Chicago Reunion - November 8th

We'll kick off our reunion season in just over a month with our Chicago Reunion. Once again we'll head to Pinstripes in Northbrook for a fun afternoon of bowling. The reunion has been a great opportunity for campers to reunite with their friends. We'll also see the premier of the Summer of 2015 video. 

Here are the details:

2015 Chicago Reunion

Sunday, November 8th from 3:30 - 5:30pm

Pinstripes Bowling - 1150 Willow Rd, Northbrook, Illinois 60062

We've also set up a Facebook event page that we'll add any updates to. Bowling and sodas are paid for. 

We hope that all, All, ALL campers and staff in the area will join us. New and prospective campers are also encouraged to join us. If you know of anyone who is considering camp for this summer, have them contact us so we can invite them too! 

For our staff and prospective CITs, after the reunion ends, please stick around for dinner. 

If you have any questions about the reunion, email Andy or Dan.

Join Team North Star and Send Kids to Camp!

October marks Camp Moves Me, a month long fundraising effort through the American Camp Association. Camp Moves Me seeks to raise money to send kids to camp. Last year, in the inaugural Camp Moves Me, North Star was the top camp, with more participants than any other camp and we want to keep it that way. 

Anyone can sign up, but we hope that lots of NSC campers, staff, alumni and friends will join in. Anyone interested in helping raise money for camp scholarships can join in by creating their own Camp Moves Me page and then, over the month of October run, walk, swim or do any other physical activity. By finding sponsors (family and friends), each of us can help raise money and help provide camp opportunities to those in need! 

Anyone interested can join the cause. Visit the Camp Moves Me page here: 

 https://rallyup.com/aca-2015 

and register. You’ll get a follow-up email on how to personalize your page and share it with family and friends who will sponsor and donate to your pledge! Then email Andy at andy@northstarcamp.com or Dan at dan@northstarcamp.com and send us your Camp Moves Me page so that we can share it, too!

 

The American Camp Association wants to raise $100,000 to send kids to camp so lets make sure that North Star is a big part of exposing more kids to camp!

Support the NSC participants (more to come):
Zach Blumenfeld - http://bit.ly/1RgARdD
Lucas Kasle - http://bit.ly/1FGx5JF
Ethan Levy - http://bit.ly/1LTIcQr
Dan Lichtenstein - http://bit.ly/1RgAXSx
Jason Mann - http://bit.ly/1RgAOyw
Chad Prater - http://bit.ly/1KXTY6V
Oliver Rockman - http://bit.ly/1RgAShG
Andy Shlensky - http://bit.ly/NSCcmm15
Vickie Shlensky - http://bit.ly/1KXTUEk
Danny Verb - http://bit.ly/1KXTZb1

In Memory of Melo

One of the great things about camp is that all of the members of our community have the opportunity to play an important role. While this refers to our campers and staff, we also have a great contingent of furry creatures who call camp home as well. Our NSC pets add to the character of camp. They make North Star a more fun and comfortable place. This past week we were sad to learn that Melo, one of our beloved camp dogs passed away at the age of 14.

How Melo ended up at camp is a fantastic story. NSC alum Marc Siegel was in his senior year at Tulane University in New Orleans, and during the fall semester Marc fostered Melo, who was about two years old. Marc was only supposed to have Melo for a few weeks, but it didn’t take him long to realize what a special dog Melo was and Marc ended up adopting Melo. Marc returned to camp as a counselor and skiing instructor and brought Melo to camp for his first of many summers.

That fall Marc took a job in Philadelphia and knew that a small apartment wasn’t the best place for a dog. Marc found an amazing owner for Melo in fellow staff member Mandy Sullivan. For the next eleven years, Mandy truly gave Melo the best life that any dog could ever hope for. Melo would call North Star home during the summers of those eleven years. If Mandy was driving a ski boat, Melo undoubtedly would be in the boat with her, enjoying the lake as much as any camper. When Mandy went out for hikes or runs, Melo was at her side. Melo spent several winters at camp as well, living year round at North Star for a handful of years with Mandy. When Mandy got married, Melo gained a great dad in Scott!

Photo courtesy Mark Holz

Melo certainly got the most out of his years. Age couldn’t keep him from his spot in the ski boat. The nature trail could not slow Melo down. Even during his last summer at camp, Melo enjoyed all of his favorite activities and could not be kept from his regular swims in Spider Lake. Melo would visit camp one last time over Labor Day weekend, enjoying all that camp has to offer, and spending time with his best camp friends, both canine and human.

