Summer 2025, Week 1

Scatico is excited to have longtime camper, former Division Leader, and current college student Emma Hochberg as our head of social media this summer! She is behind our new instagram stories, and this post marks her first blog of the summer. Happy reading!!

Summer is underway and Week 1 in the 12523 is in the books! We’re already embracing the journey…

Freshmen at their first-ever Slapball… a game perhaps ONLY played in the 12523.

19th century philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited with the quote, “It’s about the journey, not the destination”. One could argue that Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” from Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009) is a contemporary adaptation.

Once a Scaticonian crosses camp’s white gates, they subscribe to camp’s four core values… a social contract of sorts. While these values may not have been at the forefront of campers’ minds this first week of camp– there is so much activity going on!-- the value “Personal Growth: Embrace the Journey” stands out as we reflect on these past seven days. 

Time seems to pass differently in “camp world”, and while Opening Day was not so long ago, growth is already happening all around us. From first time campers mastering morning routines and the dining hall with a little more confidence, to longtime campers stepping into new leadership roles, or addressing the full camp for the first time– each day comes with its own set of learning curves and growth moments big and small. 

A silly, microcosm of the passage of time and growth at camp: on Opening Day the Senior boys had a Scatico FIRST— not one, but TWO campers hit slapball home runs that went through the basket on the far hoop of the B-court— a rare shot that wins the division a pizza party. The B-court went wild with cheers. Just a few days later, the Freshman had their first-ever game of slapball, learning the nuanced rules and insider tips of this “only-at-Scatico” game. No pizza parties won… but it was a success!

Week 1 Highlights

Opening Campfires– Formally mark the beginning of summer. Fool ball and pillow fights (on boys side)  keep the energy high. A historical, classic baseball story from Dave widens the eyes of Lower Hill (this year’s focused on Ed Delehanty). The year song (on girls side) marks the passage of time. And as one flame turns into 150 after the Soopers pass out candles, each camper is inextricably tied together– a glowing, radiant summer circle. 

Team Judges take the floor (well, bench) during the break.

Teams–  broke last Monday, when a pre-lunch dance party at “The U” (the Dining Hall porch), featured a remix of “Pink Pony Club,” in which Chappel Roan’s voice was interrupted by an alarm and “Attention Girls Side, Teams 2-0-2-5 has begun”! The Judges emerged and excitement ensued!. For Teams, the Seniors serve as leaders and girls side is split into four– Flying Eagle (green), Thunderbolt (blue), Blazing Arrow (red), and Racing Wind (yellow). You can find your camper’s team here. There will be one Teams day per week over the next three weeks  in which girls compete in sports, arts, singing, and a series of “challenges”. Walking through back campus during Sunday evening Teams Meetings, girls side was a chorus of singing as campers practiced their “Jingle” (the song to be showcased at the first Teams Campfire on Tuesday). 

Leagues– For boys’ side, lower hill participates in Hoops, Baseball and Soccer Leagues (Frosh and Sophs together in one league, and Sub Juniors and Juniors together in another). Inters and Subs have their own Hoops League, Upper Seniors and Seniors their own Soccer League, and then ALL of upper hill participates in Twilight League. A sunset softball league, T-League is one of those deeply beloved– and long-remembered camp traditions. Highlights from Leagues so far include TWO Soph-Frosh Hoops Leagues games that went into overtime, and were then won with a three pointer with under 30 seconds left in the game! Shoutouts to Ryder Millman and Austin Taylor for nailing those shots!

Subs at the top of Bonticou Crag. They all opted for the harder route, involving a scramble!!

Hikes–  The first divisional hikes have gone out! So far we’ve sent… the Debs to Monument Mountain, Sub Girls to Bonticou Crag, Jinter Girls to Boulder Rock, and the Junior Boys to Monument Mountain. Of course, no hike outing is complete without an ice cream stop on the way back to camp.

4th of July– Leaving the tried-and-true reveille behind, camp woke up to Tom Petty’s “American Girl,” and the first full-camp special event of summer kicked into high gear! The rest of the day follows in similar fashion with bugles replaced by American-themed songs. Green and white is traded in for red, white, and blue, indicating a day of decked-out camp spirit. Daily activities are followed by a co-ed BBQ, talent show and fireworks on the driving range. The talent show is always a special moment— the first time the full camp assembles in the amphitheater, and comes together as the sun slowly dips below the horizon (most of the show takes place during golden hour, adding a magical glow to the evening’s festivities). Whether it was a performer’s Scatico stage debut or they’d already established themselves as an audience fan favorite, each act brought its own spin from singing and dancing, to magic tricks and gymnastics. We often marvel at how repeat performers grow year after year, their voice growing ever stronger and their stage presense more at ease. The Soopers performed a rendition of a dance they choreographed as Centers in 2021 (a real, full-circle camp moment); Music Counselor Sam Ryan and Nurse Carly performed an amazing rendition of “Shallow” (the Scatico equivalent of two solo pop stars coming together for a surprise duet); and the night closed out with a dance from Platano Power (the name our Dominican staff have given themselves for their act since 2022)! But the best part of the talent show?… the audience support and participation. There is something about watching a bunkmate leave the stage, and return to their amphitheater seat to be met by hugs, high fives, and cheers that encapsulates what camp is all about. 

Impromptu Junior dance party at cooking on the 4th

Rave Launch Competition— a (relatively new) 4th of July tradition on boys side.

In the words of Miley…. we may not know it, but these are the moments that we’re going to remember most. New and old campers alike face challenges and experiences that help them grow as individuals, as divisional entities, and as an entire camp. New campers are slowly familiarizing themselves with the nature of camp, asking less and less frequently questions like, “What’s that bugle?” or “Where’s the infirm?” They already seem to be incorporating camp lingo into their vocabulary, such as “mess hall” and “canteen”, as if they are deeply-embedded second nature. In all aspects, we are slowly becoming those camp versions of ourselves by embracing the journey.