Week one at Camp Schodack was packed with excitement and camp traditions! One of the major highlights was the launch of Shrek the Musical. After auditions earlier in the week, the cast has already jumped into rehearsals.
We also celebrated one of Schodack’s most beloved traditions, All for One! Now in its 18th year, this all camp, Fourth of July themed event is planned and led by our LTs. Campers competed in games, showed off their team spirit, and enjoyed a sunny day of friendly competition.
Despite some shifts in the weather, activities across camp have been going strong. Campers gathered for the first Fire Circle of the summer, sharing songs, reflections, and stick dedications and had a blast during “Night at the Races,” a high-energy relay that brought the whole camp together for a night of cheering.
Looking ahead, campers are excited for a weekend full of tie-dye and, of course, our Fourth of July fireworks celebration! With the Talent Show on the way, there’s still so much to look forward to.
Division Write Ups
Click below to jump to your camper’s division:
Juniors
Super Juniors
Middle Camp
Super Seniors
LTs
Junior Girls
Hi! It’s been an amazing first week of activities here at camp. The Junior Girls are having so much fun!
Some highlights…
The Cedar and Balsam Girls had the best time making gourmet chocolate-covered strawberries & strawberry-themed art for the camper kitchen in their joint cooking activity period on Monday!
The Aspen Girls loved their gymnastics period and bouncing around on the trampoline.
The Chestnut Girls are so excited to be leading Fire Circle this week as a prize for winning Night at the Races (bunk relay races)! All the girls had so much fun at All For One Presented by the LTS, a camp tradition, and full of games, challenges, and cheering!
The Junior Girls have also been loving their pool periods throughout the week, it’s been the perfect way to cool off! Many have spent their campers’ choices at the pool to play water games, or just float and spend time with friends. To close off….a special shout out to the handful of Junior Girls who successfully competed and represented Schodack in the Sports Intercamp on Wednesday, July 2, at Camp Echo Lake!
Excited for more fun ahead! Bye for now… 🙂
Samantha Bernstein, Junior Girls DH
Junior Boys
The first week has been brilliant for the junior boys. We have had lots of fun with our special event afternoon ‘all for one’ and talent show practice. Zoom Flume was a big hit for the boys followed by a few episodes of phineas and ferb in the evening.
The Aspen Boys highlight of the week was archery and horseback. Their first ever bunk chat was another great period which included everyone picking their favorite dum dum. The boys new camp energy has gone down very well in all activities and they are loving every second.
The Balsam Boys highlight of the week was lake and pool. They are loving the water activities, some of the boys even caught fish at the lake. The balsam boys have spent lots of time in arts and crafts working on props for their Talent Show.
Another great week for the junior boys and we cannot wait to see what’s ahead for us.
-Hollie DH
Super Junior Girls
Week 1 was full of excitement, laughter, and new experiences for our amazing Super Junior Girls in Elm, Maple, Oak, and Hawthorn!
The Maple girls kicked things off with tons of fun at the waterslide, making lots of memories. The Oak Girls had a blast practicing their driving skills and worked on gaining their licenses—future pros in the making! The Elm Girls got creative in arts & crafts and the Hawthorn girls showed off their moves in gymnastics, trying new skills and cheering each other on! all four bunks headed to the lake, where they had a blast water skiing, banana boating, and enjoying everything they have to offer.
The girls also participated in 18th Annual All for One, a special afternoon filled with spirit and teamwork gaining points by doing various activities on camp. To cap off an amazing first week, the girls took a trip to Zoom Flume Water Park, where they zipped down slides, floated the lazy river, and enjoyed an unforgettable day with their friends.
The Super Junior Girls are off to an incredible start—and there’s so much more fun ahead!
Thanks for tuning in, Lilly DH
Super Junior Boys
Hi everyone!
The Super Junior Boys are off to an incredible start to Summer 2025. We had a great week packed with fun, laughter, and so much Camp Schodack magic.
