Growing up in Maine

Well, not many of us who read this have grown up in Maine but when you attend a summer camp in Maine I think you can argue that you did grow up in Maine.

I found this on facebook a few nights ago and thought that it summed up a what we all look for in a person or strive to be.  It’s not much but here it is.

“Growing up in Maine is a privilege. It’s more than where you’re born. It’s an idea & state of mind imparted at birth. It’s more than loving red hot dogs, potatoes, lobster, Humpty Dumpty potato chips, and Whoopie Pies. It’s being hospitable, devoted to the outdoors, all the seasons, and each other. We don’t become Mainers, we’re born that way. The way life should be.”

Ok, so I’ve been at camp in Maine for the last 10 years and I’ve never had a Whoopie pie and I don’t particularly like Lobster but I love the seasons, I feel enormously privileged to work in Maine and the hospitality of Maine is second to none.  There are so many reason why Maine is great, summer camp is just one of them.

2012 and 150 years of camping

This will be the first blog of the 2012 season that goes up and what better way to start it than to reflect on what a great summer 2011 was.  Yes, it’s true, we had a great summer.  We have read through all of the surveys and we are delighted with all the responses that we got.  We know that North Star isn’t perfect, even though so many of you tell us it is.  It is a work in progress and always will be.  We know that the programs will always need to grow and develop just like your campers will during their time at camp.  We will need to bring in new classes, as well as retire some (or at least give them a break every now that then), but the development of every camp aspect is something that we are totally committed.  On a side note camping in the States hit a mile stone this week in that it is now celebrating its 150^th year.  It was recognised in Congress today by Congresswoman Pingree from Maine, speaking in the Capitol Building she would say.

“Camps in Maine and throughout the nation reflect a unique American attitude towards the outdoors and towards the value of natural settings in the education of our youth. Camps are special places where kids get a chance to re-create themselves, develop independence, be physically active, and learn new skills outside of the traditional school setting. And, through exposure to new experiences, friendships with kids from other states and around the globe, campers gain perspectives on their own lives that augment their education during the school year. Camps are also a place to build lasting friendships — a home away from home where the camp community becomes a second family. In a fast changing world, summer camps continue to be a mainstay of American society — providing youth a time for quiet reflection away from the pace of day-to-day modernity. As millions of summer campers head back to start another year of school, let’s remember the valuable role that summer camps play in the year-round education of children.”

It’s great to be recognised on such a national level, and although she might not be talking about Camp North Star in little old Poland Spring, she is talking about the work we are doing, and the work our families say we are doing year after year.  It is true that camp does all of these wonderful things, whilst still finding time to go waterskiing, or play on the giant swing or making your new best friend a friendship bracelet.

So thank you for trusting us with your most valuable of possessions and thank you for choosing Camp North Star, your continued loyalty means a great, great deal to us and we hope to see you this coming summer.

From the eyes of a camp director

Session four opens at Camp North Star and although the weather has been a little bit up and down, in typical New England style it hasn’t dampened the spirits of anyone at camp.  Last night we had our traditional opening campfire in our traditional rainy day location of the Rec Hall – Check out CampMinder for some great photos as the kids arrived.  There were some awesome performances from Christie and Brooke, Gavin once again amazed us with some interpretative dancing to an awesome Rhianna soundtrack provided by David on vocals with Jake and Jesse on guitar.  But the star of the show was undoubtedly Hannah Beckerman’s original song she closed out the campfire with.  Not often do we have a standing ovation at a campfire but Hannah well and truly deserved it.

Right now I’m sitting on the office porch watching canoes go past me for evening program, the girls basketball team is practicing on the court for a game coming up against Camp Kohut.  The bell is just about ring for Camp Meeting and Kelley Shine who is here for a week plans on getting Camp North Star to stand up for good news so that she can say thank you to everyone for making her feel so welcome back at camp.  Rumor has it she has already asked for a contract for 2012!

Aside from that, it’s been a great start to session four, there are some fantastic evening programs lined up, battleship, escape to Atlantis, SeaDogs and much much more so I’m going to finish this blog post and go and help set up for Battleships!

Inter-Camp Softball Success!

The Camp North Star Softball Team

Today 13 of our female campers and two counselor coaches boarded a van and headed over to nearby camp Seeds of Peace for an inter-camp softball game. When our campers arrived, a Seeds of Peace counselor started the day off by explaining that Seeds of Peace camp is for kids from war-torn countries or for kids who have come to the US as refugees. After the introduction and welcome, everyone took to the field.

Camp North Star locked the part in green CNS t-shirts and softballball-esque knee socks. Some girls even sported black paint under their eyes! The coordinated outfits matched the coordinated plays and sportsmanship on the softball field. Coach Jolie reported that “the girls worked so well together as a team. Even though we only had a few practices, it felt like we’d been a team forever.”

