Director Jud's Blog

How can You Help an Anxious Teen Look Forward to Summer Camp?

If your child has anxiety about attending a sleepaway summer camp there are some strategies that you as a parent can use to help them prepare and stay calm in the weeks leading up to the opening day of camp.  More than one in 20 kids and teens in America have anxiety or depression and for the majority, this won’t stop them from going to camp. If your child is excited about their upcoming adventure but is a little worried that anxiety may stop them from making the most of the experience, how can you help them keep their ‘fight or flight response’ in check?

Making Arrangements with Friends

Kids who have anxiety can feel much more comfortable about going to camp if friends they know will be joining them. It probably won’t be difficult to get friends excited about a camp at Stone Mountain Adventures, where kids can take part in so many amazing water and mountain activities. Even if friends are doing other things, let your child know that Stone Mountain Adventures is special because there are only about 60 campers per session. Therefore, there is a warm family atmosphere that will help your teen feel protected at all times.

SMA Teen Summer Camp Director and Owner Jud Millar will be traveling north to attend a Summer Opportunities Camp Fair hosted by the Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.  The Summer Opportunities Camp Fair will be help on Sunday, January 27, 2019 from 12pm to 3pm.  The will be the 29th year that the Phillips Academy has hosted this camp fair.   This fair is designed to give middle and high school students and their families the chance to meet with representatives from approximately 100 local, national and international summer programs.  A wide range of programs will be represented here, including those that focus on academics, language study, community service, sleepaway teen camps, sports, mountain biking summer camps for teenagers, arts, research, internships, outdoor adventure, and international travel.

What: Summer Opportunities Camp Fair

When: Sunday, January 27, 2019 from 12pm to 3pm

Where: The Phillips Academy, 180 Main St, Andover, MA 01810 

SMA Summer Camp for Teens Director and Owner Jud Millar will be in Darien, CT on Saturday, January 26 for a Camp Fair.  The camp fair will be hosted by Tips on Trips and Camps and is designed to be a place where families with kids ages 8 to 18 can learn about sleepaway camps, creative and performing arts camps, sports camps, internships, community service opportunities, travel programs and more.  

What: Camp Fair for kids ages 8 to 18

Where: Darien High School (cafeteria)

      80 High School Lane, Darien, CT
When: Saturday, January 26 from  1 to 3:30 

Stone Mountain Adventures will be attending the Greenwich High School Camp Fair know as the "Summerfare" on Wednesday, January 23, 2019 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM.  Come see Camp Director and Owner Jud Millar at the Summerfare!

When:
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
6:00 - 8:00 PM

(snow date, Thursday, January 24, 2019)

Where:
GHS Student Center
10 Hillside Road
Greenwich, CT 06830

Camp Director Jud Millar will be on hand tonight at the Main Line Camp Fair.  You will find him at the SMA booth chatting with families about the summer:

When: Wednesday, January 16, 2019 from 5:30pm – 8:00pm

Where: Conestoga High School, 200 Irish Road, Berwyn, PA

One lucy person who attend will win a $350 voucher towards any of the participating camps.  The winner will be chosen at the end of the evening.

Irrespective of whether you are an new camper eight year- old battling with anxiety, a 12-year-old veteran camper struggling with concentration and expressive regulation, or a counselor who is just anxious and astounded, these three simple practices and breathing exercises can lessen tension, increase contentment, and generate permanent behaviors for wellness and pliability.

During the summer of 2018 Stone Mountain Adventures offered a Dream Day Camp for kids ages 8 to 12 year old.  The was the second summer we offered this awesome program.  The following Blog Post was written by Merina Madina who was a Counselor In Training this past summer.  

In February of 2018 one of Pam's prized horses was selected by Hope in the Saddle as the Therapy Horse of the year!  

Selected from more than 120 entries, Ebony was chosen as the grand-prize winner of the contest. Ebony (along with her human friend, Pam Hayes-Houldin) received a one-year supply of Nutrena feed, a $250 Tractor Supply Co. Gift Card, Hope in the Saddle gear and a commemorative trophy.  In addition a film crew traveled to Horsepower Farm from Boulder, Colorado to shoot the following video: 

Camping is becoming increasingly popular in the United States, especially among millennials, with 77 million households having at least one person who camps occasionally. And what’s not to love? Being surrounded by nature, enjoying fresh air, and creating memorable experiences is all a part of the journey. Plus, being around nature has a very positive impact on kids and teens, and with organized trips such as Stone Mountain Adventures, you can rest assured that safety is guaranteed.

