its Gymnastics program and 2012 looks to be our best summer yet!

Camp is in Full Swing

Tuesday, June 26th, 2012

Camp is in Full Swing

The summer of 2012 is in full swing at Camp Starlight!  Campers were up early yesterday after an action packed first night that included a great Opening Night Show and sing along.  The buzz at breakfast was that everyone was excited to get to their favorite activities as well as try out some new ones.  Everyone was thrilled to see some new options available on the waterfront and anxious to take that first step toward making a blockbuster in the new video production program.

A lot of the talk about camp among returning staff and campers is about how great it is to be back for another summer.  New staff and campers are enjoying their new surroundings and are splendidly settling in.  Everyone—whether returning or here for the first time—can’t wait to see all of the surprises that await as the summer progresses.  We can feel the energy of a great summer already!

Summer 2012 Has Officially Started!

Sunday, June 24th, 2012

We’ve all been waiting for ten months for another amazing summer at Camp Starlight and it’s finally here! The Camp Starlight staff was extremely excited to welcome the campers to Camp Starlight.  Lots of hugs, laughs, and cheers could be heard all over the Starlight campus as enthusiastic campers reunited for another fabulous Camp Starlight summer.  The campus buzzed with activity all afternoon and we capped off another Opening Night Show with a great sing along.  Everyone went to bed happy to be back in the 18461 for Summer 2012.  We can already feel that this is going to be one of the best summers yet!

Are You Ready for Camp?

Saturday, June 23rd, 2012

Are You Ready for Camp?

The bags are sent.  Your alarm is set.  The buses are ready.  The staff is excited.  But are you ready for the summer of 2012?  You are if…

*You’ve set your ringtone to a favorite camp song.
*For the past several days, you’ve started every sentence with, “This year at camp…” or “When I get to camp…”
*You find yourself humming the camp alma mater.
*You’ve been earmarking songs on the radio as this year’s “camp song” between you and camp friends.
*You’re already allocating your day according to the daily camp schedule.
*You can almost taste your favorite camp meal.
*You got excited about the waterfront while packing your bathing suit.
*You’ve already started thinking about which Olympic team you want to be on and who the officers will be.
*You have designated arts and crafts days at home.
*You haven’t worn an item of clothing that doesn’t have the camp logo on it in at least a week.
*You’ve found yourself looking at last year’s photos or the camp video while imagining poses for this year.
*You’ve been practicing your theater show audition in the mirror.
*You’ve been online reading Facebook, Twitter, and the camp blogs all week scouring for any and all information about what awaits for the summer of 2012.
*You are reading this blog right now because it’s the night before camp and you can’t sleep because you are SO excited!

See you tomorrow!  We can’t wait until everyone is here.