Camp is in full swing and kids have totally settled in. Hard to believe but we have just completed Week 2. For our first time camper parents, they did it!! They have been at sleep-away camp for 2 weeks and are doing so AMAZING!! Their days are filled with so many great moments, one after the other. I love watching the entire camp at snack call. Its at 2:45pm each day right after 4th period, the bugle blows and all the kids come to center camp for snack call. Its my favorite time of the day. I sit and watch the connections between all our campers at snack call. Kids running. to siblings and chatting it away. Believe it or not, those siblings that may ignore each other at home, are so interested and connected at camp. It would make you so proud to see how siblings are there for each other. That has always made me smile but for some reason, this summer our sibling campers are closer than ever. Maybe it was the year we had but your kids are so close and are always looking out for each other. Its incredible to see. So this time at snack call is one of those moments everyday that defines why we are all so connected. Campers running to grab their snacks and grabbing a seat with their buddies all around them. Kids eating with their First Friends and mingling with everyone. Every swing is taken and its a sea of happy snacking happy kids who spent their entire day playing outside and making connections. Its breathtaking on so many levels.

It was Dueling Pianos for evening activity tonight and the kids LOVED LOVED it!! It was a giant sing-along party as the dueling pianos played all the kids requested songs. The roof came off as we all sang together. What an incredible night it was. Our Supers and GC’s got off camp tonight as we rented out a rollerskating rink. We had the place to ourselves. It was so much fun. The kids had a ball. A perfectly fun summer night here at Camp Chen-A-Wanda. Our kids deserve moments like these.

It’s Sign & Song tomorrow night and Girls Side is pushing hard with practicing their dances all over camp. Plaques are being completed and there is an energy in the air. Costumes are being finalized and and last minute changes are made. We all can’t wait for this camp favorite – Sign & Song  is here.

I walked into Arts and Crafts today and stumbled upon a group of Junior boys in our Lego room. They created a giant connected circular lego creation, together. These 8 boys were  focused on this masterpiece they were creating and it was massive. They kept building onto it and as they were making it bigger, each camper added their own story to what it was and how big they could make it. They worked together, they used ingenuity, the compromised, they communicated and together they built something way bigger than their creation. I sat in that Lego room and watched in awe as they created bonds and a brotherhood. As the structure got bigger, their commitment to it grew. One of the campers said to the group, “hey guys, we should do this together everyday.” to which every kid jumped in with a “yeah lets do it”. They may have been playing with Legos but what was being created was magic. This is what I get to see everyday. Connections made and nurtured solely by each camper. Nobody is making playdates for them but they them selves are building relationships. It happens organically and that is why I love camp so very much.  The lego room was just the backdrop but the heart and soul were those 8 boys sitting around the table, chatting away with one another and making a masterpiece together.

For the first time since Ive been writing these blogs for our parents at home, I missed last nights blog and I deeply apologize. It was a packed day with a doozy of a storm late last night. Our internet connection wasn’t great as there were some trees down just outside of camp so last night blog just couldn’t go up. I know how you at home crave a birds eye view of how your children are doing and let someone who is watching and observing them all, THEY ARE DOING INCREDIBLE. The spirit here is joyful. There is no utopia but this place gets pretty darn close. Opening camp at the end of a global pandemic creates some unique challenges but also some phenomenal opportunities and the one thing that there is absolutely no doubt is that we all need each other. We need to connect. We need to communicate. We need to be needed and we need to sit around a lego table and create masterpieces.

We have a saying here at Chenny that has stood the test of time and has become part of our ethos; Be the River, Not the Rock. When you approach life as the river, you are capable to roll with life’s punches and go with the flow. When you are the rock, you get stuck and moving forward seems impossible. Today, I have to honor our oldest campers, our Supers and GC’s who proved to be the river. We had an incredible afternoon planned for them at a an extreme ropes course. We had rented the place to ourselves and after a day of crazy extreme climbing and zip-lining, it was a private catered dinner in an outside pavilion. The day was planned and we were beyond excited for the kids to experience this day of fun. What was supposed to be a beautiful day out for Supers and GC’s became disappointment. The rainstorm that rolled in had different plans for our kids today. They waited and waited and waited some more and then it was time to throw in the towel and head back to camp. What was forecasted as a beautiful day turned out to be even better. No they weren’t able to climb the course today and their outdoor catered dinner was also canceled but your kids were the river. They went with the flow. They chatted with their buddies and laughed with friends. They fell asleep on each other on the bus ride home and they may have even commiserated together with how today was a bummer. But they spent time with one another, engaged with each other, got caught in the rain and got soaked together and these are standout moments that make our summers great. Those moments that happen in between our plans and become way bigger than any ropes course. This trip is already rescheduled and it will happen for our kids, but today they showed how they rolled with it and truly became the river.

