The Sari Diaries- Friday 7/15/16

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

I am currently sitting in the office with Sophie Marwil, Ally S and Ellie M…Ellie is hysterically crying because it is her final night at #TheRanch2016. I honestly don’t even think she is being dramatic- leaving camp, especially mid-summer, is literally heart breaking. Ellie specifically has been such an amazing counselor this summer and has made transitioning from camper to staff member seem easy. This emotional hangout is just a reminder to me of how lucky we are to spend our summers in Chippyland.

Today has been a nice day and while it is incredibly sad that we are halfway through the summer, I feel good knowing what a successful first session we have had. There were a number of tearful goodbyes, we had Dance Show dress rehearsal and lots of prospect tours. One of my favorite parts about this time of summer is how proud our campers are to show off Chippewa. Be it in preparation for tours or parents visiting, Chippies are motivated to share with others the magic of our camp. As I walked a tour by the ropes course yesterday, Zoey S noticed us approaching and could not have been friendlier. She and the others who were there were incredibly excited to meet this family and were telling them that Chippewa was the best. It was awesome and the perfect example of how wonderful our campers truly are.

This afternoon we had our final first session campfire. First session Lakeview campers spoke about their camp experience and what camp has meant to them during their camper careers. They each had prepared fantastic speeches that expressed their love and appreciation of camp. They spoke to the younger campers about the impact camp has had on them and advised them to take advantage of every moment they have here. This group of Lakeview campers has been amazing and today’s campfire was a great opportunity to hear their perspective of their camp experience.

And then there was tonight…parents and campers reunited at 6:03pm and it was very cute. I love watching families running towards each other in excitement and embracing. Siblings were thrilled to see each other, and campers couldn’t wait to show their parents around camp and introduce them to their counselors. We then began our Visiting Weekend program…we did it a little differently this year by splitting the dance show into two parts and having an informal program in the North Field. Let me just say that the dance show was incredible this summer! Sami Fabric, our Arts Director, worked so hard and it paid off. The campers danced their hearts out and parents cheered on in the crowd. The opening song was to the tune of “Fast Times in Tahoe,” which is a Chippewa favorite! I was so impressed with all of the performances and I feel confident that the Chippy families agree with me!

I think that’s about all for tonight. Thanks for reading- I look forward to seeing many of you again in the morning!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari