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

How can it be fourth session already?? The summer has truly flown! We were so excited to greet the new campers & welcome them to Bernadette on Sunday. Traditionally fourth session has the most new campers of any session all summer, so the staff was prepared to teach them the ways of being a Bernie girl.

The weather has been beautiful this week, so the girls have been able to enjoy all of their daily activities outdoors. On Monday evening, the threat of a quick rainstorm called for a schedule change; instead of a campfire and a game of Smurfs, we decided to have an indoor dance party. Headstaff, led by Lily, played DJ at what was deemed the best dance party ever! We turned out the lights, passed out glow-in-the-dark bracelets, and rocked out to Miley Cyrus, Mamma Mia, and various camp favorites like “Cotton-Eyed Joe” and “Cha Cha Slide.” The girls had a blast, and everyone was a sweaty mess by the end – isn’t that what camp is all about?

Tuesday was Camper Photo Day, and again the photographers were able to take pictures outside. Campers played games with their division heads, Alanna, Becca, and Hollie, and made rosary bracelets with Sister Bernadette, to top off the morning.

(*Note: This session, we are so happy to welcome Alanna to headstaff as senior division head! She has been a counselor for many years and was Liz’s assistant all summer. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Liz so that she could start her “big girl job” with AmeriCorps in Concord, NH. We miss our Lizzie and wish her the best of luck!! I’m sure it eased her mind to know that she would be putting the division in Alanna’s capable hands. Welcome, Alanna!)

Even though we had to skip it on Monday night, have no fear: campfire and Smurfs were in the cards for Tuesday instead. The Suite 15 girls took their “little sisters” in the junior division down to the campfire to teach them camp songs and how to make s’mores. Almost every “big sister” had two little ones, and it was great to see how excited they were to meet the juniors and give them the nametags they had decorated with such care. For cabins 4 through 17, night activity was a game of Smurfs. Green team absolutely dominated, finding all five Smurfs. Four were found by cabin 6 alone! Go green!!

On Wednesday, we had the girls from Starter Week at Camp Fatima come over during rest hour for a tour and a snack. Starter Week is a great way for some of the younger girls to get a taste of camp, the hope being that they will become Bernadette campers the following year. We have a lot of campers now (and staff!) who began their journeys as Starter girls. It’s also a great way for our headstaff to ooh and ahh over the tiny 5 year olds and their silly questions. (One girl, after I told them we were taking a tour, raised her hand with what I thought was a question: “My cat just had four kittens!” Slightly unrelated, but amusing nonetheless!)

Wednesday night activity was divisional, too. For the older girls, it was Senior Choice. There was a sign-up sheet in the dining hall all day, with options like climbing wall, bingo, kayaking, round table discussion, etc., so that each girl could sign up for her favorite activity. Intermediates and juniors piloted a game that is new to Camp Bernadette: mutant ball. Mutant ball, an idea we borrowed from one of the presenters at this year’s ACA conference, can be played with any type of ball game (softball, basketball, soccer, kickball), but we’ve determined that Bonongo ball – basically kickball with a baseball bat – is the best way to go (thanks, Fatima!). The fun part comes when you make all the players “mutants” by outfitting them with weird and unnecessary sports equipment and other fun stuff. For example, Becca, the intermediate division head, was pitching while wearing baseball gloves on both her hands. Some kids were in burlap sacks, some were wearing flippers, some were tied together…and the list goes on. It was a HUGE hit, especially with the intermediates, and many laughs were had by all! There is demand for a staff game of mutant ball this week, and some have even suggested adding mutant ball to the list of sports played during Olympics! We’ll see about that…

The only downside to Wednesday was saying goodbye to Sister Bernadette for the summer. She is such a big part of camp, visiting us every Tuesday and Wednesday religiously (pun intended!) for photo day activities and spending the rest of her time in the Explore cabin, offering spiritual and emotional guidance, creating fun crafts with the girls, and just being fabulous in general. She is adored by the staff, who flock to the weekly staff discussions she hosts on the porch of cabin, complete with delectable treats. Campers love her too, and how can you blame them? She’s great, and we’ll miss her dearly until next summer. Thank you, Sister B, for your hard work and dedication to camp!

 Yesterday, Alanna and Lily took the Suite 15 girls on their day trip, river tubing in North Conway. They packed a lunch and spent the day winding down the lazy river. Sounds rough, huh? The rest of camp continued with regular activities, ending the day with a movie night. Juniors took to the counselor canteen to watch some classic cartoons (Flintstones, Jetsons, & Yogi Bear), while intermediates and seniors got psyched for Olympics watching “D2: The Mighty Ducks.” Since none of these girls were born when that movie was made, I guess you could say that they watched an old movie in the fieldhouse!

Today marks our second Swim Meet & Luau for the summer. As I write, the grey and green teams are competing against each other down at the waterfront in events like arch relay, beach ball tread, and craziest dive for grey/green points! Later on, we will have an outdoor barbeque for dinner, and then the girls will head to the circle area down by the dining hall for a luau! It’s basically a relaxed party, with face painting, nail painting, temporary tattoos, and some games with candy prizes, set to the soundtrack of our favorite tunes. This time, we even have one of those cheesy backdrops with the faces cut out, so campers can have their photos taken looking like a hula dancer or a surfer dude. It’s all in the name of fun!

