Here it is one week prior to the opening of the summer office and the beginning of pre-camp!  We are all arriving in camp next weekend along with the rest of the pre-camp staff.  We are all chomping at the bit to get there!  The weather is finally getting warmer up there, the trees all have their leaves back, and the lakes have melted.  We know you all live ten months for the two that are approaching and so do we.  We know how excited you are, that you dream about camp, and that you think about it all the time.  We know that some of you have already begun to pack.  Memorial Day weekend is approaching and it is the unofficial start of summer.  For us it is the official start as that is when we start getting Island Lake ready for all of our campers.  We look forward to seeing all of you there soon.  It’s time to be at camp!

Aaron was admitted to The College of William and Mary. He was very excited about W&M and posted it on his Facebook page. Another Island Laker that he knew years ago but has not communicated with in ages saw his post and wrote him all excited. We went down to campus for Accepted Students Day. He ended up staying with her in her dorm. This really was great for him to get the inside scoop on the school. He met a bunch of people and saw the school from the inside. It was a completely great experience for him.

This is just a long-winded way of saying Thank You for Island Lake. Aaron had a ball there and still has many fond memories of his summers there. I know that Island Lake was his “Home”, and the place where we live was what he had to put up with until he could go home again. What happens at Island Lake does not stay at Island Lake. Friendships made there continue to positively impact his life.

One of the best things about being an Island Laker is you never know who you will run into and where! Sydney Shulman and Annabelle Fine ended up competing against each other in a cheerleading competition. This led to a spontaneous sleepover at Sydney’s house!

While vacationing in Cancun with his family, Matt & Lily Stoltz ran into the Curtis family! They were all staying at the same resort! Jordan and Lily had a great time playing in the pool together as you can see from this photo.

Island Lakers are everywhere so keep your eyes open!

With 65 days until Island Lake opens, we are getting closer and closer to being surrounded by the sounds of happy campers everywhere! Spring has finally come to the northeast after a relentless winter and the Island Lake staff is busy coming up with great new things for this summer. First session will bring Tribals, something new to Island Lake. For two days we are going to suspend activities and hold a four way team competition. This is not Color War nor meant to replace Color War. This is simply another idea that our staff has brought to us that will make your summer more special!

Our department heads are busy talking to their new staff members and our returning counselors are also giving them tons of advice. When we enter the chat rooms that they are all using on Facebook we see just how welcoming our veterans are to the new staff members and how helpful they are!

While just about every position is filled, Dustin and Trip are finding the right people to fill the last slots. Michael, Maciej, and Chris are at camp every day getting the facilities and equipment ready for the summer. Wendy and Matt are busy talking to parents and learning as much about our new campers as they can.

Spring is in the air, camp is around the corner, and it’s a great time of year to be an Island Laker!