Tag: American summer camps

Traditions at Camp Weequahic

March 11th, 2014

We look forward to celebrating our 62nd summer at Camp Weequahic starting this June. Founded in 1953 by an incredible family of educators, CW was built to be an amazing community in which children can learn, laugh, and grow. And, while CW has changed a little over time, we continue to focus on one thing: caring for our campers. We would like to tell you about a great tradition that helps us accomplish that goal.

Following dinner and our 45-minute ‘Free Play’ time, all of our campers and counselors gather at the Flagpole in the middle of Main Campus. Lined up from youngest to oldest, our campers and staff learn about the upcoming evening activities and get a quick preview of the following day’s fun. Before we move to EA, however, we open the floor to Nominations.

Nominations are made by staff members to recognize campers who have done something that was gracious, helped someone else, and/or was courageous. Maybe someone got a cheer going for a friend trying to successfully climb the 50’ climbing tower for the first time. Maybe a camper was found cleaning up a program area at the end of an activity without being asked. Perhaps a bunk created a colorful thank you note and left it for the cleaning staff.

Whoever is nominated gets to come forward to help lower the flag that evening. We normally have 8 to 12 kids, and the older campers help the youngest to lower the flag while the camp stands quietly.

We are excited to end the day as a whole camp celebrating campers who have done something remarkable. We love ‘catching’ our kids doing something great and pointing this out to everyone at camp!

Rocky the Raccoon

March 4th, 2014

When you spend any amount of time at Camp Weequahic, you cannot help but run into Rocky. You’ll find him peeking out from a camper’s window or hanging out by the bunk’s front door. You may even see him playing in the breeze on the porch.

The good news is Rocky will stay right where he is until the next week when he goes to spend time with another bunk. You see, Rocky is our oldest award and each division has two: one for the cleanest bunk of the week and another for the GAC Award winner.

Awarded to each division in front of the entire camp at our Fright Night Campfire, the bunk or camper gets to sign the back and place their Rocky in a prominent place back at the bunk. While the GAC Rocky gets passed around all summer long (We could have 300 of them!), the bunks do their best to keep the ‘Cleanest Bunk’ Rocky with them all summer long.

We hope when you come to camp you’ll do your best to have Rocky spend some time at your bunk. He’s a great companion to have for a week (or more!)

There Is No Such Thing as Too Much (or Too Many)…

March 2nd, 2014

Camp is definitely an “all-in” environment. There is very little that is considered too extreme when it comes to demonstrating enthusiasm, wackiness, even fun. No one ever wants to “kind of” do something at camp. Camp is all about going big before you go home. In that vein, it’s time for a list of things of which there is no such thing as too much (or too many) at camp:

There No Such Thing as Too Much (or Too Many)…

Laughing. Seriously, you can’t laugh too much at camp. It’s impossible. Whether it’s over an inside joke with your bunkmates or cabinmates or at one of your favorite counselors doing something goofy on stage in front of the whole camp, laughter is a camp constant.

Cheering. At camp, you do it at sporting events, while watching a fellow camper dive into a whipped cream pie while showing team spirit, as a show of divisional or camp unity, to making meals more fun, even when your favorite dessert is rolled out. Cheering is just something you do at camp…pretty much all of the time.

Singing. Like cheering, singing is okay pretty much everywhere at camp.  It spices up meals and campfires. Most camps even have their own songs. And there is always that one song every summer that practically every camper and staff member finds themselves humming or singing at least once every day.

Spirit. Speaking of spirit, it goes way beyond showing support for a team at summer camp. Camp spirit is all about demonstrating why your camp is the best camp—all day, every day. Every camper and staff member comes to camp prepared with sufficient clothing in camp colors. It is perfectly acceptable to paint your entire body camp colors in a show of spirit, and temporary tattoos with the camp logo or colors are pretty much standard at every camp activity.

Sun. Sure, rain happens sometimes and, when it does, campers and staff alike deal with it. But sun is the ideal setting for fun at camp, and you can never get too much of it. Sure, indulging involves lots of sunscreen, but anyone who has ever spent a lazy afternoon lying in the grass while chatting with camp friends knows that life doesn’t get much better.

Camp. That’s right. It’s pretty much a unanimous consensus at camp that there is no such thing as too much camp. That’s why most campers and staff members drive those around them nuts with camp stories during the 10 months when we can’t be there. Most campers and staff agree that life would be so much cooler if “10 for 2” was actually “2 for 10.”