Camp North Star
The Best “CHOICE” in Summer Camps!
2, 4, 6 or 8 week sessions
Ages 7-16
Camp North Star, located in beautiful Poland Spring, Maine (2 hours north of Boston) is THE PREMIER “CHOICE” CAMP for you and your family. We understand that the kids today, as well as their families not only want choices, they need them. Summer vacations hardly feel like vacations anymore. Kids have more commitments and more requirements placed upon them every year. School sport schedules, community service hours, internships, college prep classes, and sometimes even splitting time between divided households, it’s a lot to juggle. At Camp North Star, we having been paying attention to the needs of our campers and their families for years and we get it!
We have mastered a format and a philosophy that supports each camper and connects them to our camp and our community, no matter how many weeks they are with us each summer. At Camp North Star our program and our relationships are built on QUALITY, not quantity. And for our camp parents, there is no need to feel shut out or frustrated trying to fit everything in, our flexible session options are there to support your needs, each and every year.
Camp North Star, The Best “CHOICE” in Summer Camps.
What does being the “BEST CHOICE” mean?
It means that you and your camper are at the start and finish of every decision we make at camp. You will find our style to be open, professional, caring and honest. You will also find us to be deeply passionate about what we do and who we are. As a community, we CHOOSE to hold ourselves to a high standard of values. Making the CHOICE to join our camp family means that we have, in a sense, become partners in the development and success of your child. We take that job and that invitation from you and your family very seriously. We work very closely with each camper and their family to ensure the best experience we can at Camp North Star. We are the BEST CHOICE because every day and every summer, we work extremely hard to honor the trust and the responsibility that you have given to us by CHOOSING Camp North Star.
Session Options – YOUR FIRST CHOICE. Choose 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks of camp for ALL AGES (7-16)
Camp North Star runs eight weeks over the summer with you building and choosing what works for you each year. Campers of all ages attend camp for either 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks or 8 weeks. All campers have a unique camp experiences and the same great time no matter how long they are at camp. Always keeping our families in mind, we do not start and end on weekdays when parents are at work. Why would we end mid-week when we can keep our campers a few more days to have fun? Check in days are on Sundays and Check out days are on Saturdays. Parents can than choose to either visit us at camp for drop off and pick up or meet the camp buses in Boston, CT, NYC, or NJ, all included in your tuition of course.
Activity Options – 100% Personal CHOICE Schedules.
At Camp North Star, we encourage each camper to become the best version of themselves. How could our campers develop and grow and explore who they are if we TOLD them who they have to be at camp? Our campers individual needs and voices are heard each and every day at camp and we love what they have to say!
Each week campers explore the Program Sign ups with the support and guidance of our experienced program staff. Campers sign up for 5 daily activities that they will attend for five days. Campers have more than just an opinion about what they want to do at camp, they have control over what they do. Besides having fun, the only other parameters we set for them in designing their schedule is that it is a balanced schedule. The campers must sign up for activities that allow them to expand their horizons and try something new, as well as get wet or be active during their day. Within that expectation, of a balanced schedule, their is so much to CHOOSE from that they will always find something fun and exciting and that they will want to do.
“Is EVERYTHING at Camp a Choice”? Well…Yes and No.
Everything we described above is absolutely true and their is even more to it then the brief descriptions we are writing here. But some things, of course, are not each campers choice at camp. That does not mean that the campers are not involved in some part of the decision, the process and the program but it could be more as a group. We know you understand, and and yes our parents both ask and agree, that the directors and the staff at camp will make some of the camper’s decisions for them, as they should.
For example, campers are grouped by age, gender and grade. These groups make up our divisions at camp; Juniors (entering 2nd-5th grade), Middies (entering 6th-8th grade), Seniors (entering 9th – 11th grade). Evening programs and camp trips are often offered by divisions. So all the Middies may be enjoying a great evening program up at the Rec Hall, while the Seniors are having fun up at the lodge. Trips are offered on what is age appropriate and also in a progressive format, so our youngest campers have something to look forward to as they grow with us at camp.
Safety, being respectful of the camp community and adhering to camp rules and the values of our “RICHS” program (read more in our brochure or on our website about this incredible character building program) is not a choice, it is an expectation of all members of our community. So there it is folks, our little disclaimer, we are clearly about CHOICE but sometimes WE do make the choices for them. Ha-Ha!
Daily schedules also include a Bunk period, Down Time and Free Time.
Bunk Period – Campers, their counselors and their bunk mates decide as a group how to spend this period. Sometimes it may be “Get to Know You” games the first morning of camp or later in the session it could be a volleyball game against another cabin or making yummy treats with the Chefs at the Dining Hall. It is an opportunity to spend time together before you head off for your day.
Down time is a rest period after lunch and before the afternoon activities begin. Its a time in the cabin to rest, get recharged for the afternoon fun, and maybe even write home to say thank you to mom and dad.
Free Time is exactly what it sounds like, MORE CHOICES! Free Time is the hour or so before dinner that camp is open for you to enjoy. No pressure, no schedules…just good old fashion fun for everyone. Campers can swim at the waterfront, play a pick up game on the sports fields, chill out in the arts studio or head to the cabin for a shower after a great day at camp. It is your time to talk with friends, chill out and enjoy the beautiful campus around you at Camp North Star.
CONTACT US
Please CHOOSE to reach out to us and learn more about Camp North Star.
We are eager to hear from you and to tell you more about why we really are The BEST CHOICE in Summer Camps.
Visit us at www.CampNorthStarMaine.com or call us at 207 998 4777.
