Day 31: July 27

I think today was the best day of my whole camp season. When I came back from Copperas pond in the morning, I took the best shower ever. We all then had classes. After classes cabins 1 and 4 went to the pool and only cabin 3 went to the overnight to Copperas Pond. We had lunch then rest period. My cabin went canoeing for the first time.

Cabin 4 or “The Elite” went stream walking. We went stream walking behind the dam and we did it because we deserve it. We did stream walking by walking on the stream and we did it in the afternoon. Cabin 4 had a great time stream walking.

Posted by: Steven & Ivan

Day 30: July 26

Yesterday went by normal. We had breakfast than inspection. We went to the pool and then lunch. Anyway during the first group activity some people wanted to play knockout. The rest of the cabin wanted to play dodge ball. Josh then came out of the cabin and said we would play the new game. We all moaned. After the first game we started to enjoy it. We loved it so much we asked to play it for the next activity. The was one of the best group activities in the whole camp.

Posted by: Brandon

Cabin 4 Elite: Overnight at Copperas Pond

The Elite went on its first overnight hike away from the Camp Montserrat campsite. There was a different atmosphere at camp in the morning. Many people from the Elite were anxious and excited. Though we have been to Copperas Pond in the past, none of us has ever been on an overnight hike. The Elite had to miss a various amount of activities that the rest of the campers had to do such as inspection and pool (activities that pleased some campers but annoyed others). While inspection, the Elite were packing the necessities they needed for the trip. After Lunch the campers said goodbye and farewell and the Elite were off to the first overnight hike of Camp Montserrat 2010.
The trail to Copperas Pond is a very tough trail mainly because of its steepness. It was especially hard because of the things we had to bring such as food, sleeping bags, swimming equipment, etc. It was tough but the Elite stuck it out and made it to the pond. Once the Elite got there, they went to the campsite and changed into their bathing suits to begin swimming. A select few campers of the cabin jumped off the big rock into the pond. These campers were Siree K., Christian R., Andrew S. and Sergio V. Once the jumping was over and the sun was finally setting, the campers began to play a game called manhunt (which is a mixture of both Tag and Hide-and-Seek). Sergio V. eventually won both games we played. After, we ate foil dinners (a camping dinner stored and heated in aluminum foil) that taste better than it sounds. When we were done we all began collecting birch bark to strengthen the fire. Once the fire was nice and hot, we began toasting marshmallows (many of us preferred a burnt one but I liked mines golden brown. We all had about 4 each which only meant one thing… none of us went to sleep!!! We all stayed up until 11:45pm telling stories and cracking jokes until, one by one, we slowly fell in to a deep sleep.
In the morning we all packed up and helped out cleaning up the campsite. The Elite eventually left the campsite at around 6:45am and got back to Camp Montserrat. During Inspection we spent time unpacking and washing up (us all smelt like eggs when we came back).
All in all it was a fun day. It was a great way to start Week 5.


Posted by: Osaze W.

Day 29: July 25

On July 25 we played a good game of European Handball. European Handball is a game you play in the outdoors and all you need is six cones and a rubber ball. The campers started to win in the beginning. The Iron Men which are all the counselors and directors were too strong because of CJ’s fast moving and good throws and because of Benny’s good blocks. Even though we lost by one for the most part it was a good game.

On that same day we had campfire. That was one of the best campfires we ever had. When Mr. Arte said we won inspection my cabin and I were so happy that we all screamed our lungs out. We knew we worked hard that week for that day to come, that’s why its one of the best campfires we ever had this camp season.

Posted by: Christian M.

Day 28: July 24

Today cabin 4, The Elite, came back from camping out in Copperas Pond. After classes some of the campers were in the Geography Bee. Matthew won the Geography Bee Later on, Father Jack came back from his trip to Jamaica. During camp wide activity we played iron man kickball vs. the
Counselors.
In the Copbyola Field the campers played kickball vs. the counselors. All I see is a big green ball being kicked around, and I can see the green grass being step on. All of the campers were cheering on each other as we played the game. Even thought we lost by 1 we still had fun.

