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Why Summer Camp?: Character Development

Dec 9, 20243 min read

No one would argue that attending a sleep-away summer camp develops character in a child. The simple fact that a child is courageous enough to be dropped off in a new place for weeks at a time without their parents is character developing enough in that first year. Each camp also has organizational values that are reinforced, modeled and encouraged by camp staff. Counselors lead by example and in turn teach those organizational values to the campers. Character development is one of the greatest gifts summer camp gives to campers and counselors.

At Camp Arcadia, our Mission and The Spirit of Arcadia are our guideposts in our character development curriculum that is deliberately woven throughout our program. Campers participate in community service that provides leadership opportunities across all age groups and the Spirit becomes part of each camper as it is infused into cabin life through Cabin Commitments and Community Circle. The outcomes of this deliberate approach to character development are girls who are empowered to be confident, to contribute to their communities, to take healthy risks, to respect and care for the environment, and to develop interpersonal skills that result in lasting friendships.

"Make the world a better and more beautiful because you have been in it" is the mission at Camp Arcadia. Arcadians learn that, through acts of service, we are able to make our community better and more beautiful each summer because we have been in it. This mission is internalized over time with many Arcadians citing it as a reason for chosen career paths later in life.

Campers are provided opportunities to live out our mission regularly through acts of community service. Each age group supports our Camp community - Juniors (1st-3rd graders) serve as the greeters to Sunday Meeting, our weekly all Camp family meeting, Plebes (4th-5th graders) pass out and collect the songbooks at our daily Morning Assembly, Seniors (6th-7th graders) facilitate lost and found, Point (8th graders) and Club (9th graders) set the tables daily and participate as Helping Hands in the kitchen once a week. The Club also serves as leaders raising and lowering the flag each day. Through these acts of service, we learn that we can make a positive impact on our community. Arcadians go into their larger communities with this understanding and purpose in mind.

We are also guided by the Spirit of Arcadia, a poem recited at Campfire each week. The tenets of the Spirit - loyal, wise, busy, honest, thrilling, strong, brave, contented, dreaming, happy and reverent - are the cornerstones of our character development goals at Arcadia. At the beginning of the summer, our Opening Candlelight ceremony (picture right) introduces the concept of the Spirit to the campers.

The Club, campers in their last year as a camper, are the guardians of the Spirit. They are charged with being leaders at Camp who embody the Spirit in their day to day actions. Campers of all ages are encouraged by The Club to memorize The Spirit and recite it to a member of the Club. Once learned, campers receive a pin at Campfire in front of the whole Camp. This pin proudly is affixed to a camper's banner as it is a cherished honor to earn.

The mission and Spirit guide our daily life in each cabin as well. At the outset of each session campers create Cabin Commitments with their cabin mates. After reading the Spirit together as a group, they are asked "What do we want this space to be like? How can we each contribute to make this cabin better and more beautiful because we have been in it? What commitments can we make to one another to create that feeling?"

Each evening closes with a Community Circle during which campers reflect on their day and look forward to what is to come tomorrow. The goals of this time are to foster a sense of unity and trust with the cabin community and to practice daily gratitude and reflection. Individually campers share something positive that happened to them today. They also share about someone or something they are grateful for from the day. This becomes a cherished part of each day and serves to close the day as a cabin family with a positive mindset.

With our Mission and The Spirit of Arcadia as our guideposts, Camp Arcadia girls gain confidence and are ready to make a difference in the world.

The 2025 season will be the 109th summer our Camp family has gathered together for an unparalleled experience for girls aged 7-17.

Click here for more information and here to register.

Why Summer Camp?: Connecting with Nature's Splendor

vincentsenjulie

Nov 8, 20243 min read

At a recent fall retreat of Maine Summer Camps, Board President Matt Pines exclaimed that summer camp is the last tech free, play based learning environment for children. All of the Camp professionals in attendance know first-hand the value of this statement. In The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, Jonathan Haidt helps readers understand the crisis point we are in with our children. The statistics are overwhelming; the data clearly shows that the rates of depression, anxiety, self harm and adolescent suicide are on the rise and have been since 2010.

While summer camp is not the answer to the mental health crisis America is experiencing, it is the greatest gift you will give to your child because the research also clearly shows that immersing yourself in nature is healing. In her book Healing with Nature: Mindfulness and Somatic Practices to Heal from Trauma, Rochelle Calvert, PhD writes, "Research has shown that nature can improve vision, memory and concentration; restore mental energy; relieve stress; reduce inflammation; sharpen thinking; and expand creativity...Spending five hours in nature per month can make us happier overall." What would happen if you spent 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 7 weeks?