I’m going to head downhill and see if the grey team is making a comeback…

Thanks for reading!

Nora

Camp Fatima is different this week. Could it be the thundering herd of buffalo that wander throughout our camp? Perhaps, Superman is relocating his fortress. Truth be told. It’s Starter Camp. Yeah and Yee-Haw. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. We go co-ed for the week as we welcome in about fifty boys and girls aged 5-9 for a most memorable week at camp.

During this week, campers and counselors stay together for all the activities. Most cabins  have already been to archery, tubing, low ropes, climbing wall, BB’s, Party Barge, as well as a multitude of team sports. It’s been warm and beautiful here at camp.

On Monday night, we had a huge campfire. We took a “roasting marshmellow” break after a couple of songs to be the rain and then continued with cabin songs. We got lucky the rain didn’t come until later in the evening.

Last night, the cabins went on a Scavenger Hunt put together by the Boy’s Division Head, Russ. It was tons of fun with campers running all over the place. Tonight we’ll be having our annual talent show. It will be fun to see what these guys and gals come up with.

Can you believe that the week is almost over? Time flies when you’re having fun. Rest assured, the young ones get plenty of rest with bedtime at 9:00 and the ever popular rest period after lunch.

The girls just got back from their journey to Camp Bernadette. The arrived during their rest period, so that they could get a good tour of the camp. After that, there were snacks and activities as the camp awakened from rest period. This trip will help the girls be more comfortable for those who transition to Camp Bernadette for two or more weeks next summer.

We hope all is well with you and we’ll see you on Friday.

Peace Out,

Steven Patterson

Program Director

“The best part of waking up is coffee in your cup.” While a catchy slogan for a coffee company, it really is a lie. The best part of waking up is enjoying another day at Camp Fatima. Where else is everyday an awesome day. I know of no other place where a few hundred young men get to enjoy the outdoors and make new friends at the same time. Fatima is a place where you get to be yourself. No worries about your hair and clothes; although it would be nice if some brushed their hair and changed their clothes more often.

 An earlier blogger had touched upon the concept of cleanliness what with all the activities the young ones are involved in. Well we believe that any contact with water counts as a shower. We did have a storm roll through yesterday, so everyone is covered there and with going to the waterfront; how could one not be clean. Just Kidding. Every Intermediate and Junior cabin is scheduled to take showers every day. It is a requirement and a good one to boot. Seniors are left given more independence and are monitored by their counselors and I’m sure cabin mates.

Okay. Blah. Blah. Blah. Now on to the good stuff; activities at camp. When we last left off, I promised that I would give some details on our latest Gold Rush Day. Well, it was in fact the best we’ve had in a long long time. I’m not bragging or anything, but the Ringling Brothers asked me to sign a confidentiality waiver, indicating that I would never divulge secrets of carnival life. I refused, so let’s chat.

 Gold Rush is a day of extreme fun for camp; campers and staff alike. Juniors got to be participants only and were not responsible for running a booth (maybe next year). Here is a quick or not so quick rundown on the day’s activities:

Club 15 (cabins 1,2,4) ran our extra events like an inflatable bungee run, a huge inflatable slide, and a dunk tank.

 Cabin 6 ran “Can Pyramid”.

Cabin 7 ran “Hoop, There It Is!”

Cabin 8 ran “Soda Pong”.

Cabin 9 ran “Tattoo Parlor

 Cabin 10 ran “Hit The Clown”.

Cabin 11 ran “Obstacle Course with a Pool”.

Cabin 12 ran “Human Bowling”.

Cabin 23 ran “Hula Hoop Cereal Toss.”

 Cabin 24 ran “Sponge Toss”.

Cabin 25 ran “Balloon Darts”.

Cabin 26 ran “Water Balloon Shaving”.

Cabin 28 ran “Hollywood Tour and Trivia”.

 Cabin 29 ran “Water Assassination”.

Cabin 30 ran “Football Toss”

Cabin 31 ran “Speedball Scoring Challenge”.

Whew! That’s a lot of stuff. I mentioned the activities, so you would be able to talk with your young about the day. At Fatima, time is always going by too fast. New memories are being created daily, so to remember everything about last Sunday may be a bit too much for some.

After all the cabins responsible for an event, set up their booths. Campers were then given about an hour to participate in at least seven events; most did more. Why you ask? I’ll tell you. To get 15 tickets to spend on the food that would be coming out later. The foods we enjoyed were hot dogs, French fries, ice-cream sandwiches, slush, pretzels, and fried dough. Campers could earn more tickets if they wanted to by participating in more activities. It was a blast and still puts a smile on my face seeing everyone in motion and having a great time.

(Smooth Segway Coming…Now) Speaking of Carnival, our Club 15’ers met up with the Suite 15’ers at Hilltop Amusement Center for a time of fun and games. They have a myriad of activities to choose from. They are located in Somersworth, New Hampshire if you are ever in the area and looking for family fun.

Tuesday we played host to a neighboring camp in Archery. We did very well; so well that some of our arrows actually hit the target. Tuesday also brought Father Ray into town with some of the kids in his parish in the North Country. We were victorious in four of the five competitions. Go Fatima!