Posted by: Marcellous

Day 26: July 22

I woke up with CJ stomping in my cabin yelling at my sleeping bag to wake up and I said, “What are you doing?” and he said “This is your punishment!” I walked out of my cabin and into the bath and took a nice warm bath. I went to breakfast and ate a delicious meal by Val the cook that cooks us breakfast, lunch, and dinner five days a week. I went to inspection and got down and dirty for a score of 7.5 which is pretty good but also pretty bad, and we are in the lead! After that I went to boring classes, I still have to do it even though it’s in the summer, but I like silent reading. I went hiking up the easiest mountain in the world and we only waited two minutes at the top. Then I had the best dinner that I ate all my life because I was starving. Then I played some ultimate ping-pong with my cabin mates until the bell rang. We watched a movie and that was about some old coach who won the high school division thingy. Then I went to sleep with the counselors scaring the heck out of all the campers. This was one of the best camp days of my life.

I love hiking because there is a fantastic view at the top of the mountain and it makes me feel good and fit. I see the beautiful plains pass the mountains like a movie scene and then I see a blinding flash from five cameras that the counselors have. I hear the huffing and puffing of my breath like a train rolling to the top of a hill. My mouth fells dry like a desert that’s killed many people like those killer deserts in the movie that have sandstorms. My head hurts like if my brain was on fire or like I had a high fever. This hike was the craziest hike ever.

Posted by: Jean Carlos

Day 25: July 21

Today was a normal day we had breakfast. After breakfast we then went to inspection. After inspection we had to go to our first class and The Cavaliers didn’t have silent reading because we were going hiking. My favorite part was when we, The Cavaliers, went to hike Whiteface.
The Cavaliers, my cabin, hiked a mountain called, Whiteface. We got to hike the mountain because we are the fastest hiking group and we wanted to take the challenge. Normally, we hiked up, but we could not because there was another storm coming in two hours and we could not make down in time. So, we went an elevator, into a tunnel, and took a cab down the mountain. After everyone came safely down the mountain, we met up with Mr. Arte so he could give us money to go to a mouth watery tasty ice cream place called, “Mount Mist.” Everybody had a nice time at Mount Mist and were happy we made it down the mountain safely.

Posted by: Jeremy and Kenneth P.

Day 23: June 19

Today was a normal day. In the morning we had classes and then went to the pool. After the pool, we had lunch and went to rest period. We then had group activity. During group activity, a thunderstorm rolled in. We then went to the main hall and went to our countdown spots. Mr. Arte said that we were going to have a camp wide activity in the main hall. The camp wide activity Mr. Arte chose was “Indoor Olympics.” They had pool, ping pong, air hockey, shuffle board, and dominoes. The champion of pool was Christopher P. The champion of ping pong was Cristopher M. The champion of dominoes was Ricardo. The champion of shuffle board was Sergio. The champion of air hockey was Siree. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go to the pool for the second time. Instead, we had an hour free time. Even though it was rainy, everyone still stayed positive like a warrior should react.

Posted by Joshua N.

Day 22: July 18

Today started off with breakfast. After that we went to inspection, my cabin the Elite ended up getting a nine. Today we finally got a three for teamwork, after that we got ready for mass, then we went to the main hall where Mr.Arte talked about the new theme of the week which was being religious, and then he announced the four honorable mentions.

When Mr.Arte announced the honorable mention I wasn’t surprise that Elvin, David and Christian got honors but then he said my name, Chris .In my head I was like “what I got honors.” It was weird because it was my first time getting honors. The reason I got honors was because throughout the week my attitude was changing, and also because I was starting my work earlier than others. My next goal is to get camper of the week.

Posted by Chris M.

Day 21: July 17

On Saturday July, 17 we woke up and hung out with the alumni of Nativity that had come back for alumni weekend. We had a regular day until after classes were we had our annual math bowl. The team of Cristian, Aldo, and Matthew won with every question right in the second round. After rest period we had our Ironman basketball competition. This was followed by our Ironman water polo. We all had a fun day with our big bro’s.
We took a hike over to the big basketball courts to play the Iron man basketball tournament. It was camper V.S. alumni/”Rusty old men” as we would put it. There were fourth quarters and we switched from 7th to 8th grade teams every half quarter. At the last half of the fourth quarter the final 8th grade team came on the court. We were down by four and the tension was building. It was all up to us, and we wanted it bad. We made a few points to catch up, but for every point we made they made two. In the end we were no match for the Ironmen.

