Camp is in full swing!
Hi everyone! It has been a wonderful first full week here at Camp Schodack! Despite the rain we have done so much. Bunk activities have been a smash, rehearsals are underway for our upcoming production of The Little Mermaid, Ultra Leagues are in full force, and we even had visit from a Kona Ice Truck and the renowned Harlem MagicMasters Bball Squad! Camp-wide affairs like All For One, Fourth of July fireworks and a movie-themed activity day are just a few other highlights. Last, but most definitely not least, the entire camp has tested negative for COVID 19…TWICE!!!!!
Because of this exciting development, on Tuesday we returned to a normal camp schedule complete with the three Camper Choices and one meal time for lunch and dinner. It has been so nice to see everyone together and without masks!! We are loving our little Schodack “bubble” 🙂
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Special Events
July 4th ended the weekend on a real high as the whole camp took part in one of our most popular special events – ALL 4 ONE!!
The LTs did an incredible job leading this fun-packed afternoon event. For those of you that don’t know, campers are split into teams and compete in challenges all over camp to win points for their teams. The more points you get, the better chance your team has of being crowned the champions. Once all the points are tallied up, the final number gets divided between the players in your team and a final score is awarded by the king of numbers himself, OPJ!
Our ‘Big Brothers and Big Sisters’ met up and hung out with their ‘Littles’ for Camper Choice
The LTs held their first Challenge Day of the summer!
The Harlem MagicMasters put on a show for our campers and a Kona Ice Truck provided a special treat!
Division Spotlight – Junior Camp
Hi Schodack families! We’ve had a great first week here at camp and our summer is on a roll. While we’ve had quite a bit of rain, the spirit of Junior Camp hasn’t dwindled for a second. From dance parties in the rain to sliding down the water slide, our days have been filled with fun, laughter, and Schodack joy!
Talent Show is coming up this weekend and the whole division has spent lots of time preparing. A TikTok mash up, dance routines, and some skits are all on the setlist! We are all looking forward to a weekend filled with great performances from the whole camp.
On July 4th, we had a special all-camp event called All for One! We went around to different stations led by the Leadership Trainees and got to play games and do fun challenges. Everyone loved participating throughout the day and getting to eat dinner cookout style. The night ended with night snack and fireworks by the tennis courts! A special shoutout to the Aspen Girls who got the most points throughout the day! They’ll be getting a special ice cream party later this week as a prize.
The Aspen Girls in G4 have had a great first week! Every day is filled with fun bunk games like hide and seek, mafia, and even an outdoor pillow party! They’ve been loving their time at Team Handball and the pool, especially when the sun is shining.
The Cedar Girls in G4B had a wonderful stuffed animal wedding this week filled with beautiful songs, an exciting reception, and decorations galore! They’ve been practicing their dance for Talent Show every spare minute and are rocking it!
The Chestnut Girls in G8 have started their own rest hour salon! Stop by for manicures, hair braiding, and some stickers! They’ve been loving spending time at the pool, playing Gaga, and doing challenges at the low ropes course.
The Aspen Boys in B3 have been spending a lot of time on the Junior Camp Playground. Whether they are playing basketball during rest hour or having a fun game of tetherball between activities, they’ve been having a great time! Between practicing their skit for Talent Show, they had the best time at our special rainy day snack of the Kona Ice truck!
The Cedar Boys in B3A get a major shoutout for winning the Cleanliness Cup for the first week. Every week of the summer, the bunks compete to see who can get the highest cleanup score. With a whopping tally of over 300 points, the Cedar Boys won! To celebrate, they got to pie their Division Head Julia in the face!
These are just a few highlights from the first week of the summer. Junior camp has an amazing rest of the summer in store!
With lots of Schodack Love,
Julia
Division Write-Ups
Super Junior Boys
Wow what a fun first week at Schodack!! The Super Junior boys are getting adjusted and making life-long friendships already!
-All first year campers got to meet their big brothers this week! They enjoyed getting to know them and hanging out with them for a Camper Choice.
