Closing Ceramonies

[Skater Bubbles]

What do you guys do for closing ceremonies at your camp?

[Flukie]

This is SUPER long... Sorry. :)

Our closing begins with Final Banquet on Thursday evening. During a two week session, the sailing girls have spent all day at the Long Pond Invitational, racing each other (both solo and in teams) so we have a bit of time crunch... The unit that is hopping that evening is in charge of deciding how the dining hall is set up. Girls eat with their units, so there needs to be space at the banquet table for the whole unit. Sometimes they are in long tables, sometimes in L-shaped and so forth. The unit that is hopping also makes tablecards with the unit name and staff names on them. These are placed on each table. The staff also is in charge of hopping and serving their unit - normally, the girls do this, but on Final Banquet, it is up to the staff. :) The meal is generally the "best" meal - in the past it has been roast chicken or lasagna. This year was fried chicken, mashed potatos, corn on the cob, and rolls. After the tables are cleared, the staff lead the campers in every dining hall song they've sung during the week. While this is going on, the units come up one by one to make their ice cream sundaes - with the Ad-Staff scooping and singing along. We have chocolate or vanilla ice cream, fudge, cookies, sprinkles, whipped cream, cherries.... Whatever the kitchen rounds up! :) Once everyone has had their sundae, the campers and some staff go back to the unit to gather up their wish sticks, get bug spray and put on pants and long sleeves, while some staff stay and clear the tables back the walls.

Campers then come back to the dining hall for Closing Ceremony. They wait outside, while the staff sings them in to verses of the Hokey Pokey. At the end of each verse, a group is called in and they get to "run" through a gaunlet of cheering staff. Then the MC takes over (that's me!). Each unit is called up to perform their End-of-Session song that they wrote. Some of these are hysterical and some are can be really memorable with lots of tears. Between these songs, we give out Polar Bear, Running Bear and Iron Bear Certificates, the highest sailing ratings (Able and Skipper), recognize badgework, give out windsurfing and biking certificates, and present any of the Boards that have been earned by campers (One Match Fire, Spirit Award, etc). Units are then dismissed one by one to walk across the beach and through the woods to Back Beach.

At Back Beach, Closing Campfire begins. Campers sit with their units around the campfire. One at a time, the director calls each unit's name. One representative places the wish sticks on the fire and says their unit wish, and then three girls give their "Remember Whens..." of the session. Then the unit sings the slow campfire song that they have chosen. After the Ad-Staff has done their wish and their "Remember Whens...", the staff sings "One Last Song" to the campers. Then the camp director calls up the AD and the Program Manager, hands thema silver candle and lights it from the campfire. The AD then calls up the first UL and lights her candle. The UL then calls up her staff and lights their candles. After their candle is lit, the staff leaves to line the pathway. Once all four units are called, the Waterfront Director is called, and her candle is lit. She then calls all her staff. Eventually, only the director, AD and PM are left. The AD and PM leave the campfire, and head all the way to the end of the path. Campers are then dismissed by unit to walk the path. As they walk, the staff sing campfire songs softly, lighting the way with their candles. The campers climb the 86 steps and form a large circle at the flag pole. Once everyone has come up the steps, the Ad Staff leads the final three campfire songs - "Child of God", "We're On Our Way", and "Taps". At that point, the director invites all staff by the ULs to extinguish their lights. One by one, each unit is sung out to the tune of "Good Night Sweethearts". Girls return to their units and get ready for bed. The night ends with the sailing staff serenading with campfire songs as they quietly walk unit to unit.

Ohhh... Now I really can't wait for camp.

[Skater Bubbles]

Man flukie that sounds like a good way to close out, but it sound so sad, do you have girls cry?

[Flukie]

Hysterics. Lol. Particularly with the older girls. If they've had a great session - there are always tears!

[ocean]

For the campers, since we have one week sessions, on Sundays when they come we have opening campfire where staff members put on skits and then we go to the firebowl where the actual fire is and sing slow songs.
For closing we do basically the same thing, except the campers put on the skits friday nights and then at the fire portion we light candles, sing come come once more together, friends I will remember you, and lean on me. We also have campers make wishes for the camp. It gets really emotional for campers.

