Author: Elissa

Our Seniors were just about to board  buses heading out to Hershey for their overnight but just at that moment, we received a note from the park notifying us due to weather they were closed. As we walked over to the kids telling them the change of plan, each and every camper handled it with grace. They completely got it and though there was disappointment, a few campers came to me and said, “Elissa, We are the River and we are going with the flow.” I was so beyond proud of this group of great kids who I knew felt disappointment but ultimately handled this predicament with so much maturity. Of course this trip will be rescheduled and the campers will get to experience their Hershey overnight but your kids defined what being the river is. Bravo Seniors!!!

“The Pessimist Sees Difficulty In Every Opportunity. The Optimist Sees Opportunity In Every Difficulty.” – Winston Churchill

Inter Girls Gymnastic Meet @ Bryn Mawr – Chenny takes 5th Overall (14 Teams competed – Skye Housenbold comes in 10th overall – Ava Derose 7th on Floor

Inter Girls Basketball – CAW 15 @ Morasha 22

Collegiate Girls LAX – CAW 8 vs. Wayne 9

Collegiate Boys Basketball – CAW 54 vs. Tioga 14

CIT Boys Flag Football Tournament at Tyler Hill – CAW plays 2 games and had a great time.

To feel the love in Shields Hall tonight was to be in the presence of something pretty special and moving. When our kids take that stage, no matter if they  play guitar, sing a song or do card tricks, they receive an ovation of cheers followed by hundreds of people cheering them on. You have to see it to believe and be there to feel it. Can you imagine the feeling of getting that response when you muster up the courage to take center stage and perform in front of camp? Confidence is built here and support thrives amongst us all. We love making our fellow campers feel the love and tonight was off the charts. I watched one freshman camper who sang her heart out and the look on her face during her performance was priceless. As the entire hall sang along with her, you could actually see the joy she experienced having the entire camp behind her. She walked off that stage with a swagger and sweet smile that came from her heart. Tonight was incredible for every single person in the Hall. Our hearts were full tonight.

Chenny out.

The morning started off with a bit of rain and up here in paradise, rain doesn’t impede on our spirit or outlook on what kind of day we will have. Rain makes everything grow so down shifting from playing outside and running around is replaced with playing chess, checkers and cards inside. I walked into the Lodge this morning where groups of Freshman, Junior and Middy boys were playing together. There were tables of kids playing Jenga and the concentration was intense. There was so much coordination and teamwork as the group decided together which piece needed to be removed. They were inspecting the giant tower in front of them and each camper had a say in what is the best piece. In the end, the tower fell but together they built it right back up and started all over again. This may have been just a fun game they were playing but I see it as something so very different. These fortnite playing boys weren’t in their basement, secluded from the world around them only chatting with friends on line, they were sitting together deciding together which piece to go for. They were slow and deliberate and made a group decision together, face to face. They felt pure elation when the piece they decided on came out perfectly still allowing the tower to stand. And when that one piece they moved made their tower tumble, they all together rebuilt it and tried again. I often try to relay the connections that are made here and building Jenga towers couldn’t prove my point more perfectly. Together they can do absolutely anything.

Our Supers have embarked on their incredible trip to Vermont and Boston. Their day started out early as they boarded the buses and off they went to Vermont. First stop was to the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory and every camper loved touring this incredible facility and of course made their every own Teddy Bears. It may be years since these kids played with stuffed animals but not a single camper didn’t have the best time making their very own Teddy Bear that they will forever cherish. Then it was off to a Dakin farm where our kids got to sample the local syrups and cheeses. They enjoyed what Vermont has to offer. To top off a perfect Day 1, our campers ended their night with a tour at Ben & Jerry’s Original Ice Cream Factory. Teddy Bears and Ice Cream, an absolute ideal day for our super Supers!!!

“Difficult Roads Often Lead to Beautiful Destinations” – anonymous

Inter Boys Softball – CAW 6 @ Westmont 4

Our GC’s are still wandering and are having a trip of a lifetime as they have just spent 4 incredible days in LA, then Vegas and then off to the Grand Canyon. To say these GC’s are literally having the trip of a lifetime is an understatement. It’s great to be a GC!