-We officially started Camper’s Choice this week! Most Super Junior Boys will tell you their favorite time of the day is Camper’s Choice. A big favorite amongst them all is SchoKarts! (Most friends have even received their Schokarting license!)
-All Campers are getting ready for the first event in Triple Crown…Talent Show! They are all working so hard to put on an amazing performance!
-Another big favorite amongst all Super Junior Boys is Lake! We get to go twice a week and enjoy waterskiing, kayaking, swimming and more!
-Maple Boys have really enjoyed going to archery. They’ve learned how to draw a bow and shoot targets!
-Hawthorn Boys have enjoyed Hockey! They’ve learned new skills and have enjoyed playing Sharks and Minnows.
-Elm Boys have had a fun time at Arts and Crafts. They got to make clay prints of leaves!
This first week has truly flown by! We are all so excited to be here and getting into the groove of life here at the 12123!
Super Junior Girls
They always say, “time flies by when you’re having fun” and we are already done with week one! The Super Junior Girls have been having a blast, especially now that we are one big cohort.
– We had a surprise dance party instead of our night activity; all the girls could hang out and chit-chat with the entire division.
– The Elm Girls had an official ‘mock’ wedding with two of our favorite bunk stuffed animals during rest hour.
– The Hawthorn and Maple Girls got to go on the banana boat during the lake!!
– The Oak Girls made some super yummy ice cream during cooking earlier this week.
– We have been getting ready for Talent Show this weekend; we are all so excited to perform for the camp!
– Our favorite event this week was watching the fireworks for the 4th of July right on camp!!
We are so excited to continue making incredible memories and having a blast!!
Morgan, Super Junior Girls DH
Middle Boys
What a brilliant first full week the Middle Boys have had! From one end of camp at Scho-Karts to the other end at Archery, the Middle Boys have packed it all in and still found time to savor Dining Hall favorites (no Division gets through Chicken McSchodack at the rate of the Middle Boys!). Middle Camp Talent Show is fast approaching and all bunks have been practicing hard, dreaming at night of Triple Crown glory!
The Pine Boys came back from the lake this week having quickly mastered watersports, and were full of tales of kneeboarding and wakeboarding heroics. They also excelled on the Euro Handball field, putting one shot after another past the flailing hands of their Division Head and into the back of the net – goal!
The Spruce Boys got stuck in this week down at the soccer field – after working on their technique diligently, they showcased their new skills with some outrageously talented dribbling during a scrimmage. Counsellors were left scrambling after the ball as the boys surged forward time and time again!
The Walnut Boys enjoyed some chilled time in the Art Shack, nimbly assembling friendship bracelets which were quickly the envy of camp. During Camper’s Choice several have proven their worth on the tennis court, zipping balls across the nip with forehands not out of place at Wimbledon!
The Sycamore Boys are seemingly powered by rocket fuel – they never stop during the day, and this has led to intense games of Palace in the bunk as well as making some insane plays on the basketball court, with NBA Finals levels of skill on display. Some have even started a running club during Camper’s Choice just to keep their fitness at Olympic levels!
The evenings have been just as full as the days, with a bonfire night (s’mores toasted to perfection, of course) and a visit from the storyteller being highlights before bedtime. Even the rain couldn’t stop the Middle Boys from showing off their spirit and sportsmanship: a lively couple of rounds of Captain’s Coming, which whittled the entire Middle Division down to just one winner, left two Middle Boys triumphant in the Garden (both bagging themselves an extra canteen in the process!).
Middle Girls
The Middle Girls have had an exciting week with full days of activities, and oh how much fun we had.
We all started working hard on our talent show ideas, ready for the first leg of triple crown this weekend. We are all very excited to show them to camp!!
Despite the rain, the Pine Girls still showed off some great skills at basketball and softball. Really getting involved and having the best time.
The Sycamore Girls enjoyed a great dance session, nailing a really fun dance routine. They also enjoyed a fun first swim period, splashing around and working on their strokes.
