The Final Newsletter of the Summer!
We are now in the final week of camp but there is still so much going on!
Tomorrow is THE RELAY (probably the world’s greatest race!). We have our final event of Tribals, “Sing!” which sees the whole camp come together as one after 5 amazing days of spirited games and competition. We also have awards, the Celebration, our photo and video slideshows, not to mention handing out the yearbooks, banquet, and Burning of the Year!
But that’s enough about what is still to come, this newsletter is all about everything amazing that has already happened here under the Schodack sun…and boy has there been a lot of sun!
Check out this week’s video
Special Events
The culmination of the Triple Crown is Bunk Plaque Night, where every camper gets on stage with their bunk to sing about their summer and to present their ‘Bunk Plaque’ to the rest of camp for the first time. This is one of the most special nights of the summer…a night that epitomizes the magic of Schodack.
Below are pictures of each bunk just moments before they took to the stage!
Eric The Magician
We had another amazing special event day this past week when Eric the Magician returned to camp for the first time since 2018 to wow our campers and staff. Eric pulled off some amazing tricks over the course of three shows, which even included magically levitating people on stage!
TRIBALS
This past week we were all given a real treat as Tribals finally began. Special Events Coordinator, Drew Gumins (dressed as Indiana Jones) flew over camp in a helicopter, throwing out clues as to where to find the ‘first arrow’ that contained the magic to break Tribals.
Despite the aerial show on display, it was merely a ‘fake’ and the excitement continued to build. Then after the LT show, firecrackers went off, poems were read and the campers raced around camp, but once again – the arrow was nowhere to found.
It wasn’t until the early hours of Wednesday morning when Head Staff woke up the whole camp and Drew (ummm Indy) managed to find the original arrow, break tribals and celebrate by giving everyone snacks and hot chocolate as the Generals, Captains and Teams of Tribals 2021 were announced.
What a Super Senior Summer
What an amazing week for the Super Senior Division! With Tribals, Bunk Plaque Night, and some special Super Senior activities, we have some happy campers on our hands! Each bunk continues to raise the bar with their engagement and spirit around camp. I am so excited to share this week’s updates with all of you.
– The final leg of Triple Crown happened this Saturday where both Super Senior bunks fought hard for the gold. The Super Senior Girls sang their hearts out in their “Super Senior Send-Off” in a three-song medley and the Super Senior Boys sang about all the work they do “(Super Senior) For the Camp” from serving to running camp events such as Celebration. In both songs there was comedy, emotion, and spirit, and the plaques were gorgeous. Congrats to all!
– As a surprise for the Super Seniors, the division got to go back to Lyons Lake Restaurant where they enjoyed pizza, wings, and garlic knots overlooking the picturesque lake and sunset. The Super Seniors danced and talked for hours and got some amazing photos of the landscape and their friends!
– For Tribals, the Super Seniors played a division-wide game of kickball where Green Treasure and White Wonder faced off in a battle of pure athleticism. Pitchers tried faking out the kickers with fastballs and curveballs while the kicking team showed us their speed as they sprinted around the bases. With all spirit points and decorums included, the game finished with a final score of 9½ to 11¾ .
– While the Super Seniors have been getting only positive feedback from their serving practice, a stand-out review comes from the Schodack Head Staff team, who has had a 5-star dining experience every time the Super Seniors serve meals. From freshly made house salads and sandwiches to live music, these soon-to-be Waiters and CITs know how to bring fine dining to the Patio.
We are having so much fun here in the 12123 and cannot wait for more exciting events soon. The Super Seniors are definitely having a summer to remember! – Eli
Division Spotlight – Middle Camp
Boys
It’s been a week crammed full of fun and festivities for the Middle Boys as the second session here at camp continues to thrill! Often, special event day is the highlight of the week for the Middle Boys – this week, the boys were treated to an astounding magic show – but this week, the Bunk Plaque Night dominated proceedings for all camp. The boys had all worked incredibly hard to produce some stellar BPN performances, and on the night itself they didn’t fail to rise to the occasion. The Walnut Boys kicked things off with ‘It’s a Walnut World’, a reworking of ‘I’d Do Anything’ by Simple Plan, throwing some impressive dance shapes and generally bringing the house down. Next up were the Spruce Boys with ‘Spruce Nation’, a take on ‘The Ballad of Billy the Kid’ by Billy Joel, miming guitar strumming and harmonica playing with wonderful aplomb. Following on were the Pine Boys, with ‘Pine-Stars’, echoing ‘Forty Years’ by Joe Jackson – as ever, the Pine Boys personified enthusiasm and spirit! Finally, the Sycamore Boys rounded out Middle camp with a joyous and zesty performance of ‘Sycamore Showboats’, a twist on ‘American Boy’ by Estelle. All four bunks were outstanding, with both the Spruce Boys and the Sycamore Boys finishing on the podium to complete another brilliant Triple Crown showing from the Middle Boys.
