July 31, 2005
Sunday-Funday
We started off the day waking up and attending Badarak. Following that we went to brunch. After that we had clean-up and free time. At 12:30 we went on a 2 hour hike through the woods which was very fun; we got to see all sorts of plants and trees and things. We were going to go swimming but it began to rain, so we watched the movie Hitch. We paused the movie and went to dinner but as soon as we finished we finished the movie. At 7:15 pm we went to the Rec. Hall where we played charades and concluded the night by watching The Pacifier, followed by bed. We sure had an exciting day.
~ Teen Boys ~
July 30, 2005
Farewell...
Today we said goodbye to a few of our campers. The parents enjoyed watching the dancing performances and artwork. In the afternoon we had an Olympic kickball game/volleyball game, then we had a counselor group scavenger hunt, it was so much fun. After dinner, the whole camp engaged in Yankees vs. Red Sox volleyball game. Of course the best team, the Yankees won the game! To end the day, we all headed over to the campfire and sang songs and told stories. We had so much fun today and can’t wait to see what other exciting things we do the rest of the week!
~ Armo Olives ~
July 29, 2005
A day with the Teen Boys
We woke up today at 7:30 in the morning and went as a group to breakfast. After breakfast, we went to our classes. In Armenian Heritage class we learned about Vartanantz. In Religion, we learned about the parts of a verse title and found out how to locate verses. Later on at Performing Arts, Maestro Khoren taught us the new camp anthem that he wrote. After classes we had lunch then went to play sports. We played volleyball, basketball, and “over the mountain” with the other campers. After sports we went for a refreshing swim in the pool. Later on in the day, we attended our elective classes where we learned liturgical chants, drama techniques, and some Armenian. At arts and crafts, we sewed our own oriental rugs. Soon after, we started the CIT hunt where we followed a series of clues left by our CIT, Vicken Asadourian that resulted in our finding him and smothering him in shaving cream. We concluded our day with the St. Vartan Olympics where we divided into three teams and played Scatagories!
~ South Street Deghas ~
July 28, 2005
Thursday with the Anousheegs!
Today was the day of the much anticipated talent show. We started our day as usual with breakfast and chapel, and then we headed to our classes. After lunch we went to sports. Following sports we went swimming, where we rocked the pool with our cannonballs. Our CIT, Noelle came up with a dance so we could perform at the talent show. So before we went to electives, we practiced our dance over and over. After dinner we got dressed and ready for the talent show. The talent show was awesome. We danced to the song Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog. Everybody loved it. It was the perfect end to the day.
July 27, 2005
Christmas!!
Today was finally Christmas in July! We all woke up to cheerful Christmas music. Most of the day we did the same things like chapel and sports and all activities. In the morning after chapel we all got cards with names on them. What ever name that was on the card we had to give a gift to. Before we went to the Rec. Hall for gift exchange, every group was handed a bag full of party things. We were supposed to use all the items by making a parade. The parade went well and every group was judged. Finally after all these Christmas activities we were all sent to the Rec. Hall for gift exchange and a huge Christmas party! We danced, participated in activities, did the limbo, and of course gift exchange. Also each camper had a stocking full of candy. Later we all walked back to our dorms and slept thinking about the enjoyable Christmas day.
July 26, 2005
July 25, 2005
Monday with Surpazan
Monday morning we had a special treat; the Archbishop had come to camp on Sunday night so we were able to have Badarak in the morning. That caused the first day of classes to be cut short but we didn't mind too much. Surpazan gave us all beautiful crosses after the Badarak service; hand made wooden crosses blessed in Armenia. The day was spent trying to get to know each other and learning the camp schedule. For evening program we had a discussion on “Carrying the Flame.” Everyone shared their individual goals on how to carry the flame. Overall, we had a very eventful first day.
~ Armo Olives ~
July 24, 2005
Wacky Weekend
We sure had a busy weekend filled with sadness and happiness. First off we had quite a bit of excitement on Friday. Besides our regular daily activities, we were supposed to have a dance. Well, the dance almost didn’t happen. After dinner, the staff was told to be prepared for a storm and within minutes it started raining which was followed by a flash of lightning that just shaved the side of the tree. Unfortunately, that was followed by a loss of power. All the kids were ready for the dance, but we had to postpone it and they spent time doing group activities in their respective dorms.