Hayley pitching a great game!

Camper Hayley pitched the whole game, while her sister Jayne took on the role of catcher. Their efforts were supported by the rest of the field crew, including another sister duo, Olivia and Victoria.

It was a tough, but friendly game, and in the end, a tie! Both teams earned nine runs apiece, making the final score 9-9. Coach Josh said that “he couldn’t be happier with how the day went. This year marks Camp North Star’s first year playing inter-camp baseball and softball and everyone has really worked hard to make the experience fun and rewarding. I can’t wait for next year!”

A Day in the Life

Today I spent the day with one of our full summer campers, Tyler. Tyler and his brother, David, have been coming to camp for the past few summers and pretty much know everything there is to know about camp. Luckily, Tyler let me follow him around for a day to get the insider camper scoop on the happenings here at Camp North Star. Tyler is a water fiend and has chosen this week’s classes based on that interest. Here’s how the day went:

7:15 Wake-up bell. Ignore bell and counselor reminders to get up and ready for breakfast as long as possible.

7:45 Actually get out of bed, brush teeth, throw on clean clothes and walk to breakfast.

8:00 Breakfast time. Tyler shows me how to pick out a good bagel, “Go for one on under the others because it will be nice and warm still!” He rounds his meal out with a glass of OJ and a banana.

8:45 Back to the cabin to clean (Tyler makes a noise resembling “ugh”). Cleaning is quick, so tennis ball game is quickly invented.

9:15 Bunk period. Tyler is excited to go banana boating (and so am I!). Tyler brings the tennis ball on the banana boat but loses it within seconds. Tyler requests that Alex drive “as fast as legally possible!” Banana boating is “awesome and exciting. You feel like a million dollars when you come back to the dock.”

9:55 Run back to cabin change for morning classes, but then Tyler remembers he has waterskiing, so he just grabs a towel.

10:00 We hop into the van for waterskiing. A bigger lake more suited for waterskiing is just five minutes down the road. To optimize instruction time for each camper, CNS uses a double-block to teach waterskiing. Tyler volunteers to go first. He learned to waterski at North Star and has gotten really good at slalom skiing. I asked Tyler if it was hard to learn and he said, “No one gives up on you. Everyone gets up because the counselors are good at explaining what you need to do to improve.”

12:00 Tyler jumps off the van and heads straight to lunch. Today (“yes!”) is quesadilla day. Tyler goes for the chicken quesadilla, an apple and some salad bar.

12:30 Down time. Tyler has an hour of bunk time now to relax and chill. He decides he better get going on his summer reading book, The Giver.

1:30 Tyler and two of the other Cairo boys (Cairo is his bunk) head to woodworking where they are making skim boards. A few funny ideas are tossed around before Tyler decides to decorate his with his favorite baseball team’s logo—the Yankees.

2:30 Can’t pull Tyler away from the waterfront. Now he has sailing. They capsize. And capsize. And capsize. But, Tyler and his friends laugh the WHOLE time.

3:30 Quick change for cricket. I thought we’d be back on the water, but Tyler wanted to end his day with something dry and something new, cricket. Tyler helps explain “that a wicket is a little stump thingy.”

4:30 “Free time!!!” First, to the cabin to shower. Smell inspection reveals that Tyler has indeed showered. Snack is next on the list of things to do. Gaga is next. There goes the shower! Next is the basketball hoop for a quick game of knock-out. Before we know it the bell is ringing for camp meeting.

5:45 Fire ring for camp meeting. Tyler sings the songs extra loudly and clearly “There was a great big Moooooose who likes to drink a lot of juice.” Tyler is mentioned during the daily segment called “Good news.” Counselor Gavin announces “I would like Tyler to stand up. Today, Tyler did a really simple, but kind thing…he invited the youngest boys’ cabin to join his table at lunch. Thanks, Tyler!”

6:00 Dinner Bell. Dinner is a cookout. Hot dog or Hamburger? Tyler goes with a Hamburger and says, “you really can’t go wrong on cookout night.”

6:45 Quick stop in the bunk to get ready for evening program. The Cairo boys don’t waste a minute before getting their tennis ball out.

7:15 Evening Program Starts. Tonight is the Picture Scavenger hung. Cairo is ready for a challenge. Tyler describes the group as “competitive but we like to have fun.”

8:30 Evening Program is winding down and Cairo narrowly avoids victory. Tyler doesn’t mind, he “had the best time anyway.”

8:45 Grove Time. A small fire is lit in the grove. Tyler and the other campers hang out and Tyler pretends to play the guitar. He sings along when counselor Hannah gets some real tunes going.