If you know Chenny, you know we LOVE to surprise our kids. We keep them on their toes and will always have fun things planned for them. With that said, it was time to surprise our incredible CIT’s with a mystery trip. These kids have worked so hard providing support and friendship to our younger campers as they CIT each and every day. So as they have given so much this summer, it was our turn to give to them. They have been receiving hints and clues to an upcoming mystery trip and the suspense was driving them crazy. There was so much speculation but in the end this was a very well kept secret. They had NO IDEA and we loved it. Only given 30 minutes to get ready, they boarded coach buses and off they went without a clue to where they were headed. The excitement was palpable and after a long luxurious, they ended at MetLife Stadium to see Taylor Swift in concert. They had the absolute best time and this very special group of kids who has spent the past 7/8 summers together, are ending their Chenny camper career with a bang. So much love this group has for one another and we couldn’t be happier to provide a night they wont forget. Seeing a concert with your brother sand sisters, singing in unison – there is just nothing like it. Lucky kids!!

For our Cherokee and Mohican campers , the night was spent with Wet and Wacky Games. Power House Studios came to play and I’m talking pie in the face kind of play. These games made you gut laugh and the kids had an absolute ball tonight. Rain or shine, Chenny kids just know how to have fun. It was a great day followed by an incredible night. Nothing beats living up here all summer long.

Chenny out.

 

“We Are Not a Team Because We Work Together. We Are a Team Because We Respect, Trust and Care for Each Other.” – Steve Young

Junior/Middy/Inter Girls LAX – CAW 3 vs. Wayne 10

Super Girls  Softball – CAW 6 @ Poyntelle – CAW WINS CHAMPIONSHIP!

Super Girls Tennis – CAW 0 @ Starlight 5

Middy Boys Basketball – CAW 14 vs. Wayne 28

Seniors Boys tennis – CAW 0 vs. Wayne 5

It was time again to name our Campers of the Week and  we are proud to highlight just how amazing these campers are and the joy they bring to camp. We thank them for their outstanding contribution day in and day out. They make a difference here and our camp is better for having kids like this at Chenny!

Freshman – Eve Lindenauer & Brady Kotler

Juniors – Maya Knobloch & Alex Minkoff

Middies – Sydney Mallah & Max Eber

Inters – Jordan Fersko & Alec Glazer

Collegiates – Sydney Garfield & Brett Davner

Seniors – Jillian Oresky & Scott Steinberg

Supers – Lexi Tave & Alex Levine

CIT’s – Lily Glickman & Kobe Koren

Tonight was Chenny Globes, our annual awards show and the kids absolutely love it. Everyone got dressed up for Chenny’s big Award Show. There is a red carpet, Paparazzi and of course the Globes. This is a real deal Hollywood-esque celebrity show. Tonight’s Globes goes to:

Dynamic Duo – Jerry Kessler & Josh Shiffman / Gracie Frankle & Jesse Jaffe

Most Likely To Star in a Marvel Movie – Derek Herzog & Livia Sherman

Most Likely To Invent Time Travel – Jason Kimelman & Sara Agsteribe

Most Likely to be in the Olympics – Mike Hellerman & Jordyn Fersko

Best Camp Spirit – Jake Seilback & Addy Goldstein

Best Siblings – Nick & Jack Einzig / Lyla, Landon & Justin Miller

Most Likely to Host their Own Talk Show – Wesley Schnell & Dylan & Maddy Grabow

Most Likely to Decalre World Peace – Cole Weiss & Jolie Weiss

Most Likely to be a Voice Actor in a Pixar Movie – Jordan Shamus & Hailey Nydish

Celebrity Look-a-Like – Noah Simon & Jack Gleeson / Zoe Heyman & Zoey Deschanel

To feel the energy and spirit we had in Shields Hall tonight was to be present for something spectacular. Nights like tonight are summer standouts and define why we are a family here. We cheer for one another, we clap for each other and we all celebrate when our friends are nominated and win these awesome awards. The power of this place can take your breath away and it can move mountains. And the winners are…..Chenny Kids.

