Yearly Archives: 2017

By Greg Keresztury, Director of Operations During Session 6, I stopped by Matolly to observe camp in action as I typically do often during a session: are the campers enjoying the experience, are they safe, are they engaged by the counselors?  However, upon arriving at Matolly after a golf cart ride through the woods from my office, I quickly found myself in Motunui!  For those not familiar, this the home village of the main character in Disney’s Moana, a popular film that hit theaters late in November of 2016. A section of Camp Matollionequay, our sleepaway camp for girls, had [...]

On a recent camp day, some of our Ockanickon campers had an overnight "camp out" in the woods. Even though they were already at sleepaway camp, the campers packed up the belongings from their cabins, and ventured off into our own wild. There, they pitched tents, made a campfire, cooked meals, made s'mores and generally enjoyed the camaraderie. The experience gave them a different perspective of camp and its beautiful, magical surroundings. Here's how one of the Village Chiefs described waking up the next morning: "I woke up in the tent early in August and braved the morning air. The [...]

by Greg Keresztury, Director of Operations This summer, Ockanickon, our sleepaway camp for boys, introduced an Emblem program in which campers can participate in various activities with an opportunity to earn an emblem for that activity which indicates mastery of the activity.  Emblem categories include: athletics, nature, adventure, art and creative, and character.  Emblems are not easy to earn, nor should they be, and the program provides an opportunity for campers to set goals, hit specific “skill level milestones” on their way to earning an emblem, and then ultimately master an activity to earn the emblem. Few emblems are awarded [...]

by Suzette Belz, VP of Development and Major Gifts It has been a year since I last wrote a Blog about Camp. So much has happened during this time. I have met lots of wonderful people along the way. I have met alums that no matter how long it has passed since they were last at Camp their memories of Camp still as fresh as ever. I see their eyes light up when they share their experiences with me. So many share the same bond, the same sentiment about camp being a home away from home. Many say that thanks [...]

By Greg Keresztury, Director of Operations Last week, I wrote a blog post in which I explained what Color Wars is at our sleepaway camps: Ockanickon for boys and Matollionequay for girls.  As promised, here are my thoughts on why I think Color Wars is such a great event, and a fun 2-week session. Unity One of the things I most love about Color Wars is how unifying the event is.  I know this statement seems odd, because our two camps are split into 2 competing teams, Red and Black.  However, I love the excitement campers have when they learn [...]

By Susan Miller Here at camp, I’m the marketing/communications director – a job that entails lots of paperwork, meetings and behind-the-scenes stuff that helps support our operation year-in and year-out. But unlike other desk jobs, I get to walk through the glorious camp property to get to my office – and the journey is almost always a poignant, lovely one. On a recent morning, I ran into Jim, a groundskeepers here, who was tidying up near the Trading Post (our camp store). Jim is hard-working and dedicated, like most people working here. He’s generally a quiet man, but once you [...]

Color Wars! What's it all about? by Greg Keresztury, Director of Operations For our readers who may not be familiar with Color Wars, it is a special event experience that occurs during a 2-week session at our overnight camps (Ockanickon for boys and Matollionequay for girls).  Color Wars took place during Session 5 this year, and will return during Session 4 next year (our second 2-week session of the summer). During Color Wars, our campers at both camps are split into two teams: Red and Black.  Returning campers and staff are always on the same team each year – which [...]

We are half-way through Session 5 at Ockanickon, our final 2-week session of the summer. This has been a summer of change at Camp Ockanickon, and the campers are letting us know that they’re enjoying the program by enrolling for additional sessions as the summer progresses. We’ll detail most of the programming changes in the fall, as there is too much for a single blog post!  However, I am happy to discuss some of the changes made as a direct response to our customer feedback efforts, as my fourth post in our series of blog posts.  Check back next week [...]

By Susan Miller Director of Marketing/Communications What a way to start a beautiful, blue-sky kind of summer day! Happy, expectant children being dropped off at camp, converging at Stockwell Field for the start of activities. They gather in little clusters, chatting joyously, feeling excited about the day ahead. So much to do … archery, arts & crafts, land sports, science, swimming, cooking, fishing, etc. They each carry backpacks filled with things like water bottles, sunscreen, bug spray, a bathing suit, a towel. What they don’t have packed are electronic games or cell phones. No need! A day at camp will [...]

Session 5 at Matolly has begun!  For those in the know, Session 5 is one of our most exciting sessions, as it is #ColorWars!  After the #BlackTeam scored a decisive win in 2016, the #RedTeam will look to rebound in 2017.  This is also a great time to check-in on some of the changes we made at Camp Matollionequay for the 2017 Summer in response to our camper feedback efforts from the fall of 2016.  This is the third in a series of blog posts in which I highlight some of our changes for this summer.  Check back next week [...]