Packing for Camp
Packing for camp is exciting! Click below to see our packing list and tips.
Getting to Camp
Please note that the information below is the most up-to-date plan for arriving to camp. While we don't anticipate any modifications to our arrivals, due to concerns about COVID-19, arrivals are subject to change. If any changes are made to our arrival procedures, we will update this page and notify you directly via email.
May 23rd (Pre-Camp): This applies only to those who have registered to work Pre-Camp. Coach bus will depart from Newark Airport Terminal B at 6pm. Please meet at the Green Bean Cafe. There will be a Camp Starlight representative to meet you at the airport.
June 11th - Support Staff (Kitchen, Dining Room, Maintenance, Office, Housekeeping, Day Camp Counselors, Programming Assistants, and Operations Assistants): Coach bus will depart from the Courtyard Newark Liberty International Airport Hotel at 6:00 pm. There will be a Camp Starlight representative to meet you at the hotel (see details below).
June 13th - Boating Staff, Waterski Staff, Swim Staff: Coach bus will depart from the Courtyard Newark Liberty International Airport Hotel at 6:00 pm. There will be a Camp Starlight representative to meet you at the hotel (see details below).
June 15th - Outdoor Adventure Staff (Ropes, Fishing, or Outdoor Living), Special Events, Returning Arts & Crafts, and Returning Cooking Staff: Coach bus will depart from the Courtyard Newark Liberty International Airport Hotel at 6:00 pm. There will be a Camp Starlight representative to meet you at the hotel (see details below).
June 18th - All Other Staff (Activity Specialists & Bunk Specialists): Coach bus will depart from the Courtyard Newark Liberty International Airport Hotel at 6:00 pm. There will be a Camp Starlight representative to meet you at the hotel (see details below).
Important Details for Meeting the Coach Bus:
Please book your flights to arrive no later than 2:00 pm EST if flying into Newark to allow time to get to the pickup location listed above. If flying into another airport, you may need to allow more time. You must make arrangements to get from your arrival airport to the Courtyard Newark Liberty International Airport Hotel via taxi, train, Uber, etc. We ask that you arrive to the pickup point at least an hour prior to the scheduled bus departure to complete our check-in process and to account for any delays or issues you may encounter. We will have a conference room available for your use all day in the Courtyard Newark Liberty International Airport Hotel next to the airport to relax or hang out before boarding the bus. If you miss the bus (or know you will be missing the bus), please call camp immediately to make alternate arrangements at (561) 629-2082
Driving to Camp:
Arrival time for all domestic staff who choose to drive is 4pm regardless of your arrival day. Please do your best to arrive promptly at 4pm. All domestic staff are welcome to drive to camp if they so choose instead of taking the bus. We have a staff parking lot available free-of-charge for the summer. You will need to register your vehicle with camp before being issued a parking tag and receiving your assigned space. This can be done upon arrival. You may use your car to travel from camp on your time off.
Upon Arrival
Before June 18th
For those arriving earlier than June 18th, you will be greeted by our leadership team upon arrival. We will get you checked into camp and assign your temporary bunk. You will have the evening to explore camp and hang with the other staff members. We will provide dinner to all staff members upon arrival. Program specific training will begin the next morning.
June 18th
Arriving at Camp Starlight is very exciting, so here's a breakdown of what to look forward to. For those arriving by car, you will be greeted at the gate by our leadership team. They will get your car registered and start your check-in process, which will finish at the office. Once that is complete, you will be brought to your orientation bunk. There will be a welcome activity followed by dinner.
For those arriving by coach bus, you will arrive late in the evening. You will complete your electronic check-in process at the bus pick-up point. There will be dinner available for you upon arrival in addition to a very large welcome from the staff who have already arrived. After dinner, you will be assigned into your orientation bunk, and we'll work to get you all settled in as quickly as possible.
NOTE: Your orientation bunk is not your final bunk for the summer. Final bunk placement will take place later during orientation.
When you wake up the first morning, prepare for a day full of fun and laughter. We have a full day of activities to welcome you to camp. We will have many games and team building activities to introduce you to camp and to each other. The first day is finished with a very special tradition. We'll see who gets to sit in the canoe this year...
