The Lower Senior boys basketball team moved onto a 2-0 record beating Weequahic at home behind Justin G.’s game high 30 points and 5 steals. He exploded in the first quarter, setting the offensive tone by scoring 12 points. Jake B. and Justin H. also took some of the scoring load with 12 points and 2 steals a piece. Michael G. erupted for a quick 8 points to start the second half while Ben W. had 2 steals and 4 points and Aidan C. scored 3 points. Jack T.’s defensive presence nabbed 8 rebounds. Jonah S., Harrison S., Alexander H. and Ethan B. rounded out the scoring with 2 points each.
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Lower Senior Boys Basketball
Monday, July 31st, 2017Honor Bunk Status Encourages Campers to be Leaders
Sunday, July 30th, 2017
At Camp Starlight, campers are encouraged and shown how to portray themselves as responsible kids in a multitude of ways so they can grow up to be leaders in the world. All the activities campers participate in teach them teamwork, patience, sportsmanship and kindness, but all these lessons are brought inside the bunk as well. Each bunk is expected to be tidied and cleaned by the campers that live there so they are showing their responsible qualities. To positively encourage campers to be tidy, Camp Starlight awards Honor Bunk status weekly to a bunk in every single division that has the cleanest bunk all week long. When bunks get Honor Bunk status a couple times in a row that earn a great prize of a trip to ice cream or pizza. These treats incentivize the campers but once campers get into the habit of cleaning daily, they continue the habit without having to think about ice cream or pizza to push them to do it. Throughout the summer, campers become more and more responsible with their bunks and take pride in earning the Honor Bunk status. When the announcements are made that show which bunks earn the status at morning lineup, campers jump up and down with the members of their bunk because they are so happy and proud of their success as a team. Campers can show the whole camp how responsible and trustworthy they are in keeping their bunk in order when their bunk gets announced again and again to be the best in their division. The smiles on their faces show the entirety of camp how proud they are to be a part of a bunk that takes pride in being responsible and being the best representative of Camp Starlight. With the continuous encouragement from counselors, their bunk mates and Camp Starlight, campers are taught how to be the best leaders they can be not just in this summer camp, but outside in the world.
Upper Plebes Basketball
Saturday, July 29th, 2017
Starlight had an impressive performance beating Morasha 62-52. Tyler H. led the way with a game high of 24 points to pace Starlight. The big man in the middle David H. also scored double digits scoring 13 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. The other three starts scored as well, Maxwell S. with 8 points, Jackson G. with 6 points and Max G. with 6 points. Benjamin M. sunk a three pointer while Benjamin J. rounded out the scoring with 2 three pointers. Ozzie F. made a difference on the court with 8 rebounds while Julian A. and Jared F. played great defense.
Junior Girls Basketball
Friday, July 28th, 2017
It was another exciting victory for the Junior girls in their game against Camp Wayne with a score of 21-4. Mikayla T. put in tremendous effort by scoring 6 points. Lilly A. was one for two from the free throw line and assisted Sarina S. in scoring 2 points for the team. Hannah G. contributed with 4 points and 1 steal. Dylan S. scored 6 points and Miley Y. added 2, bringing the team’s total to 21 points. Sasha J. and Claudia C. played an incredible defense, forcing a combined 7 turnovers out of Camp Wayne. Ella G. started the game off strong with 1 assist and 2 forced turnovers in the first half. Zoe N. and Chloe S. both played an impressive defensive game and hustled after every rebound and loose ball. Kaia K. and Lilly P. had a combined 4 rebounds and demonstrated great effort that helped to send Camp Wayne packing.
Upper Inters Basketball
Thursday, July 27th, 2017
The 6th grade basketball team remains undefeated after protecting the home court against Perlman with an impressive 21-50 win. Starlight was powered by the big man in the middle Joey S. who finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Defensively Jacob Z. set the tone with a game high of 7 steals and 8 points. Shai A. also played big for the win with 8 points and Sawyer W. had some action with 5 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Sam F. chipped in 4 pints while Owen G., Jordan G., Nathan Z., Brett B. and Dylan B. rounded out the scoring with 2 points each. The whole team worked together to make great contributions to this win.
Lower Senior Girls Tennis
Thursday, July 27th, 2017
For the second time the Lower Senior girl’s tennis team went to dual with Camp Weequahic. Kylie M. played like a professional on the court putting in a great amount of hustle. Hayden M. played a great game going up and then having to brave her way to a 9-1 win, which turned out to be the decider. Olivia S. played an amazing game, covering the entire court and moving her opponent around so she could go on to win 6 straight games. Brooke E. and Marlie K. played a great doubles match, scoring some amazing points that led them to an 8-4 win.
Courage Speech
Wednesday, July 26th, 2017
First I’d like to thank David and Allison for asking me to speak to you. It’s truly an honor. Tonight I’ve been asked to say a few words about courage, which is ironic because even though I’ve taught high school for almost 20 years and given countless presentations I’m a little nervous right now.
Courage is something everybody desires. Wikipedia, which we all know is always true, defines courage as the ability to confront agony, pain, danger and uncertainty. From the cowardly lion in the Wizard of Oz who found the courage to face the witch, to David facing the Goliath in the Bible or Luke Skywalker battling Darth Vader we are raised on heroic and inspirational tales.
But courage isn’t just about physical bravery, it’s the ability of the Debs and Plebes to present a flawless performance of Lil Abner in the Starlight Playhouse in front of a full rec hall. It’s deciding to follow your dreams despite others telling you won’t make it. What if Michael Jordan stopped playing basketball after Diego cut him from his 9th grade team? What is Taylor Swift stopped singing after being turned down by the first record label? And most importantly, what if David Miller didn’t follow his dreams to acquire and direct Camp Starlight? As time has shown us, these innovators wouldn’t be denied. They had courage to follow through with their dreams.
