Camp News & Blog

It’s no secret that technology, even as it makes life easier, also leads to complications — especially when it comes to interpersonal communication, and especially for young people. Teens, tweens and even small children are spending more time with devices than ever before, and it’s complicating their lives in ways that are both expected and surprising.

One of our favorite writers, Rachel Simmons, breaks down some of the complex psychology and positioning that takes place on just one social platform, photo sharing service Instagram, in this piece for Time:

Instagram’s simplicity is also deceiving: look more closely, and you find the Rosetta Stone of girl angst: a way for tweens and teens to find out what their peers really think of them (Was that comment about my dress a joke or did she mean it?), who likes you (Why wasn’t I included in that picture?), even how many people like them (if you post and get too few likes, you might feel “Instashame,” as one young woman calls it). They can obsess over their friendships, monitoring social ups and downs in extreme detail. They can strategically post at high traffic hours when they know peers are killing time between homework assignments. “Likes,” after all, feel like a public, tangible, reassuring statement of a girl’s social status.

While young people are doing all this delicate negotiating online, they may be losing the ability to communicate effectively in person. New York Times columnist Bruce Feiser wrote recently about a Stanford communications professor who told him about “research he was doing that suggested young people were spending so much time looking into screens that they were losing the ability to read nonverbal communications and learn other skills necessary for one-on-one interactions.”

How much screen time are we talking about? According to Feiser:

The Kaiser Family Foundation puts media use among 8- to 18-year-olds at more than 7.5 hours a day. A study released this month by the Pew Research Center showed that a quarter of teenagers are online “almost constantly.” Among 12- to 17-year-olds, texting has become the primary means of communication, outstripping direct human contact.

Although there’s no consensus about the extent to which excess screen time may be detrimental to children and teens, there’s no question that as technology becomes a bigger part of our lives, it’s important that we give kids time away from their devices to learn how to communicate constructively face to face. That’s why Lake Bryn Mawr Camp is a cell phone-free zone. Instead of trying to interpret their social standing through Instagram likes and re-Tweets, we want campers to be able to relax, act like kids, and learn how to foster healthy friendships that don’t have anything to do with comments, likes and shares. We want them to learn how to solve problems in constructive ways, by talking to their friends honestly about their feelings and learning how to listen when others have something to say.

The good news, according to Feiser, is that research suggests that time away from screens can help rebuild communication skills. In a 2012 study (conducted at a summer camp!), researchers found that “After five days without screens, the children at the camp were significantly better at reading nonverbal emotional cues.”

When there is down time at camp, instead of filling it with Candy Crush and Yik Yak, our campers use that time to bond with their friends, make up dance routines, act silly, tell jokes, play games, braid hair, and otherwise enjoy one another’s company… and you know what they’re doing at the same time? That’s right: learning to read emotions, communicate face-to-face, and interact in constructive ways with the people around them.

We know that for some children, technology isn’t just a way to connect with others — it can be an escape into a personal world through games, e-books and other solo pursuits. There’s a place for “me time” at camp, too; instead of screen time, though, our campers take time alone to write letters or journals, draw, make bracelets, or read. And there’s no better way to wind down after a long and fun-filled day than with a good book! We love this list of inspirational books for little girls and these empowering books for middle school girls. Who needs YouTube when you can share the adventures of a self-rescuing princess or a young explorer?

A summer at camp! For first-time campers, it sounds exciting — and, as with all new experiences, maybe a little bit scary. Just like the first day of kindergarten, the first ride on an airplane, or many of the other firsts in a child’s life, going away to camp for the first time comes with a mix of emotions. Excitement and nervousness are close cousins, after all!

What is it that makes “firsts” a little scary? It’s the element of the unknown: When I go to camp, what will my day be like? Who will my friends be? Where will I sleep? What will I eat? How will I find my way around? So to help our first-time campers minimize their pre-camp jitters, we maximize their pre-camp preparation. The more knowledge they have about what camp will be like, the more ready they’ll feel when it’s time to get on the bus!

