Chestnut’s Community

Each camper that attends Chestnut Lake is unique. We care about each and every child’s experience, whether they are new to Chestnut or a longtime member of our camp family. And while the success of a camp session can be measured by each individual camper’s moments of joy, friendship, and growth, what makes camp such a remarkable and powerful place is the strength and vibrance of the Chestnut Lake community. We often hear from parents who have chosen Chestnut – especially those who have welcomed campers home from their first and subsequent summers with us in Beach Lake, PA – that it is the sense of family, the low-key and down-to-earth vibe, and the sense of comfort in our relative diversity and inclusion that make Chestnut special.

BRING IT OUT!

This saying is a derivative of an ideology that was introduced many years ago at camp: Bringing Out the Best in Me! The phrase conveys our commitment at Chestnut to camp being a place for campers and staff to find their best and truest versions of themselves, and to allow their character, leadership, and confidence to develop and shine. Each of the following “Bring Out…” statements represent some areas of focus for us to create, reinforce, and sustain the “Bring it Out” spirit at Chestnut Lake this summer:

  • Bring Out strong and positive bonds between campers and protect and care for their well-being so that they can be free to enjoy every aspect of their summer.
  • Bring Out the qualities in our staff to be excellent role models, to be engaged, to take initiative, and to care genuinely about Chestnut Lake and its campers.
  • Bring Out experiences and programs that are fantastically fun and filled with opportunities for growth while offering an aspirational arc to the summer and a camper’s lifetime at Chestnut Lake.
  • Bring Out a place that celebrates everyone’s unique character while giving them the chance to become the best and truest version of themselves.
  • Bring Out a place that inspires spirit through rituals and traditions that bring people together and unite the community, no matter their backgrounds and unique qualities.
  • Bring Out the development of grit and resilience in campers and staff through growth opportunities and new experiences.
  • Bring Out a reputation for excellence so that campers, staff, parents, and alumni will always revere being part of the Chestnut Lake family.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS

One tradition at Chestnut that helps to introduce and reinforce these sorts of values in our campers and staff is the use of Community Service Awards and other means throughout the summer.

When we gather for our weekly Community Campfire, a highlight of the program is the awarding of Community Service citations to campers and staff. Throughout the week, individuals can write a nomination for another person that they feel has performed a meaningful service to members of the Chestnut community. Assistant Directors select the Community Service recipients to be honored each week, and the nominations are read aloud in front of camp before the awards are presented. This is a very special moment, and Community Service awardees will forever feel a sense of pride for being recognized in this way.

DIRECTOR OF THE DAY

An honor that represents the “Bring It Out!” principles is the weekly selection of a Director of the Day (DotD) for Boys Campus, Girls Campus, and Varsity Campus. The three DotDs are announced in the morning at their lineup, presented with a DotD t-shirt, and given a journal that they will use throughout the day. They meet with Aaron at the start of the day, and at the end of the day join our daily leadership meeting to share their insights. Throughout the day, their peers will share feedback and ideas for making camp even better – as if they are the camp director – and they will be given access to some special behind-the-scenes moments. Campers are chosen as DotDs because they have been noticed by staff as being exceptional leaders who can help “Bring It Out!” for themselves and for others in the community.

THE CAMPERS & THEIR SESSIONS

As a “Session Camp,” we appeal to a combination of families in search of the ideal spot. Some parents went to camp themselves and like our commitment to an all-around experience that is rooted in transitions. Some families are looking for the right fit for a child who does lots of other things in summer. Some are excited for their child to attend all summer long (7 weeks,) but want the chance to start their child off with a shorter experience. And some of our camp parents – more than you might tend to find at another camp – did not go to camp growing up and find Chestnut to be the perfect combination of facilities, programming, and a sense of great security in our structure and leadership. More than 70% of our campers attend for 4 weeks or 3 weeks, but we also are proud of the spirit and dedication of our full summer campers who remain with us for all 7 weeks.

We have mastered the creation and execution of a shorter session without giving away the quality of the experience. But more than anything else, our camp parents talk about their appreciation for the caring, structured, and low-key environment. This down-to-earth feeling for our campers underscores our dedication to appropriate competition on the fields or courts, but not in the social interactions between the campers at Chestnut Lake. Because we are a camp that attracts families from a more diverse geographic area (approximately 50% come from the NY/NJ/CT Tri-State region, 40% from the Mid-Atlantic states of PA/MD/DC, and the rest from FL and a variety of other locations), our campers can arrive at camp without having to carry lots of connections or history with other campers from home with them. That lends itself to the “Bring It Out!” principle of Chestnut Lake being a place where kids can become the best and truest versions of themselves.

Our First Session (4 weeks) will be at our maximum capacity of campers, with approximately 400 children between rising 3rd and 12th grades on site. The larger size of the First Session is common with Session Camps, as many families prefer a camp experience that begins soon after school may end (and the Second Session dates can be a bit harder for families in certain school districts). With approximately 100 of those campers remaining for our Intersession (2-day) period after the First Session ends, we then welcome 150-200 Second Session (3 weeks) campers and blend all kids for the last few weeks of the summer. Our Full Summer campers sometimes enroll for that length of time before the summer begins, but many will come to camp as First Session campers who will receive their parent’s permission to extend their stay in the Second Session.

Since Full Summer campers are mixed with campers staying for four or three weeks, they get to have friends in both sessions. Some Full Summer campers will remain with a handful of bunkmates for the entire summer, but most will have the opportunity to be with many different kids in the First and Second Sessions. When the First Session campers depart, Full Summer campers will enjoy Visiting Day with their families at camp. Parents and siblings will join us to be with campers, enjoy lunch together, and experience special activities (details on Visiting Day will be shared before the start of the summer). The Intersession time for Full Summer campers will be a mix of programs on-site, a trip off-site with staff members, settling into their new cabin assignments for the rest of the summer, and gearing up for the arrival of our Second Session campers.

In addition to our 7/4/3-week sessions, we also offer an amazing 5-day Discovery Camp program for rising 2nd through 4th graders. We allow these younger children to have a true taste of camp where they are immersed in the community and program that awaits them in a subsequent summer. Campers can attend this session only once, and the program has been scheduled to begin at the same time as the Second Session. For more information about Discovery Camp, please click here.

OUR COMMUNITY EXPECTATIONS

If you have not already reviewed our Camp Handbook, you should access this helpful guide to find our Behavior at Camp resource regarding our expectations for every camper’s overall behavior and the community principles we need them to be aware and respectful of while they are with us at Chestnut Lake. We strongly encourage parents to read this information and hope that you will engage your children in conversation about these insights before arriving for their summer at Chestnut Lake.

 

Want to access the rest of the Chestnut Essentials? Just click here to review the full series.