Things to do NOW
- Under the Forms and Documents section of your MyCampMinder account, there are several forms to be completed before May 31st, so please complete those in a timely manner. NOTE: You must physically sign your forms. Typed signatures will not be accepted, and forms with such signatures will be marked as incomplete.
- Please upload a photo. This photo will be used to create your Camp Starlight ID. This photo must be from the shoulders up and have a neutral colored background.
- Please select your t-shirt size. This can be done on the Staff Profile Form. Staff members who do not select their t-shirt size may not receive the appropriate sized t-shirts for the summer, so this is especially important
- Follow Jobs at Camp Starlight on Facebook and join our 2021 Staff Facebook Page here. Post a video or a few photos of yourself on the staff page to introduce yourself to the Starlight Family.
- Follow us on our new Staff Instagram @campstarlightstaff
Weather
When packing for camp, pack for all weather. It can be cold and rainy one night and hot and sunny the next. It will never be snowy and below freezing, but other than that, all weather conditions are possible at Camp Starlight. The average temperatures are as follows:
June: Low of 55° F/ High of 74°F
July: Low of 60° F/ High of 79°F
August: Low of 58° F/ High of 77°F
Food and Mealtimes
All meals are mandatory at Camp Starlight. During orientation, counselors will have the opportunity to meet other staff members. Once the campers arrive, staff members will be required to sit with their bunks. Closed-toed shoes are required at all meals. The only exception is waterfront staff at lunch only.
Our dining hall is kosher, meaning that we do not mix meat and dairy products in a single meal. For example, you may have grilled cheese for lunch and a hamburger for dinner, but you will never have a cheeseburger at Camp Starlight. This is a long standing tradition at camp that we have followed for 74 summers.
Our camp is also nut and seed free. Due to severe camper and staff allergies, please note that nut products are not permitted in camp. Any product that contains any type of nut (peanuts, peanut butter, walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachio, sunflower seeds, etc.) should not be brought into camp.
Breakfast: We will offer one main breakfast option such as eggs with potatoes, cinnamon rolls, or pancakes. Additionally, we always offer oatmeal, fruit, bagels, yogurt, granola, hard-boiled eggs, and cereal if you are looking for an alternative to the main option or simply more variety.
Lunch: On most days, lunch is eaten outside in our picnic area. This is a great time for campers to hang with friends and see siblings while enjoying their delicious and nutritious lunch. Like breakfast, we will always offer one main meal option. We will also have a salad bar available at lunch with options to create your own salad, take some of our specialty salad of the day, enjoy fresh fruit, or indulge in our daily soup. Additionally, on certain days, we will have the grill open, which means hot dogs or hamburgers will be served in addition to the main meal. Depending on the day, we will also offer mini bagels, yogurt, and/or fruit. Finally, we will always have a bread station available to make sandwiches with nut-free butter and jelly
Dinner: Dinner is eaten inside the dining hall like breakfast. We will offer the main meal and a salad bar. There will often be pasta available as well. You can also enjoy fresh fruit or utilize our bread station with nut-free butter and jelly. Every dinner is concluded with a sweet treat or dessert.
If you require special dietary accommodations, please be sure to let us know prior to camp. Limited accommodations must be made in advance.
Outside food is not permitted on camp. All food from your time off must be consumed before returning to camp. Food is not allowed in bunks. There are vending machines in the staff lounge available for your use. Additionally, food from the dining hall is not permitted elsewhere on campus.
Coffee and Tea is available at all times in the side dining hall. Closed tumblers are required to take drinks out of the dining hall. For your convenience, Starlight mugs are available for purchase to take your drink "to-go."
Laundry
You have two options for laundry:
1) Use Camp Laundry: If you choose to utilize our camp laundry service, this is available to you at no charge. Your clothes will be mixed in with your bunk's laundry in large bags. Whites and colors will be separated, and you will assist your bunk to sort the laundry when it returns. Laundry is sent out on Tuesdays and returned on Thursdays. We will also have one staff only laundry during orientation. Please be sure to label all of your clothing if you choose to use this service to ensure your clothing is returned to you.
