Director Jud's Blog

Once each session at SMA Teen Summer Camp we launch our whole camp onto the Class III rapids of the Lower Youghiogheny River (often referred to as “The Yock”) for a seven mile white water roller coaster ride.  Nothing really compares to the exhilaration of entering the “white water world” and powering through rapids.

As we prepared to go white water rafting during Session 2 of 2015 this year it started to rain during our safety talk guides.  As you can see from the photo below this wasn't just rain, we were experiencing an official Pennsylvania Downpour.  As you can imagine camp spirits were low for the moment as we all anticipated 5 hours of paddling in the rain and all the shivers and teeth chattering that comes along with it.  

Before long we all had paddles, helmets, raft captains and were in our boats receiving final safety instructions.  The first rapid of the day is long winding rapid appropriately called "Entrance Rapids".  As we all struggled and paddled it continued to rain like a monsoon.  

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE SMA WHITE WATER RAFTING VIDEO

Come see Director Jud and maybe even Wyatt and Molly at the Summer Youth Fair at Mount Nittany Middle School

Saturday, February 1

Where: Mount Nittany Middle School

2015 Summer Activities Fair

Friday, Feb. 20, 2015, from 6-8 p.m.

Jefferson Community Center, 3501 2nd Street S.

This event is sponsored jointly by the Department of School and Community Relations and the Arlington County Council of PTAs (CCPTA). The funds raised from exhibitor fees are used t o fund scholarships for APS seniors who will be pursuing careers in education or youth services upon graduation.

The summer fair features approximately 90 summer program exhibitors, APS Summer School, Arlington Aquatics, Arlington Career Center Enrichment, and Arlington County Parks and Recreation. 

 

Click here to whatch a Snapshot Video about the Camp Fair

     

Stone Mountain Adventures will be attending the Summer Camp Discoveries Fair at John Hopkins University!

When: Tuesday, February 17, 2015, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Where: John Hopkins University, Turner Concourse, East Baltimore campus

Meet with local and regional camp representatives to learn about:

• Camps for children ages 4-18
• Day and overnight camps
• Camps for individuals with special needs

Attendees will receive the 2015 Summer Camp Guide and can enter a raffle to win camp discounts and other great prizes!

My name is Melissa Mooradian, I spent my first summer at Stone Mountain Adventures Teen Summer Camp when I was 12 years old.  I was a camper at SMA Teen Camp for four summers, from 2005-2008, and the three and a half weeks I spent at SMA each summer changed me dramatically.  They helped me build confidence, learn to overcome fears, and embrace the challenge of new activities.  As a small timid 12 year old, I was terrified of most of the “adventure activities” offered at camp.  My first time white water rafting down the Youghiogheny River, I cried so hard before getting on the river that my counselors almost didn’t make me go.  I’ve rafted that river 8 times now, successfully leading my own boat of campers down the river this summer. Stone Mountain Adventures Teen Summer

We Have a New SMA Video on our Homepage!

All of us here at Stone Mountain Adventures are excited to announce that we have a new promotional video on our web site!

The amazing thing about this video is that is was 100% made by SMA Campers and Alumni!

We would like to thank Matthew Fichandler and our crew of amazing Third Session Campers for their time and dedication in putting this incredible video together.  Matthew Fichandler was a camper at SMA for 5 Summers (2010-2014) and is now freshman at Wesleyan University studying film!

In addition the soundtrack of the new SMA Teen Camp Promotional Video is by a 4 Year SMA Camper (2005 to 2008) and current camp counselor Ali Sanzo. Her band is called Sweater Core.  To learn more about Sweater Core:

• Like Sweater Core on Facebook
• Listen to their music on Soundcloud
• Visit the Sweater Core YourTube Page

We think you will agree this is our best SMA Video yet!

My name is Alyna Malyniak, and and a few months again I returned to my home in Australia after working at Stone Mountain Adventures Summer Camp.  I am already gearing up for another summer there in 2015!  ‘Bunk Junk’ and ‘Invention Convention’ were only two terms  I had no idea about when I first arrived to work at my first ever SMA Teen Summer  Camp this year.

Having never attended a 2 week summer camp before, let alone worked at one, I had no idea what to expect when I was picked up at the train station in Huntingdon, PA after travelling for what felt like forever. That night, once I had met my fellow counsellors through a haze of jetlag, one thing was for certain: I’d met some of the best people I was sure I’d ever meet. The next 10 days of staff training were a challenging and confronting experience, I felt like I had so much to learn, and of course I was terrified of being a terrible counsellor – but I made it through and was ready for the next challenge, the arrival of the campers.