We start off with home visits. During the fall, Dan and Jane hit the road, visiting with every new camper and family in their homes. It’s a great opportunity not only for us to get to know new campers but for parents to get to know the people who will be responsible for their daughters’ summer experience. Home visits are the time when Dan and Jane can answer all the questions about each camper as an individual — how we can meet her unique needs and interests. It’s a really important step in helping campers and parents feel comfortable with camp.

Of course, Jane and Dan are an important part of each girl’s camp experience, but the people who are really important are the friends she’ll make. That’s why we give new campers a head start on getting to know their bunkmates. In February, we match up returning campers with first-timers through our pen pal program. Nobody knows more about what it’s like to be a camper at Bryn Mawr than our campers themselves, and our returning pen pals love to answer questions and get to know their future friends, bunkmates and summer sisters. It’s always exciting to see pen pals greet each other like old friends when they arrive at camp — even when they’ve never met face-to-face!

Many times parents have more questions than campers, something Dan and Jane understand completely as parents (and, as of a few weeks ago, grandparents!) themselves. In March, we send out our parents’ guide to camp. This book is jam-packed with information about camp — how it’s structured, who’s responsible for what, how to communicate during the summer, what the important policies and procedures are, and much, much more. Often the information in the parents’ guide, in addition to providing some reassuring knowledge about how camp works, makes parents think of additional questions, which we are always happy to answer!

Finally, in May, we host our Open House at camp. This is one of our favorite events of the “off-season” — probably because it’s the one that feels most like a day at camp! New campers and their families are invited to Honesdale to meet key staff, talk with Dan and Jane, take a tour of the facilities, get a sneak peek at any new programs or buildings, enjoy a tasty meal, do an art project or try out the ropes course, and maybe even meet a future bunkmate. Parents and daughters alike have the opportunity to ask all their last-minute questions, and we have lots of our senior staff members there to answer them all.

We also make sure new campers and their parents know that there’s no wrong time to ask a question — and there are no wrong questions. We’re available all year long to talk about camp and what to expect. The more you know, the more ready you’ll be to have an amazing summer at Bryn Mawr!

If you’ve talked to a friend who’s been a camp counselor, or if you’ve read anything at all about working at camp, you’ve heard all the usual promises: It will change your life! You’ll learn so much! You’ll discover things you didn’t know about yourself! It’s the hardest job you’ll ever love!

Sounds great. But what does all that really mean?

Camp is one of those experiences that can be hard to describe to someone who hasn’t experienced it. Imagine trying to explain your favorite flavor of ice cream to someone who has no idea what ice cream is:

“Well, it’s cold, and it’s creamy, and it tastes like chocolate.”

“Like chocolate milk?”

“Kind of, but not really. It’s solid, and you eat it with a spoon. Or you can eat it in a cone.”

“So it’s a hard cone of chocolate milk?”

“No, it’s soft, but it’s solid. It’s a soft solid, and it’s rich and chocolaty!”

“So it’s a soft cone of chocolate milk that you eat with a spoon?”

That’s kind of what it’s like to try to explain camp to someone who hasn’t been there to experience it for themselves. We do our best to prepare staff members through an in-depth interview process, a week or more of full-time training, and lots of informative handbooks and reading materials… but the reality is, as much as we can prepare you for the schedule, the traditions, the structure of camp, the rules and the girls’ individual personalities, the only way to find out what kind of counselor you truly are is to dive headfirst into the summer. (And as with all headfirst diving, we make sure you’re properly equipped and safety-minded and diving at the correct depth!)

While the only way to know what your summer will truly be like is to experience it, there are a few things we can promise you’ll learn during your time as a camp counselor. Many of them are skills that will have applications in your life as a student or professional. Others — well, others will just mark you as a member of the sorority of experienced camp counselors!