2) Use Camp Washing Machines: Camp Starlight has washing machines and dryers available for your use on your time off. They are operated by quarters ($2 for a wash; $0.25 for 6 minutes of drying). Detergent and dryer sheets are also available for purchase or can be purchased on time off. Cash may be exchanged for quarters on Tuesdays only.
Shipping Baggage
We understand that it can be expensive to check all of your baggage with your airline. If you would like, you can ship your luggage to camp in advance, and we will hold it for you until you arrive. We will be accepting packages starting on May 18th. We have found the cheapest service to be FedEx. Again, please ensure you write "Staff" next to your name on any packages.
Internet
We will have wifi available for staff use free of charge in the staff lounge. This will be available in the early morning before reveille (7:55 AM) and after you have been released from your duties at night. Wifi will not be available during the day. We also have staff computers in the staff lounge with the same policy.
Drugs, Alcohol, & Smoking
Camp Starlight has a strict no drugs or alcohol policy. Possession of any type of drugs or alcohol anywhere on campus (including cars) is strictly prohibited. Returning to camp under the influence of drugs or alcohol is similarly prohibited. Possession of illegal drugs is a felony, is cause for immediate dismissal, and will be referred to the Police Department. Staff members under the legal drinking age of 21 are not permitted to possess, consume, or be under the influence of alcohol at any time during their employment at Camp Starlight. Any employee who violates local statutes and/or Camp Starlight's alcohol policy will be subject to dismissal.
Smoking and the possession or use of juul, vapor and e-cigarettes, chewing or any other tobacco products are not permitted anywhere within a 3 mile radius of camp, in any building on campus, on trips, or at any time while on duty or anywhere in the presence of campers. Cigarettes (including vapor and e-cigarettes, juul, chewing tobacco) may not be kept in camp living quarters or buildings.
If you cannot agree to abide by this policy, please contact David Miller, and he will release you from your contract.
Getting Paid & Salary Advances
All international staff will be paid via a CardFlex Cliq Debit Card. Salary will be loaded onto the card at the conclusion of the summer. You will automatically be enrolled in this program.
Domestic staff will receive a paper check on the last day of the summer to pay the remaining balance of their salary.
Staff may request a salary advance of up to 70% of their earned wage at any given point in the summer. Advances can be requested after the first full week of your contract through the end of the second to last week of camp. Salary advances are only issued via the CardFlex debit card. International staff will have access to this through the same Cliq card as their salary. For domestic staff who plan on requesting salary advances, please fill out the Domestic CardFlex Application on CampMinder before May 31st.
Time Off
Nights Off
All staff will receive nights off throughout the summer. For support staff, this will start once you have finished your responsibilities for the evening until curfew. For all other staff members, nights off will begin at the conclusion of your division's evening activity (generally 9:30-10:30) until curfew. Often at night, staff will play soccer (football) under the lights, shoot hoops in the field house, work out in the fitness center, watch movies, and play games in the staff lounge. Leaving campus on nights off will depend on final Covid-19 Protocols. Curfew is 12:40 am (1:00 am on Saturdays).
We celebrate our staff at our weekly staff meetings on Friday nights. This includes food, conversation, weekly tips, and fun. Fridays are an “all in night” where counselors who are not on OD can go to the food truck or attend other staff activities such as soccer but may not leave Camp Starlight.
NOTE: For staff interested in utilizing our gym facilities, these will be available to you on both days and night off. Additionally, you may workout in the early morning, provided there is still coverage in your bunk.
Days Off
All staff members contracted as counselors will receive 6 days off throughout the course of the summer. Leaving camp on days off will depend on final Covid-19 Protocols. Staff days off are scheduled at the beginning of the summer by the programming department and cannot be changed. Should you require any special accommodations, requests must be made prior to arriving at camp and must be approved by David Miller.
If applicable, on days off, we will offer free transportation to a determined location for staff members, provided we receive enough interest. The bus will leave in the mornings and return in the late evenings. Sign up for these trips will be available throughout the summer.
