The history of Camp Starlight is as deep and diverse as an ocean, full of life and a variety of characters, this summer camp contains an endless amount of history. There are so many stories that can be told within the gates of Starlight.
One way to leave your bit of history and to make your camp story last a lifetime is through the tradition of decorating a bunk plaque at the end of the summer. With the help of everyone inside your bunk, a plaque is given to every bunk on boys and girls side to decorate however they like to tell a story about their summer. Inside jokes and funny incidents are often inscribed on these wooden plaques, the paint depicts all the fun these campers have experienced this summer. No matter what is painted or dusted with glitter, the plaque symbolizes all the fun Camp Starlight was able to provide for these campers.
The plaque allows for a bunk to bond over all the good and sometimes the rough times of the summer, reminiscing over everything they have gone through together and will remember for the rest of their lives. This tradition is so special in the way it brings all the campers and counselors together, reminding everybody of how they were able to overcome challenges and accomplish goals as a bunk, the summer wouldn’t have been the same without everyone in the bunk taking part in helping each other.
These plaques are forever hung in the Dining Hall of camp, the one place everyone is gathered for important times of the day. When you look up at your plaque from this summer or summers ago, you are able to remember all the amazing memories you have made at Camp Starlight and the unique experiences you wouldn’t be able to participate in anywhere else. With your plaque, your history is forever a part of Camp Starlight’s.
As last sunset of the summer touches the lake and the Starlight shirts are packed away, another summer at Camp Starlight has come to a close. The summer flew by as the wind does through the trees, easily and without notice. It’s not until the activities slow down and trunks lift out of the attic that you realize another summer of fun, laughter, excitement and challenge has come and gone. You won’t be able to see the growth within yourself if you stare up close in the mirror, but it is visible in the list of achievements you’ve accomplished throughout the summer, whether big or small. Smiling at your new friends and hugging your old ones, Camp Starlight has brought you together with people you never knew you would meet in life from all over the world. Remembering all the times you spent laughing at the evening activity, singing and cheering during Olympics and how excited you were to start the summer when you hopped off the bus, the memories from the summer of 2017 flood you entirely. It’s really at the end of the summer that you realize how special this place is and how it’s magic transforms an ordinary summer of work and play into a season of outrageous amounts of fun and unique opportunities. Preparing for goodbyes have never been as difficult as when you have to separate from those you have grown closest to and admire. You may wonder how does time move this fast exactly when you don’t want it to and why will these next ten months until camp feel like ten years. The wait is long, the goodbyes are hard and the heartache is heavy, but all of this is worth it when you hop on the bus to go home because you know soon enough you will hop right back off to your summer home, Camp Starlight. 
After a great battle between blue and white, the annual Olympics at Camp Starlight came to a final close, declaring Happy Blue Day the successor on girl’s side and Grand Stand White the winner of boy’s side. Every single camper, regardless what team they were on, put in one hundred and ten percent effort into these Olympic games, embracing every unusual task or challenge that would earn their team points. Campers wouldn’t even do a double take when asked to toss cheese puffs onto a camper’s head full of shaving cream, duke it out in the most intense game of Gaga or eat dinner in complete silence to help their team win. Olympics is a five day event that everyone takes seriously, counselors and staff included because it is also their hard work and dedication that helps their team win. Counselors and staff can sacrifice all their time to help design costumes and a set for Sing! or compete in staff volleyball games during rest hour just so that their team can get a few extra points. No matter how few or many points a camper or counselor earned for their team, they all added up in the end and without them the results wouldn’t have been the same. Olympics is a time that brings all of the campers, counselors and staff together, a special event that bonds everyone together as they all fight for the same goal. When the winners are announced at the end of the fifth day, cheering and shouts of joy erupted in the air but it didn’t compare to the rewarding feeling when everyone from the blue and white teams rushed the lake, celebrating all the things that every camper had been able to achieve during this Olympics. While winning is a reward in itself, the real reward of Olympics are the memories everyone was able to create during these five days of fun, athleticism, teamwork and friendship. 
For the second day of Olympics, the girls of Happy Blue Day proved even stronger than on the first day, amping up all the energy and spirit for the games. The Juniors served up some tough competition for the Grand Stand Whites on the tennis courts and battled in the sand during a tough game of Newcombe on the volleyball courts. The sand of beach volleyball and the nets of the tennis courts were also well defended by the Lower Inters, bringing just as much intensity as the Juniors. Running bases with ease, the Upper Inters glided through pitches on the softball diamond and took their coordination skills to the test for the soccer shootouts. The Lower Debs also put their soccer skills to the test for an exciting game of soccer against the white team. Upper Debs dribbled effortlessly around the Grand Stand Whites in basketball and slammed some pitches for a game of softball. Defending Happy Blue Day with ferocity, the Seniors raced around the field in soccer and competed in the boating meet with power and spirit. All the girls proved their dedication to their team and made their coaches and counselors proud when sporting the color blue with pride. 