Once it was okay to go outside, we realized that the clouds had cleared away from the mountains, leaving the perfect opportunity to take some pictures of the landscape. Soon enough, the oldest teen girls came out by the main building with a boom box and started dancing. They decided that they weren’t going to let the lack of electricity “rain on their parade.” Soon enough, the whole camp was outside dancing and having a good time. The CIT’s decided to take the girls’ lead and started to bring some of the decorations out to the tennis court. Within thirty minutes the tennis court was decorated and had all the snacks and drinks out there. Arthur drove his car around and DJ’d via his car. By 9 PM, the electricity came back on and the dance was moved back over to the Rec Hall. We were all worried – especially the campers – that we wouldn’t have a dance, but it was saved.
The next morning, we all made sure to help the campers pack and get ready to return to their homes. It was hard to say goodbye to the campers we spent the last two weeks with and it was just as hard to say good bye to the staff who had been there anywhere between two and five weeks. The only thing that softened the blow was that more campers and staff would be coming in the next day.
Sunday was busy; getting ready for all of the incoming campers. This session will be almost a half the size of the other two but not any less great. Once all the campers arrived, we had orientation where they got to meet all the staff and also learned the rules of SVC. Sunday night was ice breakers. We played a lot of fun “Get-To-Know-You” games. The fact that the group is smaller makes it more family-like. We’re all pretty excited for this Session C, even though we all miss our Session A and B friends.
July 23, 2005
July 22, 2005
July 21, 2005
July 20, 2005
July 19, 2005
July 18, 2005
July 17, 2005
Sunday was a Funday!
Sunday was a great day of relaxation. We started out with our normal chapel service led by Jason Demerjian. His sermon was very informative, we found out that we see over 500 advertisements a day! We were also reminded that we shouldn’t think so much about our appearance because God clothes us already. Following chapel we all split up into groups to do various activities such as BINGO, some water games, card games, Jenga and one of our favorites - Party Quirks. After some free time we got in our Olympic teams to do a camp wide scavenger hunt that included some items like a fly - dead or alive - a 1995 penny and an ACYOA logo. After dinner we had Movie Night and watched Shrek 2. We all watched it together in the Rec. Hall while bags of popcorn rained down on us! Oh, what a day!
~Dolma with a side of Falip ~
July 16, 2005
July 15, 2005
Farewell Dance
Friday was a very eventful day here at St Vartan Camp. Beside the usual day of classes and sports, we finally reached the first dance of the session. Everyone was excited to get dressed up for the dance. During the dance there were many people on the dabnce floor. The DJ, Arthur played a variety of music including Armneian music. The theme of the dance was “In the Jungle.” The C.I.T.’s spent a lot of time decorating the Rec. Hall.
Before the dance, C.I.T. Lauren Piligian and camper Christina Keshgagian’s fathers came and spent the day with us. For dinner the men cooked for us. They make Losh kebab and each and all sorts of goodies. We had a nice Armenian meal.
After the dance there was a campfire that was a lot of fun. Head counselor Haig told great stories and we found them very entertaining. Unfortunately, tomorrow is the closing program for the first week. It’s sad to see the one-week campers leave but we’re excited to be staying a new week!!
~ Dolma Darlings with a Side of Falip (Jr. Girls) ~
July 14, 2005
Thursday with the Teens
This morning, a green kangaroo woke us with a thunderous thump. He wouldn’t stop jumping so the counselors; Raffi, Greg, Brandon, and Avedis, escorted the kangaroo outside. At sports, all 8 members of our group successfully rode a horse through a hoola-hoop set a blaze… just kidding, we played Frisbee. At lunch, our group was called first to get food for the first time since July 14, 1860(ish)… a.k.a. Bastille Day. At class, Mark Torosian was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, whereas Nick Aroyan, Paul Coste and Peter Oundjian received a modest Full-bright.
The Talent show tonight was hosted by the esteemed Hollywood Haig and Salmonella Sevan. Though the displays of song, dance, and flare kept the night exciting, the program reached its climax when 11 Fries Short of a Happy Meal performed a logic-defying feat of indescribable strength. The crowd cheered for 10 minutes straight after the performance and all went to bed on time!
~ 11 Fries Short of a Happy Meal ~ (younger teen boys)
July 13, 2005
It's Christmas Time!
Today was Christmas!! During breakfast we saw Santa shoot some hoops outside. Everyone was dressed in red and green and in the spirit of the holiday, of course it helped that we were all woken up by Christmas songs over the PA system. Some people had Santa hats, others had reindeer antlers and lots of people had their jingle bells on. Today was also Sevan Janigian’s Birthday, so after the Before Meal Prayer we all broke out into song for her! She turned 13!! Actually, we sang to her at EVERY meal. Hey, 13 is a special year!
