Summer 2024 Is Here!

315 days later and it’s almost as if we never left! New faces, upgrades all around camp, and seven weeks of uninterrupted bliss ahead of us; our summer home feels full once more. Summer 2024 has a lot in store! Wednesday was perfectly sunny. Our staff gathered outside of the Farmhouse towing welcome signs and teeming over with excitement for the reunions and introductions to come. The excitement bubbled over when the first of campers began trickling in and only built from there. The transition into camp mode felt seamless. Friends catching up, new friendships coming together in minutes, a magic that only camp can seem to capture radiating through the air.

I am Amir Alexander and I could not be more ecstatic to spend another summer keeping all of our Schodack friends and family updated on all the big things happening at camp this season. This year marks my third season as Schodack’s Communication Counselor. I work alongside a talented team: Holly (photo) and Freya (video) to document everything happening around camp each week!

Here are some other things you can expect every newsletter…

• Overviews, recaps, and details about one-of-a-kind Schodack events, activities, tournaments, and more!
• Mini-blog posts from each Division Head, featuring a glimpse of what their division did that week!
• Excerpts from the Schodack Scoop, Camp’s own daily newspaper written by the Communications Coordinator (me!) Our campers and staff love beginning their day with the only daily, breakfast-table newspaper in all of Nassau, New York!

Each of our weekly newsletters will also feature a video round-up of all the fun here at camp. Be sure to check your inbox every Friday afternoon for the next newsletter!

Division Write Ups

Click below to jump to your camper’s division:

Junior Camp

Middle Camp

 Seniors

LTs

Acorns

The first 48 hours at camp have been a blast for both the Acorn Girls and Boys. There has been lots of connecting with friends and making new ones. We started the first night off with the counselor show which got us all cheering and laughing. A big highlight for the acorns was ‘Ryan’s Zumba’. All 3 bunks have been learning and singing their bunk cheers around camp. 

Here are some of the fun things we’ve got up to so far… 

• The Acorn Boys have made mac and cheese in cooking. They have also bonded and tested their teamwork skills in low ropes. A big hit for the boys is gaga as it is bringing out their competitive side. 
• The Acorn 1 Girls enjoyed volleyball and archery. A big highlight for the acorn 1 girls was riding the schokart track. 
• The Acorn 2 Girls have been testing their throwing skills at softball and flag football. Their personal highlight was the dance lesson where they danced their hearts out.

Last night’s night activity was ‘night at the races’ where we took part in a series of relays with the rest of junior camp. 

The first 48 hours have been a blast. We are all very excited to make more memories at the 12123! Summer 24 will be one the acorns will remember for the rest of their lives. 

-Hollie

Junior Girls

The Junior Girls have had a FANTASTIC first few days of camp!

Junior Boys

Hey all!

I am Grant and I am the Junior Boys Division Head for 2024. We are really excited for the summer ahead and all the great activities and events coming up!

The Basswood Boys and Cottonwood Boys had a great time at the lake on Thursday morning, waterskiing, banana boating and kayaking in the morning sun.

The Cob Boys made birthday cards in Arts and Crafts while the Cherry Boys had an ace time at tennis.

Everyone is settling in well and looking forward to making more memories!

-Grant

Middle Girls

Hiiii!
The first 2 days back at Camp Schodack have been full of fun and laughter for the Middle Girls. The Larch, Sassafras, Tulip and Yew Girls have been settling into their bunks and meeting their old and new friends. The Sassafras Girls hit the waterslide the moment they arrived! The Yew girls got straight into Jibbit trading, followed by a dip in the pool. The Larch Girls had a lot of fun making caramel apples in the Camper Kitchen and the Tulip Girls headed to Archery, shooting lots of bullseyes.

Our first night activity was ‘Night at the Races.’ Middle camp teamed up with their bunkmates and participated in a series of fun relays, involving tennis balls, balancing, running and competing for the title! Overall, the first two days have been amazing and we’re all excited to continue making memories and make 2024 an awesome summer!

