IT’S THE FINAL NEWSLETTER
And just like that, there is less than a week of Camp left to go. As always this newsletter will bring you the very best of the past 7 days…and what a 7 days we have had! This past week has seen Bunk Plaque Night songs, Tribals breaking, Theme Dinners being enjoyed, an EPIC trip to 6 flags, 7 days of activities, sports clinics, inter-camps, night activities, special events and much more.
So strap in and get ready for one last ride on the newsletter train for Summer 2019!
What Happened This Week…
On Friday night, not long after our last newsletter made its way over to you we held our weekly Fire Circle. Matt and the Head Staff began the walk at the Flagpole, stopping by each bunk on their way. The ever-growing line snaking its way silently around the whole camp and finally finishing in the Amphitheater where the Pawnee Girls were waiting.
This week the theme was “Bravery” and each of the Pawnee Girls and their staff spoke about what Bravery meant to them. Following this, they lead the whole Camp in a rendition of ‘This Is Me’ from The Greatest Showman before silence once again fell over Schodack as we all waited patiently for Paul to begin his week’s story. It was all about the history of Camp, specifically the history of the Rec Hall and it was enjoyed by everyone there.
Bunk Plaque Night
The final leg of the Triple Crown – Bunk Plaque Night (or BPN to those in the know) – took place this week and what a finale it was! BPN sees each bunk rewrite the lyrics to a song of their choice and sing all about their summer. It is an uplifting and evocative night that often brings a tear to the eye as so many joyful memories are shared in one night.
There were two bunks, one in Middle Camp and one in Upper Camp with the chance to take the glory of winning all three legs and live on forever in Triple Crown history…and they did not disappoint. In Junior Camp, the Mohawk boys won and the Wichita boys and the CITs also won, meaning that both older groups won the Triple Crown!
Take a look at our pictures below of each of the bunks with their Bunk Plaques moments before they took the stage…
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Tribals Color Run!
After all the excitement of the Lion King-themed break this year it all came to conclusion when Tribals finally broke with an epic Color Run. We think the pictures below capture just how much fun everyone had.
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Sport and Activity Highlights of the Week
In addition to the normal bunk schedules, we had a lot of off-camp trips, inter-camps, and other amazing activities.
This week included:
The Cross-Fit instructor lead some intense workouts
We held the Schodack Open Tennis tournament
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Division Highlights
Junior Boys
This week has been an incredible week again for the Junior Boys bunks. To kick off the week we had Bunk Plaque Night where the whole camp gathered in the Playhouse to watch performances from The Aztec Empire and Abenakis All The Way sing about their camp memories. Both bunks gave stunning performances and did the Junior Boys proud. On Sunday we had counselor switch day where the Abenaki Boys and Fox Girls switched staff for the day, as did the Aztec Boys and Wichita Girls staff. The boys had plenty of fun going to all their activities showing other staff members how much fun they have every day at camp. On Monday, we boarded the buses for the journey to Six Flags where we had the most amazing day on rollercoasters, eating candy and hanging out with our friends. All the Junior Boys cannot wait to tell you all their wonderful stories about this summer. We look forward to five days of tribals fun, playing with our friends in our favorite place. Simone
Junior Girls
“With the final days of camp upon us, the Aztenakis have been busy squeezing the most out of their summer at camp. Kicking off the week with an amazing BPN day the “Aztec Models” took to the Playhouse stage and blew the audience away with their BPN to “Yeah 3x” by Chris Brown and the “Sassy Abenakis” pulled off a third-place win with their BPN to “The Other Side” by Jason Derulo. The plaques are sure to be an eye-catching addition to the Dining Hall!
After phone calls and cinnamon buns on Sunday morning, the afternoon saw a shake-up with counselor switch day! The Aztecs had a great time decking the Senior boys staff out in pink and sparkly attire and the Abenakis had a fabulous time giving makeovers to the Nyack boys counselors. Reuniting for Fire Circle, where the Abenakis lead the walk after another amazing week of bunk cleanliness and the Amphitheater came alive with “This is Me” from The Greatest Showman.
Monday’s trip to Six Flags was an amazing day for all! The junior girls spent the day in and out of the water park, testing their daredevil abilities on the rides and purchasing lots of cute fluffies at the store! After getting down to the lake nice and early on Tuesday morning the afternoon was spent at the LT show where colorless tribals broke as Scar and his Hyenas threatened to steal the spirit of Tribals. After many battles and an unforgettable color run, the Aztenakis had so much fun releasing paper lanterns and reclaiming the spirit of Tribals. We are loving the new additions to Tribals activities such as Dragon Boats and Captains Calling and loving the old favorites of Steal the Bacon and Gaga. We are cherishing each and every day and making memories and friendships to last a lifetime!” Ella
Super Junior Boys
What a week for the Super Junior Boys!