At Camp Arcadia we understand the restorative aspect of nature as we are fortunate to spend our summers immersed in 367 acres of majestic beauty. Camp life takes place on approximately 10 acres in the center of the property so we are surrounded by acres of untouched woodlands. Camp Arcadia's property has an extensive beaver pond that includes a great blue heron rookery with paths to explore.

Our expansive property includes a mile of shorefront on Pleasant Lake, one of the cleanest lakes in the state of Maine. We have two sandbars that create great swimming areas. Its beauty and cleanliness is due in large part to the conservation efforts of the Pleasant Lake Parker Pond Association whose purpose is to "preserve the quality and ambience of Pleasant Lake and Parker Pond." Anne Henderson Fritts, one of Camp Arcadia's Directors, is very active in the Association. On both ends of our shoreline, we have two campsites at which cabins enjoy an onsite camping experience. Cooking a meal from scratch over a fire, enjoying a swim in the lake, sitting by a campfire singing songs and eating s’mores by the light of the moon are all memories of a summer immersed in the beauty of nature that each Arcadian shares.

The wildlife at Arcadia is abundant. Campers across generations have fond memories of the night music of loon calls and bullfrogs that lulls you to sleep. In addition to the chipmunks who scatter around Camp, campers regularly spot turkeys, barred owls, groundhogs, eagles and Canadian geese!

This summer we learned first hand how important it is to give wildlife their space to thrive. We were taught this by the loon family who built a nest on our shoreline - right by where we normally put in the canoes each day! “Learn to co-exist with them,” said the Ranger when Director Louise Fritts Johnson called asking for advice on what to do. And co-exist we did. Two baby loonlets were born on July 3rd and we watched them grow and thrive all summer long. Did you know that loonlets travel on their parents’ back to keep them warm and protected? Such a sight to behold! Because nesting loons return to their nest each season, we look forward to many more years of co-existing with these amazing creatures!

Come join us for a summer of play in which you are immersed in nature! You, too will find how restorative it can be. Are you an adult jealous of this amazing experience? You, too can experience the restorative power of nature through our Alumni and Family Camp. We welcome you to enjoy the majestic splendor at Camp Arcadia.

The 2025 season will be the 109th summer our Camp family has gathered together for an unparalleled experience for girls aged 7-17.

Click here for more information and here to register.

Why Summer Camp?: Healthy Risk Taking in the Wilderness

vincentsenjulie

Mar 6, 20243 min read

Updated: Nov 4, 2024

In the previous post in this series, we shared with you our philosophy that guides our Activity Program. We believe to feel confident in the world, campers need to feel comfortable living in the out-of-doors. Therefore, we ask each camper to attend Campcraft, Canoeing and Swimming until they achieve second level (of four). This also affords each camper the opportunity to participate in our Trips Program which is one of the best in the country.

Campers explore the rivers, lakes and mountains of Maine and New Hampshire. Canoeing and mountain trips are developmentally appropriate and are an optional part of our program starting with our youngest campers.

Second and third grade hikers explore Rattlesnake Mountain (pictured right) for a day trip that has gorgeous views of the Lakes Region with Mount Washington in the distance. After enjoying lunch at the top of the mountain, campers hike down and stop at the ice cream store on their way back to camp.

As you get older the trips get longer and farther away from Camp. This group of 6th graders are climbing Cannon Mountain. Aren't the views breathtaking? This is a two day, 1 night trip in New Hampshire. Many of our mountain trips are on the Appalachian Trail and are maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). The AMC has huts at the top of the mountains where you get delicious meals, running water, bathrooms and a bunk room. There is something magical about watching a sunrise or sunset from the top of a mountain and the stars are out of this world! This trip is a two day, one night adventure. Our oldest campers hike Mount Washington for three days and two nights; this is highest mountain in New England.

Arcadians are never afraid of an outdoor adventure. As you age through the Trips Program at Arcadia, opportunities to go on the Pack Trip become available. Campers bring everything on the trip with them - tents, sleeping bags, food, etc. Trips vary each year so that campers can go on multiple adventures. Recent trips have gone to Mount Katahdin, the highest peak in Maine and the northern terminus of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. This trip is five days and four nights.

Our canoe trips are structured very similarly to our mountain trips. Our youngest campers explore our lake and have an overnight stay at The Villa, our campsite about ¼ of a mile from our main campus. Fourth graders enjoy a trip to our neighboring lake after paddling through the tunnel shown in this picture. They then sleep overnight on Peanut Island where there is a great jumping rock for swimming. As you age through our canoeing program, you can go on Songo-Sebago where you paddle through the Songo Lock! Paddling Moose Pond in Bridgton is also a popular trip destination.

The trips to Rangeley Lake and Lake Umbagog are our most advanced lake trips before campers get to experience the long awaited River Trip! In recent years, our oldest campers paddled the Allagash River in northern Maine and the St. Croix River which is the eastern border between Maine and Canada; both include whitewater canoeing.