 FATAMANIA: The main event for Tuesday. Counselor Terry and Friends organized a series of wresting matches. Many staff were involved as wrestlers, members of a live band, and announcers. Each wrestler had an entourage of campers to assist them as they entered the ring. The final match was between Father Ray and Scotty. Blood and bone bits were flying everywhere. I have a bruise from a big toe that smacked me aside the head. In reality, that’s what I wished happened, but it was an intense match. They literally pushed each other around the ring. It was real wrestling, not so much play acting. After a few minutes and nobody seriously injured, the match ended as a draw. They were both offered ibuprofen for their eventual pains and strains.

Wednesday started our Olympics. There were twenty teams this year that tried to vie for top honors. The eventual champion was Iceland. Some notes of interest: Defending champion Vatican City coached by Father Ray finished in 18th place and past runner up coach for the past two years, Counselor John, finished on top leading Iceland to its first victory in the Fatima Olympics.

Campers competed in all sorts of events like: Track and Field Meet, Swim Meet, Team Games, Individual events such as BB’s, Archery, Wall, Cargo Net, Tennis, Racquetball, Checkers, Billiards, Darts, and Tetherball. On top of all these events, points are awarded for sportsmanship. We place a great deal of emphasis on effort and sportsmanship. Therefore, actually winning or losing shouldn’t matter much if one has a good time.

On Friday night we celebrated our last major pep rally of the summer. Scotty led us off with our chaotic and loud chanting/singing of “Boom Chicka Boom”. If your son has no voice when you pick him up, feel free to thank us. Other awards were given out as well like the Fatima Crosses, which are given to campers who show great strides in living as a Christian while at camp. Model Counselor’s In Training were awarded to Charles and Sam and Model Counselors were awarded to John and Steve. Congratulations to all our fine men at Camp Fatima.

After the pep rally, everyone made their way back to their cabins to clean up, get their belongings together, and then enjoy the cabin pizza party. As I made my way back to my cabin shortly after midnight, seniors could still be heard enjoying themselves. It is so rewarding to hear the delight in the camper’s voices. I personally would enjoy it more during the day, but hey, it’s the last night.

I blame cabin 25 for my exhaustion today. I have to walk by their cabin to get to my cabin and it was after midnight and I decided to stop in and instruct them in the ways of quiet talking. My Jedi mind tricks weren’t working. I stayed talking to and with them until after 1:00. It was a wonderful time spent with some of the guys. They were very appreciative of their time here, telling me how much of a great time they had here and how awesome Fatima is. I’m tired and I would talk with these guys again without hesitation. I actually have no idea who I was talking to as the lights were out, so a big thanks you to all the guys in 25 for your feedback.

The buses to New York have now pulled out and campers are being picked up left and right and all is getting quiet. We have a few hours to get camp ready for our check-in tomorrow for Starter Camp and then everyone is off to home and school. As we told the guys, Fatima goes with you wherever you go. Thank you for reading our blogs and we look forward to making more memories that will last a lifetime as we gear up for summer 2011.

 Please drop us a line and share with us your thoughts about this awesome place. We hope we made a difference in your son’s life for the better.

 “Where The Sun Is Hot And The Trees Are Shady, Goodnight To Camp Fatima. Goodnight To Our Lady.”

Peace Out Summer 2010

Steven “Icky” Patterson Program Director

It’s Thursday of the second week of the session, and that can only mean one thing…camper play tonight! The 3^rd session play is actually a musical – Mamma Mia! The sounds of ABBA have been echoing through the air for days now, but Mamma Mia fever has hit an all time high today, and we can’t wait for the big performance tonight! The girls have been practicing religiously, giving up rest hours and free time to perfect their lines and songs. If you listen closely at any given time of day, you can probably hear “Super Trouper” or “Take a Chance on Me” being hummed by about a hundred people. Lily and Jenn, the directors, with the help of Fiona, Lillian, and others, have been working well into the night (honestly, it was 11:45 pm last night when they left the fieldhouse) to prepare for what could be Camp Bernadette’s greatest performance to date! The arts staff has also been working diligently on some of the most beautifully detailed sets I have ever seen. It’s great to see everyone collaborate for such a special event, and we’re excited to see the fruits of their labor tonight at 7. Break a leg, ladies!

Meanwhile, we’ve been very busy with our day and night activities this week. We finished up Color Wars this past weekend. Here’s a quick summary:

Saturday night, we had a super fun, super messy Tribal War. Each camper gets one water balloon and one small baggie of flour. The point is to get the chiefs from the opposite team as “dirty” as possible, while keeping your chiefs as clean as you can. This is honestly one of Camp Bernadette’s most beloved night activities, and it goes all the way back to the days of Jenn Whalen as program director (thanks, Jenn!). Needless to say, it is seriously messy, but the girls have a blast. Top honors and grey/green points went to Hannah, counselor in cabin 4, for being the cleanest of the chiefs. Her strategy? She ran the ENTIRE time. I think she earned it! Go green!

Sunday morning wrapped up Color Wars. We started off with a campwide relay (described in an earlier blog) that resulted in victory for the grey team! Next came the marathon. We have different starting points for each division, ranging from the juniors at the pillars to the seniors all the way at the end of Richards Road (accompanied by staff members and the Bernie bus, of course!). Some of those girls are like flashes of light when they run! It was great to see such a high camper participation.

