The second week of First Session has begun! Campers left on their first overnight trips of the session on Sunday and Monday, and our Fourth of July celebration is fast approaching. And over the weekend, we marked the end of our first week together by participating in Anchor Day.
Once a week, the entire camp gathers for a day of mutual reflection, engagement, and sharing. We call this special day “Anchor Day” because it offers us a consistent touchpoint for connecting to one another and to our values as a community. Anchor Days also give campers the opportunity to participate in self-selected “open activities” in the afternoon and to spend the evening bonding with their unit leaders and unit mates.
The Troubadours led our first Chapel of the session with a focus on “letting go.”
For our first Anchor Day of the session, the day began with the Troubadour unit leading the camp community in a non-denominational service of reflection and sharing we call Chapel. Congregated on Chapel Rock, we discussed together the theme of “Letting go” and how it can serve us. Spaces for silence and song rounded out our reflective experience.
Following Chapel, campers had free time on the soccer field and then our special Anchor Day “dinner” (mid-afternoon meal) complete with ham, mashed potatoes, salad, and birthday cake for dessert. (On Anchor Days we celebrate all the camper and staff birthdays that have occurred during the past week – and we sing “Happy Birthday” to all the honorees!)
Campers’ musical performances dazzled the whole camp during Musicale!
Then it was time for Musicale. Musicale is a chance for the whole camp to watch performances by both campers and staff. This sharing time is referred to as “Musicale,” although in addition to musical performances, participants can showcase skits, monologues, or special talents. This week at Musicale, campers and staff shared poetry, songs, and dramatic performances to the wild applause of the whole camp.
Dramatic performances and poetry readings also held center stage during Musicale.
After Musicale, campers dispersed to various open activities for the rest of the afternoon. Open activities allow campers the chance to participate in programs like craft shop, climbing wall, and waterfront based on their personal preferences. Campers from various units mingle at all of the activities, since Anchor Day represents one of the few times during the week that campers can choose their activities individually, rather than attend them with their unit.
Open activities on Anchor Day offer campers additional opportunities to participate in program activities like wood shop.
Anchor Day closes out with “nosebags,” or picnic suppers taken out to various points on the camp property where units can eat and relax as small groups. Nosebags give each unit the chance to check in after a long and full day, and the quiet, unstructured time allows the campers and unit leaders to reflect on the past week and look ahead to the next one.
It’s been an exciting and full first week here at camp, and there’s so much more in store as First Session continues!