We had a fantastic day on Old Forge today. At Highlander, we thrive on structure and routine. We operate on the same schedule each day, and I love that this rhythm provides comfort and confidence for our campers. After a few days of unstructured activities, everyone was super happy to get back to their cabin groups to enjoy a day of bonding at activities.
Lovey, our camp dog, and I took a walk around camp today to see the campers and share some love. As we walked around to activities, I was so happy to see the way that campers have found comfort with their cabinmates and are in the groove of camp life. Today I noticed more joy, more smiles and more fun at camp than we’ve had all session. The newness of camp is starting to wear off, and it feels like everyone is settling into life with their Highlander family. I had two different campers who have been struggling with homesickness look at me today and say, “ I can’t believe I go home in a week.” One even said, “I’m definitely going to be back next year.” This is my greatest reward…when the joys of camp outweigh the challenges and difficulty to a camper!
I owe all the credit for everything I see on camp to our amazing staff. I wish you parents could know them the way that I do, and I wish you could see them loving your kids, encouraging your kids and building your kids up each day. It is incredibly humbling to see them work and sacrifice, and they are making this session so magical for your child. So shoutout to the Camp Highlander staff for their amazing dedication, huge hearts and selfless love that they show each day for our campers!!
Speaking of shoutouts…tonight at dinner, we finished our announcements at cookout with shoutouts. Campers and staff lined up to shout-out their cabinmates, counselors, activity counselors, the chef, the maintenance team and Camp Highlander for being the best and giving them the best session at camp. One girl from cabin 16 said, “Shoutout to this camp. It is AMAZING! It is a beautiful place that we can all cherish together.” And another camper said it best, “Shoutout to my parents…without them I wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t have met all you guys!” Out of the mouth of babes…I couldn’t have said it better. Thank you for sharing your precious children with us. They are amazing!
Favorite Details of the Day
- Reflect at the Rock: Today at Reflect Pilar, our Art Department Head, shared with us her experience at Camp Highlander. She talked about our alma mater, Going Home…”going to the place I love, to the mountains high above…Highlander’s your name, but to me it’s all the same to call you HOME. Welcome Home.” She said that her first year, she didn’t understand what that meant, but now as she looks at the people around her, reflects on the memories she has made over the years, she realized that Highlander is her home and the people here are her family. She wished for each and every camper and staff member to know that CH is their home and that we are their family! It was beautiful!
- Weather: We woke up to cool temperatures and lots of sunshine. I was so excited to have a beautiful day at camp, which we did! The sun was shining and it was a warm day. Just as we finished our 5th period in camp, the sky opened up and it started to rain. This meant cookout in the dining hall, but by the time we left dinner, the rain was gone!
- Meals: For breakfast this morning we had bagels with cream cheese, scrambled eggs, sausage patties and a fresh fruit and yogurt bar. For lunch we had baked ziti, green beans, breadsticks and a salad bar. For dinner we had Bryan’s famous cookout with hamburgers, hotdogs, veggie burgers, pasta salad, chips, cold watermelon and chocolate chip cookies! YUM!
- EP: Tonight’s evening program was Minute to Win It. Cabins compete in different minute-to-win-it challenges like walk the line, fruit loop sort, going the distance and more against their brother or sister cabins around camp. The top cabins competed in the finale and Cabin 10 took home the EP trophy.
About Melissa Fitzgerald