For staff on our last night we have our staff banquet and exchange our final evie gifts, and recive our staff gifts. We also get our quote book and watch the camp slide show of pictures from camp that year. That is also emotional.

[camper]

first, we have banquet. the kitchen staff puts tablecloths on all of the tables and the what we call the "final buzzer" goes on each girl and counselor's plate. inside the buzzer is a note from each grouphead to her group and the director of each activity, plus "last wills" which are inside jokes for each girl (the older girls do it by bunk) that each bunk wrote down and turned in a couple of weeks before. throughout the meal everyone pretty much just talks and laughs at the buzzer. then we sing, as usual, but for a little longer than usual. then the award presentations begin. the tennis pro gets up and gives her awards, then our waterfront director gets up and speaks for a few minutes, then my mom presents the 5 year sweatshirts, 6 year watches, 7 year jackets, 8 year "b" necklaces, 9 year id bracelets, and 10 year keychains to girls who have been campers for that long. then, the PC trophies are presented, which are a huge honor to get, there are ones for spirit, character, leadership, all around senior, and all around camper. then each age group is dismissed to the porches of one of the bunks in their group.

when everyone gets to the porches, the groupheads hand out envelopes that have their bunk pictures, red cross cards, and achievement certificates for areas the camper has excelled in that summer. they might also get a video award or a gymnastics award. then, everyone goes back to their bunks and the counselors help the girls put the envelopes on the tops of their trunks to be sent home. then, everyone gets sweatshirts and gets into a group lineup when the bugle blows.

once everyone is lined up, everyone walks down to the lake and sits on the benches for candlelighting, except for the lower senior, PC, and CA girls, who sit on the dock around the large crib (which is like a pool in the lake). each bunk gets a candle to put on the water. for the youngest kids, the counselors put the candle on the water and say something like "bunk one would like to thank everyone who helped make this summer so special for us, can't wait to see you next summer!" for the older ones, 2 girls from each bunk (usually picked out of a hat b/c the girls can never agree on it haha) go up and put the candle in the water, and say their own version of that. then, the lower seniors sing a song to the PC's that they have written about how they look up to them and will follow in their footsteps the next summer, etc. then the PC's sing a song that they wrote to the lowers about how great they were as lowers and about how they know they'll do great as PC's the next summer. then the CA's sing a song to the PC's, the same song they sang to them the summer before when they were PC's and the PC's were lowers, about how proud they are of "their lowers." all of those songs are tear-invoking. then, we sing a couple more alma maters and as we're singing, each age group is dismissed to walk up to the amphitheater.

when we get to the amphitheater, there is upbeat music on and bright lights to take away from the sadness a little, and once everyone is there they pull down the screen and start a slideshow of pictures from the summer to music. it's really great and ends the night on a cheerful note. then, we have milkbar as usual and everyone goes down to the bunks and pretty much tries to stay awake all night.

then, the seniors line up again around 10 PM to go up to the canteen for an all night social with a curfew of 2 AM. they bring cards and music w/them and the directors order pizza. they love that, and none of them really go to sleep when they get back to the bunk at 2.

so thats it!

[Dave]

We don't do a whole lot. On the last day of camp each age group gets together and watches a slideshow/video of the summer. Counselor of the Year award is presented then. Since it's always on a Friday, it's Shabbat so we sing some Shabbat songs like usual. After that all the bunks have their bunk parties. Lot of food. After that we all say our final farewells.

[Indigo]

On the night before the end of each session we have an all-camp campfire where each unit does a skit or song (see my "Campfires" post for more), and there's often a lot of crying, usually by the older campers and the ones who've been crying to go home all session.

At the end of the summer, we have a staff banquet. Some of us dress up, and we get nice food, there's usually a slide-show, and we get little gifts. Last summer we had a beach theme, so we all got beach balls, the napkin holders had shells on them, etc.

