Blog Sachems: Mallika Singh ('12) and Eduardo Terren, Journalism & World Affairs Counselors

Video: Sonia Wargacka, Projects Counselor, and LAJF Video Fellow

Photos: Mallika Singh

The girls' session has commenced

The first week of the girls session of camp flew by fast. The first week is all about getting to meet new people, forming new bonds and creating friendships that will last a lifetime. The campers are doing just that.

The campers arrived at camp on Saturday eager to meet everyone and to create new friendships. The first day was very busy. The campers were welcomed by staff and second years with the traditional “Welcome Song.” They then learned which tent they will be sleeping in, set up their beds, put up mosquito nets, and unpacked their belongings.

The second year campers have been doing an outstanding job showing campers the ins and outs of camp, from learning a new song, adjusting to the schedule, or modeling what a being a Sachem is all about.

Various activities this week included instructions and projects. The campers signed up for activities that sparked their interest. The campers this week have also enjoyed exploring the camp grounds and the various activities they can do on their free time. Some campers enjoyed a relaxing time in the pool, some played tennis, and some shared their musical talents.

Although these campers are such a diverse group of girls, they all share one thing in common: they are all part of the Camp Rising Sun program, learning together how to become the leaders of tomorrow.

Sachems of the Week

• Freda (UK)
• Alyssa (U.S.)
• Milena (Ecuador)
• Merel (Netherlands)
• Elisabeth (Denmark)
• Nataelle (U.S.)
• Gaby (U.S.)

Week 1 Instructions

Tuesday

• Nataelle (Second Year): Stunts
• Dan (General Counselor): Stand-Up Comedy
• Justin (Office): Physics & Metaphysics
• Rick Richter (Alum): History of Camp

Wednesday

• Alba (Evening Programs): Liberty & Justice
• Alyssa (Second Year): Confidence
• Karim (STEM): Binary Systems Rick Richter: U.S. Colleges

Thursday

• Merel & Elisabeth (Second Years): Debate Intro
• Amit (Assistant Projects & Hiking): Sikhism
• Jenny (Drama): Silks
• Ammi (Hiking): Swimming
• Caro (Arts): Color Wheel
• Raina (Medical Director): First Aid

Week 1 Projects

• Vigil Sites
• Time Capsule
• History of Camp
• Trail Exploration
• Gym Stage
• Lean-to Construction
• Songbook

Time Capsule Reflection

Twenty-five years ago, the alumni of Camp Rising Sun came together to create a time capsule addressed to the 2017 Rising Sun campers. Cameron, the Facilities Manager, found the box in the attic of the main building when checking to see why the wifi wasn’t working. What are the odds?

Faced with nothing but anticipation, the campers gathered around the outdoor stage in the evening and opened it together. From the outside, the box appeared to be decrepit. When we looked inside, we traveled back in time; it was filled with memories and history from 1992, including a photograph, a forgery letter, and a CRS alumni letter.

More than 106 items were found in total. Most of the items seem to be unusable in today’s world. The majority of the items were office supplies from Vera Brophy, Freddie’s last secretary. After she died, the staff packed up all of her and Freddie’s supplies and put them into a time capsule to be opened in 2017. While opening them, many campers were amazed at the contents, especially those that had to do with the typewriter. Alyssa, a second-year camper from Boston and projects sachem for the week said, “it was cool to see the history of before we were here at camp. It was exciting to know it was there, and that it came from 25 years ago. The letters were dope.” We found approximately 90 keys that campers decided to turn into necklaces and bracelets.

The photograph was another important find. Initially, we had no idea who the people were, but later, with the help of Helene, the LAJF Executive Director, we determined that the people in the photograph were most likely Freddie and most of the counselors. We also found a CRS-alumni letter written by Freddie for future alumni campers, highlighting what he wanted CRS to be. The Foundation already found a copy of this letter in their office, but we managed to recover two more copies. Another especially interesting and unexpected find was a letter confessing to a crime, which was written by a former camper. The letter admitted to forgery and eventually became part of a large case file.

CRS has had an amazing season in regards to time capsules. In addition to the capsule that we opened, we also found another one addressed to the campers of 2017 from an unidentified year, as well as one opened in 2009. After much deliberation, we decided to leave the other time capsule addressed to 2017 for the campers of 2018. We are planning on leaving a letter to the campers of 2018, and we are also making our own time capsule, which will be opened in 25 years.

We hope that time capsules will become a CRS tradition. We look forward to seeing what both the future and the past hold. We are grateful to have had such a rare opportunity.

First Day of Camp