Contacting Camp
If you, or anybody in your family, needs to contact camp for any reason, they may call our summer office at 570-798-2525. Please note that we cannot "page" you to the office to answer a call, but we will gladly take a message and deliver it to you at the next meal. The only exception is emergencies, for which we will immediately locate you on camp.
Health Care
All staff members must complete a health form and undergo a physical examination prior to arriving at camp. During camp, staff members are welcome to consult the Health Center doctor or nurses regarding health issues or concerns, or they may consult medical professionals at a nearby hospital or clinic if they prefer.
Insurance
All staff are responsible for all medical and health care expenses incurred out of camp. In the event your work at camp results in injury or illness, you will be covered by Workman’s Compensation Insurance. All camp related injuries are to be reported immediately and submitted to the insurance company through our Health Center nursing staff.
Many international staff have insurance policies through their sponsor agency. In such cases, the staff member is required to submit their own claim. The Health Center Staff is available for staff consult. Staff members are not required, however, to utilize the Health Center and may, at their discretion, seek treatment at a nearby hospital or clinic.
Valuables
You will be provided with a SMALL locker to store your phone, wallet, and keys in. We recommend that you do not bring other valuables to camp such as computers, tablets, expensive jewelry, or other prized possessions. We can store passports, money, and tickets for you in our office safe, which can be accessed at certain times of the day. Any items stored in the bunk have the possibility of being misplaced or taken. Camp Starlight is not responsible for any valuables brought to camp.
Cellphones must be stored in your staff locker in the staff lounge. Phones are not permitted around camp and are NEVER permitted inside of a bunk. You may use your cell phone only in the staff lounge or off campus during nights and days off. This policy is effective immediately upon arrival to camp.
Departing Camp
The last day of camp is Sunday, August 15th. Staff contracted to leave this day may do so once they have completed their final duties, no later than 5 pm. In previous years, staff have often been released between 2-3 pm. We will provide transportation to New York City for those who need it. If you are planning to fly out of NYC on the 15th, please book your flight as late as possible or preferably for Monday, the 16th to avoid missing your flight.
Camp Photos
We take a TON of pictures at Camp Starlight. We have designated photographers and videographers to capture all of the fun each day. At the end of each day, these photos will be uploaded to CampMinder. You can view these photos anytime after they are uploaded by logging into your MyCampMinder account and clicking on the photos tab. Additionally, after the summer, you will be emailed a link to our video yearbook to showcase all of the excitement of the summer.
Please note that personal phones and cameras are not permitted on campus at anytime.
Typical Day
Every day at Camp Starlight is amazing!
Campers wake up and get ready for breakfast. After enjoying a delicious breakfast, the whole camp gathers around the flagpole for Line Up, which is morning announcements. David yells "GOOD MORNING!" He announces the Counselor of the Day, or COD as we call it, and if it’s your birthday you get to skip around the pole. After line-up, campers and counselors have meetings with their Division Leader and then go back to their bunks for clean-up to prepare for a great day!
The activity day begins at 9:45am. We have our first three periods in the morning. During this, specialists will go to their designated specialty while bunk specialists will travel with their bunk and participate in activities with their campers.
This is followed by a picnic lunch and rest hour. Both of these are great times to relax, bond with campers and spend time as a bunk.
Following rest hour, we have our afternoon activities with three more periods of the day. This is followed by shower hour, dinner, and evening lineup.
The fun doesn't stop at dinner. Evening activities are the highlight of the day for many of our campers and staff. With activities ranging from campfires, to Jell-O wrestling, MTV Night, plays, cooking nights, sports nights, and more, our evening activities are a great way to finish the day. After a fun activity, campers go back to their bunks to prepare for bed. As they fall asleep, they reflect on the day and prepare for even more fun tomorrow.
Once our campers have said goodnight, if you are not On-Duty ("OD"), you will have the evening off, during which you may leave camp, use our wifi in the staff lounge, or utilize certain on camp facilities. If you are On-Duty ("OD"), you can take this time to watch over your campers and usually get some extra sleep after your campers are asleep. We want all our campers and staff to be rested for another great day. Curfew is at 12:40.
