Second Session happenings

A new batch of teenagers, many of them new to Chop Point, invaded camp in mid-July for 3 weeks of fun and craziness. I got to introduce them to the craziness on the first night with my silliest Get-to-Know-You games.


For lip sync, Hannah and I chose songs from Broadway musicals such as Oliver, Annie, and Fiddler on the Roof. The cabin of Pemaquid had only 3 boys in camp that day (the rest were out of camp on canoeing trips) and both their counselors were gone, but they put together the most hilarious and well-rehearsed performance of "Tradition" that I have ever seen. I almost died laughing and I awarded them first place.


The cabin of O.P. missed the memo and performed a hard rock song instead of the one I had assigned them from Annie Get Your Gun. When it was over, they snuck into a younger guys' cabin and hid under the bunks until lights out. Then they jumped out and started screaming and yelling. You can imagine the campers' reaction!


Another activity took us to Portland for a Sea Dogs game. We got to introduce our European campers to tailgating, baseball, hot dogs, and "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" all in one night.






Our most elaborate evening activity was Harry Potter Night. From the dramatic announcment which had me thrown across the dining hall under the force of a Stupefy curse to the Goblet of Fire where campers had to rescue a member of their House who was tied up in the woods, the kids and the counselors had an amazing time. Michael, Hannah and I had planned Harry Potter Night during our 40 hour day off (an attempt to feel less guilty by being productive) and I spent hours preparing for it. We rearranged the dining hall to look like the one at Hogwarts, complete with 4 House tables, House colors, flowers, and floating candles. Signs posted around the camp forbade students from entering the Forbidden Forest and from mixing polyjuice potion in the lavatories. Clues for the Goblet of Fire were written on parchment and American accents were banished in favor of British ones.

We had a sorting ceremony, followed by a delicious dinner that got interupted by a few ghosts and an ogre attack. We practiced spells such as Expelliarmus and Petrificus Totalus, as well as our Patronus charms. Good thing too because on the way back to camp, we got attacked by dementors! The Goblet of Fire was a big hit and we wrapped the show up with a Quidditch tournament. For many campers, Harry Potter Night was a dream come true - a chance to finally live the world they had read about - and for me, the night was a lot of work but a smashing success!