We took a break for about an hour, so the campers could rehydrate and the program director could add up the scores, and then we met down at the fire pit for a powwow. After announcing all the wins for each activity (land, boating, and waterfront for each division, campwide relay, marathon, and Tribal War) and some last minute cheering for team spirit, the scores were announced. It was pretty close, 1600 points to 1325, but the win ultimately went to…the grey team!!! Winning the campwide relay definitely helped them jump ahead. There are still opportunities for more grey/green points this session, so it will be interesting to see if the grey team keeps their lead and gets ice cream sundaes tomorrow night!

On Sunday afternoon, we headed over to Gilmanton for our last Bernie-Fatima day of the summer. The boys had some giant inflatables (like you would find at a fair) left over from their Gold Rush, so the juniors got to play there while the seniors and intermediates participated in other activities, like Name that Tune and soccer. Mass, dinner, and dances ensued, and the Suite 15 girls skipped out of the senior dance a bit early to enjoy a bonfire with the Fatima Club 15ers. It was a great wrap-up to the summer; thanks to Icky and the Fatima staff for hosting us!

After all that activity, everyone was grateful for late sleep on Monday morning. That evening, Suite 15 headed to the Hilltop Fun Center in Somersworth to meet Club 15 for their night trip. Liz got a great deal for the girls – 2 hours of unlimited mini-golf, laser tag, go-karts, batting cages, and arcade games. The rest of us attended an auction at Camp Bernadette, using the “money” found during Gold Rush to bid on activities like kayaking, making friendship bracelets, free swim, and Farkle (a dice game that has swept through camp like wildfire this summer). Weather permitting, the girls will be enjoying the activities they won at Auction this afternoon.

Tuesday night was a Staff Talent Show in the fieldhouse. Some of the acts were chock full of talent, like Katie H. the CIT singing a Taylor Swift song & playing the guitar (what a voice!), and some were more along the lines of entertainment, like Chubby Bunny (a marshmallow eating contest). The campers got a kick out of it, and that’s what it’s all about. Thanks to the staff for pulling together the whole show with about 24 hours notice!

Yesterday afternoon, Carnival came to Camp Bernadette! Each cabin ran a different carnival booth or activity, like facepainting, belly bumpers, gummy bear dig, and donuts on a string. We even had a special bouncehouse this year, shaped like a castle and complete with a slide inside! Treats like cookie decorating, ice cream sundaes, and the cotton candy machine (run by headstaff, who probably all still have wisps of cotton candy in their hair) were in the dining hall for a break from the sun. Even though it was hot and humid, Cabin 18 made sure that we stayed cool. Their booth was Water Pitcher Assassination, which involved dumping pitchers of icy cold water over the heads of unsuspecting campers and counselors. What a treat on a hot day! A big thanks to the staff and the headstaff for making this day a huge success. By night activity, everyone was ready to relax & watch a movie, so we headed to the fieldhouse to watch “Andre”, a movie that the staff all grew up loving and wanted to pass on to the next generation.

Off to prepare for the last couple days of the session…

Thanks for reading!

Nora

I’ll be honest. The campers are having an awesome time. With the beautiful weather and lots of special activities what’s not to like. I know some of you are looking for some updates. I love to read through your responses and find the young ones to send along your messages. It’s way cool. At first, they think they’re in trouble, but I quickly put that out of their heads by sharing your posts with them. Some have things to say back and other are like, “okay”.

Dear Emmett’s mom, I talked to him today like you asked, but I didn’t have any cookies to bribe him with to get him to write home. He did however say that he drop one off in the mail a day or two ago. Back to the cookie bribe. I offered him instead a candy bar if he is able to put into my hands a letter/post card ready to be mailed; he will be a lucky chocolaty guy. He seemed excited. I’m looking forward to seeing if he follows through later. Right now, he is in his cabin resting. He did ask me to tell you that he is having a good time and his favorite activity is BB’s.

I have time for one other shout out. Otherwise, I’d be writing a book and well I really don’t want to. I chatted with Patrick from Cabin 2 earlier. You were correct mom in that no news is good news. He states and I’m quoting here, “I’m having a great time and I have been running.” He also told me that he may have written to you some time ago. I love the references to time here at Camp Fatima. We get so engrossed in camp life that days and weeks blend together. They’ll know it’s Sunday today because we’ll have Mass later today outside at our camp shrine area.

Okay, Okay, Last time, I mentioned that I would give you some updates on our inter-camp competitions and the other Olympic Teams for Color Wars which officially start Wednesday Night.

We had a group of 11 and 12 year olds visit us from another camp to play Basketball. Get out your horns and hand clappers because we were victorious. If you are missing the noisemakers then a quick smile will do. We remind the campers that the outcome of any game or competition is unimportant. We continue to teach sportsmanship and effort as more important than winning.  Remember, how we just about always lose when we take on other camps in marksmanship events. Well, it’s still true, but with a twist. A nine member team of seniors went to a neighboring camp for what they called, “Adventure Olympics”. There were four scoring events: I think they were Archery, Wall, Riflery, and Zip-Line. There were four teams present and we placed….. I don’t know if I should tell you. Fine I will. We placed THIRD. Can you believe it? We placed third. I was so excited for the boys. I was fortunate enough to pick them up from their event. They were given a certificate for their impressive work. I asked them to post the certificate in our radio station where we have all sorts of nostalgia.