The whole day was festive but the evening activity was the best! Each counselor group was to build a float (human float) based on one of the 12 days of Christmas. Lori’s Gabeeg Power Rangers won 1st place in the float contest for their “Seven Swans a Swimming.” After the floats, we went to the Rec. Hall and exchanged gifts with out Secret Santa’s and sang Christmas carols and played some games and just had a great time. We were so excited from the day that we sure had trouble getting to sleep at night!!
~ Arpi’s Girls (younger teens) ~
July 12, 2005
Christmas Eve with the Teen boys
Our day started off with the plan to wake up at 7:30 not realizing the line in front of the bathroom. After that rude awakening we received by the juniors, we headed down to breakfast. We had a wonderful meal prepared by our cooks. We got cleaned up and were off to sports where we played kickball. Brandon is not only our counselor but the athletic director too.
For group time Brandon and Greg planned a “Trust Fall” activity. We partnered up and we would catch our partner to build trust. It helped us to get closer. Our evening activity was Game Night where we played Scattergories. Then we got a surprise by Buddy the Elf; he dropped by and read us a story. “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” was what he read us to get us ready for the Christmas tomorrow, and for the juniors he read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, a.k.a. “Visit from St. Nicolas” Every thing is going great! We’re all having so much fun!
~ Je Je Je Je East Side Boys (Oldest Teen Boys) ~
July 11, 2005
A Day in the Life of Mariah
Today was our first full day at camp, and the girls woke up very early. It was an awful experience. Breakfast and chapel followed; it was a tiring occasion, but that’s okay because the camp spirit was in the air. During sports, a lot of people played volleyball… and my team won! Swimming was quite a refreshing dip (it was a scorcher today). Extreme hardcore Marco Polo was… extreme. Lunch was next, but we’re not going to talk about that. Also, Sylvia taught us how to rap. Our evening program was an interesting discussion about “Carrying the Light” and what does it mean to be Armenian. It was just another day as a St. Vartan Camper.
~ Gabeeg Power Rangers ~
July 10, 2005
Session B- Day 1
Today was full of excitement! We (the staff) started getting ready for the campers as early as we could and as usual there were a lot of anxious campers who arrived hours early for registration. It was so good to see them after a long school year away. It’s always amazing to see just how much the campers change in just one or two years. The kids that were juniors have grown so much into teens and the teens, now C.I.T.’s are almost adults, it’s amazing. The campers had their group orientation followed by a camp-wide orientation. After dinner we had icebreakers then campfire then off to bed. It was quite an exciting day.
July 09, 2005
Don't Forget to Write!!
Today was the saddest day and so full of tears. The closing program was sentimental with the sports awards and the campers of the week. Even though this camp experience has ended, we will all go home with the memories and experiences we made here, luckily we all got each others e-mails! For many of us this is our second home and we would not trade it for anything in the world. So now that the sleeping bags are packed away and bug spray is near retirement, we say bye to our friends and are looking forward to next summer. Don’t forget to write!!
July 08, 2005
Farewell Dance!
Camp is over tomorrow and everyone’s so sad, but we all try to think about the positive; we can come back next year. We had our farewell dance tonight. The theme was “Under the Sea” and the C.I.T.’s did an amazing job decorating for it; there was a blow-up dolphin, seaweed, and goldfish crackers! Unfortunately we couldn’t have a campfire because the ground was too wet from the rain, but they did extend the dance in its place. We had an awesome time at the dance, we hated to leave.
July 07, 2005
The Last Talent Show...
We woke up excited because it was the day of the talent show. We all had something cool to do. But the excitement faded when we walked outside; it was so much colder then it had been. It also looked a little bit dreary, but we made the best of it. In the afternoon it actually started pouring cats and dogs for a little while. We ended up watching a movie and playing games, but the rain did let up. We played volleyball during sports. The camp has a real beach-like volleyball court, sand and everything!! Dinner was outside today; we had hamburgers and French fries, which were delicious. The evening activity was the talent show hosted by Hollywood Haig and Ani S two of the funniest people ever! There were so many acts but they were all so good so we didn’t mind sitting through it all.
July 06, 2005
Sing Your Heart Out
Today was so much fun! For the first time ever SVC had superlatives in which all the campers had a chance to vote for whom they thought was the funniest dancer of all the staff, for example. Some other categories were things like “best smile”, “most dramatic” and “camp clown.” Another super fun thing today was when we recorded our camp song. Maestro Khoren has been teaching us all week and we finally got to show off our voices! We were told that the songs are going on a CD for each camper to get at the end of the session. Tonight we had “Armenian Idol” and everyone had an opportunity to showcase their singing. There were judges and everything; Simon and Paula and that other guy I don’t know... it was a really fun day overall.
