There are certain phrases and words that campers begin to talk about from the day they arrive at camp – like, ‘Tigers, Cubs, Giants, Climbers, PJB, Campus, and Under The Trees’ – these are words that instantly have meaning for them. But there are two words that evoke an unmatched sense of pride and excitement like the words ‘Sing Song’ do. After weeks of preparation, literally since the first week of camp, the big event is finally here and we could not be more excited! Earlier this afternoon, I had the opportunity to stop by the rehearsal in OTW. As I looked around at the bleachers in the theatre and the campers that filled them, I was instantly amazed at the voices I heard from each team. The words of each song flowed so beautifully, giving me chills as I looked at the campers in awe.
What many don’t see is the practice that goes into this evening. Every camper, even down to our younger Junior I’s, are meeting with their Sing Song leader, Sing Song Committee, and the entire team every week, often multiple times per week, to memorize lyrics, practice sitting with great posture, and sing with confidence. Our leaders have done an outstanding job of helping their girls arrive to this day, ready to perform so beautifully in the theatre we all love dearly. While I would’ve loved for all our staff members to be in the theatre to see this event, out of an abundance of caution regarding health and safety, only a limited number of staff members were allowed into the theatre. However, we created an exciting viewing experience for our staff in Cliff House, where we live-streamed Sing Song, so that staff could view the entire event! The staff was so excited to watch each team sing and follow along throughout the entire evening.
In the theatre, each big team sang four different songs, with every camper participating for each. This year the girls sang a traditional song, a folk song, a new camp song written by their Sing Song Committee, and chose an “old” camp song. There is a panel of staff judges, who review each performance and score based on the team’s presentation and musicality. After each team performed beautifully, the judges left to review each performance and total the scores to determine the winner. Campers played games in OTW with some staff alumnae, while anxiously awaiting the news the judges would soon bring back into OTW! The time had finally come, teams crossed arms with one another as they awaited the news, and I announced that the Climber Team was the winner of Sing Song 2021!
To say today was incredible is an understatement. It was one of the most beautiful nights of camp, and I’m so proud of our campers!
Kind Regards,
Leslie