[Skater Bubbles]

We have closing ceremonies for each session so we do it 9 times during the summer! We go down to the ampatheater and we do pinecone dedication and then we sing "Linger" and then everyone kinda hugs everybody and stays around the ampatheater together and then we take our campers back to the cabin. In my cabin I like to let the girls have a slumber party and eat junk and play games and stay up till midnight!

[rockinsmiles]

The last night of every week for the campers we have a "fanicier" dinner. Then we have a dance (which doesnt last that long) then we head for the closing campfire. Which is basically like our opening campfire with songs, skits, and a story. Then we take our groups back to the cabins. The campers then pack all their belongings besides for the things that they will need Friday morning. I try to let the girls stay up later that night as well. Then Friday morning we have a slideshow for that week and give out camper awards. For the staff it changes from year to year. Last year after we cleaned for practically the whole day we had a nice meal. Then we had a slide show from the whole summer. Some staff left after that but quite a few of us went to the air conditioned building and played games. Then 3 of us actually slept in there. I dont think we wouldnt to be alone :)

[CAMPFRIEND]

At day camp we do not get a chance to do all that much for the campers. We get to do a slide show for the parents and campers at the end of the week and then do a cookout!
________
Harley-Davidson F (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Harley-Davidson_F)

[who_stole_my_loofa]

Since we are a 4 week camp our closing day is pretty major. We end on a Friday and our closing events start on Wednesday.

Wednesday is packing day so that's like the main event of the day. If the kids stay season they get to go on a cool trip to the movies or something. After packing is finished sometimes in the afternoon they have the camp play. And that evening we have Coffee House which is where the our area of camp gets together and each cabin's counselors perform a skit or song for their kids. They also hand out cabin superlatives. That night we wake up the oldest unit in our area around midnight and do initiation.

Thursday is a major day. It starts with Friendship service and Torah reading- it's always a very emotional time for everyone, all the campers cry and we sing sappy songs like "That's what friends are for" and "Now and forever". After that they have a coed beach party at the lake and then the brunch we have for Shabbat we have on Thursday. After brunch the unit leaders all plan special activities for their units like going to the Zip Line or Water falls or getting to go to the mudpit or like messy counselor or whatever. They come back and shower and get really fancy dressed up for final banquet. They go to the blacktop and take pictures and then they have banquet. It is a really nice meal- usually one of the best of the summer and all the specialists come and give out awards. The unit leaders check the awards beforehand to makesure every kid gets one and it's really special. After banquet they get their final social or a some sort of special coed evening program. And a special milk call with like donuts or brownies. They also get time ot exchange phone numbers and emails. Next comes Key Log which is our special camp tradition. Each unit is assigned to a different place in camp to have their campfire and my agegroup always gets the beachfront. So everyone gets a stick and we sit around the campfire, all the people get to talk about their summer and how special it is and then they dedicate their stick. Like "I dedicate my stick to cabin 4" or "I dedicate my stick to the founders of this camp and the summer magic they brought" or "I dedicate this stick to the memories we've all made" and like everyone cries and it's really sentimental.

After that all the girls go back to the cabins and it's usually about 2 by then so they are either really wired or really tired to we get evreything together and then let them stay up or let them sleep. Pick up times for busses(for the plane kids) usually start around 4AM so we have to start taking our kids down early and it's soooo sad. All the bus kids are usually gone by 8AM and all that's left are the car kids and they sometimes don't get picked up until 2PM and it's really sad to see them just kind of sit there and be sad that all their best friends are gone. We try to keep them occupied but it's hard when there are no other kids and they are just waiting for their parents. Closing Friday blows.

Loofa

[camper]

yeah loofa, now that i think about it our closing stuff starts 2 days before too.

the day before all of the other closing stuff i mentioned is the day after color war ends, called "lazy day." there is no reveille on lazy day, just an announcement at about 10 AM for the youngest girls to line up to go up to breakfast. the announcements continue for each age group, and breakfast is a huge buffet that's really good w/like every breakfast food imaginable. instead of singing normal breakfast songs that we sing, we sing color war sing all over again. then, the bunks go down and just hang out (the only day we EVER do this at my camp lol) until lunch. then, when we get down from lunch, usually the trunks are down on the porches (the maintenance people take them down from storage during lunch) and the cleaning and packing starts. usually we can get 1 or 2 kids packed on that day per bunk, maybe 3 if we're REALLY good. then we have a regular showertime and dinner, and then a few minutes to get ready, and then cabaret, which is like a big dance w/lots of food and decorations, kind of bar mitzvah style lol. each group in lower camp has theirs in a different location, but the upper camp all has theirs together. then it's the counselors' who are out that night's last night out, so everyone goes all out!