Hawthorn and Maple faced off in an exciting game of kickball, with impressive plays, loud cheers, and campers flying around the bases. Meanwhile, Oak and Elm brought the energy over on the handball court with a match full of laughter and good sportsmanship.
Earlier in the week, some of our campers joined the first adventure trip of the summer: a kayaking outing that gave them a great chance to bond. On Saturday, Oak and Maple enjoyed a full lake day packed with kayaking, banana boat rides, kneeboarding, waterskiing, and swimming. On Monday, Elm and Hawthorn headed to the lake, taking part in all the same great activities, some for the first time! These were those classic summer days campers will be talking about for a long time. A big shout-out to the Maple boys, who led the walk to Fire Circle and set a great example for the entire camp.
Camper’s Choice has been a big highlight of the week. Counselors have been doing an awesome job helping campers figure out what activities to try and who to go with, making it easy for everyone to feel included and excited. One of the standout moments was an Ultra Leagues soccer match between the Lime Green and Sky Blue teams. The game went down to the last seconds, and the sportsmanship was incredible to watch.
Throughout the week, the four bunks have been busy with everything from hockey, pool, Ninja Warrior, and scho-Karts to cooking, waterslide, basketball, archery, and gaga. There’s always something exciting going on. We also had a Benihana-themed dinner that was a total hit with the campers, complete with Schodack Yum Yum sauce. Campers are also preparing for the first leg of Triple Crown, the Talent Show, by working as a team to put together amazing skits. And of course, no week at camp would be complete without a Tribals fake to keep everyone on their toes.
We are having a blast! I will be back next week with more updates.
All the best from the 12123,
– Russell DH
Middle Girls
Hey all!
It has been a super fun filled first week of camp for all of the middle girls!
Everyone had an amazing time at our first special event afternoon with All For One presented by the LTs. Everyone wrote poems, sorted skittles, did relay races at gymnastics and so much more. Later that same day the first cleanliness cup was announced with the Sycamore Girls taking the win and getting to dump water on their division head which was so fun!
On Tuesday it was the first trip day where everyone went to Zoom Flume and had a great time going on so many waterslides! There has been amazing participation across the middle girls with signing up for ultra leagues, intercamps, the play, and other off camp trips that are coming up soon!
All of the middle girls are practicing and getting excited for the first leg of Triple Crown which is Talent Show this Sunday! They are also very excited for the LT carnival and fireworks coming up soon. So many amazing things are coming our way and it has been a great first week in the 12123!
-Charlie DH
Middle Boys
Middle Boy Guardians!
It is crazy to think that a whole week has already gone by, it sure went quickly! These boys have been killing it wherever they go. We had a fantastic “All for One” special afternoon activity where our very own Spruce Boys took home the 1st place prize! The reminders for sunscreen and waterbottles has been non-stop because these kids sure do love to participate at activities. We had a great bunk vs bunk handball matchup between the Spruce and Pine Boys, it was a very tight game. The Sycamore Boys have been cheffing it up in the camper kitchen making some delicious chocolate covered strawberries, and have had some electric and competitive flag football matchups. Our trip to zoom flume waterpark was a splash! They could not get enough of the water slides and the gift shop. Wait until they tell you guys about the mentalist that came and did some crazy acts, it even blew my mind. Make sure you remind your kids how awesome they are during their first phone call this weekend!
Lots to look forward to as the saga continues!
#1 Division Head,
Jack Cohen
Super Seniors
The super seniors have been up to a lot of exciting events in the first week of camp!
First, we had night at the races: Super Senior edition, which resulted in the Super Senior boys winning, and leading the first fire circle! They spoke about what unity meant to them and led the camp with their words of wisdom and beautiful singing voices. We’ve made Super Senior bucket lists, played many rounds of Super Senior assassin, had canteen time on the hockey courts, bonfires, stargazing, and kicked off our Super Senior Survivor series. We headed to Lake George for a relaxing trip day, and had a blast exploring the town, restaurants, mini golf, and shops. We can’t wait for exciting events like the Talent Show, Lake Placid, and more!