July 05, 2005
THE CIT HUNT!!
Today was a really exciting day. After breakfast we went to sports and had a lot of fun. Then we all went swimming together. Later, after lunch it started thunder storming during classes, but we didn’t let it put a damper on our fun. The rain stopped relatively quickly and our C.I.T.’s Nick and Mike hid ten clues that kept us running around for hours. Boy was it tiring. When we finally caught them we brought them to the field where a massive shaving cream fight went down. After we got cleaned up, we watched a movie, “The Pacifier,” with all the other juniors. Camp is quickly coming to an close and when it does we will all be sad.
~ Gods Little United Soldiers ( the Youngest boys) ~
July 04, 2005
God Bless America
On July 4th 2005 the Poppin’ Pilafs, and the whole camp, woke up for another wonderful and exciting day at St. Vartan Camp. We all got ready and went to breakfast. At breakfast, Yn. Arpi announced that it was July 4th but she was disappointed that not many people were showing their spirit. Right after breakfast we went to the newly raised flagpole and sang the American National Anthem and “God Bless America.” We then stayed where we were and had our chapel service outside with the flag and mountains as our backdrop. As always Der Vasken had a very meaningful sermon. After chapel we went back over to our dorms, cleaned our rooms and got ready for class. We had lunch, then sports and finally we were able to cool off in the pool, which was really nice. After dinner we had our evening activity which was basically a parade. Each counselor group had to dress up and think of something fun to do in the parade we had a blast! In our group, we dressed in red, white and blue; each girl in all one color. Liana was dressed by all the Pilafs in ALL the colors. She was our leader in the parade – we all followed behind her. After the judges calculated the scores we came in third, but we feel we won anyway because we had such a blast getting ready and actually participating in the parade. We worked real hard on our chant and outfits and getting everything together. All-in-all we had a great day; we really came together, helped each other out and made a great “float” for the parade. Once the sun went down, we had campfire. At the campfire we told stories and sang songs and played a game. In the game we were grouped up and we had to sing a song that included a word that they gave us. It was really hard sometimes but a lot of fun nonetheless. We defiantly had an awesome day!
~ The Popping Pilafs (Younger Teen Girls) ~
July 03, 2005
The Red Sox Win!!
Today we started off our day celebrating Badarak outside. Then we had brunch and started our day’s activities. There was a carnival, which included many different games. The day climaxed with the series of Yankees vs. Red Sox Volleyball games. The Junior Red Sox fans beat the Yankee fans, but the Teen Yankee fans won in the Teen game. For the finale, the staff played two games of there own. The Red Sox fans won two out of two games. The second game ended with the Red Sox crushing the Yankees 21-8. The day ended with making s’mores at the campfire. It was a good way to spend our weekend.
~ Two Bakers Dozen minus Three (Oldest Teen Boys) ~
July 02, 2005
Saturday Goodbyes
Today we broke from routine a bit. With the departure of five of our friends, we experienced the sadness of goodbye as well as the excitement of the pending week. Rooming adjustments and the closing program were simply a few aspects of what the day entailed. The afternoon was packed full with the exhilarating thrills that one would expect from a carnival. From the three-legged races to the amazing face painting and beauty booth, even a volley ball game – the Red Sox Fans vs. the Yankee fans… Red Sox won! Our day wrapped up with a fun wind-down movie night (The Incredibles), with popcorn and everything! We fell asleep with the promise of Badarak in the morning and the camp-wide dance at night. This was only one thrilling day in the life of a St. Vartan Camp camper. We miss you all!
-The Nameless Dudettes (8-10 year old girls)
July 01, 2005
Juniors' Friday Fun
We had such a great day today. This week has gone by too fast and we have had a blast. We have some great little inside jokes with our counselor Raffi and with our CIT’s Kiki & Kevork. “How many talons does a chicken have?” Friday was a nice day most of the day. It was nice until the lights went out, the WHOLE town lost power – it was crazy! We didn’t have any power for so many hours but we made the best of it and had some fun games. We played “Duck, Duck, Goose” and “Simon Says.” Then later at night we went to the campfire and sang songs, told stories and jokes too. Then the lights went on and we were so excited. It was fun to be without the light. The weather was nice even though the staff said it was supposed to rain. The dance was canceled but the staff did such a good job with keeping us busy we didn’t mind. But they promised to reschedule it for us.
The Vardig Avenger’s