Camp Echo Lake – Junior Girls: Week 2 Recap
The Junior Girls have had a busy week jam-packed with nothing but fun! On Sunday, the girls boogied down in the field house at the annual Camp Echo Lake hoedown. It was great to see the girls getting all dressed up and coming together with the rest of Main Camp to participate in line dances. It was all smiles and laughter as the girls showed off their great dance moves!
The Frosh and Lower Junior Girls had their first campfire of the summer with Laurie Rinke. We started with Echo Lake trivia and sang some of our favorite camp songs, followed by every camper’s favorite summer treat – s’mores. The magical night ended with the girls listening to a story entitled “Being a Bucket Filler” and wish lanterns. All of the girls enjoyed a memorable evening with their friends on a beautiful Adirondack night.
On Tuesday, there was a fierce battle in the field house during Group Sing as each group performed their song in front of a panel of judges consisting of Amy Stein, Laurie Rinke, Brenda Levine, Emily Stein and Glenn Begly. The Frosh Girls performed with the Frosh Boys, and wowed the crowd with their song (written to the tune of songs from the popular movie “Frozen”).
The Lower Junior Girls East and West performed together and made a medley of Britney Spears songs their own, while the Upper Junior Girls East and West performed their song together to the tune of “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore. The Froshies swept the Frosh Division, and the Lower Junior Girls came in first place in the Junior Division.
While the girls all did an amazing job with Group Sing, the highlight of the evening was definitely Tribal break, which occurred just as the LITs finished their song. It was a moment that all of the girls had anxiously awaited, making it the perfect ending to a perfect night!
On Wednesday, the Junior Girls participated in Tribal Tug on the beach, followed by fireworks later that evening. I heard some of the girls say that it was “the best fireworks that they had ever seen!”
Thursday night was Off Track Betting for all of Main Camp. Each group was allotted a certain amount of “Echo Lake Bucks” for wagering purposes. The girls placed their bets on multiple competitions that took place between head staff members, and had a lot of fun predicting the winners and rooting for their choices.
Lastly, Saturday was the day that we had all been waiting for…JUNIOR SPECIAL DAY! The girls were woken up by confetti, music and Special Day cheers from the counselors. My dog, Benny, even got in on the action as he visited the girls in their bunks. Each group had a themed day designed by the counselors specifically for their group.
The Frosh Girls enjoyed a hay ride with Elsa (from the movie “Frozen”). Tying in with their theme, the girls sang the popular song “Let it Go” as they rolled through Senior Village.
The Lower Junior Girls East had a wonderful morning “chilling” in their pajamas while watching the movie “Frozen” on their Winter Wonderland-themed day, and the Lower Junior Girls West really got into the spirit of their Broadway-themed day by taking theatre and dance lessons. Their day wrapped up with the hit Broadway movie “Hairspray” and the red carpet was rolled out for a Tony Award Ceremony.
The Upper Junior Girls East enjoyed a Fairy Tale-themed Special Day. Taking advantage of having the pool all to themselves, the girls rocked out to music during their Little Mermaid-themed pool party!
The Upper Junior Girls West had tons of fun on their “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”-themed day. Covering each other (and me) with paint, shaving cream and “ooblick,” the girls reveled in the moment and enjoyed being messy together on the Rec Hall field.
Overall, it was a great day for the Junior Girls, one that they will remember for years to come!
Group Sing and Special Day really helped all of the groups continue to bond together as one big group. One of the best parts of the Echo Lake experience for me is seeing the fun that the girls have as they try new things and form new connections.
The Upper Junior Girls participated in a swim meet against two other camps this week. We celebrated multiple victories and showed great Echo Lake sportsmanship, spirit and pride.
The Junior Girls are making continuous progress in becoming civic-minded citizens within the Echo Lake community. Every bunk has a work wheel of some type that is used to give out daily jobs for each camper, and they are learning how to work together to create a healthy, safe, and respectful community within their bunk and their group.
Next week, the Junior Girls will be playing inter-camp tennis. We also have the Frosh Review and Junior show “Aladdin” to look forward to in the upcoming weeks. Of course, all of the Junior Girls are looking forward to Visiting Day. They can’t wait to show their parents around their summer home and demonstrate some of the new things that they have learned since the beginning of the summer!
Now that the girls are fully into the flow of camp, my goal for them is to challenge themselves during their activities and try something new everyday.
The Junior Girls are rocking it on Girls Camp! They are leading the way with the highest bunk scores for clean up. The cleanest bunks receive soft toilet paper every week and the overall cleanest bunks at the end of week 3 and 6 will receive a movie in the bunk. It is surely going to be a battle for the Junior Girls who are all working really hard to keep their bunks clean and the camp looking nice.