Our Olympics start in just a couple of days. Here are the teams for the Intermediate Division. This year the Age Level Division Heads chose the countries. Here they are: Switzerland, Greece, Monaco, Vatican City (some would say not a real country, but it’s still okay with us), Azerbaijan, Burma (Myanmar), United States, and France. Our Senior Division teams are: Andorra, Algeria, Liechtenstein, Canada, Iceland, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, and Senegal. For those of you who may have missed the earlier post on Junior Division teams, they are:  Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica.

On Thursday night, we have our annual Olympic parade and skit. Each team will perform for the camp in keeping with the history and culture of their country. Country Coaches have been working on ideas since the day after check-in. The parade is one of the longest standing traditions here at Camp Fatima. I wish you could see it for it truly is awesome. It’s one of those, “You had to be there to understand” times.

AL has been pretty busy this session with the campers. AL is the Art Lady. She has a real name, Brenda. Campers from last year would recognize her as one of last year’s nurses. This year, she has been doing tons of tye-dying, gimping, painting, and photo developing. Our packet to camp mentioned that you have your child bring to camp a white t-shirt for tye-dying. Some campers brought other items that were white that are no longer say….white. You may wish to wash those items separately upon return. I’m pretty sure AL washes and dries them here, but always better safe than sorry. My son doesn’t own white shirts due to the fact they wouldn’t be white for long and stains don’t look so good. He tye-died a beige shirt and I must say it came out pretty good. ( My editing note: I’m not sure how you spell tye-dying and the spell check was not help, so please allow this error.)

There is always too much to say and too little time in which to say it in. Next time I post,  I’ll try and give you some details on what our Goldrush is like. It’s like a big Camp Fatima Carnival. I tweaked some parts of it and heard from campers and counselors that it was the best ever. Their comments reminded me of the “Best Day Ever” SpongeBob episode.  We are also in the midst of a camp wide cleanup. As I type, the campers get ready to welcome the girls from Camp Bernadette over for some activities, Mass, dinner, and dances; with Club 15 and Suite 15 going from the dance to a bonfire to end the night.

As I prepare to publish this blog, I want to say a great big thank you to the readers out there. It puts a smile on our face knowing that people are reading. There are even more happy thoughts when you leave a post, so don’t be shy.

“Where The Sun Is Hot And The Trees Are Shady, Goodnight To Camp Fatima. Goodnight To Our Lady.”

Peace Out,

Steven “Icky” Patterson

Program Director

Wow! Time sure flies when you’re experiencing the summer of a lifetime! Third session is WELL underway. Let me fill you in on what we’ve been up to at Bernie this past week!

Change Sunday was another beautiful weather day on the shores of Lake Wentworth. (We’ve really been lucky with our change weekend weather this summer. Can you imagine moving trunks in the rain? Not so fun. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for next weekend as well!) The new session of girls settled right into camp, working on the opening day scavenger hunt with their cabins, greeting old friends and new, and even playing some pick-up soccer, tennis, and basketball games during their free time. At dinner, the staff sang their song, finishing the last verse on the raft! There were a lot of wide-eyed juniors after that surprise. (And a lot of wet staff shirts on the clotheslines, too!) Night activity was a fast-paced game of Capture the Flag, with the win going to the grey team! A junior found the flag and handed it off to a senior; what a great strategy! When we announced the win and Lauren from 21 came up to the front with that flag and a big smile on her face, I think everyone had a “camp moment.”

Monday morning, we started regular activity periods. In Arts & Crafts, Lily and the arts staff have been starting each session off with a special project. Each cabin has the challenge of creating something to add to a time capsule that we plan to bury at the end of the summer. That way everyone who was at Camp Bernadette for summer 2010 will have been a part of putting together a collection of camp history! It is absolutely incredible to see some of the work these girls have done. One day, Lily came up to the office looking for paperclips: one cabin wanted to use paperclips to attach each girl’s name to a mini clothesline in a small scale replica of their cabin. The range of different projects that have been made throughout the summer, stemming from this one idea, is amazing. Make sure to ask your daughter what her cabin added to the time capsule!

Monday night was a big sister/little sister campfire for the Suite 15ers and juniors. The older girls spend their precious free time making nametags, kind of like airport pickup signs, for their little sisters and decorating them. When the juniors get down to the firepit area, all of their big sisters are waiting with special nametags for them. It’s a great way to pair them off, and the little girls pin the signs over their beds and cherish them for the rest of the session!

Intermediates and seniors played a game of Smurfs, with background music like “Blue Moon,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” and of course that Eiffel 65 song, “Blue” (how did that song ever become popular??).  Tuesday was Camper Photo Day, with a visit from Sister B and some divisional activities as well. On Tuesday night, we started the first of a series of three night activities with Gold Rush. It’s about as simple as it sounds: a bunch of gold coins (worth one dollar), quarters, nickels, and pennies are strewn around camp. Cabins try to collect as much money (okay, FAKE money) as possible. Cabin 2 came up as the big winners, finding $69.49. The next step is Auction, which we will do next Monday night. At auction, the cabins can use the money they found during Gold Rush to bid on different activities for the following night’s activity. Some auction activities are super fun, like a campfire & s’mores with your cabin, tubing, an hour of T.V. in the counselor canteen, etc., while others are what you make of them, like washing the Bernie bus or sweeping the chapel. You never know what activities will be on the auction block, and sometimes things get interesting! I remember last year feeling bad for a couple of cabins who were washing the bus and sweeping the chapel, until I visited them and was greeted with peals of laughter and excitement. I guess it is true, you certainly make your own fun!

