Sundays are AWESOME at camp! I love that they have a balance of simply restful and wildly energetic. We have spent years trying to perfect Sundays to allow our campers and staff time to recoup after a busy week of activities, off-camp trips and thrilling EPs, yet still provide unforgettable fun that leaves lasting memories. The slower pace of the day offers less programming and more time for rest and relationship development.

After sleeping in this morning and a big breakfast (blueberry muffins, bacon, eggs, fruit bar), we gathered at Reflect at the Rock for chapel. Chapel has been a Sunday tradition at Camp Highlander since 1957. Typically, at chapel, we read a book with a moral lesson and break down that lesson with life application. Today’s book was What Do You Do With a Problem?, and our lesson was on seeing problems or challenges in life and relationships as opportunites. We all agreed that no one is exempt from problems and when we see them as opportunities for growth or learning, we actually have soemthing to gain rather than fear.

Camp clean-up and games followed chapel. Then a delicious lunch - chicken caesar wraps and baked sweet potatoes. Lunch on Sundays are loud with music playing, campers singing along and dancing their hearts out. Today there were lots of shout-outs after lunch from our campers. Shout-outs are usually given at announcemnet times during meals by staff to recognize the awesome things that we see in our campers each day. However, today the campers had a lot to say about their gratitude and appreciation for their counselors and fellow cabin mates. My heart was exploding as the line continued to grow at the mic, while campers sung the praises of their friends who helped them overcome their fear of the blob, or the counselor who comforted them when they missed home or the cabinmate who helped them compelte their chores. The overall theme was “my cabin, counselors and friends are the best,” and I can’t help but smile as I am reminded that camp gives kids a world of good!

The Session A Sunday Funday tradtion is The Director’s Cup. This is an all-camp competition between boys camp and girls camp for the Golden Cup. The teams are broken up into the divisions of Juniors, Intermediate and Seniors to compete in a variety of fun games and challenges. Today’s events were bombardment, sponge relay, balloon relay and scream game. There was also a fun station with our inflatable waterslide. The competition finale was a game of musical ice buckets with the leadership team. With Bryan and I as the last two standing, the Director’s Cup went to…Girls Camp!

After dinner every Sunday, we go to campfire to reflect on the week we just had and get excited for the week ahead. Tonight, we recognized our honor campers and honor cabins for the week. These are the highest honors an individual or a cabin unit can receive at camp.

Honor campers are nominated by their counselors for their kind and respectful nature, their selfless attitude in the cabin, their positive attitude about activities and their overall camp spirit. The activity counselors then vote on the campers based on their interaction and observation of those campers throughout the week.

Honor cabins are also voted on by activity counselors for their teamwork, cooperation, selflessness, generosity, joyful attitude and love shown to others. Honor cabins stand out as leaders on camp for their participation in Evening Programs, activities and camp events.

Honor Campers + Cabins

• Junior Camp - Margaret M. & Giovanni S.
• Intermediate Camp - Caldwell C. & Miles F.
• Senior Camp - Evie B. & Lars J.
• Honor Cabin for Girls Camp - Cabin 12
• Honor Cabin for Boys Camp - Cabin 33

MONDAY

We had some technical difficulties on Sunday, and I was unable to publish the blog I wrote last night. So I decided that you might still be interested in all the fun we had yesterday, so I added the happenings of today (Monday) too!

We were back to our cabin unit today, which was wonderful. After two days of altered schedules, everyone was happy to get back into our routine of cabin life, enjoy amazing activities and most importantly, be with their awesome cabin mates. The ONE LOVE of camp continued tonight at dinner with a shout-out line that snaked around the dining hall.

Our A session campers are LOVING life at Highlander, and we couldn’t be happier about it!

Favorite Details of the Day

• Reflect at the Rock: Mac talked about how things are always working out the way they should, and that everything happens for a reason.
• Meals: Breakfast was biscuits, gravy, eggs, sausage, oatmeal, grits and fruit bar. Lunch was homemade sloppy joes, tater tots and salad bar. Dinner was roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli, cornbread stuffing, homemade rolls and apple pie for dessert.
• EP: Tonight we had a new EP that was a huge success. It’s called Top Bunk Bottom Bunk. The object of the game is to move certain items from the top bunk (rec hall) to the bottom bunk (gym) without getting caught by the activity counselors on camp. Campers dressed in black tried to sneak past staff to deliver the goods to the opposite bunk. If they got caught, they had to battle the AC in a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. If they won, they could keep moving. If they lost, they had to return to the bunk they came from and start their mission over.
• Weather: The sun was out all day today and the high was 86 degrees. It was an absolutley gorgeous day! However, in the middle of the EP, the sky opened up with rain. I think the rain added an element of fun and an additional challenge to make the EP even better.