Written by Elizabeth E.
Good Evening…
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Elizabeth E. and I am an upper senior. Thank you for allowing me to come up to talk about the theme of the summer, appreciation, tonight. I would like to start out by saying that 2 of my biggest role models in my life are my older sisters. One is a counselor here this summer. There is 7 year age gap between my oldest sister Sarah and I. So, when I was a lower junior, Sarah was an upper senior. I distinctly remember a time after my lower junior summer when my sister and I were talking about camp and how much we missed it. Sarah turned, looked at me and said, “Elizabeth, you have so many summer left there as a camper. I would do anything to be a junior again and have 8 more summers left at camp. Appreciate it.” Many leagues games, divisional shows, sing-a-longs, and Friday night services later I am now where she once was as an upper senior. I too would do anything to be a lower junior again with so much time as camper left ahead of me. But I would like to think that I took her advice, that I truly appreciated every moment spent here. I now know the importance of stepping back and appreciating every stunning sunset over the lake, every memory made and every one of the 35 girls in my division that I now call family but were once strangers when I was a junior. I don’t know what I would do without them. It’s important to take notice to how much Starlight helps us grow and mature. To appreciate that camp changes us all for the better.
I am now going to give you all the same advice that my sister once gave me. Though you don’t need to be a junior to hear it. Whether you have many years left here or just a few weeks, appreciate every moment spent here. Appreciate the laughs, the smiles and especially all of the people that make this place so amazing. The friendships you make with these people, they will last much longer than the summers spent here. I truly believe that Starlight is a special and one of kind place and that is something to be appreciated.
I, for one, appreciate the opportunity for being asked to speak in front of you all this evening. Thank you again and have a great Friday night. Thank you.
Hailing all the way from Ireland, 21 year old and first time counselor Ronan B. has taken the Lower Plebe division by storm! His campers Reece S. and Jake K. love his accent and his ability to make them laugh all the time. At home, Ronan plays golf and rugby and is a golf specialist and a lifeguard here at camp! While he loves his sports, Ronan’s favorite Camp Starlight activity by far is watching the sunset over Perch Pond. He came across Camp Starlight online through Camp America and he’s so happy he did. His campers Sawyer W., Drew S., Shai A., and Jacob G., love his respectful, funny, nice, and cool attitude. Sitting outside the Starlight Farmhouse, everyone enthusiastically offered several examples of why Ronan is simply awesome. Catch Ronan at the driving range hitting holes in one or by the waterfront making a splash! Thanks for tuning into this counselor profile!
Once, a farmer decided to sell his farm. He had lived there a long time and thought there might him be something better waiting for him. So, he decided to ask his friend – who was a poet – to write the description of his farm for the advertisement. This is what the poet wrote:
this celebration gets taken to a whole new level!
Today marks the tenth day at our beautiful summer home. To celebrate, some of our Junior campers were happy to share their favorite part about Camp Starlight so far! Here’s our top ten list:
Many things inevitably grow over the course of the summer: the grass, your height, and of course, everyone’s love for Camp Starlight skyrockets to new levels. As the days roll by, the most noticeable growth and developments are the prospering friendships between new campers.
The Rec Hall is a special place on camp that is home to both the Starlight Playhouse, known for its incredible performances, sing-alongs, and talent; and its newest creative spot: “The Basement”
It’s the second night of camp and Girls Side and Boys Side alike were already eager to meet their new camp sisters and brothers. As much as the campers are obsessed with the old friends they’ve waited ten months to hug, they also could not wait to make new ones. Just over 24 hours after arrival the kids stayed up late catching up, passed their swim tests together, and were onto the next new adventure asking left and right about the camp sister and brother reveal. To say that the campers were looking forward to tonight is an understatement. After a jam-packed first day including a pizza lunch, athletic evaluations, the first fruit call, polar bear plunge, and divisional meetings to kick off this season, the campers couldn’t wait to read the message and find out their camp sisters and brothers. Through the commotion of hugging, yelling, and running into each other’s arms, everyone found their siblings.
Bringing back amazing campfire traditions for the summer of 2018, the girls sang about a moose named Fred, the flowers and daffodils, and more, in various repeat-after-me campfire sing along favorites. Likewise, the boys cheered and showed off their divisional spirit showcasing one of the loudest HOORAH’s the inter division had ever seen.
Arrival day is finally here and every part of the camp is bubbling over with excitement. You can feel it in the air, you can see it in the smiles, you can hear it in the high-pitched voices that people get when they can’t contain this feeling and you can touch it in the warm embraces between friends old and new.
As the children tumble out of the buses there’s no stopping them. They run in all directions in search of their best friends, arms wide open for the bear hug that they’ve been waiting 10 months to give their fellow campers again. As the music blares, the boys and girls rush to their eagerly awaiting counselors and friends in their bunk for the summer. Cheers and laughter can be heard all around the campus as campers and counselors meet for the very first time and also reunite after months of missing each other. This blanket of happiness is so electrifying and comforting and this is only the beginning of the adventures as the Starlight family of 2018.
This summer, I’m heading off for a two month adventure of a lifetime. I’m packing my bags and heading off to…
I went to camp once when I was 8. Camp Summit in North Carolina. It was the best two weeks of my life. I always wanted to go back. Camp Summit no longer exists and life happens as it may. I never did return as a camper or counselor. Until now…I’m the 41 year old camper. This is my kids’ first sleep away camp experience and feelings range from “a little nervous” to “wishes she was already there”. What’s not lost on me, is the privilege to see and hear my own kids’ camp experience in real time and photograph it. It’s an incredible opportunity. But it’s not just my own children’s experiences, it’s the lives of 560 boys and girls. As a photographer at a summer camp, being a mom is the biggest role I’ll play. I’ll photograph each child as my own. As an artist, and a mom, I want the parents at home, who are hitting “refresh” on their computers to feel and see and hear the same things through my photographs. It’s a huge responsibility and I’m 100% up for the challenge.
I’ve spent the last week packing my three kids for the best summer of their lives. (BTW, packing three kids for 7 weeks away from home ain’t no joke!) Thank goodness for Excel spreadsheets and advice from experienced friends.