See you next week!
With love from the 12123,
Mae DH
LTs
I really should have patented the phrase ‘Longest Days but Shortest Weeks’ as a moniker for camp, or at least The LT Program subset. At the end of each evening, it is astonishing how much has been accomplished, and yet because each morning seems to be describing Cleopatra (‘custom shall not stale her infinite variety’) it appears that you blink and a week has gone by. All For One went off, predictably, very well – the first years ran all of the different events, while the second years went round with the campers encouraging them to try their best. Since then, our first Challenge Day was tremendous – Squid Game Day. The whole camp was super excited as the LTs careered about in all directions in their Red, Blue, Yellow and Grink colors. We’re only just getting started here but the Blue Squad realizes it has a very hard road ahead if it’s to defend its title, with Special Yellow making a strong early showing. Trip Day was spent at Lake George for the First Years while many of the Second Years helped the younger campers enjoy the splashy thrills of Zoom Flume. This Saturday we will put on the Carnival for everyone before taking to the stage with the first leg of the Triple Crown – Talent Show. The dining hall is being run very smoothly and the reports from when the LTs (as big Sisters and Brothers – and when spending time with whole bunks) have been a warm and positive force! The LTs are an amazingly positive presence on camp and the campers eagerly await the days that they come and spend time with them at activities or on trips. ‘Floreat!
-Owen
More From The Week
It’s been a jam packed week of firsts here at Schodack! On Tuesday, campers headed out for the first Trip Day of the summer, visiting Zoom Flume Water Park. With giant slides, wave pools, and a lazy river, it was the perfect way to cool off and have a blast with friends.
Thursday brought a little mind-bending magic to camp during the Special Event Afternoon, when a professional mentalist wowed everyone with jaw dropping tricks. Campers have been sharpening their skills with private lessons from tennis pro Tom Bain, and our first intercamp games gave campers the chance to show off their sportsmanship and Schodack pride against other camps. Campers have been exploring the night sky and learning about planets, stars, and constellations during astronomy.
Matt’s Foodie Focus Group was on Wednesday, where he sat down with campers for a menu feedback session. Campers shared what they’ve been loving and offered suggestions for the Dining Hall this summer. And speaking of food, Monday night’s Benihana themed dinner was a hit! Complete with fried rice, spring rolls, fortune cookies, and even yum yum sauce, it brought a splash of hibachi style fun to the Dining Hall.
With so many exciting activities already behind us and even more ahead, campers are settling in, making memories, and feeling right at home.
Ultra Leagues and Intercamps
Schodack Goes to Intercamps!
This week, we brought three amazing teams to Camp Echo Lake for a day full of competition, teamwork, and Schodack spirit! Our Waiters hit the court for basketball and gave it their all—Jesse Small and Ashton Woods stood out with strong performances and great leadership.
Our 5th/6th grade boys soccer team played two exciting games and showed a ton of heart. Levi Leibowitz scored a beautiful goal that was a highlight of the day and a big boost for the team.
Over on the tennis courts, our 5th–7th grade girls impressed in both singles and doubles play. Marley Nova and Scarlett Oliphant made a fantastic run to the semifinals in doubles, and we’re thrilled to celebrate Jenna Lipshutz, who brought home the singles championship!
All three teams represented Camp Schodack with pride, positivity, and incredible sportsmanship. We couldn’t be prouder!
Ultra Leagues are off to a great start in Junior Camp! In basketball, Maroon had a close win over Yellow, while Lime Green took a strong lead against Sky Blue. Soccer saw a tie between Sky Blue and Lime Green, with Maroon finishing ahead of Yellow. Looking forward to more great matchups ahead!
Scoop Of The Week
And that’s a wrap on the first week at Camp Schodack! We’ll be back next Friday with more stories, highlights, and moments from Week Two.
