Written 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.
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…
Written by Theresa M. Piano Specialist.
With the endless amount of opportunities provided to campers at Camp Starlight, campers are not only constantly encouraged to set goals for themselves, but they are encouraged to achieve those same goals as well. Whether a camper decides to set a long or short term goal, Camp Starlight guides the campers to achieve them in a way that makes the journey to success that much more exciting and fun. Learning how to play piano, do a magic trick, sink a three pointer on the basketball court or standing up on water skis, the goals campers set for themselves are varied but always achievable with the support of staff and friends at Camp Starlight. Everyone is excited to help each other and push campers outside of their comfort zone to reach their goals because this is a place where everyone believes in the potential of others. Here to celebrate both the wins and losses, achievements and failures, Camp Starlight always keeps the ball rolling for campers to pursue their goal no matter how many times they fall on their journey. No one will judge a camper’s goal either because no goal is too big or too small, even if the goal is as simple as a making one new friend. Camp Starlight recognizes the amount of effort someone needs to put in to achieve a goal, understanding that it is not just the work of the camper to achieve goal, but the combined support of coaches, counselors and staff. The unconditional support of everyone at Camp Starlight is how goals are always achieved every summer.
My name is Jesse H. and I am here today to speak to you about courage. Courage is a word with many meanings. Whether it is facing your fears, trying a new thing, or simply stepping out of your comfort zone, courage is a quality we should all apply to our personalities. Sometimes our courage is diminished when there are obstacles in the way. The most intimidating and dangerous obstacle, however, oftentimes is ourselves. Our personal fear is a limiting factor that every single one of us lives with. However, I can offer a piece of advice to all of you that may help your struggle against fear. As Franklin D Roosevelt said, ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’ Let me elaborate by telling a story…
Written by Hana M.
Instead of Reveille ringing throughout camp in the early morning, a famous jingle is played and awakens campers faster than ever before: it’s a Krispy Kreme morning. To excite campers for another fun day at Camp Starlight, the Krispy Kreme theme song is played all throughout camp and wakes up campers from their own dreams to enter a real dream of sugary glazed donuts. The jingle immediately has campers leaping out of their bunks and flying down to the Dining Hall in just their pajamas to get their hands on two perfectly glazed donuts. The giant green Krispy Kreme sign stationed at the front of the Dining Hall is like a beacon of light and hope to the campers and quickens their pace even more. No counselor needs to hurry their campers out of bed because the campers are already two steps ahead of them because they know how delicious and delightful the first bite of a Krispy Kreme will be. Waiting in line will deter no one as camp director David passes out the treats to every single camper while clad in a Krispy Kreme shirt and hat. Campers always look forward to Krispy Kreme breakfasts because of how fun it is to eat sugary donuts but they also love it so much because they get to eat these treats with all of their closest friends. The campers joke around with each other by pretending that the donuts are their own eyes or place them on their fingers to imagine a new diamond ring. The donuts bring out the most playful side of the campers in the morning and bring them together, bonded by sugar and laughter. Sitting down in the Dining Hall wearing pajamas and and spreading a smile full of Krispy Kreme, campers happily enjoy the special breakfast knowing that the rest of the day at Camp Starlight will be just as sweet.
The biggest countdown in the summer are the days, hours and minutes leading up to visiting day, the moment families can finally be reunited for the first time since they had to say goodbye at the start of the summer. During this countdown, parents and campers will anxiously try to imagine how it feels to hold each other in their arms after sprinting and rushing across the field the morning of visiting day. As campers cross out another day in their calendar at night, they visualize the cutting of the ribbon on visiting day that allows their parents to enter camp and embrace them with the warmest hugs. When visiting day finally arrives, campers wake up hours before reveille and jump about the bunks with excitement, happy to finally see their parents and curious to see what treats and toys they bring. Campers tidy up every single nook and cranny of the bunk to show their parents how responsible they’ve become at camp and prepare all their artwork they have crafted for them down at Arts & Crafts. Holding a giant welcome sign on the porch of every bunk, campers stretch their necks and widen their smiles, because they are inches away from feeling the genuine love of their family. Once families are reunited again, the biggest sigh of relief is released because up until this point in the summer, everyone had been holding their breath. When parents hug their kids and see how happy they are here at summer camp, they see how they have made a new home at Camp Starlight, this special place keeps their kids just as safe as when they are in their own arms.
You are what you eat, it’s a simple state of fact. Whatever you put into yourself, you are affecting how your body and mind works and that ultimately decides how you succeed in your day. At Camp Starlight, campers are provided with the opportunity to participate in a cooking activity so they can learn what they should nurture themselves with and how to put good into themselves to get good out. A vital skill in life, cooking can be a very empowering activity for a camper because they learn how to create good nourishment for themselves with a few ingredients and some simple steps. When campers see they can create something both delicious and healthy for themselves, they are able to have more control in their life and become a more independent individual. These are the skills that will last the rest of their lives and campers are presented with the opportunity to not only add to their education of healthy eating and nourishment, but they get to advance their cooking skills and techniques. Learning about how to eat healthy is one thing, but the ability to know how to create the healthy food in the kitchen is another. At Camp Starlight, campers develop advanced knowledge about a healthy lifestyle in the interactive cooking activity, along with developing a passion for the art of cooking. Campers are able to let themselves go and let the ingredients come together to do the talking to produce something beautiful. When campers walk out the kitchen at the end of the activity they have learned about cooking, but they have learned even more about themselves and their abilities.
While most people tend to look forward to the weekends and dread Mondays, at Camp Starlight campers look forward to Mondays the most because they are S-Days. On these special days, a theme is designated for all the activities that take place that day and varies between division. Whether it’s a banana theme or a winter wonderland, these themes excite the campers for a day full of special events. S-Days change up the pace significantly at camp because the activities are longer and therefore fewer of them, allowing the campers to thoroughly enjoy an entire afternoon making volcanoes in a mad science activity or spending quality time at the waterfront while groups going tubing on the lake. S-Days keep campers on their toes because they really will never know what to expect. Additionally, the element of surprise with S-Day themes excites the campers even more and really brings them together when they finally get to dress up or participate with the theme. These special Mondays are what campers look forward to every week, but they look forward to spending them together with their friends even more. The chance to be silly in themed costumes or fool around in these themed activities is how campers form deeper bonds and connections with one another.