Typical Day at Camp

So I realized, in the midst of all of these posts about special events, that some of you might be wondering what a typical day at camp looks like. It normally goes a little something like this:

6:30am - Our early risers are up either taking showers or on the basketball court. Mr. Salvatierra, Ari or Mr. Staysniak keeps watch over the yard.

7:20am - The first bell rings. Everyone is up and out of the showers getting ready for the day. Our KP and KA staff report to the kitchen to get ready for breakfast. Our 6th and 7th grade sweeping crew head up to the main hall to get it cleaned up for the day. Some students might head out for a morning sports clinic in either cross country, soccer, football, basketball or swimming.

7:50am - The second bell rings and we gather for morning assemble. Here, we hear announcements, say the pledge of allegiance and the Nativity pledge. Following this we start our day with a reading from the Gospel and a prayer before heading into breakfast.

8:05am - Breakfast!

8:45am - Campers hurry to their cabins to get them neat and tidy before being inspected by Ari, Mr. Staysniak or Mr. Salvatierra.

9:45am - Campers head to morning classes. They take classes in writing and math. As well, they all are assigned silent reading books to read throughout the summer.

11:30am - Campers head to the pool to work on their strokes. At camp, they learn freestyle, breaststroke, sidestroke, and backstroke.

12:45pm - After changing out of their pool clothes, campers have a little bit of free time before lunch.

1:00pm - A delicious lunch prepared by Val! Meals go on for a bit in order to encourage community in the cabin and good manners.

2:00pm - A much needed rest period. Students are allowed to rest, read or write letters home. (So if you haven't gotten a letter yet, ask them why not!!)

2:50pm - Group Activity. Cabins play some sort of outdoor game together as a cabin. They are encouraged to help each other and cheer each other on. Sportsmanship is a big part of group activity!

4:00pm - Another trip to the pool! The afternoon pool period is a time when the older students are able to work one on one with the younger students to help them with their swimming strokes. We already have a bunch of great swimmers!

5:30pm - A little more free time before dinner!

6:00pm - Dinner time! At the end of the meal, often times some "shout-outs" are given to students who have had excellent days!

7:00pm - Group Discussion. This is the time of day when cabins talk together about the themes of camp. Some examples of discussion topics are: community, love, respect, trust, desire, and most important, Integrity and Pride.

8:00pm - In order to get their last bits of energy out, we have another short group activity with the cabins.

8:30pm - Students gather in the main hall for about 50 minutes of a movie. Our first movie of the summer was "Remember the Titans."

9:40pm - Students brush their teeth, wash up, and head to the chapel.

9:50pm - In the chapel, we talk about the day and how we are doing as a camp. We pray together before heading to our cabins.

10:00pm - Lights out!

Monday through Saturday normally follows more or less this same schedule. Sundays are always a nice change of pace with Mass in the morning and a campfire at night!

KP and KA

These initials have special significance here at Camp Monserrate. Val is the best cook in the Adirondacks and works like crazy to keep all 60 of us happy and healthy throughout the summer. But she does not take care of the kitchen alone. Each day there are three campers (normally one 6th, one 7th and one 8th grader) who are in charge of helping in the kitchen throughout the meals. They are known as the KP staff (kitchen prep). They set the tables, serve the food, and help do the dishes. While they are sometimes rewarded with extra desserts, it is a tiring job!

The 8th graders are also responsible for another job each meal. The KA (kitchen assistant) is Val's right-hand-man for the meal. He oversees the KP staff and makes sure that everything runs smoothly. As well, if you call during a meal time, most likely it is the KA that first picks up the phone.

Just like everything up here at camp, the students are responsible for keeping us up and running. And they have been doing a great job so far!

Scavenger Hunt

Each year, on the first full weekend of camp, we hold our annual Scavenger Hunt. Students are given a list of things they might find in the nature around camp, and they are given points for each thing they find. Some of examples of things found on the list are pine needles, maple leaves, ants, moths, crickets and frogs. The harder to find, the more points they earn!

There are always a few brave souls that get themselves quite muddy in their effort to win the scavenger hunt. This year's winners were Brian Hernandez and Ivan Paulino!

To see some of the photo highlights, click here.

Campers of the Week

It is hard to believe that we have finished one whole week of camp! Time is certainly flying by!

Every Sunday morning, after our cabin cleaning, we gather in the main hall for what is called "Sunday Talk". This is a time when we review our theme from the previous week (Open to Growth) and we talk about the theme for the week to come. This week Ari Herrera, the assistant director, shared his thoughts on the second Grad at Grad quality of Nativity: Loving. Ari spoke about three types of love: 1) Self-Love, 2) Love for others, 3) Allowing others to love you. To help illustrate his point, he allowed a number of Nativity graduates to come forward and share what love at Nativity has meant to them. Each one of them spoke powerfully about the way that Nativity has loved them over the years, and has taught them how to love themselves and others.

Following the Sunday talk is a very important time of the week. It is when we introduce our "Campers of the Week". The staff stays up late on Saturday nights to discuss the students that deserve this highest honor. We want to honor the students who are doing the right thing day in and day out. These students should be living out these themes that we talk about and always acting with integrity and pride. It is certainly not easy to earn the title of Camper of the Week.

This week, two honorable mentions were given to Mikal Thomas and Francisco Contreras. They have been working hard since the first day and setting a great example with their actions - constantly helping and encouraging wherever it is needed. Congratulations to these guys! If they keep working hard, they could earn the honor of camper of the week in the coming weeks!

And now onto the big winners . . .

This week's Campers of the Week are Gadriel Rivera and Nicky Peralta.

Gadriel has been working hard and setting a great example since the first day. He is always volunteering for responsibilities and taking on extra jobs. Val has said that he is one of the most helpful people in the kitchen. He motivates his cabin and has helped them to succeed throughout this first week. We have seen great growth in Gadriel this summer and are looking forward to much more!

Nicky has also been setting a great example for his cabin. He takes his role as an 8th grader seriously. He has emerged as one of the true leaders of his cabin. When it is easy to get negative and criticize people for not doing what they are supposed to, Nicky has done a great job of keeping things positive. His counselors describe him as a motivator in the cabin, always willing to help out those who need it. He has definitely shown in this first week that he is open to growth.

Congrats to both Nicky and Gadriel!

Happy Birthday Mr. Staysniak!

It's been a busy last couple of days, so there is a bit of catching up to do!

Yesterday, was a very special day at camp. For the THIRD year in a row, Mr. Staysniak has celebrated his birthday at camp! We cheered him on in the morning, and then sang to him at night. And with the new Camp Monserrate tradition, Mr. Staysniak gave a short speech after blowing out his candles. He said that he wanted to thank God for three things: 1) Beautiful weather, 2) Bringing him to Nativity, and 3) having the best birthday ever!

I am thankful for Mr. Staysniak up here at camp. He is an inspiration to all of the campers and especially all of the counselors. He is dedicated to the students at to Nativity. His energy is contagious. And he is just simply a fun guy to be around. Happy Birthday Mr. Staysniak!