Over on the soccer field, the Middle Boys involved in the Ultra Leagues set-up had a bumper week. The level of talent is so high in the Middle Boys that many of the boys play in the Upper Camp soccer Ultra Leagues as well as the Middle Camp equivalent. This week saw the final for both Upper and Middle camp, and the Middle Boys excelled at both levels. At the Upper level, a special shoutout must go to Josh Perle, who scored both the goals in the final, the second in particular a Maradona-esque dribble from near the halfway line to slot the ball into the back of the net. The Middle camp final saw the Green team triumph, with dominant forces in Middle Camp soccer including Andrew Gershuny, Evan Ommen, Austin Klein and Josh Perle battling it out for Ultra Leagues glory and immortality. This week also saw Tribals finally arrive, with the break arriving (almost) with the break of dawn on Wednesday morning, and the Middle Boys have excelled at all activities. The Marathons saw the boys race the difficult distance of about 400m, just a little too far to sprint flat out, but not long enough to get into a rhythm. Well done to all who competed and earned a valuable point for their team!
Each bunk has also enjoyed some unique bunk fun this week. After an elaborate prank, carefully orchestrated by counsellors, the Sycamore Boys were surprised with late night wings and fries, much to their delight. The Spruce Boys planted spruce seeds on the Corral Hill early in the morning, while the Walnut Boys took their chance to enjoy some nighttime basketball. Finally, the Pine Boys contemplated the bigger things in life while taking advantage of Schodack’s lack of light pollution to lie back and stargaze for an evening.
Girls
This week was full of excitement for all camp, especially the Middle Girls.
The girls had a fun morning of activities before getting ready for BPN. The Pine girls performed a brilliant rendition of the Perfectly Pine to Allstar, wowing the crowd with their fabulous lyrics. The Spruce girls brought their Spruce Spirit to the playhouse and sang loud and clear for all of camp to hear. The Sycamore Girls performed a two-song medley as the Summer of Sycamore. All the middle girls did an amazing job, but it was the Sycamore Girls who took home the Middle camp BPN crown. To round off the night, the girls all enjoyed time star gazing until it was time for bed.
The following day was another fun camp day, with a full day of activities in the glorious weather. The girls started off with phone time, chatting away about all the fun they’ve been having. The Sycamore Girls went into an afternoon of Schokarts, Dance and Arts and Crafts, The Pine Girls had Basketball, as well as their favorite activity of Softball. The Spruce Girls enjoyed time at Basketball, Schokarts and Arts and Crafts. Each bunk had a great time, with good weather, fun skills and time with friends. During campers choice, the Middle girls spent some much needed time walking around camp and enjoying the outdoors. To finish off the day we had a super fun night activity of bombardment with the Middle boys; changing up the teams each round we played.
Monday saw a fresh week at Schodack, with so many great activities planned. The middle girls enjoyed the special activity day which started out with time at the blister day area. They spent time in the pool with noodles and water basketball. The afternoon was even better, with a whole middle camp game of assassin. Following on from this we all headed to the playhouse for a magic show! With so many magic tricks involving some campers and staff, it was finished off with Nicky Einhorn levitating, wowing the crowd. To finish a fun day off at camp, the middle campers all enjoyed a night of JCP time. They hung out with friends, had canteen and enjoyed several games of tetherball.
The annual LT show was a huge hit with all of camp, especially the Middle Girls as they cheered on their permanents for all to hear. It was soon time for Tribals to break, so after an early start on Wednesday we all headed to the first Tribals activity; Hatchet Hunt. The middle girls cheered and enjoyed the show, before heading to campers choice and hanging out with their friends. The afternoon we all had activity period 1 of Tribals. The Spruce Girls had an intense game of Basketball; the Sycamore Girls got really into a game of gaga; and the Pine Girls also played an incredible game of Basketball.
Our afternoon got even better, with a Middle Girls lake afternoon! We had banana boating, knee boarding, paddle boarding and kayaking. All the girls had a fabulous time in the water, cooling off on a really hot day. The end of the day soon came around and concluded with the Marathons. The middle girls put on an incredible display with some brilliant running skills.
The Middle Girls had a wonderful week here at Schodack and can’t wait for more fun, including Carters Challenge and The Relay!
Division Write-Ups
Juniors
Super Junior Boys
What an awesome week it’s been for the Super Junior Boys! We’ve had great weather to enjoy all of our activities!
