Kudos to all of our campers and staff for a great 2 days of Starcamps!

Recently, the Senior Boys caught up with Camp Starlight’s very own Head of Boating, Adam Alspaugh. Here’s what they learned about Adam…

Senior Boys (SB): Why did you want to work at camp?

Adam Alspaugh (AA): I used to be a counselor. I love the lake and teaching kids how to ski.

SB: Why did you choose Camp Starlight?

AA: My friend recommended it to me.

SB: How many years have you been working at Camp Starlight?

5

SB: How many years have you been teaching waterski?

AA: 8

SB: Why did you choose to become a coach?

AA: I love boats and helping kids.

SB: What’s your favorite thing about coaching?

AA: When a kid gets up on skis for the first time.

SB: Where are you from?

AA: Indiana

SB: Where did you go to school?

AA: Purdue University in Indiana

SB: What do you do during the winter?

AA: I’m a chef in Indiana

SB: Tell us something interesting about yourself that most people at camp probably don’t know.

AA: I was a pole vaulter in high school and I enjoy surfing.

Yesterday, the junior girls enjoyed a Sunflower Tea Party themed S-day. After being assigned to groups of tea brands, such as “Tazo” and “Bigelow,” the girls separated into groups and played tea themed games. Instead of egg on a spoon, there were tea bags on a spoon! At ceramics, the girls created small sunflower shaped tea bag holders..

Later, the girls were driven to their tea party by golf cart escorts where they played Bingo, made finger sandwiches, and iced cookies before sitting down for a proper spot of tea.

Pinkies up, tea cups and lots of smiles summed up S-day for junior girls.

For non-camp families, shopping day countdowns are usually confined to the winter holidays. For camp parents, however, there is another countdown that happens every year around mid-summer called the Visiting Day countdown. The first or second week in July, just as in winter, special greetings start arriving in the mailboxes of parents with children who are away at camp. Unlike holiday greetings adorned with images of dreidels and menorahs, these mid-summer greetings are written on camp stationary. They include requests—often very long lists—of items without which campers can’t possibly get through the rest of the summer—like more rubber bands for rainbow looms, stickers, magazines, cupcakes, candy, cookies, pizza…even sushi. If campers can dream it, they often include it on their “official” Visiting Day lists, which are sometimes signed something like this: XOXOXOXOXO (and maybe a heart or two drawn off to the side).

For any Camp Starlight parents who have lost track of time (or just haven’t checked their mail in a few days), there are merely five more days left to traverse your city, criss-crossing back and forth in order to hit all of your camper’s favorite places as you check off the list and then strategically plan how you will fit it all in the car and still have room for yourselves. Of course, campers are very grateful for their parents’ efforts and eager to see them as well. As one camper recently put it, ‘Visiting Day is the best day of camp because you get to eat all of your favorite foods AND see your parents AND there are still four more weeks of camp.’