We brought in Dominos Pizza for the group and they absolutely loved it. You just can’t go wrong with cheesy bread and Pizza. They rolled with what life threw at them today and that is a skill to be proud of. They are just so happy to be here and be with one another. It’s not where we go but it’s who we’re with that makes all the difference in the world. We couldn’t be prouder of our campers who showed us all how to be the River!

After last nights celebration, it was onward for everyone at camp. Lets get the party started and there is no time to waste. Reveille rang this morning and it was up and adam. Campers had things to do, games to play and people to meet. So many of our Big/Little First Friends got to spend time together today and in the next few days, we will hold events just for them. The weather was picture perfect. The energy at camp was one of relief and a total excitement to play. Kids are talking to each other in groups and there conversations have no device in between them. We are watching your children engage and embrace what they so desperately missed for way to long and it is simply joyful. Though we have all been here for 8 days, acclimating and reconnecting, today feels like our summer began.

There are many ways for our campers to be recognized for their outstanding character and contribution and honoring them as our Campers of the Week is a huge deal at Chenny. It is with great pride as we honor Summer 2021’s Campers of the week.

Girls Side /   Boys Side

Rookies – Emma Shey / Alex Orlando

Freshman – Jagger Sacks / Adam Rashid

Juniors – Abby Sugarman / Dylan Cohen

Middies – Chloe Day / Brett Simpson

Inters – Maya Knobloch / Dylan DeGeorge

Collegiate – Cami Cohen / Jason Benisch

Seniors – Jolie Krieger / Trent Hernandez

Supers – Gracie Frankel / Logan Saltzman

GC’s  – Jess Benisch / Ethan Schwartz

The night ended with a Staff Talent show put on by our incredibly talented staff. They danced and sang and blew our minds with the talent they shared with us. They rapped and performed magic and entertained us. It was an incredible night in Shields Hall watching our kids give standing ovations to the counselors they adore. One counselor who performed tonight came up to me and said this is so outside his comfort zone and how nervous he was but if he was going to impact his campers, he wanted to be an example of being brave and going for it. He brought the house down and got so much Chenny love. Thats how we do it here – face your fears, gain your confidence and be supported the whole way through.

It’s been 18 long months, countless camper and parent zooms, endless planning meetings, months of following the ups and downs of the crazy world we have all been living and it all came down to this very moment. Nothing could quite prepare us for the burst of emotion we would feel. But when we found out that every single person on our camp tested, re-tested and then re-tested again NEGATIVE!! WE ARE NEGATIVE and we can’t put into words the feeling we all experienced tonight when we announced it to our camp family. The relief, the joy, the emotion was unreal. We have all worked tirelessly for this very moment and the feeling was beyond incredible. We all needed this more than anything. YOUR KIDS ARE SAFE and we have created a space for them to truly be free. We cried and cheered and hugged each other so tightly. Siblings ran to one another, friends embraced and the world seemed to feel normal again. We watched your children come out of their covid cohort world and jump into a life that feels so normal and right. Your kids deserve this, we all deserve this and we got here TOGETHER. Thank you for partnering in this with us. We needed you and we all did our part to make this happen for our kids. Thank you Thank you Thank you.. We did it!!!

Life is so GREAT at Camp Chen-A-Wanda!

Something clicked today and felt familiar and oh so good. Though we are still cohorted and literally at the edge of the longest road as we wait for results, today felt different in the best way possible. Camp was packed with girls side practicing for their Sign and Song scheduled for next Saturday night. Watching each group of girls as they choreograph their dance and practice till perfected is the most reassuring and familiar Chenny tradition that always identifies that camp is officially underway. Sign and Song is a deep Chenny tradition and Girls Side is bringing the magic. The themes are adorable and the dances and amazing and we cannot wait to see the show. It felt normal and good and everything we have missed about being here at Chenny.

Love is in the air here at Camp Chen-A-Wanda and as we all went inside (masked) Shields Hall for our first all camp evening activity, it hit home how much we needed this night. It was a camp favorite show, The DatingGame. The show was funny and sweet but we were all together and that is what made tonight spectacular. As your kids have proven they can handle and deal with just about anything, they felt what Shields Hall feels like when were all in there together. We built a camp family and we laughed and cheered together tonight. It felt INCREDIBLE!!! The masks were just something we deal with and it didn’t take anything away from that feeling we all felt tonight. The feeling is back and no matter what the results are tomorrow, we know we can have that feeling of being connected to one another as we all do this journey together.  It was a remarkable day followed by and incredible night. We got that feeling back and it feel AMAZING!

The sun was shining, the mountain air was crisp and it was a great day at camp today. Today was our last PCR test and we are crossing all our fingers and toes for good results in the next day or two. Your kids were fantastic and testing was a breeze for everyone on camp. After the test, it was back to camp and the kids had the greatest day. Every filed was full, the pool was poppin’, the lake was the center of attraction, ATV’s were rolling, friendship bracelets were in the making and life at Chenny today was fabulous.

