The Siren

One of the pinnacle events of first session is our United Nations Day. UN Day is an all camp event in which the camp is split into four nations, each represented by a country. Our philosophy on competition here at North Star is built on friendship before, during, and after […]

Tonight’s Evening Program was the beginning of our annual U.N. Day competition, with our Field Games competition getting us started. Before talking about the games themselves, we have to start by talking about the sunset that provided such a beautiful backdrop to tonight’s events. I honestly think all the campers […]

Happy Cruiser Day from the Northwoods! As we mentioned last week, each Tuesday here is a bit different from the rest of the week and serves as a cabin day. But once per session, each village has a Village Cruiser Day. Today was the Intermediate Village. These days are so […]

A very happy 4th of July from the Northwoods! Today has been full of patriotic music, healthy competition, goofy body paint, and very enthusiastic chanting. We started the morning with a reflection on what Independence Day means to us here at North Star. As a community centered around inclusivity, accountability, […]

We wanted to start by letting you know that our last round of 1st session Covid testing came back with all negative results! Every year our oldest campers of Pine Manor embark on a nine day backcountry trip through Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. This year, with the US-Canada […]

During staff training we were lucky to host Dr. Deborah Gilboa (www.askdoctorg.com), resilience expert and family physician. She had a line that continues to stand out: “You can’t control your emotions, but you can control your attitude, behavior and your purpose.” Tonight’s Friday Night Service was entitled Positive Attitude, and […]

It was another beautiful day here in the Northwoods! Our second week of activities is in full swing, and our boys have settled into their camp routines. And while the boys love their having their independence to choose their own activities throughout the day, they always relish the opportunities to […]

Today marks our first Cruiser Day of summer 2021! Cruiser Day is a cabin day that typically takes place every Tuesday. Cruiser Days, which are almost like our weekend at camp, begin with a late wake-up with donuts, fruit, and cereal for breakfast. All activities for the day are structured […]

Camp alumni have long said that later in life, though they hadn’t noticed while they were enjoying their summers, they had come to realize that they had learned and grown more at camp than they had anywhere else. And while that is a great realization, we don’t believe that we […]

We are pleased to report that everyone has again tested negative for COVID-19! We are so appreciative of SHIELD Illinois for making it possible to complete accurate, 3-gene, saliva PCR testing with same-results. This process has been a game changer for us and many camps throughout the Midwest. While it’s […]

Every year since North Star started in 1945, the first Friday night service of the summer is the Friendship Fire. On Friday nights, we take a break from the energetic, loud and often silly tone that camp tends to have and spend the evening in a more reflective and formal […]