Our thoughts are with Mandy, Scott and Marc. Melo will be fondly remembered by hundreds of campers, staff and alumni. His memory should serve as an example to all, in that if we all take advantage of camp as much as Melo did, we’ll never leave North Star with any regrets.

Some Friendly Competition

Today was our annual bi-camp competition with Camp Nebagamon and they played host to us on yet another beautiful day. About 75 of our boys joined in the fun for competitions in archery, riflery, canoeing, chess, swimming, sailing, cross-country and tennis. This day is an opportunity for our boys to demonstrate the skills that they have been working on this summer. While the camps are in direct competition on this day, this is no heated rivalry. There is a long, shared history between our two camps including that fact that Lou and Renee Rosenblum worked at Nebagamon before founding North Star in 1945. In keeping with the philosophies of both North Star and Nebagamon, we emphasize the values of sportsmanship, teamwork and character as far more important than the outcome of the games. 

As I walked around today and checked in on the events and checked in with our campers, the boys would say things like "It's going well," "I'm playing great," or "we're having a blast." They weren't focused on the result so much as the experience. At the end of the bi-camp meet, I am always proud of our boys because we get feedback about what great sports they were, how polite they were to the staff, how nice they were to the other campers, and what good kids they are. Thank you to our friends at Nebagamon for hosting a wonderful day, and for working together towards the goals and values we all believe in.

Blue Skies and Action Packed Days

It's been a fantastic week at camp and there has been a lot going on here. In addition, we are currently on pace for the all-time best weather for a single camp session. Every day has been in the 80s and sunny, with a nice breeze and a cool night. You can't do better than that! Here's a quick recap of some highlights:

COLLEGE DAYS

Each summer our Senior Village Campers participate in a 3-day special event called College Days. One of the things that makes College Days so unique is that it is completely camper run. The teams organize themselves and compete in events ranging from football to debate, arm-wrestling to a cooking competition, soccer, speedball, softball, cheering, arts & crafts, trivia and more. 

The colleges this year were Drexel University, University of Tennesse-Martin, Stephen F Austin and San Diego State. The highlight this year was the new addition of the pie baking competition where all four teams had two bakers that worked together to try to replicate a Norske Nook pie, and they were delicious. Our guys really have many talents!

CRUISER DAY
Tuesday was our second Cruiser Day of the summer, and it was a great one! Cruiser Day is a cabin day that typically falls on Tuesday at camp. It is a break from our normal routine, and the kids and counselors of each cabin get together to put together a plan for their whole day. The activities can range anywhere from our normal camp activities to the goofiest and most creative things our staff can dream up. Each Cruiser Day starts with breakfast in bed and we feast on some delicious doughnuts. From there, we do our biggest cabin cleanup of the week. Everyone changes the sheets, mops the floor, and we send out the laundry.
As if that wasn’t enough fun for one day, then we get into the activities. Kim McCormack helps to make sure that there’s an array of fun activities for the cabins to participate in, and they take on all kinds of things. Many cabins enjoy going tubing and waterskiing. This week they could go slip-and-sliding on the athletic field, go on a photo safari around camp, or even try their hand at cooking their own personal pizzas.
Every Cruiser Day ends with a cookout dinner, where each cabin prepares their meal over a campfire. There is a campsite for each cabin, and they build the fire, prepare the food, and feast in the luxuries of the great outdoors. This week we prepared everybody’s favorite – Tin Foil Surprise. It’s a combination of ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions and topped with cheese. You wrap it up in Tin Foil, and the outcome is the delicious surprise! Dessert was the always popular S’mores.

SUNDAY NIGHTS
For this summer, we have revamped our Sunday night programming. With a great deal of thought, we have broken our Sunday evening program into two parts - Unorganized Free and Cabin Campfires. The purpose of these evenings are two-fold:
1) To allow every camper the opportunity at self-directed free play, and
2) To help each camper process his camp experience and the growth that he is experiencing at camp
If you haven't read about it already, I encourage you to do so here: Go Outside and Play!

CAMPING TRIPS

Our trips program is in full swing and over half of the cabins have already embarked on their journeys into the wilderness. We have had trips go out to the Superior Hiking Trail, St. Croix, Flambeau and Brule Rivers and have more to come. In addition to being able to experience all of the thrills of the wilderness, the cabin trips provide a wonderful group bonding experience. It is really a time where the campers must work together to accomplish the daily tasks of getting down the river, setting up camp and preparing the meals. It's a true test of teamwork that allows the campers and counselors of a cabin to really come together. We love hearing the stories they tell when they return to camp and seeing the pride they take in their accomplishments.