So you may be wondering how can I get the kind of courage that Steph Curry has when shooting threes or Katy Perry has when performing on stage? I may not have the exact same answer but I can offer some help.
First you must realize that everyone has fears, you are not alone. I don’t like to fly on airplanes, you may not like heights or maybe you are afraid to play soccer because Whatley really scares you. It’s okay, over time you will develop the skills to cope with these situations. The more you experience fear or anxiety, the easier it becomes to deal with.
Here are three things that will allow you to build courage and conquer all your fears, and the best thing is that you can do all of these, right here at Camp Starlight.
- Take a deep breath–this will relax your body and mind and make the situation easier to deal with. So before conquering the zip line, take a deep breath and then jump. trust me you’ll have the ride of your life.
- Get active. Exercise releases endorphins in your body that make you feel better and forget about your worries. So whether it’s playing hockey with Wade, hoops with Diego or dancing with Loren, you’ll always feel better when you exercise.
- Get a proper amount of sleep. Eight hours of sleep a night will ensure that your mind and body are functioning at an optimal level. So when you face the star jump or are preparing for the Spirit of Starlight, you’ll be ready.
Let me conclude with a short poem from my Lower Inter daughter Lilly that she wrote about courage:
You’ve made it this far
And now you will see
That you must be brave
If you want to succeed
Flexibility for the Sake of Fun
Tuesday, July 25th, 2017Written by Mike W ADL
As an Assistant Division Leader, my day is usually packed with different activities, interacting with campers from all divisions and running around making sure everything’s running smoothly for my Division Leader, Matt Hipps. Each day is always busy and therefore it is always fun which is why I believe I have the best job on campus. As an ADL to the Upper Plebes, I have the privilege of going to all different kinds of activities with the campers, getting to know the counselors from every division, working on all kinds of special events and setting up evening activities. As a person that is almost at multiple places at once, I can guarantee that my job is always exciting because each day is so different and requires me to work on so many different projects. Some of the most rewarding aspects of my job are seeing my campers have fun everyday because of the work I put in day in and day out, their smiles make all the hard work worth it. I also love continuing to learn how to be a leader and strong supervisor with the help of my DL. Thanks to his mentoring, I get to impact the lives of campers in a positive way and I know that they will remember me for the rest of their lives. The most rewarding moment was at the beginning of this summer when my campers from the previous year came up to me to recall all the fun we had last summer together. Knowing that my job is what helps campers make these fond memories is why I know I have the best job on campus.
You Know You’re From Camp Starlight When
Monday, July 24th, 2017
When you leave Camp Starlight at the end of the summer you start the countdown for when you can return, hoping that within those ten months of waiting you will run into friends from camp. When you are back home, their are so many signs that point to the fact you or your friend is from Camp Starlight. You know you’re from Camp Starlight when…
- All the clothes in your closet are blue and white. Whether they are saved from Olympics day or just from athletics, blue and white dominates your wardrobe.
- Your favorite time of the year is summer. When you’re asked which time of the year you enjoy most, you blurt out summer before the question is even finished.
- You sing along to all the words in “Sweet Caroline.” You will belt out the chorus without thinking twice because it takes you back to all those times you sung them together with your friends in the dining hall.
- Your alarm ringtone is Reveille. You can’t start the day without those trumpets because you know that if you wake up to anything else it’s a betrayal to your summer camp self.
- You have prominent tee shirt tan lines. Spending every day outside in the sun, the rays tan your skin but miss your shoulders because you’re always sporting a Camp Starlight tee every day of the summer.
- Your desk is full of letters from summer camp pen pals. The mailmen even starts the recognise the names on the letters because the correspondence between camp friends is something that can never be stopped.
- Your wrists are covered in friendship bracelets. Collecting them all summer long from your camp friends, friendships bracelets practically become a part of you and never leave your wrist.
- Your favorite place in the whole world is located in the middle of Pennsylvania. People will wonder why you won’t believe the tropical beaches of Mexico or the Eiffel Tower in Paris hold the title of most best place to travel, but you know that Camp Starlight in Pennsylvania is the most special and magical place in the whole world to go live.
Spreading the Love of Music
Sunday, July 23rd, 2017
Written by Theresa M. Piano Specialist.
My world is that of music and piano is my language. As the Piano Specialist at Camp Starlight, I have the opportunity to spread the music vibes and help kids nurture their love for music and that is why I believe I have the best job at Camp Starlight. Every day campers from all divisions come into the studio with an extensive knowledge of music or none at all, and I am able to have fun with all of them. I am always surprised with their talent and to see their skills develop is so grand, especially when kids from lower camp accomplish a simple skill because the joy in their faces when say “I did it!” is brilliant. Even though all these campers have different levels of skill, they all are so supportive of each other’s accomplishments, whether it is learning the C scale or mastering a complex song on the piano. There is a great sense of comradery and I am so happy to be a part of it. As the piano specialist, I am proud to be passionate about the piano but my favorite part of my job is when the campers tell me they really enjoy learning the music or that this part of the day is the one they most look forward to–those are the moments I look forward to in a way that is hard to explain other than pure joy. When the campers tell me they enjoy letting go and just allowing the music to take over, it is the most rewarding feeling to know they share those same feelings as I do about the music. Sharing the music vibes is why I know I have the best job at Camp Starlight.
