Posts Tagged ‘sleepaway camp’

Upper Seniors Girls Basketball

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2017

The tenth and eleventh grade girls basketball team dominated in the semi-finals against Lohikan with a 33-8 victory. Morgan S. lead the team with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Andie R. chipped in with 4 points and 2 steals. Sammy B. dominated defensively with 4 steals and added 2 points. Vanessa M., Ally J., Jesse W. and Alexa I. all added 2 points to the team’s total score. Tori D., Reese C. and Maddy G. were explosive with their defense combining for 5 steals each adding 2 points to the final score. alexa W. had 5 defensive rebounds and 2 offensive. Izzie A. showed a dominating defensive game with 2 steals and a block. Katie M. was a positive force on and off the court. With this huge team win Starlight will advance to the championship game. The team is determined to bring home a win and be able to rush the lake.

Junior Boys Basketball Championship

Wednesday, August 2nd, 2017

The Starlight third and fourth grade boys basketball team brought Starlight basketball its first championship of the summer with a 28-16 victory over Chen-a-Wanda. Justin J. led the eam with 8 points. Lucas L/ and Jackson H. closely followed with 6 points each. Reid S., Max S., Eric R. and Harrison R. all had 2 points. Jesse J. and Benjamin W. each played big with 4 rebounds. Marc F., Carter B. and Calen T. were the distributors with a combined 11 assists. Sam Rose., Rhys B. and Max S. held it down defensively with a combined 6 steals and 4 blocks. Overall it was a great way to finish off an unbelievable championship season by the Junior boys.

Junior Boys Basketball

Tuesday, August 1st, 2017

The Starlight Junior boys basketball team took a great team win from Tioga, winning 38-8. Every single player on the team contributed. Justin J. led the way with 10 points and Reid S. added 6 points to the total himself. Jackson H., Miles L., Max S. and Harrison R. all scored 4 points and Rhys B. added 2 points. Calen T., Marc F., Rhys B. and Jesse J. played very big with 2 blocks and 14 combined rebounds. Carter B. played great offensively with 4 assists. Overall it was a combined team effort to come out victorious over Tioga.

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.

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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, 2017

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.

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…

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.

Jesse H. Speech

Friday, July 21st, 2017

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…

During my Upper Inter summer, we were having a blast at Dorney Park. Back then I was terrified of any ride that wasn’t a merry-go-round. Throughout the day, I avoided all of the big coasters. After a few hours, my group approached the last ride. For those of you who have been to Dorney, you may have heard the name “Steel Force.” For those of you have not yet been, you will get to know the name very soon, because it is a mighty sight to behold. Our counselor urged me to go on. In my head I was panicking, and then a thought came to me. “Why am I scared of these? I know these coasters have been tested thousands of times, and also that G-d will protect me no matter what.” At that moment, I realized that if I looked at my fears more objectively, then there is, in fact, nothing scary about these rides. Willingly, I hopped on board Steel Force. I screamed a lot, but I had an absolute blast; it made my day and the entire trip a wonderful time. I learned how to turn fear and anxiety into courage and excitement. Now every time I am on a coaster, I think about that moment when I successfully translated my fear into courage.

Parallel to this little allegory, courage continues to be a necessary device when making important life decisions. Should I have a Bar Mitzvah? Will I get married? Will I have children? Should I go back on line for seconds? Questions such as these have life-altering consequences, and require a certain degree of courage to move forward and to make the correct decision. Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, but with a little love, judgement, a strong will, and a healthy dose of courage, making the right choices should come a bit easier. Demonstrating courage can improve anyone’s life ten-fold. Just remember the words that the only thing to fear is fear itself (FDR). I remember when my father first told me these words. I couldn’t fully comprehend what it meant back then, like some of you may be experiencing right now. Eventually, if you can start to understand, I promise you your life will be prosperous and exciting.