Posted by Lemuel

New Call Days

We have switched around the hike days for this week (Week 4). Here is when your camper will call you:

The Navigators (Cabin 1): Thursday, 7/22

The Cavaliers(Cabin 3): Wednesday, 7/21

The Elite (Cabin 4): Tuesday, 7/20

They will call on their normal day during week 5, next week.

Day 20: July 16

Sigh! I look around with wonderment that overshadows the most absurd thought bubbles. Pop, pop, pop! The grass green richness shimmer its glossy richness. The sun’s fury blazes with its utmost heat, that can make anyone burn to crisp. But, fortunately the deep cool clouds shaded us from the blazing heat. A while later the clouds grew bigger and seemed darker every time I looked up. Cool droplets start to fall on the earth… 1, 2, and 3; and so on the cool water drop trickled down my throat. I seem to enjoy this peacefulness. After a while the clouds stop weeping.

When the sky was clear and the sun was as peaceful as a butterfly,we started to play a group activity. It was a wonderful time at first. But as the alumni came the game turned into something the service would think of as something pleasant. This game was hardcore dodge ball. I manage to survive many rounds but I faced many challenges from some alumni like Felix. I dodge them all! But, that came to a cost. I had many battle wounds. At the end this game ended with a fantastic laughter that made this day be remembered.

Posted by Andrew

Day 19: July 15

On July 15, 2010 Cabin 4 went hiking. Right after they left on their hike, Cabin 1 and 3 went to the pool. Some people took the deep water test, which is where you show your ability to swim some laps in the deep. Since every camper in Cabin 3 passed the deep water test, they decided to canoe. Lastly a very special camper, named Steven (8th grade) had his 13th birthday.

My birthday was very exciting and a painful day at the same time. It was fun because while Cabin 3 was canoeing and Cabin 4 hiking, my cabin (Cabin 1) went to the pool and played lots of fun games and races that I got to choose. The day was painful because every single camper at camp gave me 13th birthday punches. By the end of the punches, I had a big huge bruise. After blowing the candles that Val made me, CJ assistant director smeared the cake on my face. What a great birthday ending.

Posted by Steven

Day 18: July 14

On July 14, 2010, Camp Monserrate had another day of fun. It was an average day, nothing extraordinary. The Cavaliers got ready to climb the hardest mountain yet, Mt. Giant. We also had MLS, which was softball. The Elite won the Navigators by one. Other than that we had a pretty normal day. In the afternoon, 6:50 pm, the Cavaliers got back from their hike safely. And so went the day.

Posted by Cristian M.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010, my cabin the Cavaliers was hiking Mt. Giant. For me the mountain was hard and easy at the same time. The reason why it was hard is because of the steepness. The reason why the hike was easy is because I made my own short cuts and because there were some flat spots going up and down the mountain. Going down the mountain was pretty difficult. The reason why going down the mountain was difficult is because I had to use a lot of force with my legs. The reason why the hike going down the mountain was fun is because Ms. O’Leary was telling fun stories and I was telling some fun stories, and that made the hike pretty fun.

Posted by Adrian

Day 17: July 13

Tuesday we had a great day. It was a great day because of MLS and the pool. In the pool Gio was my partner and he taught me a lot. He taught me how to stream line, breast stroke, and how to do side stroke. For group activity I played knockout and I kept on getting knocked out until the last time when I beat everybody and won.

Tuesday, MLS was fun because I was the shortstop and I did great. I thought Cabin 3 was going to win, but Marte hit a triple and brought in two runs. Then Andrew hit the ball and drove Marte in, which made the final score be 3 to 1. Then the Cavaliers lost and thanks to Marte and Andrew the Elite won.

Posted by: Christopher P.