The importance of schedules — and teamwork:

Camp runs like a tiny town, and all the various parts — program areas, Cabin Row, the dining hall, the health center — function like interlocking gears. They all turn together, and they all turn one another. When one of those gears slows down, they all slow down. That’s why, to keep things running smoothly, we all live by a routine. The most important players in keeping that routine functioning are our counselors, and by the end of the summer you’ll be a pro at managing time and helping keep a group of kids running on schedule. After that, managing your school or work schedule will be a breeze.

How to be prepared for any circumstance imaginable:

Pop quiz: You’re on the bus on trip day and one of your campers feels queasy. What do you do? Not to worry: You came prepared, knowing that this particular camper gets motion sick. You made sure she took her Dramamine before she got on the bus, and you’ve got a bottle of water and health center-approved nausea meds in your trip bag. Are you psychic? Nope — just well-prepared, thanks to the trip leaders who made sure you knew what to expect and had the tools you needed to keep everyone happy and healthy. You never know what will happen at camp, but as a counselor you’ll learn how to be prepared for what might come up — what to do, where to get help, and how to get your group back on track after a disruption.

All the words to every top pop song of the summer:

You’ll hear them at rest hour, shower hour, bedtime, cleanup, Talent Night, on bus rides and being sung around camp. Prepare to get to know Ariana Grande, One Direction, or whoever happens to be the next breakout star of the summer.

How to navigate in new places:

If you’re coming to camp from another part of the country — or the world — the summer is a time to experience new places, both at camp, on trips and on your day off. Whether on camp trips or during free time, many of our counselors see places they’ve never before experienced — anything from busy New York City to sunny Hershey Park.

What it means to be a role model:

The phrase “role model” has positive connotations, and at camp you’ll quickly learn that being a good role model takes a conscious effort. Campers will take their cues from their counselors whether the behavior they’re modeling is appropriate or not, and it won’t be long before you realize how your attitude ripples through your cabin or program area. Some days you’ll be tired or cranky, and it will seem hard to put on a smile and encourage your campers to join you in having a positive approach to the day. But when you make the effort to be a great role model, you’ll see that your positivity makes a difference for the better.

How many bracelets fit on a single wrist:

Beaded, braided, knotted from embroidery floss, woven on a Rainbow Loom or improvised from hair ties… It’s more than you think.

How to thrive in new situations:

Many of our counselors are full-time college students, and in many ways, the structure of camp couldn’t be more different from the structure of college life. Yet good counselors thrive in both environments. Your ability to adapt, learn new routines, and embrace a different kind of lifestyle is a muscle — the more you use it, the stronger it gets. And there’s no better place to flex that muscle than in the unique setting of camp life.

The secrets of Chocolate Banana Night:

We really can’t tell you too much more about this one. No, seriously — we’ve said too much already.

It’s that time of year — we’ve got gifts and giving on the brain!

Of course, the winter holidays aren’t just gift-giving occasions. Some of us celebrate religious holidays or festivals at this time of year. Others observe winter holidays from a secular perspective and value them not as excuses to shop but as days to celebrate values like family, community and friendship.

If you’re like many parents, you want the holiday season to be about more than toys and treats, especially if you feel like your children have enough — or too much! — already. We know some parents who subscribe to a “one in, one out” philosophy, teaching their children that for each new toy they receive for a birthday or holiday, they donate one old toy to charity. Other families follow a guideline for gift giving that’s gained popularity in recent years: Rather than a mountain of presents at birthdays and holidays, they give each child something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.

That’s not to say we don’t like to give and receive gifts. Who doesn’t love to watch their child’s face light up when they receive something special? Sometimes, though, it’s nice to have a little inspiration to find a gift more meaningful than the next Rainbow Loom or “Frozen” sing-along DVD.

This essay from the New York Times struck a chord with us this December. In it, economist Arthur C. Brooks talks about the idea of “abundance without attachment” — the idea that material prosperity isn’t a bad thing, as long as we recognize that “things” are not the most important thing.