9:15 Cairo cabin heads off to bed! I ask Tyler for a final thought on the day and he gets straight to the point, “Can we have more chocolate in our cabin?”

Swords, Jesters, and Jousting oh My!

“Hear ye, Hear ye! The Kingdom of North Star has proclaimed this thirty first day of July as Camelot Day!”

The Camp North Star castle

In the spirit of the medieval festival and all things royal, Camp North Star has transformed into a scene from King Arthur’s court. Overnight, our crew of soldiers erected a castle, a jousting arena, a banquet hall and a slew of medieval themed booths. Our head counselors, Nick and Michelle, have even transformed into the mighty Lancelot and fair Guinevere. King Arthur, who oddly resembles our program director, Dogzy, will preside over the day’s ceremonies.

Palm Reading

Campers have taken on their own roles as knights, jester, maidens, and ladies and gentleman of the court. The entire main field is covered with medieval booths and the royal community is happily trying their hands at archery (arrows through apples perhaps?), fortune telling, merlin hat and wand making, calligraphy and a daunting and exhausting Quest for the Excalibur Sword. As campers complete the various activities and challenges, they are earning tokens that can be traded in for prizes or a trip to the stocks for their counselors.

Today’s festivities will conclude with a massive feast sans silverware!

Lakefront Bliss

Not every camp boasts its own private lake, but here at Camp North Star we are happy to say that all 55 acres of Worthley Pond are ours to enjoy. This means that we never have to contend with unknown boaters or vacationers sharing our beloved Poland Spring water-filled lake. Here’s a quick list of the many ways campers and staff utilize our lake:

-swimming (lessons and just for fun)

-sailing

-kayaking

-windsurfing

-canoeing

-relaxing on the dock

-water sports (water polo, water basketball)

-brand new giant inflatable waterslide

-water trampoline

-fishing

-snorkeling

-free swim and water games

-special events like luau closing ceremonies

-banana boating/tubing

(note: waterskiing is offered on a larger lake just five minutes down the road)

In order to make sure we can provide all these fun activities, we have invested in waterfront upgrades each year. The giant waterslide is our most recent purchase and has been a true hit with everyone. We also purchased a whole new stock of life jackets, keeping camper safety our number one priority. Overseeing our waterfront activities are our Waterfront Directors, Ben and Emma, and their staff of highly qualified lifeguards.

Here’s a photo tour of the lake and waterfront:

View from the main swimming dock, the "H-Dock"

Looking towards the sailing dock

The new giant waterslide!

View of the sailing dock

The view from Paris cabin!

Waterfront Rules

Canoe docks

Waterfront Director, Ben

Camp North Star at Night

After dinner our campers return to their cabins, but their day is certainly not done. With a quick change of clothes and a few squirts of bug spray, they are off again to a nightly activity called Evening Program. Evening Program changes each night and activities range from whole camp scavenger hunts, dances, outdoor movie nights, and even trips to watch the Sea Dogs minor league baseball team. The beginning of each session focuses more on Evening Programs that build intentional relationships amongst different members of the camp community. Here’s a quick snapshot of the first several Session 3 Evening Programs.

Welcome Show and Bunk Time: This year’s welcome show featured a movie that introduced each of our staff members. We think it is important for campers to immediately recognize each of the adults at camp. This ensures that campers know where to turn if anything comes up. After the welcome show, campers and staff headed back to their cabins to do cabin introductions, get to know you games, and go over the basics of camp.

Opening Campfire: Jason, owner/director of North Star, really got things heated up with a story that culminated in the lighting of our first Session 3 campfire. Using some secret techniques, Jason magically ignited the fire with a rare and precious stick only found here on our property! When the stick was plunged into the piled up wood, it immediately generated a huge and powerful fire. Other acts followed and included skits, songs and a whole camp sing-a-long of Wagon Wheel.

Division Night: Campers split into three groups, juniors, middies and seniors. This gives campers a chance to get to know other kids in their age group and do an activity of interest. This year, the juniors made a Star Wars video, the middies made cookies, and the seniors played Family Feud.

Family Night: Starting with dinner, campers and staff split into families of 6-8 people. This family unit gives campers another opportunity to connect with other counselors and kids in the camp community that they might not otherwise bump into during the day. Last night, each family group challenged all the other family groups to some type of contest. These events included some “Minute to Win It” type challenges: move a graham cracker from forehead to mouth, keep three balloons afloat and blow a Ping-Pong ball across the stage.