Day 16: July 12

Well during camp we have had 4 special guests: Mrs. O’ Leary, Mr. Campbell, Br. Jerry, and today our new principal Mr. Chap. Mr. Chap came to camp because he wanted to meet all the campers, and to see how Camp Monserrate looks like. My cabin The Navigators had played a game called Commando Hike with Mrs. O’ Leary. The good part the game we saw Lake Placid and we saw Mt.Whiteface.
So I told you that my cabin played Commando Hike. This is how the game starts: Mrs. O’ Leary is the leader and she has a whistle to make us stop so she can check how far back you are, and if you are far back then you have to help her out, and then she will blow the whistle again, and then she will start to count up to 15 seconds for us to hide. When she finishes she will try to spot you. When you are the last two, and she catches one person and the other will be the winner. If she catches both of you then you are not the winner. After that we would start all over again to find a winner. So that’s how the game is.

Posted by: Joseph

Day 15: July 11

The day started out normal, which is, waking up and playing basketball. A lot of people take a shower on this day because this is the day we have mass and we have to look clean for God. Breakfast was normal, as well as inspection. When Holy Child passes us during inspection, we have to be very quiet because they are having mass in our chapel. After inspection, we got dressed for mass and went to the main hall for song practice and to announce honorable mentions and camper of the week. My cabin mates Osaze and Sergio got honorable mention, while my other cabin mate, Andrew S., won camper of the week. Other people that got honorable mentions were David G., Kenneth P, Adrian C., and Cristian M. after that, we had mass and the Reiss family came over to celebrate mass with us. We had lunch next, which went by right away. After that we had rest period. We woke up well rested to have field day. It is a competition of various activities, which includes: the soccer kick, lay-ups, softball toss, running bases, long jump, suicides, and the 50 yard dash. After doing those amazing activities, we went to the pool to cool ourselves down. After that we had normal dinner. After finishing dinner, we had to practice a song as cabin for camp fire. After song practice, we lined up to go to the campfire.

Campfire is a tradition where campers and counselors sit around a campfire with a stream in front of you to sing songs, do some activities, and to announce some activities won by cabins. The campfire rose high and was burning bright orange when we were singing songs and having fun. This week, Mr. Arte announced that The Elite won inspection. After that he announced the winners of Field day, which was Joshua N. of the 7th grade, and David G. in the 8th grade. After that, we song a few more songs and then we had night talk. CJ asked us to look in the fire and pray quietly, which was pretty peaceful. Then Mr. Arte dismissed us by cabin to go back to camp and brush our teeth. Once we did that we went to the cabins and listened to the night talk given by the counselors. After they were done, we were off to sleep.

Posted by: Elvin

Day 14: July 10

During Saturday we had a Bible Bee, and the winners were Elvin and Christopher P. We had special guests which were Mr. Campbell, Mrs. O’Leary, and Fr. Jack. Right after the guests arrived we went to the pool to play water polo against the counselors. The campers lost to the counselors by two points; the score of the game was 5 to 3. To finish the day we had grade discussion and activity.
When we were playing water polo with the counselors; we needed to make three teams. We had to split up the teams by Team A, B and C; when CJ told us to do this Osaze and David took the lead to organize the teams. As Benny was running with the ball he passed it to Pedro, then Pedro passed it to Brandon. And Brandon made a wonder shot which he made in. When Brandon made a goal, everybody started splashing. When people were splashing water went up my nose and mouth then I started to smell chlorine. Even though we lost to the counselors I had fun.

Posted by: Joshua P.

Day 13: July 9

I woke up to a warm day. Eating breakfast made my mouth sweet. We cleaned the cabin and had a wonderful time reading our books. We had two classes. People took the swimming test at the pool. We ate lunch and had rest period. We played the championship game of European handball and then went back to the pool. We ate dinner and went to group discussion. We had Group activates and we watched Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Cabin 4 and Cabin 1 were playing European Handball Coopayola field. They played on Friday afternoon for the championship. Cabin 4 won by skills and teamwork. Even though my cabin won, we still had fun.

Posted by: Ivan

Day 12: July 8

On Thursday it was a pretty normal day until after dinner. My cabin, the Cavaliers, had won inspection on the first week. That means we got to go to eat ice cream at Mount. Mist. We were supposed to have had an hour there but we only got to stay or 15 minutes! The reason was because a couple of people were taking too long. When we got there our counselor got frustrated because we weren’t paying attention.

