“We want our kids to leave here at the end of the summer never questioning what will happen next year – they know they will come back to Starlight,” says David Miller, the Pennsylvania camp’s director. “There is something special and magical about the Starlight world,” says Miller.
Camp Starlight is a full-season (7-week) camp located in Starlight, PA (about two-and-a-half hours from New York City) which has been in continuous operation since 1947. David and his wife Allison bought the camp from the original owners in 1999, but some things just don’t change. Just driving into the facility up a secluded one mile road to the top of a mountain gives campers a sense of separation from the real world. Starlight is revealed at the peak of the overlook. The 70-acre lake is private to the camp, which enhances Miller’s goal of wanting everyone to feel safe and secure in the Starlight world. “This is their summer home,” he says. “When campers walk into the dining hall there are hundreds of plaques – one from every bunk from every summer since 1947. Campers know that there is a long tradition of fun and family here.”
One thing that makes Camp Starlight unique is how it straddles the line between a co-ed camp and a same-sex camp. There are separate facilities and staff for boys and girls, and they participate in separate sports and activities during the day. “It’s the best of both worlds,” Miller says. Those families that are looking for a single sex camp experience get the separation and camaraderie they are looking for, but the boys and girls all come together for morning ceremonies, dinner and many of the evening activities. The Starlight set-up works especially well for families with sons and daughters who want to attend camp together and are looking for high-quality activities. Miller adds, “my favorite time of day is the flag raising ceremony in the morning. Girls line up on one side and boys line up on the other, but brothers and sisters always have time to check in with each other and see how their day was. I love seeing the kids reconnect with each other.”
It is the connection between campers that is paramount at Starlight. When new kids arrive at camp, they are assigned to bunk with kids their age, but with different interests. “That’s what bunk bonding is all about,” Miller says, “learning about and loving people who aren’t carbon copies of yourself.” Some bunks stay together their entire eight years of summer camp, forming a real family of brothers or sisters. These children because they are given the opportunity of overnight camp usually adjust better to college and dorm life because they are used to living with others and being away from home.
Camp Starlight also works well for families with same sex siblings with different interests because the program is so well-rounded. Whether a child loves athletics, art, theater, adventure or water sports, or just loves to do it all, the quality of the Starlight program and facility make this a first-rate experience no matter what activities a child is drawn to. Camp Starlight also helps expand the horizons of campers by exposing them to all the different activities the camp has to offer. Campers have two choices in their daily program so they also have the time to develop their talents in their specific interest areas; especially as they get older. The two oldest bunks get to set their own daily schedules, for example.
Miller knows that some families have reservations about sending their children to a full-season, seven-week camp, especially when campers can start as young as third or fourth grade, but the benefits are tremendous. Rather than kids moving from camp to camp, week to week, there is truly time for kids to unwind, escape from the outside world and all its pressures and disconnect from technology. This type of summer program provides a real opportunity for kids to be themselves, get to know each other and make friendships that truly last a lifetime. There is no question that this is why such an extraordinarily high rate of campers return summer after summer. The summer is also long enough to do full season camp and still have family time to visit relatives or have a family vacation before school starts.
So if you’re thinking about full-season camp, you can learn more about Camp Starlight at www.campstarlight.com. As David says, “Most families who come to visit our camp end up enrolling their children,” Miller says. “There is something magical about this place.”
Come meet David and visit the Starlight world first-hand!
Susan
Year after year at Camp Starlight, Miss Starlight takes place. Every bunk on girls’ side is assigned a male counselor to compete in the beauty pageant. During “free play” they have about forty-five minutes to dress up their boy counselor as a girl and prepare him to compete in Miss Starlight. As soon as the pageant begins, the models walk down the runway. Then, they perform a dance all together. The best eight models are chosen to show their talent. Then, the top three are chosen to answer questions. Finally, a person is crowned Miss Starlight. We think Miss Starlight is hilarious and entertaining to everyone at camp, including the Miss Starlight contestants.
Eco Science has been a huge hit this summer, and a popular option choice for the entire camp. Ryan, the Eco Science Specialist, has been really happy with the enthusiasm of all divisions. Ryan isn’t the only resident member of Eco Science, though. He shares his space with two leopard geckos, a bearded dragon, and a very popular ball python. The snake in the eco science goes by various names. Lower Camp sometimes calls him Hungry,
July 13th and 14th, Camp Starlight welcomed several professional coaches and renowned artists who gave campers the opportunity to gain experience in a program area of choice. Tennis Star Camp helped campers improve their tennis game with extensive instruction, as well as gain feedback from the formerly internationally ranked Mel Purcell. Starlight baseball/softball players enjoyed an educational and enlightening trip to The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Golf players enjoyed a round of golf at French Woods Country Club. Basketball players dribbled, passed, and shot with renowned Five Star Basketball Camp. Triathlon specialist Stephanie put several of Starlight’s more ambitious athletes to the test of swimming, biking, and running around camp. A new Starcamp featured this summer was Magic, which involved a trip to the Harry Houdini Museum where campers enjoyed a magic show. Regardless of specialty, all campers gained a lot of new knowledge and experience in just two short days, and enjoyed themselves immensely.
The camp sibling program instills family and unity through young and old, who are given the opportunity to make a difference in one another’s lives. Zach looks up to his camp brother and believes, “He’s nice and it’s like having a family member at camp.” Through sibling activities such as lunches, dinners, and camp fires, older and younger campers can articulate to one another about the interests they share. A bond begins to grow that cannot be broken even years after campers receive new siblings. Reed reminisces on the bracelet his “brother” Reid created for him when he was a Junior in Bunk 3. Eight years later, Reed still believes that bracelet helped. “link the friendship” between them. In addition, they are campers who don’t have a blood related sibling at camp. The camp sibling program partners old and new campers, and allows them to feel like they have a family member at camp. Unity and family are two aspects of camp siblings that elevate the community Starlight campers have treasured for years.
The Starlight World is driven by the community that enthralls campers to cherish the time they spend together. The camp sibling program assists in elevating unity and a sense of family among campers, while older campers become role models for their younger campers. Michael Strauss (counselor) enjoys watching campers grow up and be the big brothers for other campers that he was for them. This cycle of growth leads him as well as other campers and counselors to return to Starlight summer after summer.