[EchoLaker]

Lets see the last week of camp is super busy; we run regular scheduling except for:

Monday evening: Sachem Girls Basketball. Sachem is an element of our Tribal competition; and is played between teams comprising our 4n4 and LITs.
Tuesday - ALL DAY SACHEM. Comprising; Sachem Soccer (Boys & Girls), Sachem Roller Hockey (Boys), and Sachem Basketball (Boys).
Wednesday - Carnivale - All afternoon following lunch.
Thursday - Tribal Sing - the final tribal event, and with it, the burying of the hackets for another year. The tribal plaques for that year are presented - these will be placed alongside 60 more years worth of tribal plaques on the dining hall walls and rafters.
Friday night - Friday Night Services; Group and Activity area plaque presentations; Friday Night Live - encore performances from FNL from the summer on demand; followed by All Camp Party.
Saturday - Late sleep in; brunch; afternoon packing. Evening: Banquet, Support Staff acknowledgements, Summer Slide Show, Reprise Video, general camp songs, followed by the final singing of the Alma Mater, and then our LIT Directors pass on the light of Camp Echo Lake to each of our LITs, whilst they sing "Goodbye Echo". Finally the Burning of the Year.
Sunday AM: Departures - it took 3 hours this year from the first bus going to the last bus pulling away.
Sunday afternoon: Staff packing/activity area and general camp clean up.
Sunday PM: Staff Banquet hosted not in the dining hall, but at the Echo Lake Lodge; a 5 course meal with silver service. It's nice to be waitered on ! This is followed by the Staff Shout Outs (goes on for about 2 hours), and the staff bonus payments. We're then free to our own devices, until 1 AM curfew.
Monday: Staff Departures (except for post-season paid staff and Echo Lake IDEA volunteer staff).

[campCardinal]

We have 10 sessions, so we do this 10 times each summer. We have dinner and then after dinner we get ready for closing ceremonies. Counselors have a tradition of getting dressed up and the older campers might too- but the little ones just wear whatever. We have unit adwards at around 7. We give out an award to each camper that the cabin counselors have made. It is something that shows we've taken a special notice of their interests and character. We give out necklaces that have beads they've earned during the week from different activities as well as a bead that represents character qualities they possess. We also give out ribbons from our field day and swim meet. We give out polar bear awards and sometimes we'll give out nature awards or special awards (for special activities). After that we all hike down to the campfire ring and the entire camp sits in the ring and we sing songs. For all the campers that have graduated to a new unit, they go through their graduation ceremony. We then have each camper walk around the fire and throw in their spirit sticks as the staff sings Linger, Today and Pass it on. Then we sit down and have a slide show of the week- staff usually play guitar and sing during it. Then we give out camper of the week awards. Then we're dismissed back to our units.

I used to have everyone go to bed really fast, but I've started keeping my girls up and just sitting with them and talking with them. We eat junk food and have a good time as a cabin on the last night. I think this is important for our kids because it's really special for them. And, it's what I remember as my best memories from when I was a camper- just hanging out (past bedtime!) and talking to my counselor. So, I'm going to continue that this summer!

[Melk]

Our night starts off with our last dinner. Some people dress up others dont. We start by sining a special grace and then eat while swing or disney music is playing. This is the only night the staff get the food for the campers. After dinner we go back to our cabins to change and get bug spray and wait to get picked up by someone holding a torch. Once all the cabins are picked up, they head to their waterfront benches where they sit and watch a skit that the staff preform (this year it was a pay it forward theme. I was a fish who saved a swan) after the skit is finished the campers are lead to our "Indian councl" ring where we sing a few slower songs and then we have our bead cermony. Each year a camper/ staff come to camp the get a necklace with a pony bead on it. Each bead has a special meaning. The campers are called up one by one acording to how many years they have been comming to camp. They really take pride in their beads too. After every one gets their beads every one goes to our chaple and we see the slide show and sing our camp song. Thats about it.