Once evening program is over, campers either return to their cabins to get ready for bed or have a few minutes of social time. Our oldest “Villagers” are allowed to gather around a small fire in the village and stay up the latest. Our seniors and middies on the line sometimes get their own quick chill-out time called “Grove Time.” Juniors usually get tucked in and settled with a bedtime story. By 10:30 the whole camp is asleep and dreaming of the next day!

Half-Way Point: Saying “See You Later”

Senior Village campers Brooke and Christie are today’s special guest reporters

The H-Dock Illuminated

At Camp North Star, some moments of friendship and togetherness are bittersweet. Two of our most treasured and cherished traditions are closing campfire and the goodbye line, where all campers say a farewell to one another regardless of how close they are as friends. Both events bring tears to the eyes of campers, counselors and even the directors, but the sorrow is only due to the love for camp we all share. Sue believes that saying “goodbye” to friends is inappropriate for the occasion because “goodbye” is forever. Here, the phrase “see you later” is a far better choice.

Reflecting and releasing

Closing campfire was a flurry of emotional acts. Several cabins performed songs that were near and dear to their hearts. The final act this year was “One Second,” a song that has been sung at closing campfire for over ten years. Former counselors Andy Verostek and Aaron Price wrote the song. The entire camp sung along while holding their candles.

This year, the goodbye line was slightly altered in order to go past our scenic lake at camp after each cabin sent off a Chinese lantern into the water following a cabin reflection of the session. The Villagers—North Star’s oldest campers—led the way for the rest of camp, lighting the path with candles and smiles alike.

Guest bloggers Christie and Brooke

Though the first four weeks of camp are now finished, the feelings are not all sorrowful. Here in Poland Spring, the wonderful community of Camp North Star does not cry because it is over (much), but they smile because it happened.

10 Consecutive Years at Camp: An Interview with Jolie

Jolie with one of her campers

Today I spent some time with a long time camp friend, Jolie. Jolie holds the Camp North Star record for most consecutive years at camp as camper or counselor! This summer marks her 10^th summer here at CNS. We chatted about why she keeps coming back to camp, her camp favorites and what it’s like to move up through the ranks over the years.

CNS: Jolie, let’s start with the basics. What was your first year at camp and which cabin were you in?

Jolie: My first summer was in 2002. I was ten years old which meant I was one of the youngest campers (CNS has now expanded to include campers as young as 7). My first cabin was Copenhagen.

 

CNS: Ok, run us through the rest of your years in terms of which cabins you were in.

Jolie:

-Copenhagen (first year)

-Istanbul (camper)

-Beijing (camper)

-Madrid (camper)

-Stockholm (camper)

-Rome (CIT)

-Istanbul (CIT)

-Istanbul (counselor)

-Paris (counselor)

-Rome (Counselor)

CNS: How did you decide to come to camp all those years ago?

Jolie: I was looking for something fun to do. Well, actually, my parents were looking for something for me to do, so we went to a camp fair at my school. It was really love at first sight. I knew right away that I wanted to come to CNS.

CNS: How did that first year go?

Jolie: I was nervous at first, which most new campers tend to be, but I was also so excited. I only stayed  for two weeks my first year, but every year after that I stayed for four weeks.

Jolie teaching a new generation of guitar players

CNS: What types of activities did you like as a camper?

Jolie: My favorite activities were ropes, water-skiing, and pottery. I think my favorite activity was guitar, though. I learned to play when I was 15. Now I play several instruments and minor in music in college. I think I really got my start in music at camp.

CNS: Why do you keep coming back year after year?

Jolie: Camp North Star is the one place I can really be myself, have a lot of fun, and not worry about anything…I love this place, it’s like my second home!

CNS: In your expert opinion, how would you describe camp?

Jolie: It’s definitely a friendly environment where kids can have fun without worrying about typical life stressors. It gives you the space to find yourself.

CNS: What did you learn about yourself at camp?

Jolie: I learned to have confidence and not worry about what people think, really accept who I am. I think a lot of that had to do with learning the guitar and performing at camp.

CNS: Tell me about your first camp performance.

Jolie: Actually, I think that is one of my favorite camp memories. The first time I performed was at the closing campfire. I played Waiting on the World to Change with now fellow counselor, Morgan.  It was fitting—we were CIT’s and so full of energy for camp and for what was next.

CNS: So we have our first session closing campfire coming up in just a few days. Do you plan to play anything?

Jolie: My girls and I are going to play Here Comes the Sun. I’m also deciding between the camp song I wrote, Find Your Way, and Maybe by Ingrid Michaelson. It will have to be a surprise!

CNS: Well, I vote for all three! So with the closing of Session 2, brings the opening of the second half of the summer. What advice would you give to our new campers?

Jolie: Come to camp with an open mind, ready to have fun and make a lot of great friends. And, come prepared to stay forever.