Camp Blog

One final day...

by: 
Camp Director

In the last 78 hours we recovered from the longest treasure hunt in Agawak history, shared a very special day with our Agawak alumni, witnessed one of the strongest closing ceremonies in Agawak history and participated in a memorable awards night.

Alumni Day was a huge success.   I found myself in tears at several points during the day. My first tear fell during our afternoon campfire when Ivy (Zazove) Schlechter spoke so beautifully about what her camp experience meant to her. She had many of us in tears realizing our camp days are the best days of our lives.

During closing Blue and White both team’s alumni participated in the staff portion of closing. It was a closing I will remember forever.  Alumni, campers and staff were united as one. This morning at flagpole the white team staff was heard singing the old White Team staffs cheer which the alumni sang with us the night before.  We’ve already restored some of Agawak’s past. I want to thank the alumni who traveled to spend time with us. I was honored to have them visit and enjoyed every single story they shared. Their love of Agawak is still strong and obvious.

On your mark, get ready. Get set. GO!  Runners hit the trails leading out of camp early Monday morning for our 5k morning run.  Jordan Chapman was first overall with a time of 23:24 followed by Isabella Ebihara and Melissa Dolins.  Our youngest campers running were Lexi Aronin, Lauren Mass and Natalie Wexler.

Campers of all ages graced the Agawak stage with smiles as awards were given out.  The staff sang an emotional “Mary, please give us one more day” sung to the tune of Marry Me by Train. The CIT’s sang their farewell song as campers found it difficult to hold back tears.  Their camping days as they know it is over. It’s time for all of them to move on which is not easy. Hopefully, they will return as counselors to give back just like their counselors. summers.

We are all packed up but no one is ready to go. Today we will enjoy our last day together doing camp activities. I had a waterfront day planned but it’s cool, overcast and the water is rough. At breakfast, I decided to ask each cabin to come up with three things they would like to do with their cabin on their last day. Each cabin came up to the staff table and wrote 3 wishes down. This morning and afternoon we will grant them their wishes. Some will be heading to the swinging rope across the lake by boat; others will be making s’mores, a few will tube one last time and a number of them will play their last game of trampball for the summer.

We’ll end our day together gather around a roaring fire singing our much loved Agawak songs.  Camper of the year and counselor of the year will throw in the final keg-log followed by a procession to the waterfront where all of us will light our birch bark candle boats and make one final wish.  Standing hand in hand we will recite:          

Friends,  friends,  friends. We will always be.

Whether in fair or in dark stormy weather,

We’ll stand or we’ll fall together at Agawak, we will always be,

The truest the finest with aims that re highest we’ll sing to thee.

Day is done.  Gone the sun.  From the lakes, from the hills from the skies.

All is well, safely rest,

God is nigh.

It has been one amazing summer that will be remembered forever. We wish everyone safe travels on their journeys home and may the trails that we follow, though they be of different paths, led us all back to Agawak one day.

Smile on,


Mary and Staff