The Spruce Girls got into the camp spirit with a fun cooking session with Chef Hess. We also enjoyed some horseback riding and scho-karts, showing their new and improved skills to their friends.
The Spruce and Pine girls had their first trip down to the lake, where they knee boarded and water skied. Can’t wait for the Sycamore girls to head down there this week and show off their skills.
This week saw some fun night activities for the middle girls. We had a great bonfire where we are lots of s’more and hung out with friends. We had a movie night with the middle boys, and the best activity if all was the storyteller!
We’ve had a great first full week here at camp and can’t wait to keep having fun at activities!
Jess
Super Seniors
With only one week of Summer 2021 behind them, the Schodack Super Seniors have already done so much as they continue to bond as a division, excel at activities, and shine at Triple Crown rehearsals!
– Throughout the week, the Super Seniors have started to meet their camp “littles” at special events and Camper Choices. After letters were exchanged on the first day, friendship bracelets, origami, and other gifts are being shared between the Super Senior “bigs” and the new camper “littles.”
– Both Super Senior bunks are working on choreography for Talent Show this Sunday and I can easily say that they are the best upper camp dances the Playhouse has ever seen. While the ideas for Upper Camp are still a secret, the younger campers are already buzzing trying to guess what the Super Seniors and LTs have prepared for the weekend!
– The Super Senior Boys have invented doubles 9-square, a twist on the camp classic where they partner up and try to keep a ball in the air for as long as possible. They are already experimenting with triples and quads!
– The Super Senior Girls have spent many activity periods this week in the Art Shack making bracelets of beads and string for their counselors, bunk mates, and camp friends. Expect some bracelet tans in photos home!
– Monday night was the first stargazing night activity for the entire Super Senior division where everyone bundled up on the hockey courts with some great music as they admired the beautiful night sky over camp.
We are so excited for the next six weeks and are looking forward to some great Super Senior-only events! Keep your eyes peeled for photos and videos from Talent Show and the upcoming week! – Eli
LTs
The LTs had another amazing week at Schodack! Here’s what went on:
The Waiters and CITs have been hard at work on their talent shows preparing for Sunday’s performance. The whole camp is in anticipation to see what the LTs have in store this year!
All of the LTs put on an amazing All-for-One on July 4th that had the whole camp jumping with joy! The campers loved the different booths the LTs were running and the Aspen Girls came out on top as the winners of the day’s activities!
Everyone has been LTing out at activities and bunks helping out our staff and meeting all the campers.
The first Challenge Day was a smash hit with all of the LTs. The Waiters and CITs teamed up in their colors for Back to School day. Their professors (LT staff) planned an outstanding day filled with scavenger hunts, cooking challenges, and much more.
The little brothers and sisters at camp finally got to see their big brothers and sisters this week when they had a camper’s choice to spend with each other! It was great to see the smiles on everyone’s faces when everyone finally met each other face to face.
The LTs are back in the dining hall while having to serve the camp for lunch and dinner, but they are handling this task like champs. It’s like they’ve been serving for years already and are doing a fantastic job.
It’s been a great first week at camp and there is so much more that’s coming up that has the LTs on the edge of their crazy creeks. Have a great week!
Activities
Our campers have been out on the courts and the playing fields making the most of the sun, with our amazing Activity Counselors helping them improve their skills through instructional lessons and games.
Tom Bain, our resident tennis pro returned to camp to offer private tennis lessons to campers. We had several groups get out onto the courts with Tom before moving into the Garden when the rain started to halt outdoor play.
Ultra Leagues is back with a bang as we had over 130 campers sign up to take part in our competitive leagues. Those campers have been drafted into teams for soccer, baseball, and basketball across all divisions and paired with staff coaches who will be hoping to lead their teams to victory!
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And that is it, everything that has been happening at the #12123 for the last week. We will be back next week with another newsletter packed full of everything we do here under the Schodack sun, including…a new Division Spotlight (Super Junior), pictures from the first leg of the Triple Crown – Talent Show, more special events from the Special Events Coordinator, Doug Herbst, and lots more.
Have a great week everyone.