“In other words,” Brooks writes, “if we are lucky enough to achieve abundance, we should be thankful for it and work to share the means to create it with others around the world.”

One of Brooks’ suggestions is to “collect experiences, not things.” That’s why we enjoyed this list of 25 gifts for kids that have nothing to do with toys. While some of the suggestions are more traditional alternatives to dolls and toys (art supplies, photo books, science kits), many of the ideas in the list are experiences — things you can give your kids that will stay with them as wonderful memories long after they’ve outgrown all their toys.

(As we read through the list, we realized why we liked it so much: Many of the experiences on the list are things we love to do at camp! Game nights and movie outings? Check. Favorite foods and impromptu parties? Double check. Lessons, classes, excursions and trips? Triple check!)

We’ve blogged in the past about the gift you give your daughter when you send her to camp. There are other experiences that can be gifts, too — to your family and to others. During the summer, our campers get excited about supporting programs like Project Morry, one of the nonprofits — along with S.C.O.P.E. — that we’re proud LBMC is able to help provide summer camp experiences to kids who might not otherwise be able to afford them. We’re always excited when we see our campers embracing the giving spirit year-round, whether they’re raising funds for programs like SCOPE or Project Morry or giving back to their communities in other ways.

This year, think about holiday gifts through the lens of “abundance without attachment” by finding a giving experience you and your children can enjoy together! It could be as easy as spending an afternoon lending a hand at your local food pantry, helping out at an animal shelter or putting together a basket for a needy family. The experience of helping others is a gift twice over — once in the giving itself, and again in the gift of caring you’re giving your children.

How does your family find new ways to give — and appreciate abundance — during the holiday season?

169.97 exact miles away is my home away from home. Lake Bryn Mawr Camp requires no stress, sadness or problems. Camp will always be the best friend I never had that is there for me and supports every decision I make. Being a camper signifies more than just playing sports and making new friends. It only took me seven summers to fully understand what it genuinely means to be content. For many summers I was trying to fit in and experience new opportunities but little did I know I was maturing and becoming the person I am today.

It came sudden. It came fast. I was laying down at Wembley, the soccer fields. After I went on a long run, I watched the clouds roll by as I caught myself smiling for no reason. That’s when I knew… this is the place I belong. There was beauty surrounding me with my best friends, environment and even the taste of the mac and cheese on Thursday nights. Camp had all the necessities to reach nirvana and after realizing this, I promised myself that camp would hold a special place in my heart for the rest of my life.

Spending time away from my parents is extremely difficult but after many summers coping with this, I developed a bond with my summer parents who watch over me and teach me lessons even my own birth parents cannot. They are the two people in the world that treat me like their own child and having a second set of “parents” shows how blessed I truly am. The owners of the camp Dan and Jane check up on me daily and even schedule meetings to just chat. These are the people in my life that bring comfort and joy to make me feel special.

Most teenagers have friends that stab their back and are friends with them for wrong reasons but I am blessed with remarkable camp friends. They show me how to see the positive things in hard situations and to love someone for who they are inside. I met my best friends that I will have eternally and this is only because of bryn mawr. My friends do not care about social class or wealth and still teach me to be patient and empathetic.

Bryn Mawr is located on 25 acres of beautiful green forest, which shows the earths true beauty. At home, we cut trees down for shops and factories but here is where I can smell the earth and feel like I am apart of something. All of the colors come together to form the beauty in life that others do not see. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Bryn Mawr is beautiful in every way possible.

The saying, “money can’t buy you happiness,” may be true but if it were not for camp I would not experience the happiness I have today. Lake Bryn Mawr camp has brought complete happiness to my life and will always share an important place in my heart. Lake Bryn Mawr Camp is where I belong and the reason I am smiling today.