After we finished eating the ice cream we got on the bus to go back to camp. On the way back one of my counselors, Gabriel, put on music. He put on a song that said,”Platano platano.” The reason was because Gregory, my other counselor, is also known as platano.

Posted by: Ralphy

European Handball
The Navigators vs. Cabin Three

On July 8, 2010, Camp Monserrate resumed it’s month. As the Outlaws, Cabin Four, got ready to climb Mount St. Regis, the rest of us were working hard in inspection. Afterwards, in mid-day, the Monserrate League Sports took place.
For Monserrate League Sports, you play a sport against the other cabins. This time we picked European Handball. The rules are simple, grab the ball, run and try to bounce it on your opposing team’s triangle. It has to come out of the other side for it to be a goal. If you are tagged while you have the ball in your hands, you have to stop and try to pass it to someone else. My cabin, the Navigators, won 4-3. The goals were by Joshua N., Steven, Matthew, and Cristian M. (me). Next the Navigators will have to go against Cabin Four, the Outlaws. Wish us luck.


Written by Cristian M.

Day 11: July 7

On a hot, sunny, day hiking Mt. Noonmark we were all sweating bullets. It was very tiring. The mountain was very steep, hard, and dangerous. I didn’t even have to use my pump which was a surprise to me because I have asthma.
Hiking down Mt. Noonmark, a brave trooper in my cabin named Kenneth P. sprained his ankle severely. Two of my counselors (Gabriel and Greg) were waiting for a helicopter to come get Kenneth, but the helicopter went to a different person who had a worse injury. So, forest rangers, Mr. Arte, C.J., Counselor Brandon, and the rescue workers had to hike all the way up the mountain to get him. Later on the other half of the cabin came down the mountain safely with the help of Br. Jerry. Once Kenneth got off the mountain, Mr. Arte brought him to the hospital. Fortunately the x-ray results in the hospital showed his ankle was not broken but sprained.
When my cabin came back to camp we did great without the two of our counselors. All of the adults relied on our cabin to be good. Once our counselors heard that we were doing well they gained trust in us. Next morning a remarkable thing happened Kenneth a.k.a. The Trooper was sleeping on his bed happy that he was back at camp.

Posted by: Alex

Day 10: July 6

The day started off with GPS {Cabin 1) hiking Cascade. While GPS was gone the MLS {Monserrate League Sports} began. After the MLS games they started water sports because the pipe in the pool broke.
When GPS was on Cascade it was a sunny day. The hike was 2.4 miles and it was very steep. We saw many friendly people on the way. All of them said it is hard, but worth it so that motivated me. That hike got GPS closer because we helped one another. The view was the best.

Posted by: Christian Castro

Day 8: July 4

On July 4th, we got to sleep in, because it was Sunday. It was the busiest day so far in the camp season. First, we went to inspection, while Holy Child was in the Chapel. Then, we had Sunday Talk, where all the awards were announced. Joshua P. won Camper of the Week, he’s in my cabin, and Lemuel won it too. Honorable Mentions were given to Erik & Alex. Also, we were told about the theme of the week and that is Intellectually Competent. Then we went to the Chapel and Father Jack led Mass. At Mass all the cabin names were announced. They are: Cabin 1 is “The Navigators” (GPS), Cabin 3 is the “The Cavaliers”, that’s my cabin, and Cabin 4 is “The Outlaws”. Then, we had a scavenger hunt after rest period. We went to the pool and swam for a while then played Water Polo. To top it, we had a BBQ, made by our delightful cook, Val. Then we had our Grade Discussion. Then, to top it off even more, we went to the awesome fireworks. And my 8th grade class stayed till 11 O’clock. A wonderful day all constructed by the staff and Mr. Arte.
Posted by: Ruben