We heard from so many of you in the last 24 hours wanting to show appreciation and support to your kids counselors. You have no idea how much that gesture means to us. The job of being a counselor and caring for your kids as we all are coming out of our Covid caves is a unique experience to say the least. We are so very fortunate to have staff who are committed and vested in this experience and your recognition and support to them took our breath away. As we all became aware of the realities to what camps are dealing with this summer, your instant and swift kind gesture shows the true partnership we have together. Our singular goal is to provide your children the summer they so desperately need and your kindness to let our staff know how much you appreciate them makes all the difference. As our email to you noted, we are ensuring our staff feel supported, motivated and encouraged. Their experience is of the utmost importance to us so that they can take care of your kids and provide a summer that is EPIC. We are taking care of them and ensuring they are getting what they need. We thank you so much again for jumping into action and showing so much kindness.

We are one week in and 6 more to go. It only gets better from here. Life is Great.

The weather certainly has its plans for us and we are rolling with it. Two scorchers followed by a few rain days and we got this. Today was the kind of day when you wanted to stay in your sweats and curl up watching a movie and thats exactly what we did. It was a chill type of day and the kids loved it. You need this kind of day and we all loved this kind of day.One camper came to me at lunch and said, “Elissa, my mom calls days like this a re-charge day and I love to re-charge.” It felt like we all needed a slow0down until there was the best dance party where every camper and staff jumped up on our tables and let loose. They sang at the top of their lungs and danced with so much freedom. It was electric and our kids feeling so much joy and celebration is what we have all been waiting for so long.  Even on the rainiest of days, our kids let loose and embraced life. It was joyful and felt emotional watching our children experience these moments again.

We have one more test to go and that is tomorrow. We have one more step in this process and when those results come back the way we want and need them to, the party will only get bigger. The lodge will get louder and the masks will be behind us. Its been such a long road and we are at the doorstep to feeling pure freedom. Bigs and littles will get to hug, siblings don’t have to stand 6ft apart outside. We are right there and we are so incredibly proud of your children.

The night was stupendous with a Chipotle party for our oldest two divisions (SUPERSR and GC’s). There were Bingo parties, dance offs and cooking competitions and the night was just so much fun. We think about how much fun were having now and can only imagine when we get to one camp family. Life is GREAT!

It was another great day at Chenny today. As we are still cohorting and spending time with our divisions alone, it has given the kids a chance to make connections and to reconnect. For some campers, this transition back into normal life was seamless and for others they are finding their stride and trusting the journey. Every day, every activity, every moment is an opportunity to meet new people and we are watching it in real time. We know how deeply excited everyone is to cross our next threshold so we can move on from cohorts and masks, and that day is nearing. Though we are all so excited to be one camp family, this time spent with just each division on its own has been really really nice.

As the campers were enjoying their afternoon activities, the skies opened up and the rain came down. There is nothing quite as fun as running through the raindrops holding your friends hands in a torrential downpour. The giggles and laughter were contagious. Moments like these stay with you always. There was group of Senior Boys playing basketball and didn’t stop for one second during the downpour. The game continued and they had a ball playing in the rain. Rain doesn’t spoil the fun here at Camp Chen-A-Wanda, it gives us an opportunity to make fun happen wherever we go.

The night was as equally as fun as the day as all lower camp played BINGO. It was an absolute blast with prizes galore and happy kids everywhere you look. There was a movie in the Chen-A-Plex, Dodgeball in Shields Hall and Baking in the Cookhouse for Upper Camp. Our campers are loving it and it just keeps getting better.

It was a hot day at Camp Chen-A-Wanda and there was no better place to be than the in the lake or pool. You couldn’t walk 10 feet without hearing, “gotta go jump in the lake”. The Super boys spent the afternoon in the pool playing the most fun game of water basketball. The boys were having the BEST time. They were jumping all over one another, splashing around, getting relief from the heat and  having the greatest afternoon they have had in a long while. It moved from their basketball game to cannonballs off the diving board. These boys had the absolute best time together as they managed to beat the heat.  The lake was full of happy campers too. The tarzan swing and water trampoline were in full use today and kids were beyond excited to go tubing. They had an absolute ball at the waterfront and it was a perfect day to stay wet.

The heat didn’t deter all our other activities. It was a perfect day to play outside knowing that ultimately we all just gotta go jump in the lake. These are what the next 48 days will be like for our kids. Just pure fun.

It was another Divisional Round Robin tonight and the kids had a ball. Night swim, basketball tournament and a summer blockbuster on the giant screen were just a few options kids had for their evening. Another day down and another day spent having fun, trying so many new things and making friendships along the way. We are building a community here and with each passing day, it has become obviously apparent that LIFE IS GREAT AT CAMP CHEN-A-WANDA!