-Hannah 🙂

Middle Boys

HELLO!!!!
The Middle Boys are back this year and are already kickin’ it off to a great start! The Sassafras Boys had an awesome time at soccer and have been bonding like no time has passed. The Larch Boys have flooded the Junior Camp Playground (JCP), and the new and old pickleball courts. The Tulip Boys have taken advantage of the open area of grass outside of their bunk to run some two-hand-touch football games. Middle Boys stayin’ active!!
See y’all next week,
-Max

Senior Girls

Senior Boys

After an eagerly awaited return to camp, the Senior Boys of C1, C2, and C3 have hit the ground running, embracing the start of what promises to be an unforgettable summer. Nestled in “The Quad,” these three incredible bunks have already formed tight-knit bonds, rekindling old friendships and sparking new ones.
The first few days have set the stage for an incredible summer. The senior boys took bunk photos, went through some early summer meetings, and passed their swimming test with flying colors.

For day 2, the Senior Boys camp dove into their first full day of activities. This day featured a variety of activities on camp as well as an exciting trip to the lake for each bunk. The opening days at camp have been nothing short of spectacular. The energy and camaraderie in the Quad are palpable, and we can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer holds for the Senior Boys.
– Josh

LTs

The LTs are back! 

After performing the monumental task of serving lunch within 45 minutes of arriving at camp, the LTs have dived head first into their packed schedule.

Upon arrival to camp the LTs wrote welcome letters to their little brothers and sisters which were delivered to their bunks. The next day all the bigs met their littles during second campers choice and spent some time getting to know them; touring around camp while trying all the fun and exciting activities Schodack has to offer. 

They’ve been playing intense games of “Where the Wind Blows” and “Drop the Blanket” to get to know each other while also going to the Garden to prepare for their revamped Ultra Leagues season. On top of all of this, both the Waiters and the CITs are eagerly awaiting their Saturday basketball and soccer  intercamps at home against Camp Scatico; an all camp viewing event! 

It hasn’t just been sports for the LTs, they’ve also been attentively participating in workshops focused on leadership and being the best support systems for campers. Plus, both the Waiters and CITs have been getting through the early stages of formulating their Triple Crown ideas. 

Our first night activity had everyone on the edge of their seat as it came down to a final intense round of ‘Name That Tune’. Seth Lunin-Pack won it for Team 5 guessing the final song of ‘Free Bird’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd securing a My Place order for the team.

Also coming up for our LTs is the iconic ‘All For One’ Event. The planning and preparation has begun and camp cannot wait to get involved with all the fabulous challenge booths they will be running this summer.

This group has been outstanding for the first 48 hours and we can’t wait to see them thrive all throughout the summer!

-Eve and Charlie

More From The First 24

Playing catch in the quad, 4-square in the lawn, or even hitting the waterslide; campers got to enjoy the perfectly sunny afternoon together. We got our fill on grilled cheese, tomato soup, and goldfish at lunch. Our night activity was our highly anticipated Counselor Show! Songs, skits, and a surprise appearance from Willy Wonka and his Oompa Loompa entourage to help announce our first session musical: Willy Wonka Jr! One more jumbo cookie, bedtime story and daily reflection chat later and all of camp had turned in for the night.  Our first full day of activities was incredible! As far as perfect summer days go, this one was far better than we could even hope for. The weather was incredible and all our activity staff were beyond thrilled to instruct campers through games and lessons. The birthday card contest is underway at Arts and Crafts. Our Cooking staff helped whip up candy apples during Camper Choice. There’s plans for a Rockin’ Relay at the pool in the coming days.

Before dinner, first year campers got to meet their LT ‘big’ for a more personalized orientation of camp. Some duos hit up Arts and Crafts. Others took a tumble through Gymnastics or attempted to climb our newly refreshed climbing tower. All-in-all, our first 24 hours were magical. There’s so much to look forward to this summer. Triple Crown, Tribals, a number of surprises we can’t wait to unveil as time rolls on! Stay tuned for next Friday’s newsletter.

Scoop Of The Week

Our daily breakfast newspaper, The Schodack Scoop has also received a face-up this summer. Including two new daily puzzles: Schonecctions and Scoop Scrambled! Here’s a recent issue: