Wow! It’s the second week of fourth session?!? It seems like we’ve just started, and already it’s time to wrap it up. I’ll fill you in on the last few days, picking up right where we left off…
For those of you who’ve been on the edges of your respective seats since the last post, wondering who won the swim meet, you can finally relax: it was the green team! It sure was close, though. We’ll see how the grey/green points work out when I add them up tomorrow afternoon!
Saturday brought us regular activities during the day and a rousing game of Desperadoes for night activity. There was only one desperado who wasn’t found –Cat, who was supposedly hiding under Arts & Crafts – and the rest made many jailbreaks throughout the course of the game. Couple that with dust flying and the Eagles blaring on the radio (I think you can guess which song!), and it almost felt like the Old West right here at camp.
Sunday was the Feast of the Assumption, and we were lucky to have Father Cole as our celebrant. Mass was held outside in the rock garden (downhill of the office) at the tail end of rest hour. It was great to see the campers get involved, especially some of our seasoners, and a pleasure to have Fr. Cole with us again!
That evening, the Suite 15 girls headed off to the movies for their final trip of the summer. This time, they saw “Eat, Pray, Love” at Smitty’s in Tilton while they snacked on pizza. Not a bad Sunday night!
Monday was a much-awaited day at Camp Bernadette. The girls had their final three periods of regular activities in the morning; after lunch and rest hour, it was International Day! Not only is International Day a great day at camp because of the delicious food (crepes & croissant sandwiches for breakfast, tacos for lunch, and Chinese for dinner), it’s also a fun way for the campers to learn a little bit more about other cultures. Camp Bernadette is lucky to have international staff that hail from places far and wide, such as Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, etc. Many of them were involved in planning activities that the girls rotated through for the afternoon, such as Irish step dancing, rounders (a British game that’s somewhat like baseball), Australian football (kind of like soccer, but using your hands), tartan-making, and Scottish dancing. We capped off the afternoon with “high tea” down in the circle area. There was tea, lemonade, and scones with jam and cream for the taking. Mmmm!
With International Day as an introduction, Camp Bernadette began what is commonly thought of as the four most epic days of the summer: Olympics! The girls were divided into six multi-age teams: Singapore, with coaches Regina, Theresa, and Sarah, and captain Lauren; Madagascar, with coaches Jess, Jenna, and Ciara, and captains Leah and Marie; USA, with coaches Nicole, Meagan, and Keri, and captain Helen; Switzerland, with coaches Cat, Jenn, and Ellie, and captain Caroline; United Kingdom, with coaches Jen, Brianne, and Hannah, and captains Katie and Kathleen; and Canada, with coaches Rachel, Monica, and Nic, and captain McLaine. The teams got acquainted, put on their Olympic shirts, and made banners, and then it was time for opening ceremonies! Each team paraded down the hill from the radio shack to the circle area, led by the country’s flag, until all the teams were seated in front of the podium. Next came the Olympic flag, carried lovingly by Allie, one of our seasoners, and finally the torch, tag-teamed by Maggie and Virginia, two more seasoners. After reading the Olympic creed and reciting the Olympic oath, the games had begun!
Tuesday and Wednesday were a whirlwind of competition, from sports and track & field to boating and waterfront. Tuesday night, each team put together a short skit about their country, judged by the referees. Wednesday night, the campers worked on an International Quiz and then headed to bed early so that the staff could enjoy their staff banquet in the dining hall.
On Thursday morning, we started off with a bang: Iron Woman! Iron Woman is Camp Bernadette’s version of a triathlon, with running, swimming, and boating components. Watching this race brings a tear to the eye of nearly every staff member! It’s amazing to watch the girls support each other and cheer on both teammates and competitors alike.
We spent the rest of the morning and the afternoon in sports Round 2 and finals, respectively. The girls stayed hydrated thanks to two giant jugs of Gatorade, complements of the nursing staff. Once sports was wrapped up, the entire camp gathered at the podium to give out sports awards, as well as MVP and All-Star for each team. MVP (most valuable player) is given out by the coaches of each team to the girl who best exhibits the qualities of athleticism and good sportsmanship. The All-Star award is given out to the girl who best embodies team spirit and is the heart and soul of each team. The Camp Bernadette Olympics go beyond competition, fostering qualities of sportsmanship, friendship, and teamwork that will last longer than the memories of who won or lost. Finally, we tallied the scores to find out the winning team: United Kingdom!!!
Last night, we had a very special night activity. After many, many days of searching and digging by Lily, Brian, and a rotating crew of helpers, and a little help from Father Ray, the time capsule that was buried on August 20, 1996 was located! Since we were 4 years overdue for opening it, anticipation was really high! When we opened the box, the first thing we found was a mix tape (who remembers cassettes?) created by Cabin 1 from that year. Listening to the tunes of ’96, we unearthed memories from 14 summers ago. There were some things that made us laugh, like the lists of improvements the campers of 1996 would like to have seen at camp (personal phones, king-sized waterbeds, Brad Pitt as director), and some things that made us cry, like finding a cabin list with Alanna’s name on it. Next, we buried our very own time capsule that the campers have been working on ALL summer in arts & crafts! It includes something made by each cabin all summer, so every camper from 2010 was a part of making it. Be sure to ask your camper what her cabin contributed to the time capsule! Finally, each camper threw a handful of dirt in to help bury our project. It was a truly unique moment, with both tears and laughter, which campers will be buzzing about for quite some time.
Today, campers spent time playing games with their division heads, Hollie, Becca, and Alanna, while the rest of the staff packed up the activity areas. Cabin packing and activity awards came after rest hour, then a delicious banquet dinner followed by a spontaneous dance party in front of the radio shack. Night activity was best camper awards and last night ceremonies in the chapel. Many tears were shed, but they quickly changed to cheers when the green team found out they won for the third time this summer!!! Grey team wasn’t too disappointed since their consolation prizes were ice cream sandwiches and fudgesicles.
I’m sure there will be lots more crying tomorrow morning, but for now the girls are having fun spending their last night with all their newfound friends and counselors.
Signing off to go enjoy the last night of the summer…
Thanks for reading!
Nora
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