VILLAGE CAMPFIRES

While our Senior Village Campers were participating in College Days, our Juniors and Intermediates had some opportunities for bonding themselves. The Junior Village had a campfire where they played Beach Flags, a game where the campers lie down and feathers are placed behind them.  One less feather is placed than campers present, and thus, after each round, one camper is eliminated.  The goal of the game is to be the final camper standing.  First, each cabin played their own game; next, these winners represented their cabin in the final Junior Village match.

GREEN vs WHITE

Our second session Green-White competition is underway and Village Activities have been fantastic. There have been spirited games of softball, kickball, dodgeball, football, soccer, speedball, tennis baseball and more. Our Green-White Egg Marathon is coming up this Friday and the enthusiasm is very high.

The Importance of Nature in Childhood

“Time in nature is not leisure time; it's an essential investment in our children's health (and also, by the way, in our own).”
― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder 

One of our parents had shared the below Facebook video and it really resonated. There are always a lot of different subtexts to each summer, and one of them over the last few years has been the role that technology plays in our camper's lives. There is no doubting that tablets, smartphones and computers are a part of their day to day life. There is also no denying that technology has opened lots of doors for the kids that we serve.

Unfortunately, all too often, we are seeing that the continued time that kids spend in front of screens closes the doors on other opportunities. One of them is time that kids spend outdoors, in nature. Obviously we believe this is one of the real benefits of the camp experience. We are able to help fill the gap that was kids playing in the neighborhood, exploring nearby woods, and having experiences in nature. This is a big part of why we don't allow our campers access to phones and other devices with video screens. It can be a tough adjustment for campers and their parents alike, but we think that this video illustrates a pretty significant change in our camper's lives versus the lives of their parents.
A week ago we said goodbye to approximately 120 campers for the summer. Part of my role is that I take about 30 of them to the airport, and due to the nature of kids traveling by airplane, the campers get their cell phones back for the trip home. These kids who were detached from their smartphones for the summer were instantaneously sucked back in. Many of them spent the few hours at the airport exclusively on their phones instead of spending time with friends who they weren't going to see until next summer.

There is no doubt that devices aren't going anywhere, but it is up to each of us to help our campers/children find a balance. We don't advocate totally cutting technology out of your kids lives, but finding that balance and setting boundaries is vitally important. Your kids have shown that they are capable of existing for a whole month (or two) without their favorite devices. Use that as a springboard for finding that balance back home.

Time in nature is an essential part of camp, and we truly hope that not only will our campers leave North Star with great memories of their time catching frogs, fishing on the lakes and paddling down rivers, but that when they are telling their own kids about their memories from childhood, these are the stories that they'll tell. We will continue to not only disconnect campers from their devices for the summer, but also create an environment where our campers can discover the role that nature and the outdoors can play in their lives.

A Normal Day in the Northwoods

I don't know if there is such a thing as a normal day at North Star, but I wanted to catch everyone up to speed on the program thus far. It has been very busy since the boys arrived on Sunday afternoon. We've done swim tests, physicals, village activities and challenge games. We had All-Camp Capture the Flag, the Introductory Staff Show, and organized free periods. We've taught the boys our camp rules, they've made their cabin rules and they've learned the important procedures around camp. They've learned fun camp games like continuous dodgeball, tush ball and tetherball. And they've learned cabin games like mafia, spoons (or tongues), Egyptian Ratscrew and more card games galore. But as of today (Tuesday), it was time for our first typical day.

Just after breakfast this morning, the campers received their first schedules of the session. They submitted their Activity Picks on Sunday Night and Dan and Kim spent the last two days ensuring that every camper received his perfect schedule. This morning after cabin clean-up, as we hit another perfect 80 degree day in the Northwoods (with 50-degree overnight sleeping weather) it was time to hit the fields, lake and courts. We don't waste any time here, not just because every moment at camp is precious, but it's vital to get the campers in to a routine. Moreover, for campers that are still getting adjusted to life at camp, getting into the program finds them learning new skills, having success on the program and perhaps most importantly, having fun. You can read more about the schedule of a Typical Day.

Our day was actually started early as cabins S1 and S2 headed off on their hiking trip on the Superior Trail in Minnesota. Our S4 cabin also departed on the Brule River. We also had a great 4th period slate of challenge games. For fourth period challenges, we let one guy from each cabin come up to the microphone during announcements and challenge the other cabin to a sport or activity. It is a always a funny time at camp, and it helps ensure that no camper leaves here with a fear of public speaking. We ended the day with our staff introduction show, where Joe and Max conducted a Jimmy Fallon-esque talk show to show of our staff and their talents to the boys.