Wednesday was Bernie-Fatima day here in the afternoon. The boys came over at 4 and we had divisional ice cream socials. The counselors also threw out some basketballs, soccer balls, jump ropes, skip-its, and various other playthings. We were sad to have to end the free-spirited hangout (which included both Sue and Drummy playing jump rope with one of our giant double-dutch ropes!) to go to Mass, but Father Ray cheered everyone right up with some songs and a silly joke. Since the weather was so great, we were able to hold all the dances outside, which was definitely a treat for the senior campers and staff. (I’m sure you can imagine how hot the field house gets with more than 200 thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen year olds jumping around for a few hours.) We’ll be heading over to Fatima tomorrow for the last B/F day of the summer—unbelievable!

On Thursday, the Suite 15 girls ventured to Hampton Beach again – their pick! – and managed to miss out on the passing showers that were in the forecast. The rest of us enjoyed a sunny period 1 through 5 day. (In camp lingo, that means a regular, full day of activities.) Night activity was EXTRA special. Our very own CIT director, Emily, was able to get a real live band to play for us! She happens to know one of the musicians quite well…he’s her dad! The band, Songs for Ceilidh, mixes Celtic influences with rock and pop songs, making for a really eclectic set. They played an absolutely fantastic outside show for us! Campers were dancing, singing along, clapping, cheering, and having a super fun time. The songs ranged from traditional Irish, Scottish, and Canadian Celtic music to Dave Matthews Band and (my favorite) a rendition of “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” What a truly unique experience! Please check out the band’s website, www.songsforceilidh.com, for more information. They play mostly in Massachusetts; go and check them out! I can guarantee that you’ll have a blast!

It’s always hard to top a great night activity like that, but our staff is up for the challenge. Last night, we kicked off grey versus green Color Wars! Campers were introduced to their chiefs (counselors) and scouts (CITs) for each team and then broke up into teams to complete land, boating, and waterfront signups for today. The teams are as follows:

Little Green Bears: Cabins 22, 20, 18, & 16; chiefs Fiona, Lillian, & Nicole; scouts McLaine & Olivia

Little Grey Bears: Cabins 21, 19, 17, & 15; chiefs Allie, Regina, & Hannah; scouts Kathleen, Helen, & Katie

Fighting Green Wolves: Cabins 14, 12, & 10; chiefs Christine, Alexa, & Cecelia; scouts Lauren & Leah

Fighting Grey Wolves: Cabins 13, 11, & 9; chiefs Steph, Allison, & Ashley; scouts Caroline & Marie

Mighty Green Warriors: Cabins 8, 6, 4, & 2; chiefs Kristin, Hannah, & Karen; scouts Bri & Emmie

Mighty Grey Warriors: Cabins 7, 5, 3, & 1; chiefs Danielle, Meg, & Alanna; scouts Melissa & Katie

After signups, everyone came down to the firepit area wearing their special Color Wars headdresses for a 5 star fire, built by counselors Julia and Cat. As the age-old Story of Color Wars was told, the chiefs from each team acted it out, which made for a lot of giggles and cheering. A cheering competition ensued, with points going to the Fighting Green Wolves for originality. After a quick shrine at the fire, led by the Council of Elders (headstaff), the girls were off to bed to rest up for a big weekend of competition and fun times.

After tipi cleanup this morning, the tribes headed to their first activities to compete for grey/green points. Each age group will get a chance to rotate through land activities (such as soccer and steal the bacon), boating activities (such as sink the canoe and sailing regatta), and waterfront activities (such as arch relay and diving for objects). The rotations will continue this afternoon, as well as a recently announced staff lacrosse game, grey chiefs and scouts versus green. As we learned in the bonus question part of the scavenger hunt last Sunday, the game of lacrosse was one way of settling disputes in the Huron and Iroquois tribes. Definitely a great addition to our Color Wars; thanks to Ellen, the sports director, for putting it on!

I’m off to start filling up water balloons for Tribal War tonight. (Flour, water, controlled chaos…what could be better?)

Thanks for reading!

 Nora

Howdy all. It sure has been a busy time since the last post. I did talk to a number of the boys that you asked me to give a shout out to. There was a bit of fear at first when I called them over to me. Then they breathed and were fine.

Our days and nights have been busy. Here’s a rundown of some of the night-time activities that we employ and enjoy. On Monday nights, we run Club and League at the same time. League is for those who wish to compete competitively in sports like soccer, basketball, football, styx, bonongo ball, and etc… Teams are made up from those interested. Club on the other hand is for those who want to do something different. Counselors run activities that they enjoy and want to pass on to the youth. Some staff are passionate runners and created a running club where they learn the proper stretching and actually go running. Others may enjoy the game Magic or make us of our “devil sticks” which have to do with juggling. There is no shortage of ideas and campers seem to really enjoy these nights. What I really love about these nights is that the campers get to choose. Being a general sports camp, this allows for some to take a break from team sports. Please ask your young one about when they get home. This has actually been a concept I’ve been experimenting one for the last three summers and finally, I think this system works best.