Allie Gross

I have been going to the same camp for the past 7 years of my life. Before I was a camper, however, I was an Explorer. This past summer, now that I was in the oldest age group, I decided to help out with the Explorer Program. First we had to greet the shy campers coming off of the bus, and explain to them everything that camp had to offer. From there, we were meant to be their part-time counselors. This included taking them to and from each activity, making sure they knew the Talent Show dance we choreographed for them, helping them get to bed on time, and even helping them get dressed in the morning. Although difficult at times, this was quite the interesting experience.

It was strange to think that I was once one of those little girls who refused to put on a bathing suit when it was time to go to the pool, or asked a million questions about being in Bunk One (the oldest age group). This experience helped me learn how to be responsible for people other than myself. I also realized I should’ve been more appreciative of my past counselors. I only spent three days with these girls which I thought was difficult. My counselors had to spend 7 weeks with us.

Going into it, I was thinking pretty negatively. I don’t have a lot of patience, especially not with small children. But what I wanted more than anything was for them to see all that I do in my camp. It is my favorite place in the world, and I wanted all of those girls to have the same fantastic experience I did at Bryn Mawr. It was pretty tiring to spend all day with them, but in the end I believe it was worth it. All in all, it was a fun experience.

– Rachel Sznajderman

If someone had asked me a year ago if I was interested in working at a sleep-away camp in Pennsylvania, I would have asked them what a sleep-away camp was. Once they had explained it to me, I probably would have laughed. A lot changes in a year. I went to college, moved out of my parents’ house, made new friends and lost a few old ones. Of course, not just the conditions of my life changed: I did too. Fast-forward a year and I’m writing a reflection blog in the conference room at Bryn Mawr Camp about the last two months of my life. Right now, I’m realizing that I’ve changed a lot more in these last two months than I have in the last two years.

I cry now. I did not used to cry. If I look back from when I was ten to when I turned nineteen, I cried about seven times, but something happens when you start taking care of children. I’m blaming it on hormones. I’m also blaming my campers because they also have changed so much throughout the summer, and watching that change has made me so overwhelmingly happy. They have taught me so much and I only hope that I have instilled something of myself into them. If I have, I doubt I would even know it because I don’t even think they know what they taught me.

One of my campers began the summer constantly repeating the phrase “It’s not fair.” While I knew fairness was not turning out all of the cabin lights during rest hour so that she could sleep, I had a hard time helping her to understand that the rest of the cabin has needs too. They don’t need to play cards in the dark. Somewhere along the line, she had been taught that fairness was her getting what she desired, not everyone getting what they deserved. She deserved to take a nap, but not for everyone to sit in darkness while she did it. Unintentionally, she created an opportunity for the both of us to learn about equality. Somewhere in the last few weeks, she stopped saying “It’s not fair.”

Coming into this summer, I expected to learn a lot of things. One of the things I knew I would learn about was homesickness and all of the reasons a person can feel it. There is not much they could teach us during staff week about homesick campers; only to steer the conversation towards things they enjoy about camp. Every camper is different, and all tears have a different root. I learned to listen, and to hug, and to make them laugh. I had two consistently homesick campers; one just needed be distracted because she loves camp and misses her family (we usually just chatted. Sometimes our conversations ended with planning our weddings), but the other one did not love camp and she missed her parents so much. She cried every night for the first week and several days after visiting day. The best I could do was listening to her and enjoying her stories.

I also learned to play. On visiting day, when the parents had departed, most of my girls were in tears. I remember walking over to another bunk to borrow a screwdriver. The ceramics director was standing in the doorway. I don’t know why, but I decided to scare her. She jumped a mile high and turned around with a super-soaker in her hands. I was chased through the entirety of the lower senior bunks for the next two minutes. After she thoroughly soaked me, my girls came out bearing shaving cream. Soon, our water fight turned into a massive battle between all of the lower seniors and a few upper senior cabins. It was beautiful.