The week started with Bunk Plaque night! After a lot of practice last week, the Super Junior Boys were ready to put on a show! The HAWTHORN Humans, MAPLE Milkyway and Nightmare on ELM Street sang their hearts out and presented their plaques for all of camp to see! Shoutout to the Hawthorn boys who tied for 3rd place in Junior camp!
For our special activity this week a magician came and put on a show for all of camp! Our minds were blown as the magician and his assistant magically switched places inside a box in front of our eyes. Campers and counselors even got involved in some of the magic!
One of the highlights of our week was when all the Super Junior Boys went on a hike through the woods to the old lake with Carter. We had fun finding the perfect walking sticks and looking for animals in the woods. One camper even got his shoe stuck in the mud, which sent us all into a fit of giggles!
The Hawthorn boys have been playing lots of Ultra League games and had a great time at the lake this week with the Elm boys. They continue to enjoy intense games of porch tennis at the bunk and had a ton of fun on the hike to the old lake!
The Elm boys have had a great week! They’ve been spending a lot of time at the pool perfecting their dives and have been playing exciting games of Uno at the bunk. They can often be found at Arts and Crafts during camper’s choice and especially love doing wood burning!
The Maple boys have been having fun playing baseball and spending time at the pool. This week they got to have a water fight outside their bunk on one of our hottest days. Many buckets of water were dumped on heads, much to everyone’s delight!
We’re loving spending time as a whole group and making friends in the other Super Junior Boys bunks. One night this week we even had night canteen all together on the old basketball court. It was so much fun! Lots of great memories are being made as we head into another exciting week!
-Katie
Super Junior Girls
Another fantastic week down in the books at Schodack! The sun has been shining, and we have been having a blast! This week has been full of exciting events, kicking off the week with BPN, the LT show, tribals breaking, and our special division SJG spa afternoon.
The Maple – It’s not a phase – Girls did their BPN to So Far So Good by Rex Orange County and placed 1st in the entire Junior Camp division. They worked super hard, and the countless times of singing certainly paid off in the end. The Hawthorn Homies had an amazing BPN to Live While We’re Young by One Direction. The Oakie Dokey Oak Girls went up on stage in their tie-dye outfits singing to Quarter Past Midnight by Bastille and sang their hearts out. And last but not least, the Elm -Forever More- Girls did their BPN to New Romantics by our favorite Taylor Swift.
The SJG ~ pop-up~ spa was one of the most fun and “relaxing” afternoons we have had here at camp. I greeted all the girls with cucumber water and a goodie bag filled with candy and face masks upon entry. The girls all had so so much fun! Along with the spa, we also had a chip-making/dance party this week for night activity which was most definitely a highlight from this week! We spent the afternoon painting nails, decorating matching t-shirts, doing face masks, coloring, and meditation/yoga.
We are so excited for the next week to continue sharing laughs, smiles, and lots of fun!
Xo, Morgan
LTs
The LTs’ summer went from great to legendary in one short week. A hectic schedule did not prevent an exacta finish in the 54th edition of Bunk Plaque Night – the Waiters warm, heartfelt and moving up on the stage, but in the end settling for second behind the powerful and overwhelming choir that is the CITs. But it was Tuesday that was even more special. For here, after a night spent looking after the campers before staff members returned from their day off, the LTs worked together in all aspects of the LT show to put on an astounding performance. And it was talent from out of the woodwork like Bennett Weinberg, Betty Fox, Jacob Rosen and the tech skills of Cat Luongo, Rachel Bernstein and Georgia Richman – or the organizational stage management of Jesse Green, Jacob Kunin and others that kept the pace of the show high and the flow smooth. All was wonderfully emceed by Julia Schneider and Sam Wertheim – indeed the whole affair was, as we like to say, A Win for the Program! All in all, the faces of the campers – filled with awe and wonder – as they watched the LTs light up the Playhouse clearly showed the love and esteem in which these teenagers are held. It was a proud night; a great night. And there are still highlights to look forward to – first years will equal their elders with a second night at the mansion house; then there’s a feast at Lyons Lake and then Friday sees our annual LT Banquet and the handing out of the coveted winners’ shirts for Challenge Day!
Our LTs missed hosting our friends from Hope 7 this summer. So they kept the connection going through virtual chats with the kids instead! Thank you LTs…we are so proud of the wonderful ways you give back to our greater camp community!
What else has been happening at Camp…
__________
And there it is, the whole last week in a nutshell. Even though there is so much more to come this summer, we all know how hard it will be to say goodbye when that day finally comes on August 18th. We loved providing you with these weekly updates from camp and hope you have enjoyed them too!!!!