The Grand Stand Whites packed a powerful punch for the second day of Olympics, raising the bar in spirit and sportsmanship for the day’s activities. Inspired by the previous day’s events, the Juniors put all their passion into exciting games of tennis and beach volleyball against Happy Blue Day. Battling in the sand, the Lower Inters dominated in a game of Newcombe and then later put all their energy onto the tennis courts just like the Juniors. Running the bases, the Upper Inters took pride in a great game of softball and kicked with power for the soccer shootout. Bringing the heat to the black top and the pitch, the Lower Debs played exciting games of basketball and soccer while the Upper Debs pushed hard for the win in basketball and softball. The Seniors showed off many summers worth of practice for an intense game of soccer against Happy Blue Day, fighting to prove that white is better than blue. With Lower Camp competing in a swim meet and Upper Camp in a boating meet, the Grand Stand Whites faced off in the water for a fun afternoon of healthy competition. The girls worked really hard the second day and had fun cheering on their friends through wins and losses, happy to be experiencing Olympics at the end of a perfect summer. 
The Grand Stand White boys spent the large majority of the morning in the water with Lower Camp having a blast in the boating meet and the Upper Camp battling it out in their swim meet. Happy Blue Day came out of the dock looking to make up for yesterday’s swim meet, but Grand Stand White came back in the second half of the race to win it. After the Grand Stand White dried off from their wet morning, the divisions split up for more individualized competition. The Upper Inters and Juniors made incredible comebacks in Gaga in order to sweep Happy Blue Day and the Lower Inters faced off for a fun game of baseball. The Seniors showed off their skills in intense games of lacrosse and ultimate frisbee, packing a punch for the blue team. Taking example from the Seniors, the Lower Plebes also showed off their athleticism in games of flag football while the Upper Plebes took to the bases for a powerful game of baseball. The boys all cheered due to high morale of a successful second day of Olympics. The boy’s positive attitude and eagerness to compete led to victories in each division, furthering the euphoric atmosphere within the Grand Stand White team. 
The first morning of the 2017 Olympics started with the Lower Camp boating meet, the Juniors and Inters swam with confidence and pride for their team. The Grand Stand White came out on top in other divisions as well. As the morning continued, the Lower Debs served up some strength in tennis, ran through the bases for a great game of softball and made a great impact in the sand for beach volleyball. Following suit, the Upper Debs also defended the nets in tennis and played their white hearts out in a game of soccer. Taking note from Upper Camp, the Inters of Lower Camp played hard in games of Gaga, tennis and knockout. Not to forget to mention that the Juniors rocked it out at soccer in the afternoon. The Seniors really showed camp what it means to be a part of the Grand Stand Whites with nailbiting games of softball, volleyball, soccer shots and flag football, these girls brought an intense amount of energy and inspired all of Grand Stand White to work hard and push it to the limits for Olympics. The girls started Olympics with a bang and there is more to come from this team of white spirit. 
“It’s a Junior’s Life For Me” was a popular phrase said by every Junior on the ever anticipated Junior Day this summer. A pirate themed day, all the Juniors had the entirety of Camp Starlight to themselves to have fun as pirates and play to overtake Camp Starlight as their treasure. Junior Day is a day devoted to the fun of the Juniors where they can play all over camp and not worry about anything except discovering as much buried treasure as possible. Diving into the waterfront to unearth treasure, whipping up edible treasure in the Farmhouse and searching for clues from sea creatures in the swamp, Juniors embraced their inner pirate for a day full of fun under the sun. The Juniors sport bandanas and eye patches to fully embrace the pirate role, enjoying a day of activities that are just for themselves. Camp Starlight hosts these themed days for the Juniors to show their appreciation for the youngest division because of all the bright energy they bring to camp. The Juniors are the first to laugh and to raise their hand to participate in an evening activity, their energy is something that everyone at Camp Starlight loves to feed off of and embrace. The atmosphere of camp is so positive when the Juniors are around to giggle and have fun with the other campers and counselors. Junior Day is a great event that highlights the positivity and fun of the Juniors and inspires everyone at camp to see everyday as fun as they do. Because of their spirit and love for summer camp, the Juniors inspire others to say “It’s a Junior Life For Me.”
Going into the first events, boy’s camp was electrified. The energy in the air was palpable as were the thundering chants coming from each team. Taking great inspiration from the generals, the Grand Stand Whites were ready to tackle the first events of Olympics. The Seniors started out strong with a heated game of baseball, stealing bases and showing pride for their team. Showing just as much passion as the Seniors, the Juniors and Inters of Lower Camp participated in a swim meet, speeding through the water to snag as many points possible for the Grand Stand Whites. Lower Camp showed more strength in the Junior’s fierce games of boxball and basketball and the Inters passionate games of lacrosse and ultimate frisbee. Also proving their power in the water, the Lower Plebes played a tough game of water polo to then later bring the heat to dry land for a great game of soccer. The Upper Plebes rocked out a game of soccer and practically sent the blue team packing in a game of knockout. All the boys pushed themselves for the Grand Stand Whites and began Olympics with enough passion to outburn the Olympic torch itself. 