When you spend eight summers of your life at the same summer camp, you get to reflect on all the magic you’ve experienced and memories you have made at a place that is so special and unlike anywhere else. At Camp Starlight, Upper Senior campers truly get to experience every single aspect of summer camp, transitioning from summer to summer with more responsibility and more fun. Upper Seniors get to see every angle of Camp Starlight and experience every special activity, they really do it all. However, when the last night of the last summer comes, it always arrives too quickly for these Upper Seniors. Reflecting back on every summer spent at Camp Starlight, here are the things that Upper Seniors will miss most about Camp Starlight when they have to say their final goodbye.
- The Traditions: They will miss all the iconic traditions that define Camp Starlight because that is what makes a summer camp experience. The relay races, Olympic games, powder puff football, color wars and campfires all make for a picture perfect summer and these traditions is what transforms a normal summer into a magical one to remember.
- The Staff: Coaches and counselors really help define a camper’s summer because they are the mentors in their life guiding them to achieve their goals and overcome their obstacles for that summer. The constant support and belief is what helps a camper become the better athlete, the better artist and the better individual.
- The Adventure: Campers are able to explore and feel an adrenaline rush practically every day on or off campus, travelling to different places and cities for special trips when they aren’t whizzing on the zipline or jumping great heights at outdoor adventure. The sense of adventure and opportunity to discover the unknown is an element of Camp Starlight that campers will yearn for the most.
- The Memories: Camp Starlight is unique in the fact that practically every moment can be transformed into a memory. Every evening activity, special event or moment that made a camper smile creates a summer for campers to always look back fondly on, the memories these campers make with each other are unique and often the ones they never forget for the rest of their lives.
- The Friendships: Since most campers don’t all come from the same place, summers spent at Camp Starlight are so special since this is the only time campers are able to connect and bond with their camp friends. Camp Starlight helps form friendships that are so strong and unlike any friendship back home. The friendships are a vital element of what campers look forward to seeing every summer and will regret saying goodbye to the most.
Every day at Camp Starlight is completely different for me, I see a multitude of faces from every division and interact with campers I’ve known for five years or for five minutes. The only consistent aspect of my job is my ability to meet new people every day and that is why I know my job as the Athletic Director is the best job on campus. Whether I am overseeing Wayne County match or providing a helping hand for any athletics based evening activity, I am always on the move meeting and getting to know different campers. When campers express interest in a sport and I get to help them improve their skills, I also get to know who they are and why they are passionate about the sport. I love the relationships I get to form with the campers and when they get older and look back at these summers they won’t remember whether they won or lost a lacrosse or basketball game, they will remember the people they made relationships with, which I believe to be so cool. When I get to see these campers come back summer after summer and see how they grow in terms of skill and independence, it’s a very rewarding feeling for me. When campers that become too old for Camp Starlight but reach out before they go to college to tell me I’ve impacted their life positively, it is the most rewarding feeling. Those moments are why I know I have the best job at Camp Starlight.
Being a Lower Deb comes with more respect, responsibilities, opportunities, and freedom. We have a mascot that represents who we are, and who we can be. We have our own cheer that shows our spirit, and proves that we are powerful. We are lucky to be able to get 10 times closer with our division just from one night. Being the role models that we looked up to as a lower junior means so much. In Upper Camp, we now have the responsibility of making a younger camp sister feel happy and comfortable. We also have the privilege of having two sisters with whom we form a special bond and friendship. You learn to be a loyal bunkmate, sister, and friend. We learn to step out of our comfort zone and try new things. We wouldn’t trade this memorable experience for anything else in the world.
Throughout the day I am quite scattered around campus, some afternoons I’m launching bottle rockets in front of the Rec Hall and on other days I’m helping blow cube shaped bubbles in the Makerspace. The wide range of science based activities I get to participate in and teach to campers makes every day exciting and different which is why I believe I have the best job on camp as the Makerspace Specialist. When campers come to summer camp they want to escape school and classes, believing a science based activity is no fun and all rules, but my job as the Makerspace Specialist is to show campers how fun and interesting it can be to play with applied science. Building robots, planning science experiments, launching model rockets, blowing odd shaped bubbles, and of course making slime are all exciting activities I can share with the campers to see the fun side of science. When campers participate in these activities they get to develop a passion for science outside the classroom and I get to witness their growth and improvement over the summer which is my favorite part of my job. Nothing is more rewarding than helping a camper understand the beautiful intricacies of science and robotics and see them make connections they never thought they could make before. My specialty is very unique compared to all the different sports, music and art based activities campers have the opportunity to partake in so it’s an honor to be one of the few counselors helping campers experience a healthy and fun exposure to science. Without working with these campers all summer and sharing my love of science, my life would be so different and not as fulfilling because when camper’s make connections to science and develop a passion that is when I know all my hard work is worth it and that I have the best job at Camp Starlight.
Camp Starlight provides campers with so many opportunities when they are on campus, from every sport and activity imaginable, campers are always busy and able to have fun. To keep the fun exciting, Camp Starlight also gives campers from different divisions the chance to go on off campus trips. Each division travels to a different location and for a different amount of time, but every camper is guaranteed a unique off campus experience. The Seniors travelled to Niagara Falls to see the amazing firework show, jet boat through class five rapids, and experience the amazing roller coasters and rides at Darian Lake Amusement Park. The Upper Debs and Plebes made their way to Lake George and Six Flags. While the Lower Debs and Plebes experienced Hershey Park! The Upper Inters take a trip to Dorney Park to experience all the fun! The Lower Inters head to Cooperstown, New York to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and enjoy all the best food the town had to offer. The Juniors found their way to Skate Estate in New York, playing games, skating all around and enjoying everything the day had to offer. All the divisions experienced new things, ideas and places when they were given the opportunity to travel off campus for an extended period of time. When campers are able to travel and experience new places, they are able to learn more about different cities, culture, people and ideas, broadening their minds and increasing their curiosity. It is important that campers get out of camp every once in a while and see new things because that is how they grow to be learners and leaders, taking a step out of the box to experience something like never before. Opportunities like these show how Camp Starlight is devoted to helping campers stay curious and become leaders inside and outside of camp.
There’s something magical that happens at camp when the sun goes down at Camp Starlight. Of course, we have the fun and excitement of our evening activities. Yes, there is so much more that sets the scene for some of the fondest memories of the summer.