Other night activities have included campfires. For those who checked into the Intermediate Division last Sunday you would have noticed a huge fire in the shape of a torch. Counselor Steve put together an awesome display. It was made in the spirit of the third session color war which is Olympics. Campers do not know, but I will release to you the Junior Division teams. The Olympic teams for Juniors are Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, and Cuba. While the Intermediates fire was blazing last Tuesday the Juniors and Club 15 got together for our Big Brother/Little Brother Program. This is a special time when the older kids get to be heroes. It is adorable and heartwarming to watch. To Maxwell in cabin 1, “good job.” Maxwell is the big brother to my son in Cabin 14.

We continue to be busy on Wednesday we went over to Camp Bernadette for an ice cream social; followed by mass, dinner, and culminating with dances. The campers look forward to these get-togethers. We play host on Sunday and add an hour of field games before mass. We don’t let them dance until midnight. Juniors end at 8:00, Intermediates at 9:00, and Seniors/Club 15 at 9:30.

Last night we had our Counselor Hunt. Staff took off to the woods to try to stay hidden. Alas many failed. Each staff member had written in marker on their hand what they were worth. For some it was points (positive and negative). The cabin that amassed the most points was Cabin 18. They are the proud winners of having lunch cooked for them by myself and other staff members in the Staff Canteen while watching an age appropriate movie.

Our next major night activity will be on Tuesday when we hold our annual FATAMANIA. Counselors battle each other for all out glory. No campers are allowed to wrestle, but each and every act must have a camper entourage to participate. It’s a huge highlight for many campers. I was never a huge wrestling fan, but I did like the Ultimate Warrior.

Paintball was a lot of fun yesterday for Club 15. They were tired as I picked them up, but all said they had a good time. Tom and Patrick in cabin two had a great time. On a side note, they said that they did send letters home, so watch for the mailbox.

There is still too much going on and I have to get going. The seasoners are heading out to Water Country in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for their Seasoner’s Trip and well, I’m one of the drivers.

Hope to be back tomorrow to blog about our day today. I’ll release the Intermediate Olympic Teams and give you the updates on our recent team competitions with other camps.

“Where The Sun Is Hot And The Trees Are Shady, Goodnight To Camp Fatima. Goodnight To Our Lady.”

Peace out,

Steven “Icky” Patterson

Program Director

Who has the best camp in the whole world? We do. We do. There are well over forty different activities that Camp Fatima has to offer from swimming, boating, tubing, and more at the waterfront to BB’s, riflery, archery, tetherball, team games, and Arts with AL (AL is the Art Lady). There is no shortage of activities to choose from.

If you are new to Camp Fatima, here’s a basic rundown for the day. We wake up at 7:30 and do some dancing (manly of course). Then it’s off to the main field for our daily flag raising ceremony and cabin reports. Next comes breakfast which usually alternates between eggs and pancakes/waffle and such. There are also three cereal choices daily: Cheerios, Fruit Loops, and Frosted Flakes. There are two morning activities and then a free period where the campers can choose where to go. There are daily announcements as to what activities are open during the free times. Campers may choose to relax at the divisional picnic tables or under the shade of trees in our Leisure Park. Lunch is at noon and rest period ends at 2:00. The horn at the end of rest period also signals the start of Camper Canteen. If you’ve ever heard a herd of buffalo running through the open grasslands, then you know the sound of 270 campers trying to get their snacks first. We try to make it quicker for the guys by having three lines. Club 15 comes right into the canteen itself and helps themselves. The rest of camp is divided into two lines. One being for Juniors and Intermediates and the other for the rest of Seniors. The CITs and I are able to accommodate the whole camp’s snack desire within twenty minutes. After their intake of snack, campers have a second free period followed by three more scheduled activity blocks. Supper at 6:00 followed by Night Activity which changes each night and the day ends with Shrine. The whole camp comes together for evening prayers and is then sent off to their divisions for bed. Seniors are allowed to leave the cabin for what we call Night Privilege; time to chill, play hoops, shower, and etc…

Now you should have an idea as to why your child is so tired when camp is over and even perhaps why you don’t get as much mail as you would like. The only free time that is spent in the cabin is during rest period. I stop in and chat with different cabins during the time and will usually find campers playing cards with one another, reviewing their care packages or lamenting they didn’t get one.

I would like to give a “Shout Out” to Diego’s dad. I know you’re reading this because you son tells me so. Here’s an uninteresting tidbit for most. Diego and I share the same birthday with just a thirty year difference. I may not look younger than Diego, but I act about the same.

As I write this afternoon, campers are in their cabins for rest period; followed by an afternoon of showering and getting ready to visit our sister camp, Camp Bernadette. Being the better camp, we like to share our greatness with others. Perhaps some of our awesomeness will rub off, so that the girls have a chance of enjoying this day as well.

Tomorrow, ( Thursday), Club 15 heads out in the morning to go to OSG paintball. OSG is one of the best paint ball arenas in the country. They just put in a new field that is composed of a huge ship. You can actually see pictures on their website, www.osgpaintball.com. The campers and staff look forward to this day. We’ve actually got another short outing planned for the boys on Monday, but I won’t be spilling the beans. You’ll have to check in later.

