SSCYC - Camp Blog
Monday, August 21, 2023
Reflecting on the week
Friday, August 18, 2023
To Be Continued...
Thursday, August 17, 2023
Action and Adventure
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Comedies and Musicals: Finding more ways to laugh with others
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Horror: How do we overcome our fears?
Monday, August 14, 2023
Romantic Comedies: How do we build relationships?
Good evening, blog readers! The current time is 11:41 p.m. and Camp Cody is quiet! Today’s programs and activities had our campers and staff running all over the place. But more on that later…
Breakfast consisted of pancakes, sausage links, coffee cake, and fruit. A fun fact is that Camp Cody has added cold brew coffee to their menu, and our staff and many of our campers are very excited about this addition! A peaceful Morning Watch was followed by Morning Group.
The theme for today was romantic comedies and groups discussed relationships, how we build trust, figuring out who you feel comfortable with, and exploring who you are in relationships. Groups also wrote a letter to themselves, which our staff will mail to them later on in the year. We’ve only had three days of Morning Group, but the hard work that the Morning Group team put into compiling this year’s program is evident. Campers and staff alike have been raving about the program, especially the more creative activities.
Lunch included Italian subs, chicken pesto paninis, and BBQ Lays chips. Many folks have also been taking advantage of the extensive salad bar. After the lunch tables were cleared and the benches were put onto the tables, Spree Time began. Each day of Spree Time includes a special activity, and today was slip and slide kickball. Our ninth grade campers were especially excited about this new game!
The afternoon program was a smash! The 2023 Great Camp Relay built off of the success of last year’s event, adding new events and getting more campers involved. Different legs of the relay included dizzy bat, a kayak race, potato sack race, human ring toss, and more. After three runs, Forest Green and Rust were tied for first place, forcing a last minute (and unexpected) tie breaking game of Shipwreck. It was a competition for the record books, akin to the New England Patriots infamous comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in 2017. As the game drew to an end, Rust has one player left and Forest Green had five. As the pressure mounted, senior Amelia Carey stepped up to the challenge and defeated each of Forest Green’s remaining players, securing the victory for Team Rust. It was truly spectacular!
Sweaty, tired, and maybe a little sunburnt, everyone made their way to the dining tent for a dinner of barbecue chicken, roasted potatoes, corn on the cob, and an INCREDIBLE brownie. Chapel was led by our Junior class and included their favorite song, “Kumbaya.” Rev. Brian Craig gave the message, reminding our campers that Camp and youth group are both places that they will always find love and support. Chapel ended with an electric performance of “Pharaoh, Pharaoh.”
Tonight’s evening program was Cody’s Greatest Game Show, hosted by our CIT’s (all dressed as Steve Harvey, of course). Campers competed against one another in Family Feud, as well as Minute-to-Win-it games. The program featured commercial breaks with high quality commercials produced by our staff. If anyone from the beverage company Propel reads this, we’d love a sponsorship.
The evening ended with a beautiful Vespers message from Samantha Brow, followed by s'mores and time by the fire our Senior High campers. If you saw this blog author purchasing s'mores supplies for 100 last week at Market Basket, now you know why.
As I write this, our dedicated staff is working hard preparing for tomorrow’s day. I’d like to take a moment to recognize all the planning that goes into preparing for the week and the hard work that goes into making it all come to life. Our campers are in the best hands because we have the best staff.
We’re excited for what tomorrow will bring, but first… rest.
Sunday, August 13, 2023
Sci-Fi and Fantasy: What do we believe?
Slip and slide, chicken tenders, and outer space. Those three words perfectly describe our first full day of Camp.
The day started bright and early at 7:30 with one of Bob’s world famous wakeup calls. After shuffling to the dining tent, tired faces began to perk up at the sight and smell of scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, chocolate chip muffins, and fruit.
At the end of breakfast, Steve introduced our campers to Morning Watch, a time when campers and staff take 10 minutes to sit quietly and reflect on the day ahead. As campers and staff members settled in for Morning Watch, a breeze from Lake Ossipee made its way to the shores of Camp Cody.
Following Morning Watch, the entire Camp gathered for the morning meeting. During this time, our staff goes over the schedule for the day. Steve also held our first Heads Or Tails raffle of the week. Our Heads or Tails raffle supports our annual Mission Fund, which is distributed after Camp to a charity to our teens choosing. It’s a special way for our community to pay it forward.
At 10:00 a.m., campers and staff went off in every direction to meet with their morning groups. The theme for the day was Sci Fi and Fantasy, so much of the discussion centered around where beliefs come from, why we believe in things, and how to explain our beliefs. Groups drafted and shared statements about what they believe in, giving examples of how they live that out in their daily lives.
Lunch included chicken caesar salad wraps, roast beef paninis, tater tots, and grapes. The roast beef panini was a new offering and was enjoyed by many (myself included). Veteran staff members Brian Hickox and Jenny Sheflin then explained Spree Time to our campers. Each day, campers and staff get to choose from a variety of activities to participate in. Today’s offerings included nail painting, basketball, swimming, paddle boarding, juggling, flag football, and temporary tattoos.
The Afternoon Program was called “Waterworld 2.0: The Search for the Black Pearl” and had morning groups traveling around camp competing against each other in water and pirate based games. The two teams who finished with the most points after the first round competed in a final relay, culminating in a 100-foot Slip and Slide.
This blog author is thrilled to announce that her favorite meal was served for dinner: chicken tenders and mac and cheese. The meal also included asparagus and a delectable ice cream sandwich, which prompted a lively debate about whether an ice cream sandwich is really a sandwich at many tables. Okay, maybe it was just my table.
Chapel was led by our senior class this evening, and the message was delivered by Head Counselor Olivia White. Music included “Lean on Me,” “Take Me Down to Ossipee,” and “Compass.” It’s always so fun seeing our more experienced campers leading by example and showing our newer campers the words and dance moves to our favorite songs.
Tonight’s evening program was an “Out of this World” dance! The costumes and outfits were a sight to be seen! DJ Tommy Tunes got the night started with some fan favorites, Camp classics, and new songs that our campers and staff enjoyed all night long. This Swiftie was very pleased with the number of Taylor Swift songs and many of our campers agreed.
Colin Liebert provided our Vespers message this evening, encouraging campers to explore the “what ifs” and to believe in themselves, especially as they grow and learn more about who they are. As our camp community held hands and sang the Lord’s Prayer together, a few of us looked up just in time to see the most wonderful shooting star.
I believe that today was a very good day.