The boys have had a wild week, with Bunk Plaque Night, the LT Show, Greek Day, activities, and the aforementioned Tribals break! The Mohawk Boys had a memorable week, winning Bunk Plaque Night as Mohawk Boys from Juan Rios! The boys sang their song over Mary You by Bruno Mars. Also, Group Leader Harrison Kaish was recognized as Tribals general! The Erie Boys in particular loved Greek Day! The boys painted fraternity banners, played lawn games, did some camp good deeds by writing thank you notes to support staff, and had a pool party! It was a great day for the SJB community. The Nyack Boys have been loving activities, having a great time at lake especially, along with channeling their inner Da Vinci in the art shack! The Fox Boys have been super in the Tribals spirit, dressing up in all their green and white attire! Also, the boys are very excited that their former permanent LT Campbell Weise is back for the end of the summer as a general counselor!
Super Junior Boys have been dominating this summer, and we’re going to end this summer on a high note!
Roll SJB -Weiner
Super Junior Girls
We started another week here at Camp Schodack, knowing that lots of special things were in store.
Friday saw all the Super Juniors participate in Greek Day! We had the best clean up camp had ever seen, and then we headed to the Rec Hall for sign making. The girls made their big Sigma Gamma sign which we then hung in the Well to show off our Super Junior Girls pride! We joined the boys for the Greek Olympics and had so much fun; with powder puff football, an obstacle course and Spike Ball. The afternoon we all cooled off with an extra-long pool period. We started with the Erie, Fox and Mohawk girls having the best time swimming and splashing around. The Super Junior Boys soon joined us to finish off the pool party. We had the best day and all the girls had so much fun together!
The next day was finally the day of BPN. All the girls had worked so hard on their songs and perfected the lyrics by the time they were due on stage. We had You can call us Erie, Fox Party and Made to be Mohawks. The Mohawk girls took home second place, and that brought Triple Crown 2019 to an end.
We had our final trip day of the summer, where we all went to Six Flags. The weather was great, and everyone went on so many fun rides. We got back to camp that night and had some bunk time to wind down from such an exciting day.
The LT show the following day was fab, all the girls got to see their permanents in action and cheer them on. The Tribals break that followed was amazing, all the girls had a blast in the color run and really got into the spirit of Tribals.
As we head into the final week of camp, we are going to keep having so much fun and loving our time at camp. Jess
Super Seniors
A whirlwind of a week for the Super Seniors! On Bunk Plaque Night, both the boys and the girls put on a fun and funky show: the boys sang to Rihanna’s “Please Don’t Stop the Music” as the Super Senior Bots, kicking off their song with “Please don’t take the food bins.” The girls, in a classic feat of Triple Crown greatness, pulled together their songs after rewriting them just two days before, executing their hand motions with precision and smiles in their Super Senior Series. After a summer of well-fought Triple Crown battles, I was thrilled to see them perform one last time as campers before donning white Ts and becoming LTs.
Sunday we enjoyed counselor switch day, welcoming the Erie Girls and Aztec Girls bunk staff to the SS Boys bunk and the Wichita Boys, Mohawk Boys, and Ottowa Boys staff to the SS Girls bunk. We had a great afternoon playing spikeball, basketball, tennis, and dancing!
Monday was our last (or so the Super Seniors thought) Trip Day of the summer, traveling to Saratoga once again for a leisurely afternoon in a wonderful town. Many Putnam Market sandwiches were bought, ice cream was eaten, and a fun time had by all. We then headed to ice skating for a few hours, where we jammed out in the rink!
Our last full day of activities as campers flew by Tuesday, closed out in the afternoon by the phenomenal LT Show and the beginning of the Tribals break. By the end of the evening, Tribals had arrived, and the end festivities of Camp was in full swing! Wednesday morning we watched the hatchet hunt with high hopes of another Super Senior to pull the hatchet victoriously from the pit – alas, twas not our time again. In the afternoon, we took an early break from activities and headed to mini-golfing and ice cream. Check it off the bucket list!
Thursday treated us to our final Super Senior Survivor Series task, a two-team (green and white) event that twisted Bucket Brigade to our liking. Two people on each team held a wooden board with a bucket on top of it. Members from the opposite team filled up the bucket with cups of water one-by-one. When one team forced the opposing team to drop the bucket, they could move onto the final puzzle challenge of the summer: a puzzle of the plaques in the Rec Hall. A perfect tying together of Survivor and Tribals!