Chenny out.

We brought in an Acapella group  today that spent the entire day running workshops with our campers. You could hear singing all throughout camp today in every corner. It was groups of campers harmonizing with one another and it was musically beautiful. So many campers were feeling the beat and today camp was rocking. Kinda felt like a movie set with our singing kids. We bee bopped and sang our hearts out today. Even the kids that were reluctant to sing, ended the session singing their hearts out. It was our Chenny Musicale kind of day!

“Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.” —Dalai Lama

Girls  Gymnastic Competition @ Startlight – Emily Weprin 1st on Bars and 4th Overall Upper Camp. Remi Zaben 2nd on Vault, Ava Derose 2nd on Floor, Skye Housenbold 1st on Beam and 4th overall Lower camp.

Middy Girls Soccer – CAW 1 vs Island Lake 4

Super Girls Basketball – CAW 32 @ Tioga 23

Super Girls Soccer – CAW 3 @ Island Lake 1 – Chenny Headed to Chamionship

Freshman/Junior/Middy Boys LAX Tourney @ Wayne – Chenny gets defeated in Semis

Inter Boys Baseball – CAW 0 vs. Wayne 14

Senior Boys Basketball – CAW 58 vs Morasha 76

Super Boys Baseball – CAW 11 vs. Island Lake 0

Senior/Super Boys Hockey – CAW 8 vs. Lavi 9

Since our day was devoted to learning how to singing acapella, our night was watching this amazing acapella group put on quite a show for us. They dazzled us with their extraordinary talents and won the crowd over with their voices. We danced and sang along with this incredible group tonight. The day was Pitch Perfect!

When I try and capture what I will write about in my daily blog, I typically observe our campers and am able to describe to you at home what has happened here at camp that day but today I was compelled to play so I jumped right in. There was a group of boys sitting playing cards around the apple tree and I just had to join. They taught me a few card games I have never heard of. These 4 boys and I had the absolute best time playing card games for 30 minutes. There was not a care in the world for those 30 minutes. As they each explained the games to me, I kinda felt like a camper and sat indian style playing card games around the apple tree. No distractions , no ringing phones or buzzing devices and I even turned off my walkie talkie for that half hour. I haven’t sat and played cards for a very long time and as my point of view is normally of our campers and the great benefits that occur from them being here today that benefit was happening to me. If I learned one thing from those 4 boys who taught me a few new cool card games it is to put those devices down, step away from your computers and play. The world didn’t end and all was ok without my immediate attention for those 30 glorious minutes. I was totally engaged for those 30 minutes and had a blast. These kids may really be onto something. So I have made a commitment when life returns to normal as of August 11th, I will carve out 30 minutes to sit indian style with my girls, unplug and play some card games.

“My Coach Said I Run Like A Girl And I Said If He Ran A Little Faster He Could Too.” – Mia Hamm

Freshman/Junior Girls Basket Ball – CAW 4 vs. Westmont 6

Inter Girls Basketball – CAW 27 vs. Westmont 24 – Chenny headed to Championship

Collegiate Girls Soccer – CAW 2 @ Wayne 1 0 Chenny headed to Championship

Senior/Super Girls Volleyball @Westmont – CAW came in 2nd Place

Senior Girls Tennis – CAW 0 vs. Weequahic 5

Middy Boys Baseball – CAW 1 vs. Wayne 0

Inter and below Boys Hockey Tournament @ Lokanda – Chenny came in 4th Place

Senior/Super Boys Softball – CAW 8 @ Perlman 1

Tonight’s show was AWESOME!!!! Totally and completely incredible. It was the first show of Head Staff Lip Sync Battle and they brought it. Our staff  brought the talent and the kids went baazerrrrk after each and every act. Shields Hall was an explosion of energy and insane talent. I highly suggest you watch the video when it airs on our site. It’s worth a view. Your kids had the best time tonight at evening activity and cannot wait till round 2.

Chenny out.