[Flower]

There's not much at the end of first session for the usually thirty or so girls going home. Changeover day is the day after Parent's Day, so after their parents leave we have just the 8-12 year olds (The 13-15 year olds get to go off camp for supper with their parents). We have a dance party and dinner in the dining hall to try to keep them all cheered up. Then it's time to pack the kids going home. There's a kid appropriate movie showing in the library and 7 weekers can go watch that or help the 4 weekers pack. As girls get packed, they drift into the library to watch. The next morning after breakfast their parents come to pick them up. There are a lot of tears and then we scramble to get ready for the three weekers coming in in the afternoon.

At the end of the summer, there's a whole lot of closing activities though. I would say that it starts with the burning of the name of the team that won color war after skit night. That's the time the tears start to come out as the everyone realizes that it's almost time to go home. That's Wednesday night.

Thursday we have a lazy morning where breakfast is a drop in affair and optional. In the afternoon we have carnival. Each cabin runs a booth around the quad. The 12ers (15 year olds) do sundaes and the younger girls do games. One of the older cabins does a counselor dunk. The girls take turns running their cabin's booth and running around playing all the games.

Thursday night is Friendship Night Campfire. The theme of the campfire is friendship. A set of sisters (one of them a 12er) unpack a trunk that they've filled with things that remind them of camp. Girls from the youngest age groups to counselor age get up to give a memory of camp. We sing songs, including special ones by the 12ers and often the fourteen year olds and counselors. Then everyone goes into the dining hall to write friendship letters. Every year you write a new letter to yourself. But first, the camp has all the letters that you've written in years before, so you read those and often end up crying before you even start this years letter. The first year you don't come back, camp sends you an envelope with all of your letters in it. When everyone is done writing (and girls are encouraged to bring a book to read while they wait or to write letters to friends) we get a candle and leave lighting it by one of the director's candles on the way out the door. We take the candles to our cabin porches and put them on the railing all the while singing a traditional song "Each candle lights anew, the flame of friendship true, the joy we have in knowing you, will last our whole lives through." Over and over. Once everyone is at their cabins around the quad, we sing the alma mater and then one by one around the quad each person blows out their candle.

Friday is packing day. During the morning we also give out the smaller awards, such as swim cards, archery pins, and certificates. Things given for years are given out then too. Each first year camper gets a moose, third a t-shirt, and so on for odd years. Counselors get long sleeved staff years for even years. We do a big lost and found and get our packing list. The packing list is famous around camp. It's a step by step checklist of each thing that needs to be done, including sweeping the cabin about five hundred times. One counselor is always with the cabin to help with this while others go to help get the camp settled for the next year and help put up banquet scenery. If you have a cabin having trouble, like mine the last couple of years, both counselors will stay most of the time. We have a cookout lunch because campers aren't allowed in the dining hall since it's being set up for banquet, in the middle of this. Once packing is done, girls get ready for banquet, getting all clean and dressed up and lots of pictures are taken.

Banquet is special in part because the counselors not advisors for color war spend a whole lot of time over the whole week painting scenery and table centerpieces. It's fun to be inside and see the kids faces as they walk in and see it all. The kids sit by cabin, and the counselors sit at tables pushed together to create a long table down the center. The counselors serve their cabin, usually something the kids really like. After the meal, the big awards are given in all different areas as chosen by the counselors. In most cases the counselors are told there are say, four drama awards, and decide what each one should be for as well as who gets it. After the last of these, the counselors all leave and go to the office to get songsheets and candles. The 12ers entertain the rest of the camp, though I'm not totally sure how since I've never been there for it. Then the counselors form around the year with candles in the campfire, and the girls come out to sit down. The counselors serenade them as the year burns in flame. After that it's back to the cabin to chat and such. We don't make the girls go to bed really ever, though eventually we'll usually ask that it get down to whispers. We bring out junk food and a little end of summer party. First bell the next morning rings about 6:30 so everyone is up early to grab a quick breakfast and get the busses off. I've always ridden a bus, the one to the airport to help get kids of flights then get off on my own. Counselors that don't stay until all the car kids are picked up and the last of the cleaning is done, usually about 12 or so, I think.