Day 7: July 3

Everybody was happy for the people that passed the Deep Water Test. For lunch, we ate pizza! After that we got to chill in our cabins for rest period. After that, everyone started to play a game in group activities. My Cabin played Man-Hunt. Towards the end of the game, David and I were the last one to survive not getting caught! We all had a nice time when Father Jack came up here to visit for the weekend. Father Jack had lots of things to talk about and everyone was paying close attention. Later on, each Cabin had to come up with a dance at the pool to see which game to play in the pool. The winner of the dance off was The Navigation! They came up with a dance that the Judges was impressed by their effort.
As I was in the shallow part of the pool, some campers were taking the Deep Water Test! I could see people struggling to finish. The smell was like chlorine and sweat mixed together. Yuck if you ask me! The splashing and thrashing of the water was intense! While they were swimming, they were taking mouthful of water. Much of them were getting tired, but they were getting encouraged by the staff and campers. Once they finished a stroke, they would touch the handle of the pool, take long breaths, and take off into the water. Once all the strokes were completed, they will have to tread water for thirty minutes. We would do a ten second count down so they could get excited. After the counselors would jump inside the pool and throw the campers around for completing the test.
Posted by: Kenneth P.

Day 5: July 1 (pt.2)

On July 1, 2010, Cabin Four went on a hike up Cascade Mountain. It was a terrible day for them. It was terribly long. It wasn’t that long but it was painful. The reason was because I fell down about 6 times all thanks to the branches and holes on the ground (especially the mud). Most of the time I slipped but I regained my balance. At one time, Pimentel fell on me when there were too many rocks in front of me. I was so close to death but I luckily gained my balance (don’t worry mom). Then, a second time, I was about to fall on a lump of sharp rocks if I would’ve gone one more step. My toes were hurting a lot. At the top of Cascade it was freezing cold. We took two hours and thirty minutes to get to the top. Then I prayed that we would get down safely, and we did. It took us one hour and thirty minutes to get back down. My whole cabin was happy when we got to the bottom and even more relieved when we were sitting down. We had to wait for the rest of the campers who were a bit behind because of a sprained ankle. We left to camp safely, although I was weak from all the falls.

Posted by: Christian R.

Day 5: July 1

Thursday was a cold overcast day. It rained and then it stopped. Cabin 4 was on a hike while the rest of the campers were in camp. They were exercising, playing, and swimming.

Cabin 4 was hiking Mt. Cascade. I kept complaining because we were going straight up without stopping. When we got to the top it was freezing cold. It was foggy, but then it went away. We saw roads, houses, lakes and cars from Mt. Cascade. It was much easier coming down the mountain than it was going up.

Posted by: Ariel

Message From the Director

I hope that you are all enjoying the blog postings by your campers. They are enjoying writing them. Sorry for not so many pictures; the computer we use to upload pictures currently has a virus. We are working on it.

MORE IMPORTANTLY: Today we had a beautiful day so everyone was enjoying the pool, including me. HOWEVER, I WENT SWIMMING WITH MY CELL PHONE. I am working on getting a new one but it may take a few days. Until then, continue to call the camp phone or email me in order to get in touch.

Day 4: June 30

Today started awfully cold with baseball clinic. Kenneth Cherry’s birthday was today. Also Cabin 3 tried to attack Cascade Mountain. Cabin 3 came back from their hike at 4:30 P.M. Kenneth Cherry got to choose what kind of cake he wanted and he didn’t get what he wanted so he got to choose what movie we were going to see. Kenneth chose The Karate Kid.

My cabin, Cabin 3, was going on a hike to Cascade Mountain. The hike was dirty and hard but it was an accomplishment because we were the first cabin to be back from a hike early. For our last hike, we are trying to climb Whiteface Mountain.

Shoutouts: Jean Carlos, Lemuel, Kenneth P.

Posted by: Gio

Day 3: June 29

On Tuesday, Cabin 1 announced that they were going to hike Blueberry Mountain. We prepared by filling up the canteens, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and getting the trail mix ready. We got on the bus after classes and departed. Once we got there, we decided that the mountain was not hard because it was only 2.4 miles. The way up took 3 hours because there were some slower hikers and there were some slippery rocks. We never got to the top because we had climbed a long time and the top was no where in sight. The way down was the hardest part because it started raining and the rocks became even more slippery.
Some people slipped on the way down and some others barely had enough energy to get to camp. Once we got back to camp, it was dinner. We quickly ate and took showers. When we were done we played in the main hall, until movie time. We saw the end of The Mighty Ducks and soon went to sleep, with our minds set on the next day’s challenges.

Posted by: Aldo