I want to extend gratitude to all of you for sending your children to Schodack. Working with your children is an unmatchable honor, and on behalf of the Super Senior staff and myself, thank you for allowing us to positively contribute to your children’s lives. We are so proud of the kindness and generosity they exhibit every day at camp. We hope that they return again next summer to the Leadership Trainee Program, where they will continue to mature as leaders and shape the next generation of campers at Schodack. It’s through this cycle that the warmth, tradition, and spirit of Schodack lives on, and we are honored to play a small part in that.
Aaaaaaaand scene. Shira
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Division Spotlight: Middle Camp
Middle Boys
It’s hard to believe it, but the last week of camp is upon us. That being said, the Middle Boys are making the most of every moment.
After Bunk Plaque Night on Saturday night, the newly crowned Wichita Boys joined the also-recently-crowned CITs for a dance party on the lawn.
On Sunday afternoon, we had Counselor Switch Day! Staff from the junior and super senior girls bunks joined the division for an afternoon of activities and dinner. The Wichita Boys did face masks with their new counselors, and the Ottowa Boys learned Sevens from their switch day staff. Meanwhile, the Pawnee Boys went with their switch day counselors to the water slide for some fun on Corral Hill.
The boys have also been busy both in and out of the bunk. The Ottowa Boys got creative with their unclaimed laundry during lazy wake up by hanging it on the wall to make it easier to find. The Wichita and Pawnee Boys joined up outside the Ice House for a bunk vs. bunk game of Wiffle Ball, and they then promptly moved to the C Quad for a game of Quad Ball (a game invented by the Pawnee’s neighbors, the Super Senior Boys).
Inside the bunks, the Middle Boys have become quite fond of card games. While the Pawnee Boys favor old camp favorites like palace and spit, the Wichita Boys have taken to the game Unstable Unicorns and the Ottowa Boys have discovered the game Munchkin.
Out at activities, the boys have been busier than ever. The Wichita Boys finished up their birdhouses at Arts and Crafts. The Ottowa Boys perfected their driving and throwing skills at Scho Karts (in this game, one camper drives while the passenger tries to throw tennis balls into targets for points). Meanwhile, the Pawnee Boys showed off their agility and puzzle prowess by playing the puzzle game at the climbing tower.
With Tribals in full swing, it is shaping up to be a fantastic end to an incredible summer.
Goodnight, parents, I’ll see you next summer. Kaish
Middle Girls
Attention camp! Attention camp! The Middle Girls are having a great week!
This week was a blast for the Middle Girls! We’ve had a super fun-filled week. Friday was magical. We had a surprise Harry Potter themed Middle Girls Division Day. After a morning of normal activities and by total surprise, the girls received wax-sealed envelops in their mailboxes. Each camper was sorted into one of the four Hogwarts houses and given a schedule of events and instructions. Their first event was wand-making on the Rec Hall steps. They chose their wands and decorated them with ribbons, glitter, and other fun items. Next, they went to “Charms class” and played “Keep it up” with balloons on the tips of their wands. They also had a chance to send “Owl Post” notes to their friends in other bunks.
After this, we traveled to Old Basketball and the Well for a leg of the Triwizard Tournament to win some house points. Slytherin faced off against Ravenclaw in Quidditch and Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor for Newton’s Game. After a quick Honey Dukes Canteen break with the rest of camp, the teams swapped games for the second leg of the tournament. Then during second campers’ choice, the girls made butterbeer (Cream Soda, Butterscotch syrup and whipped cream), and had a chance to test their Harry Potter knowledge with some trivia for more house points. And after all of the points were added up, the winner of the 1st Middle Girls Harry Potter Day House Cup was the Slytherin House! The girls and counselors had an amazing day bonding with their houses and making new friends over trivia and butterbeer.
Another fun event was counselor switch day! The girls switched their 12 amazing bunk staff for 12 junior boys counselors. The Wichita girls enjoyed riding around at BMX and Schokarts with the Aztec boy counselors. The Ottowa girls played a game of Assassin with the Erie boys staff. And the Pawnee girls had an awesome period of soccer with the counselors from the Fox boys. It was a great day for all and the Junior Boys staff got to know the spectacular Middle Camp Girls.
Like I mentioned earlier, this week has been amazing for the Middle Camp Girls. The Pawnee girls were seen having paint lessons in Arts and Crafts. They also tied for the Cleanliness Cup with the Aztec Girls this past week. They all worked super hard! The girls even lead Fire Circle and talked about being Brave! The Ottowa girls had a High Ropes morning where they tackled their fears and soared to new heights. They also enjoyed off camp Pizza at their Pizza party! The girls even had a morning run down the waterslide during a rec period this week. The Wichita girls have not been slacking either. They enjoyed a workout in front of their bunk for a rec period and also have been creating dance routines in their bunk every night. The girls are as crazy and lively as ever!
That’s all for this week! Thanks for an adventurous and amazing summer! Grace