[CAMPFRIEND]

Our night starts off with our last dinner. Some people dress up others dont. We start by sining a special grace and then eat while swing or disney music is playing. This is the only night the staff get the food for the campers. After dinner we go back to our cabins to change and get bug spray and wait to get picked up by someone holding a torch. Once all the cabins are picked up, they head to their waterfront benches where they sit and watch a skit that the staff preform (this year it was a pay it forward theme. I was a fish who saved a swan) after the skit is finished the campers are lead to our "Indian councl" ring where we sing a few slower songs and then we have our bead cermony. Each year a camper/ staff come to camp the get a necklace with a pony bead on it. Each bead has a special meaning. The campers are called up one by one acording to how many years they have been comming to camp. They really take pride in their beads too. After every one gets their beads every one goes to our chaple and we see the slide show and sing our camp song. Thats about it.

Things have changed over the past few years. I still have my beads!!

[Melk]

Things have changed over the past few years. I still have my beads!!

my necklace broke the night of training for winter camp. :(

[CAMPFRIEND]

my necklace broke the night of training for winter camp. :(

That's not good. Do you have to wait till next summer to get a new one?

[Melk]

I made a new one with hemp... that should last longer then leather.

[CampFreak]

For the first 9 weeks of resident (at 1 week intervals Sunday - Friday)

We have an opening campfire where anyone can participate in leading a song or skit, then when all the fun is done we talk about raggers, then do two more slow songs lead by counselors for dismissals.

On Thursday we have another campfire where the program director tells a traditional story of chief pochagen (spelling is off), and a few songs then bed.

Friday night campfire, where we give awards in front of parents to the kids.

Now for the good closing. Final Vespers, 10th week of Resident

Sunday is the same as all other weeks.
Throughout the week then, campers and counselors gather huge peices of wood that they can carry and place it in a pile. On Thursday, we have the kids involved in monkey court, and a few counselors are in charge of building a 12 foot bon fire. After monkey court, the kids go up to the village, and there is a fire in each village, and the kids go around saying something about camp. Then when the lights get turned off, we tell the campers which camper we chose to hold the torch to represent each village. Then that camper lights the torch via the fire and we head down the trail lit by candles in paper bags. As we approach the bridge leading the camp fire, everyone receives a penny and is told to hold it, everyone lines around the bon fire unlite and a few worsd are shared by each cabin and then the bon fire is lite. Then a few songs are sang, and then the penny trade begins. Everyone is suppose to go around trading pennies with everyone and sharing words, usually very emotional to staff and campers that were there all summer. Then its bed, I shortened some of it, but its very emotional and just a great way to close our camp for resident

[SWTexan]

The camp I'm at now doesn't really have a closing ceremony, which is an element that I really miss.

The camp I worked at had a great one the afternoon of closing day.

It started with the "charge from the cabins" to the tune of the William Tell Overture, which was when the kids got to run out across the fields to where their parents were waiting. Next, everyone who wants to can go down to the river to watch the final War Canoe & War Kayak races.

Then, we all went to the Outdoor Theater for the closing ceremony itself. It starts with a speech and story from the director to break the ice, then each cabin is introduced and all of the kids get a plaque that has their picture, a cabin picture, and a list of the activities that they participated in. The department heads can even give recognition of outstanding acheivement in their class on the award.

After this, the "major" awards (sportsmanship, outstanding campers, ect) are given out, and then the final announcement is the winning ranch, who get to burn their brand into a plaque. The coolest part was always when the All-Around Cowboy (oustanding camper) is announced, the director reads Rudyard Kipling's "If" to him and the other nominees.