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ESF 25th Anniversary Celebrations!
Thank you to all Team Members for making ESF’s 25th Anniversary summer celebrations so special! The summer itself culminated with the Time Capsule festivities, which were unforgettable at each site! Read below to learn how some Sites celebrated ESF’s 25th!
As part of ESF’s 25th anniversary celebration, each site uncovered its own Time Capsule, chock full of 1982 goodness! Campers were part of the week-long search to find the capsule and discover the combination that would open it. Each site had its own unique way of making the Time Capsule an unforgettable experience for its campers. Here are some of the ways that our ESF Sites celebrated the Time Capsule:
The Episcopal Academy—Pat Keaveney, Assistant Site Director A package was found at the OT greeters’ bench first thing in the morning and opened in front of the entire camp at morning assembly. In it was the opening letter and "search crew" T-shirts. The campers were told that several people around campus had received clues as to where the capsule was hidden. They asked people and listened to the clues. The capsule was found in the fish pond and brought to morning assembly by Scott, the head of maintenance at EA. He revealed where it was found. We read the instructions about the puzzle pieces and challenged the groups to find as many as possible. Every group found at least one piece of the puzzle. At the opening ceremony, we allowed the group which found the most puzzle pieces (Sports Camp's Nittany Lions) to try the lock first. They opened it on their first try and each got a trucker hat for their efforts. We celebrated by displaying the contents of the capsule and explaining each piece. We had a lot of fun with this and the entire camp was pretty fired up about the clues and the puzzle pieces!
Greenwich Academy—Amy Blescia, Assistant Site Director Our Team drew a map of the campus on the back of the puzzle pieces, with a red X indicating the location of the time capsule. Campers searched for pieces using clues found throughout campus. Chris Guda, our Senior Camp Director, served as our search captain. He walked around campus wearing his search gear and carrying the metal detector. He would go to locations indicated by the campers and investigate. One clue led him into the pond, where he donned his full scuba gear and jumped in! Campers brought puzzle pieces to the office to be taped on a glass wall. The campers were then able to see the map on the back through the glass. Campers also created individual time capsules by gathering items representing ESF—milestone pins, spirit stick stickers, swim ribbons, etc. The Search Crew staged fake findings and was seen running frantically to different locations, digging up fake time capsules. Once the puzzle was together, the campers guessed the time capsule location. We arranged for construction workers to ‘dig up’ the time capsule and deliver it to Teepee Village on a back hoe. When a construction worker, Mark, arrived at Teepee Village, all three camps were cheering, clapping, yelling, and jumping up and down! Mark dumped the suitcase along with dirt, twigs, leaves, and rocks in Teepee Village. The kids were so excited and they all believed it, even Senior Camp! Chris Guda opened the time capsule with a crowbar and the campers were pumped to see the items inside!
The Lawrenceville School—Scott Rourke, Site Director Campers submitted clues to LV Buildings and Grounds (B&G) the week prior as to where they thought the time capsule was on campus. Campers presented them live to B&G director Tim Moore on Friday. All week, LV B&G staff heightened awareness of the capsule, driving around the campus holding the clues and telling campers they were on the hunt! Each day the directors would update the campers as to the status of the search and to "keep their eyes out for the time capsule." The Leadership Team wore the search crew shirts and used the metal detectors to play it up throughout the week On Wednesday, we had one assembly for Day Camp and another for Sports and Senior Camps. Tim Moore rolled the capsule in a wheelbarrow and covered it with dirt. He read the letter enclosed and assisted me in pulling the time capsule from the wheelbarrow for all to see. Campers were told they would need to find puzzle pieces to get the combination to unlock the capsule. We showed an example of one puzzle piece. Finally, we had the "Opening" Ceremony on Friday, one for Day Camp and one for Sports and Senior Camps. Campers were picked to try the combination. Once the capsule was opened, show-and-tell of the items and a Rubik’s Cube 30 second challenge for the campers and Team members took place while the 80’s music played in the background. This was a great culminating event!
Norwood-Fontbonne Academy at Chestnut Hill College—Jenny Kulick, Assistant Site Director At their morning assemblies, each camp was informed that the search for the Time Capsule was on! The Leadership Team and representatives from Day, Senior, and Sports Camps were decked out in their tie-dyed Search Crew T-shirts and rad 80’s gear to be a constant reminder of the search. Campers were encouraged to submit clues to Dave the security guard, who would pass them along to the crew to search CHC after hours. The group that provided the clue that led to the capsule received The Golden Shovel, a bright yellow, decorated shovel about the size of the Spirit Stick. Once the capsule was found, Henry (from CHC’s B&G crew) drove it up to each camp’s morning assembly in the back of his tractor. The next few days included searching for the puzzle pieces. Once the puzzle was put together, all campers gathered for the Opening Ceremony. The Search Crew, decked out in even more 80’s gear, began the assembly with a sweet routine to “Eye of the Tiger” and Rob, our Site Director, brought out the capsule amid fog and cheers! We had a rockin’ assembly with Scouts, Ambassadors, and Captains guessing the combination until it was opened. Once the capsule was opened (and the group that guessed correctly received another Golden Shovel), we had a series of challenges in which the campers participated—a Rubic’s Cube Race, a Robot-off, and an 80’s Hair Challenge. Day, Senior, and Sports Camps each received an award for winning a challenge each. All in all, everyone at CHC was livin’ their 80’s dreams, thanks to the Time Capsule!
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