Daily Schedule
- 7:00 AM: Counselors may run, workout, or go to the staff lounge to utilize our wifi, provided there is sufficient counselor coverage in the bunk. (This is a great time for international staff to call home!)
- 7:55 AM: Reveille (Wake-Up)
- 8:25 AM: Lower Camp Breakfast
- 8:50 AM: Line-Up
- 9:00 AM: Upper Camp Breakfast
- 9:00 AM: Bunk Clean-Up
- 9:45 AM: First period activity
- 10:45 AM: Second period activity
- 11:45 AM: Third period activity
- 12:45 PM: Picnic Lunch
- 1:15 PM: Rest Hour
- 2:05 PM: Fourth Period Activity
- 3:10 PM: Fifth Period Activity
- 4:10 PM: Sixth Period Activity (Super Sixth)
- 5:00 PM: Shower Hour
- 6:00 PM: Lower Camp Dinner
- 6:30 PM: Line-Up
- 6:45 PM: Upper Camp Dinner
- 6:45 PM: Free Play
- 8:00 PM: Evening Activity
- 9:30-10:30 Taps (Campers' bedtimes vary greatly by activity and age group)
- 12:40 AM: Sign-In & Curfew
***Please note that times may vary slightly depending on the division you are assigned to, especially in the evenings. Older divisions will have activities until later in the evening.
About Starlight
Who's Who?
David and Allison Miller: Owners and Directors of Camp Starlight. This will be their 23rd summer at Starlight.
Hayley Miller: Assistant Director of Camp Starlight and the daughter of David and Allison. This will be her 23rd summer at Camp Starlight, and 10th summer as staff!
Full Time Staff:
- Russell: Entering his 22nd summer at Camp Starlight, Russell is our Business Manager. He is the man to see with questions regarding salary and staff advances.
- DW: Returning for his 8th summer, DW is our Director of Operations. He oversees maintenance, the dining hall, and inventory. In his life away from Starlight, he is a professional musician!
- Austin: As our Program Manager, Austin creates and implements the daily program. Austin will often be found out and about around camp to check-in on all the program areas.
- Jason: Joining us for his first summer at Camp Starlight, Jason is joining the Starlight Family as our Programming Director. He has spent many years working at camp as a Division Leader, and is excited to join us this summer.
- Megan: As she prepares for her 19th summer at Camp Starlight, Megan joins the full-time team looking after Staffing, Special Events, and more! If you ever need some Jell-O to wrestle in, Megan is your go to gal.
Head Counselor: This is the person that oversees all of upper camp or all of lower camp. Jason Glick is the lower camp boys head counselor. Barrie Dratch is the lower camp girls head counselor. Jeff Malis oversees upper camp boys and girls.
Division Leader (or DL): This is the person just below a head counselor who oversees a division, or age group, of girls or boys.
Department Head: These are the staff that lead our individual departments such as hockey, waterfront, outdoor adventure, dance, and plenty more! This also includes the office, the Health Center, and Athletics.
Key Staff: This is composed of directors, head counselors, DL's, and department heads.
Support Staff: This includes our maintenance, dining room, kitchen, office, programming assistants, operations assistants, day camp counselors, and housekeeping staff. Camp can't function without the work of our Support Staff team!
Assistant Division Leader (or ADL): This is a counselor who has demonstrated hard-work and leadership qualities in previous summers. ADL's help the DL run the division and also orchestrate many of our amazing special events.
Activity Specialist: This is a person who spends the 6-periods of the day working in a specific activity area such as golf, boating, or arts & crafts. Outside of these periods, they live and interact with their bunk
Bunk Specialist: These are the people who travel with their bunk around from activity to activity throughout the day and actively participate with their campers. They live in a bunk, just like activity specialists.
Division: A group of campers that are the same age and their counselors are members of a division.
Our Divisions Are:
Juniors: This is our youngest group of campers ages 7-9
Inters: These are the oldest kids in lower camp ages 10-11. We have lower inters and upper inters.