There will also be a number of seniors heading to a neighboring YMCA camp to compete in adventure activities. There will be a couple other YMCA groups in attendance. All I know is that campers will be participating in events like archery, riflery, and climbing wall. Fatima excels when we take on other camps in team games, but historically struggle when we compete in individual sports. Time will tell how tomorrow pans out. On Friday, an intermediate team will be coming in to play us in basketball. Seniors will also play host to a group of boys from Lancaster, NH from Fr. Ray’s church in a number of challenges which may include: soccer, basketball, hockey, styx, and football. Last session, we won three games to two. Fr. Ray is already talking smack on how we will lose next time. The last event scheduled for our inter-camp games will be an archery meet for seniors on Tuesday. Although we play a lot and we would like to win, our priority here at Camp Fatima is to have fun and be a good sport.

There is still way more to say about what has been going on here at Camp Fatima. It is my hope to continue the rest of the session posting a daily blog. It’s tricky at times to find the time. We are a busy place. We’d really love to hear from you as well. For those who read our blogs often, don’t be shy. Leave a post and tell us what you think. Thank you for sending us your sons and we hope you are having an excellent two weeks as well.

“Where The Sun Is Hot And The Trees Are Shady, Goodnight To Camp Fatima And Goodnight To Our Lady.”

Peace Out,

Steven “Icky” Patterson

Program Director

We sure have been busy this week! Second session has flown by, and here we are at change weekend again. Let’s recap:

We finished off Christmas Eve last weekend with the tradition of the pageant, put on by a talented group of singers, dancers, readers, and actresses from the senior division and coached by Lily, Becca, Liz, and Taylor, followed by Christmas Eve Mass with Father Cole in the chapel. Although it was toasty with so many people in the chapel, the cool air outside made the hot chocolate and donuts afterwards enjoyable. Sunday morning was SUPER late sleep (9:30!), then the campers woke up to a present from Santa!

Christmas day is always pretty laidback here; we had a scavenger hunt in the morning, Christmas dinner with mint chocolate chip pie for dessert, rest hour, then the campwide relay in the afternoon. The campwide relay is a series of events, such as swim and boat races, egg on spoon relay, basketball shooting, etc., that take place all over camp and function as one giant relay race. Both teams (green and grey) start at the same time and see who can reach the finish first, with the last leg of the relay being the climbing wall. It was neck and neck most of the race, but congratulations go to the grey team for reaching the top of the climbing wall first!

That night, we all gathered in the field house to watch the CIT play, “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer”! The girls loved seeing their beloved CITs on stage in a different role than usual.

Some highlights from the rest of the week:

·      Monday was the Suite 15 night trip to Smitty’s for a movie and pizza. They saw “Inception”, the new Leonardo DiCaprio movie, and thoroughly enjoyed it!

·      Tuesday was our second Bernie-Fatima day of the session, at Camp Fatima. We loaded up the buses at 3 pm and headed over to Gilmanton Iron Works for activities, Mass and dinner outside, and divisional dances. The Suite & Club 15ers stayed later for a bonfire down by the waterfront, and our CITs joined the Fatima CITs for a bonfire down in teepee town. It was a long day, but a good time was had by all! Thanks to Icky and the rest of the Fatima staff for their hospitality.

·      Wednesday was a crazy day at Camp Bernadette, but as every good camp counselor knows, you just have to roll with the punches! The afternoon was scheduled to be a swim meet followed by dinner and a luau, but thunder and the threat of inclement weather kept us out of the water. Flexible as always, we had an extended rest hour (and some very grateful counselors as a result!) and then packed into the field house for a screening of a camp classic, “The Princess Bride.” Later that night, we had some thunderstorms pass through, but luckily no damage to anybody or anything!

·      On Thursday we were able to do everything that we had planned to do the day before, thanks to the sun! The entire camp traveled to the waterfront in the morning for a grey vs. green swim meet, with announcing by Lily and musical choices by our assistant sports director, Theresa. Jess (or JMann to most), our incredible waterfront director, and the waterfront staff ran an exciting swim meet, with the win going decisively to the green team! After lunch and rest hour, the girls emerged from their cabins to find a luau awaiting them in the circle area down by the dining hall. There was nail painting, leis, face paint, chalk, dance contests, etc. Later that night, we were entertained by Camp Bernadette’s finest at the 2^nd annual “Bernie’s Got Talent”–what an amazing group of performers! They ranged in age from Suite 15 all the way down to the junior division, and the talents ranged from singing and dancing to guitar playing and even a short skit from “The Lion King” (talk about comic relief!). These girls worked so hard, and they seriously brought down the house!

Yesterday was our typical end of the session Friday, with regular activities in the morning, followed by packing and activity awards in the afternoon. Rich, Tammy, and the rest of the kitchen staff whipped up another delicious banquet dinner for us last night. We had best camper awards and last night ceremonies in the chapel, and then off to bed for one last night in the cabins for the session!

Today has been a smooth check-out, with the Garden City bus leaving right on schedule at 8:30 am. We’re looking forward to another great check-in day tomorrow and a fun-filled 3^rd session to follow!

Off to pack up the Christmas tree and get ready for Color Wars & carnival…

Nora