The article appeared in the Huntingdon Daily News on July, 17 2018.  This article was written by form SMA Camper Molly Biddle:

"Stone Mountain Adventures (SMA) summer camp, nestled in Donation, Oneida Township, has had a long tradition of hosting international campers and counselors since the mid-1980s.

The camp, founded by Pam and Biff Houldin and now run by their son, Jud Millar, brings teenage campers, 12-16 years old, from all over the country and all over the world to water ski on Raystown Lake and hike the Thousand Steps, among other activities. The camp has hosted international campers from about a dozen countries, including Colombia, Peru, Italy, Spain, and France, but, this summer marks a new first.

Here are our 2019 Dates:

Choose from any combination of 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8-week sessions!

2 Week Sessions                     Enroll Online    

• Session 1 (SMA1)         Sun 6/23           to       Sat 7/6
• Session 2 (SMA2)         Sun 7/7             to       Sat 7/20      
• Session 3 (SMA3)         Sun 7/21           to       Sat 8/3
• Session 4 (SMA4)**      Mon 8/5             to       Sun 8/18** Tuition Discount

4 Week Sessions                          Enroll Online   

• Session 1 + 2                Sun 6/23           to       Sat 7/20       
• Session 2 + 3                Sun 7/7             to       Sat 8/3  
• Session 3 + 4                Sun 7/21           to       Sun 8/18

6 Week Sessions                      Enroll Online

• Session 1 + 2 + 3          Sun 6/23           to      Sat 8/3
• Session 2 + 3 + 4          Sun 7/7             to      Sun 8/18

8 Week Session                          Enroll Online

• Session 1 + 2 + 3 + 4     Sun 6/23          to       Sun 8/18

1 Week Sessions                         Enroll Online

• Session 4-1 (SMA4-1)    Mon 8/5           to       Sun 8/11
• Session 4-2 (SMA4-2)    Mon 8/12         to       Sun 8/18

All of us at Stone Mountain Adventures are so excited to share the Session 1, 2018 Slideshow with you!

I love to spend time with friends sitting around a campfire.  My favorite things to do around a campfire include: telling ghost stories, playing the guitar and making smores.

Click Here to Download the Session 4 Camper and Staff Memory Book 

I love to go camping and every year I look forward to the summer months when I can sleep under the stars.  This summer at Stone Mountain Adventures Summer Camp we offered 16 camping trips!

Camper and Staff Memory Book

Session 3 2018

Click Here to Download the Session 3 Camper and Staff Memory Book 

Liz Feldstein-Nixon

This session flew by faster than the past two. It’s hard to believe that tomorrow we all have to leave this magical place. This was my first time staying session 3 and I’ve had a blast. The people here that I’ve met have a contagious energy that even made the rain fun. Mattawanna was awesome and we all got super close. Sup n Sail with Seb was definitely a high point along with the hiking overnight. I did the Yough with Babs + Helen, but then Helen left ( thanks for that Helen). We crushed it. It rained. It poured. Abbey got cold. All in all a good time. It sucks that so many of my friends won’t be back next year, but I’m so grateful to have met them. Thank you guys for making this summer so special.

We had an incredible summer at Stone Mountain Adventures Summer Camp.  Third Session was so awesome.  Here is the Third Session Slideshow from SMA, Enjoy!

Greetings from the Stone Mountain Adventures (SMA) family. It is hard to believe that the summer of 2018 has come and gone so fast. It seems like only yesterday we were dusting off the canoes and tuning up the mountain bikes, and now this incredible summer is in the history books. The remainder of August was great, but we often found ourselves playing “remember that time in first session... that was awesome!” during our down time

On the last full day of the session we asked each member of our group to take a few moments and "reflect" about his or her experience at Stone Mountain Adventures. Enclosed are the written reflections of campers as well as a brief description of many of the activities that we did at camp written by our stellar staff.  We hope you enjoy this SMA Memory Book and these reflections as much as we do!

Click Here to Download the Session 2 Camper and Staff Memory Book 

Alyssa Phillips (Billy Jean Johnson)

This was my second year of SMA and it just keeps getting better and better! It went by so fast but when I look back it feels slow. This year I became very close to many people. Last year I feel like I closed myself off to only two people. This year was way more fun and I’m going to miss everyone so much. Besides spraining my thumb I couldn’t have asked for a better two weeks! I feel like this is the only place on earth where I can be myself and live in the moment.

Here is the Stone Mountain Adventures Session 2, 2018 Slideshow! Photos in this awesome slideshow include: Rock Climbing, Mountain Biking, White Water Rafting, Evening Activities and So Much More!

All of us at Stone Mountain Adventures are so excited to share the Session 1, 2018 Slideshow with you!