by Myles Maxon
On Monday, campers returned to their weekly activities rested and rejuvenated from a weekend of games, sleep, and laundry. After a more hectic than usual day on the hill due to the arrival of another large camp, Optionals brought a special treat. In addition to a regular list of activities such as ping-pong, crafts, and four-square, campers had the opportunity to attend the Star Party, a gathering hosted by the Astronomy class. Unlike most of our Optionals, which are capped in order to ensure the right balance of campers to counselors, this activity was available to anyone who wanted to attend.
In the end, almost half of the camp made the trek to the open field on campus where the event was held. The Astronomy class, playing the role of educators, had set up telescopes carefully positioned to show interesting features in the night sky like the moons of Jupiter, the North star, the Big Dipper, and many other constellations. This experience gave valuable teaching skills to the Astronomy students and a rare opportunity to watch the sky in a new way for the rest of us. It was a unique experience that set a high bar for Optionals for the rest of camp, a bar we will enjoy trying to meet.