Most of what I learned became instrumental in working at camp and could not have been learned in the pages of the staff handbook. I don’t think I could have understood the role my group leader would play in my summer or how my co-counselors and I would truly function as a team. This team became essential during my everyday life at camp and built a support system that allowed each one of us to grow. The relationship that I built with my co-counselors was one that was fortified with the shared devotion to our campers. We shared laughter, frustration, concern, and an infallible love for our girls. If there is a person that keeps you sane, it’s the other adults living in a bunk with nine pre-teen girls.

Everything at camp created wonderful opportunities to learn and learning often took its shape in leadership. Anyone can tell you desirable qualities of a leader, but you can never understand their value until you put them into practice. Even though I knew before that leadership had a great deal to do with listening, I do not think I could have given you one instance where I had actually done it; and that is not because I was a bad leader, but because I had never been in a role where I had needed the skill. When I was given a group of nine-year-olds and told to help them create their own scene for their play, listening to and incorporating their ideas became essential.

There is so much that I have learned in classrooms. The rise and fall of the Roman Empire, and mitosis are both important parts of our educations, but we need more. Camp gave me more. Camp gave me skills that I will be able to use for my entire life. I hope that wherever I go in the next few years that I will listen, play, cry, lead, and be fair. There is so much that we can learn at a desk, but that is only measured in quantity. To keep learning with quality, we need to be on our feet.

Laura “Bronte” Murrell

Campers are used to seeing visitors on camp on Saturdays; most weekends during the summer, we welcome prospective camp families with camper-guided tours and songs in the dining hall. This Saturday, though, was a little different: We welcomed alumni back to camp!

For the last decade, we have set aside one Saturday each summer as a special Alumni Day when we open up camp – during Color War, of course – to former campers who want to come back and visit. It’s a special chance for them to see what has changed at camp (and what hasn’t), and for today’s campers to hear from alumni who have carried the spirit of the Angel Code with them well past their Bunk One summers.

Alumni who visited Saturday got to enjoy lunch in the dining hall, organized activities around camp, songs in the dining hall and tours of campus. A favorite highlight of alumni tours is always the Fieldhouse, where tour guides know to budget for extra time as our grown-up Angels flash back to their Bunk One summers, looking for their backdrops on the ceiling!

Alumni Day isn’t just an opportunity to show former campers what Bryn Mawr is like today – it’s an important reminder to everyone on camp that the memories we’re making today with our campers will be with them all their lives. From veteran senior staff members to first-time cabin counselors, everyone who works at camp finishes Alumni Day with a renewed appreciation for the impact we have on our campers. It only takes a few minutes of talking with alumni in their 20s, 30s and 40s who still vividly remember lessons they learned from their LBMC counselors to realize that we have a lasting impact on our campers. That reminder is the valuable gift our visiting alumni give to our staff.

Our alumni give an important gift to our campers, too: the gift of tradition! It’s incredible to see realization dawn on our younger campers’ faces when the women on campus for Alumni Day launch into the same cheers and songs we still sing in the dining hall every day – and they still know every word, either because they grew up singing them, too, or even because they wrote some themselves! Every Color War has its own story, and we love seeing alumni talk with current campers as they share the tales of summers gone by.

For campers, Alumni Day is a sign that no matter where they go or how they change, Bryn Mawr will always be with them. And for alumni, the day is a reminder that no matter how far they travel, Bryn Mawr will always be home.

What do blow dryers, soccer balls and chess pieces have in common? In the real world, maybe not much. But every girl in camp has spent the last week trying to figure out the connection between these clues to the 2014 Color War break!

This week, the moment everyone has been waiting for all summer finally arrived: Color War broke, and the Green and Gold teams are now fully engaged in the annual celebration of athleticism, creativity, tradition and spirit.