Debs (Girls) and Plebes (Boys): These are our 12-13 year old campers. We have lower debs/plebes and upper debs/plebes.
Seniors: This is our oldest group of campers ages 14-15.
CA: This stands for counselor assistant. These are our 16-year-old campers who have completed their camping career and are making their transition to being a counselor.
Starlight Lingo
Amphitheater: This is the large theater by the lake. We hold many large camp gatherings here during camp and orientation. It is pictured at the top of this website.
Bugle Call: Our camp is run on a bugle system, which means that instead of clocks everywhere on camp, we let everybody know where to go based on a bugle call that we play over the public address system. You'll learn all the calls during orientation, but some of the calls include:
- Reveille- Wake-Up
- Mess Call- Meal time
- Activity call- Time for an activity
- Recall- Back to the bunks
- Tattoo- Get ready for bed
- Taps- Goodnight
Bunk: At Camp Starlight, campers and counselors live in bunks. These are the numbered red buildings throughout camp. All bunks are equipped with running water and electricity.
Canteen: This is in the lower Rec Hall. Each division will go to the canteen 3-4x per week to enjoy candy, soda, and time to chill with their friends.
Farmhouse: This is our cooking building that we use for culinary arts and other gatherings. It is the building with its own gates and is located next to the staff lounge and across from the dining hall.
Friday Night Show: You guessed it. This is our evening activity on Friday Nights after services. Hosted by Hayley, it is our version of Saturday Night Live, where we get crazy and silly.
HC: While this technically stands for "head counselor," we use it to refer to their office. There is a Boys HC and a Girls HC, both located near the center of camp.
Lakehouse: This is where the upper senior girls live.
Leagues: We divide each division into four college, or league, teams to compete amongst our own campers. The winning team will earn Ben & Jerry's at the end of the summer.
Lodge: This is where the upper senior boys live.
MTV Night: MTV Night is a big deal at Camp Starlight. This is our annual lip sync competition where our campers choreograph a dance and lip sing a song in front of the whole camp. The winning bunk immediately wins pizza.
O.D.- This stands for "On-Duty." A counselor who is OD is NOT off for the night. OD counselors go back to the bunks and spend time with their campers after a great day.
Olympics: This is the big 5-day event at the end of the summer where we split the camp into blue and white to compete in a whole host of activities...IF we do it this year.
Polar Bear Club: This is a group of campers and staff who wake up EVERY morning to jump in the lake at Reveille. If you do this every morning, you will earn a prize and a party at the end of the summer.
Rec Hall/Playhouse: This is where we put on all of our musical theater productions and hold many other all-camp events.
S-Day: This stands for "Special Day" and is a day that doesn't follow the regular schedule. S-Days have late reveille and fun/wacky activities all day.
Scott Beigel Slope for Lope: This is an annual run up our camp road through camp in honor of Scott Beigel. It is about 1.5 mi long and is a highly anticipated event of the summer. Everybody who finishes will receive a piece of cantaloupe and a bracelet.
SWF: This stands for Starlight Wrestling Federation. This is one of our HUGE special events where we set up a professional wrestling ring, and counselors can volunteer to wrestle in front of the whole camp. It's all planned out in advance, and we teach you how to do the big moves.
Wayne County: Our camp is located in Wayne County, PA, but we usually use Wayne County to refer to our inter-camp sporting events. Wayne County teams are our competitive sports teams that go out of camp or host other camps to compete for the championship.
Questions?
If you still have more questions about anything, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. For any financial or form-related questions, you can email Russell at russell@campstarlight.com. For questions about anything else, you can email Adam or Hayley at adam@campstarlight.com or hayley@campstarlight.com
Legal Stuff:
This Staff Guide is to function as an introduction to Camp Starlight and provide answers to some questions you may have as a first time staff member. This guide is to be used for guidance only and should not be treated as a binding or legal document. For Camp Starlight's official Handbook including all rules and policies, you can access it below. You will be required to sign a document at camp stating that you have read and understand all of its contents. For any discrepancies between this Staff Guide and the Camp Starlight Staff Handbook, the word of the Handbook shall be followed.