Last week I traveled to Manchester, England, for three days. It was a quick trip, but an incredible experience. The purpose of my trip was to attend a "staff fair" hosted by Camp America, a company that helps camps like SMA Teen Camp find international staff and then arranges their J1 work visas.  The staff fair was a smashing success with about 90 camps in attendance and more than 2100 potential camp counselors trying to find the perfect camp for them.   

The GHS PTA will host its annual SummerFare Camp Expo on Wednesday, January 28th, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in the GHS Student Center.  This event is open to the public and is free of charge.

A Climbing Camp Camp Counselor Returns to SMA 20 years later!

A few weeks ago a former camp counselor came to visit Stone Mounatain Adventures Teen Summer Camp.  Neal McLennan traveled from Brisbane, Austrailia with his wife Natialie and their three children Grace (7), Anrdew (5) and Hannah (3) - very brave.  Neal was a camp counselor at SMA Teen Summer Camp in summers of 1993 and 1994.  For those of you who remember Neal, he actually hales from England and immigrated to sunny Brisban, Australia in 2004.  The following is an interview I conducted with Neal while he was here visiting camp after being gone for 20 years:

Stone Mountain Adventures 2 Week Summer Camp will be attending a camp fair at the Brookline High School in the Tappan Street Gym in Brookline, MA.  The fair will be hosted by Steps to Success (STS), a comprehensive achievement program for students from low-income families, most of whom live in Brookline’s public housing  and runs from 4pm to 6.30pm  

What: A 2 Week Summer Camp Fair hosted by Steps to Success

Where: The Brookline High School, Tappan St Gym, 66 Tappan St, Brookline, MA

When: Sunday, January 11, 2015: 11am to 3pm

Stone Mountain Adventures Teen Summer Camp.

What: A Teen Summer Camp Fair hosted by Tips on Trips and Camps

Where: The Chapin School, 100 East End Ave, New York City, NY

When: Thursday, January 8, 2015: 4pm to 6.30pm, 

This winter Director Jud will be traveling throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast attending camp fairs and meeting with families who have expressed interest in Stone Mountain Adventures Summer Camp. 

Happy New Year from Stone Mountain Adventures!

This is Jud Millar from Stone Mountain Adventures.  I can hardly believe that 2014 is coming to an end.  As I take a moment to look back and reflect on the past 12 months, I am overwhelmed by the amount of love and positive energy that was created in and around Stone Mountain Adventures.

2014 was a banner year from SMA Teen Summer Camp as we made some minor, but meaningful, changes while keeping the core values of SMA. The mission of Stone Mountain Adventures continues to be “To provide growth experiences for teenagers through outdoor adventure activities and the cooperative group experience while having fun every day.”

Happy Holidays from to everyone in our Stone Mountain Adventures Summer Camp family. We hope that your holiday has been safe and fun! 

The holidays tend to be the time of year for gift giving and time spent with family and friends.  The time of year when we make our lists and check them twice.  Finding that perfect gift for the  kids, tweens and teens in your life who seem to have everything can be a real challenge.  This year you should consider giving the gift of overnight summer camp.

Overnight teen summer camps mean many things to many people.  Here at Stone Mountain Adventures we know camp to be an incredible, life-shaping place where kids get to disconnect from their smartphones and tablets and connect with friends in real life. 

An interview with SMA Teen Summer Camp Director Jud Millar is featured on a new website www.TeamBuildingWithTeens.com

Gabe Jaffe was a camper st SMA Teen Summer camp for the summers of 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Gabe grew and matured during his time at SMA and when he aged out of SMA we were sad to see him go.  Gabe's older brother Dan Jaffe was also a camper at SMA in 2003, 2004 and 2005.  Gabe recently wrote the following essay as a part of his application for the university of Maryland.  In this essay Gabe had to answer the question:

Describe a time when you were a fearless leader.

Stone Mountain Adventures Teen Summer Camp (SMA), my close-knit overnight camp in rural Pennsylvania, had given me unparalleled experiences, life-long friends, and the best four summers of my life.  Sadly, because I was 15, this would be my last year at camp; the culmination of the session would be the dance and as a veteran camper, I would help organize it.

Independence. 

Self-confidence.