If you’ve had a phone call or a letter from your camper this week, you might have thought she was speaking a foreign language at times as she described to you the excitement buzzing through the air at camp. If you’re feeling lost, don’t worry – we’ve put together this quick and handy guide to LBMC Color War terms so you can follow along with all the action.

Break: This is the official event that lets campers know Color War has begun. The exact date and time of the break are unknown to almost everyone on camp — although there’s plenty of speculation about when it will come! The break is usually built around a theme (not to be confused with the Color War themes, below); this year, that theme was Harry Potter.  And color war broke out tonight!

Chain: Spirit chains are a traditional camp activity done on Visiting Day and in the lead-up to Color War. Starting at their own cabin, Bunk One campers work their way up Cabin Row hand-in-hand, leading cheers and collecting campers in one long human chain as they go. The chain eventually ends up in a giant circle on Main Campus, where campers do more cheers and songs – until, eventually, they are rewarded with a clue!

Clue: Clues offer campers hints about the theme and time of the break. Sometimes they are delivered at the end of a spirit chain, but other clues appear at surprising times – like one clue this year that was delivered by “owl mail” from the dining hall skylights. (Helium balloons stood in for live owls.) This year, clues gradually revealed that Voldemort, Harry Potter’s enemy, was collecting meaningful objects from around camp (including a heart, a blow dryer, a soccer ball and an angel to represent the four values of the Angel Code) to create “horcruxes” and return to power. One of the clues usually comes with an amulet for the Bunk One campers to wear; this year, they received chess pieces that they were told they would need to “defeat” Voldemort.

Fake: Adding to the anticipation, the real break is generally preceded by a series of “fake breaks” that leave campers guessing. The real break involves the whole camp, with senior staff members playing the characters engaged in the action; this year, encouraged by Harry Potter (Played by Ben), campers had to work together to defeat Voldemort by reciting the Angel Code, doing cheers, singing, and using Bunk One’s chess pieces to win a game of life-sized “wizards’ chess” to save Jane, who had been captured by Voldemort (played by Scott). Campers knew the real break had arrived when they saw green and gold lights appear in the shape of two letter Gs, followed by celebratory fireworks.

Green and Gold: Our official camp colors are also the official names of our Color War teams. Green battles Gold to determine not only who can win at contests of skill, speed, agility and creativity, but who can be the most spirited and most sportsmanlike throughout the course of Color War.

Themes: Not to be confused with the theme of the Color War break, the “Color War themes” are a pair of themes selected by Bunk One before the summer even begins. Each team has a theme that provides a foundation for its cheers, songs, mascots and its presentations at Sing. The themes are closely-guarded secrets, known only to the Bunk One campers, until they are revealed the morning after Color War breaks. This year, the themes are Take Me Out to the Ballgame (green) and The Lorax (gold).

Sing: The culminating event of Color War, Sing is a very traditional event that involves every single counselor and camper. Each girl in camp wears a costume that fits in with her team’s theme. The teams present their songs and cheers, along with musical interludes, and a stage movement and elaborate stage scenery presented by Bunk One. Sing is also when each team presents its backdrop, a special banner painted by Bunk One that will hang on camp as a monument to that year’s Color War.

Final Fight: On the last night of Color War, after Sing, all of camp gathers for one last event – a “final fight” that reveals the winning team. Presented by members of the senior staff, the final fight has taken many forms over the years – a dodgeball tournament, a tug o’war, a jousting match – between staff members representing the Green and Gold teams. When the dust clears, the color that has won the fight represents the team that earned the most points and won Color War.

Whew! We hope you enjoyed this crash course in Bryn Mawr Color War. Of course, there are many more details and many more stories to be shared, and we’re sure your campers will be bursting with them when they step off the bus next weekend! Color War is one of our favorite camp traditions because while there are certain things about it that stay the same from year to year, each Color War is truly unique because it’s the campers who make it special. They bring the spirit, the creativity and the sense of pride in their team, and we are always impressed at how Green and Gold alike come together to make this traditional event their own.