The Sari Diaries- Friday 7/17/26

Dear Chippies, Parents, Family and Friends,

This week has officially been a whirlwind, and a week full of proof that the Chippewa community is the absolute best. We’ve been through a lot over the course of the last five days and we still have a camp full of happy campers and staff. In terms of today, it was a-typical and it was awesome- here’s what happened…

Our Day at CRC
-Morning Wake-Up!
-Breakfast- Scrambled Eggs, Donuts, Coffee Cake and Bacon!
-Cabin Clean-Up- No surprise but I must mention Copper Stripes and Horseshoe Range who both got perfect scores once again!
-Songfest Practice- Songfest is on Thursday and this camp is hyped. Songfest is one of the biggest Tan & White games of the summer. Both teams will work very hard over the course of the next week to learn their team’s new song, cheer and slogan. All of these will go along with their super-secret theme. I don’t know the themes but I am very excited to be surprised on Thursday for the big reveal!
-The Friday Blend Lunch- Potato Bar, Turkey Chili and Corn Bread! This was the first Friday Blend of the session and it was a success. Staff and eight week campers remained at their tables from first session and second session campers joined the tables of their big or little sisters. It was a lovely first Friday Blend!
-3rd, 4th & 5th Period Activities- Yes, it’s true…we had a normal afternoon and it was absolutely amazing!
-Dinner- Brisket, Kugel, Potato Pancakes, Dinner Rolls and Cupcakes

-Friday Night Campfire- Theme was Empowering Women
Campfire Leader: Willow K (Lakeview)
Quote, Poem & Story Readers: Maddie J (Bowed Legs), Charity W (Bowed Legs), Alexa D (Lucky-X), Viv L (Lakeview), Josie K (Silverspurs), Coral S (Trailriders), Teddy S (Trailriders), Scarlett C (Trailriders), Emerson R (Trailriders), Brooke R (Trailriders), Stella M (Wagon Ridge), Shiloh C (A-Frame), Amelia E (Copper Stripes), Tatum G (Cactus), Sloane K (Wagon Ridge), Ellie M (C-C), Winnie K (Copper Stripes), Leah S (Horseshoe), Hudson G (Timber Walk) and Neve F (A-Frame).
Sermonettes: Noa C (Timber Walk) and Sydney G (Lakeview 2017)
Flag Pole Participants: Zoe C (Lakeview), Georgia S (Lakeview), Brooke R (Lakeview), Teddy S (Trailriders)
Star Spangled Banner Singers: Avery Raff & Julia Nathanson

Activity Achievements
-Shay S (Boots) crossed the wakes on one ski!
-An all-camp activity achievement is that we participated in all activities all afternoon long with enthusiasm and glee!

Everything Matters Moments
-This morning, while on a walk with Soph-Aloaf, Charli R and Charlotte H (both from Trailriders), Charli was telling us that she really hoped she would have SUP today. The whole camp has been pining for activities, so I didn’t think much of it. But then she explained that she was excited to share a board with Emery F from Blackfoot…how sweet?!
-Each day after lunch, Cliff calls me to the front of the lodge for “Afternoon announcements with the details.” The camp proceeds to sing a song and I do the “P-Dance” as I make my way to the microphone. I love doing this dance on Fridays making my way from the Trailriders table instead of the Staff table…it feels extra special. But what made today stand out was the response to my announcement. I had the great privilege of explaining that the afternoon would include regular 3rd, 4th and 5th period activities. Now I do this most days each week but never before have I been met with the elation that existed today. The camp literally went wild with excitement and happiness…all because we had the great opportunity to just do camp, which quite frankly has been a rarity thus far this session. At any rate, it warmed my heart that each and every Chippy was so very ecstatic to participate in regular old camp!
-Because I know you are all super-invested in my teatherball career this summer, I must tell you that Cam R (Boots) defeated me today at the end of fifth period. It was a long fought game and we had a whole spectating crew (Amelia E, Madelyn G & Daniella B from Copper Stripes). While I never like to lose, I have to give Cam credit- she fought hard, and despite being many inches shorter than me, she rocked it. The best part though was the end, she gave me a high five and told me, “Nice game.” It felt official…she knows how to win graciously…I walked away, despite the loss, with a big smile on my face!
-As is typical at a Friday Night Campfire, there were plenty of EMMs tonight. The one I will share was a consistent thread throughout the evening. Willow K led the campfire beautifully, and while part of that was the way she read her portions, the bigger reason was the way she interacted with each camper and staff member she called to do a reading. As she handed each camper the microphone, she gave them a smile…if they were younger, she gave them a quiet piece of advice (how to hold the mic or where to stand), and when she took the microphone back after their part was done, she told each and every one of them, “Good job.” It was the picture of a leader that we hope our campers reach as their camper career is coming to an end. She displayed confidence in how she commanded the attention of the entire camp tonight. She displayed kindness in how she interacted with tonight’s participants. She was invested in making this campfire meaningful for our community, which tonight included many staff parents and alumni visitors. Friday Night Campfires are at the core of who we are at Chippewa. And Empowering Women is a theme that represents so much of what we are trying to do here and what we are trying to instill in our campers and staff. Tonight Willow demonstrated what it means to empower other girls- she modeled what it is we are trying to mold Chippewa girls into…moral and kind of course, but also courageous, strong and supportive.

As Sydney G said tonight in the office, “We lived a thousand lives today at Chippewa.” So much happened and it feels like there is a magical spell over us in this CRC bubble- I mean there was no rain but we got a rainbow over the lake during campfire. We have had to be flexible, roll with the weather, deal with the air quality, and make the most of being here. And quite honestly, this group of humans is incredible. Week one is coming to an end, and we have had zero “normal” days, but still memories have been made & camp feels good…we are living a life of happiness at #TheRanch2026!

Happy Camping and Love,
Sari