Briarwood Bugle 2025 – Week 5

Check out our latest Briarwood Bugle! You can read it below or see it in glorious color and with photos here.

Briarwood Bugle 2025
Week 5

From Mike and Matt
It has been another fantastic week at spectacularly amazing Briarwood Day Camp! We had 3 on 3 basketball tournaments this week and Wednesday’s Hawaiian Shirt Day put us all in a happy and tropical mood. The Super CITs loved their trip to Hershey Park and had a supremely relaxing time tubing and — on top of everything else — our “regular” camp stuff continued to amaze and astound! We ended the week with Goofy Day today and, well, it certainly earned its name!

Another thing you’ll see, especially if you’re looking at our pictures online, is that the 2025 Summer of All Things Pickles continues. We’ve had pickleball tournaments (with partially edible trophies!), many more birthday pickle plates, and we’re still chuckling about all of the pickle costumes at Halloween in July last week!

It continues to be wonderful to see so many smiling, laughing kids all around camp.

Next week is the Busy Bee Show—always a crowd pleaser featuring Briarwood’s cutest! Carnival is next week, too. And S’mores Week at Nature. The fun continues! Have a great weekend!

IMPORTANT DATES THIS WEEK
• Busy Bee Show – Tuesday, July 29 at 10:30 am.
• Gymnastics Show (you’ll flip for it!) – Wednesday, July 30 at 11:30 am.
• CARNIVAL!!! – Thursday, July 31.

The Superb Sparrows by Jenna Garber and Gigi Vanschaick
The Sparrows have been having an amazing summer filled with laughter, adventures, and new friendships. We love swimming in the pool, playing mini golf, and boating around on the lake. We’ve also been practicing our aim and hitting bullseyes at archery, which has been a lot of fun! We’ve been enjoying gymnastics, trying new moves and having a great time flipping and stretching together. Every day is an exciting new adventure, whether we’re trying out new activities or playing together. We’re making wonderful memories and enjoying every moment of summer camp. The Sparrows are definitely making this summer unforgettable!

BRIARWOOD STAFF MEMBERS OF THE WEEK:

Senior Staff: Maddie Garber
Junior Staff: Mia Usatin

Congratulations!

Upper Girls Kindness Award Week 5 Winner: Sienna L. (Robins)
Way to go!!!

Nature News by Jenn Segal
Things are heating up this summer down at Nature. Campers caught a record number of bass on the dock while hundreds of tee shirts were dyed in a rainbow of colors. We can’t wait to see everyone wear their swag on Tie Dye Tuesday later this summer. After a successful fishing derby, we continue to reel them in, sometimes catching more than fifty fish in a day. And get ready to toast marshmallows… s’mores are coming in hot next week! The gazebo is waiting and the dock is open; Olivia and I will see you at Nature for all the fun! 

♫ Learn the ♫ Briarwood Song! ♫ We’ll sing it at camp!

PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD TO CAMP IF HE/SHE IS NOT FEELING WELL

MEET OUR WONDERFULLY AMAZING STAFF! PART IV
We return with profiles of more senior staff members at Briarwood Day Camp

SEAN HENNESSY is a back for his second year at Briarwood! During the school year, Sean attends Shippensburg University and also works in HVAC. His favorite food is chicken and the last book he read is “Eye of the World”. If Sean were an animal, he would be a fish-which is fitting since his favorite thing about Briarwood is boating! He would love to visit Greece some day.

JANICE MAZZONI is another new staffer that we are lucky to have at camp this summer! During the offseason, she works with children, spends time with her family and attends her kids’ sports games. Her favorite food is chicken marsala and her favorite TV show is King of Queens. She loves any Colleen Hoover book and if she were an animal she would be a cheetah! Janice’s favorite thing about Briarwood is that it is a fun place where kids can be kids!

Briarwood Presents: “Wicked” By Rebecca Nahom
This year, the gymnastics club has been working on a show that is a WICKEDLY good time. Join us as we present our 2025 Gym Show “Wicked”!

Be prepared to be dazzled by how our gymnasts flip, leap, balance and twist. You will see handsprings over the vault, cartwheels on floor, arabesques on beam, and feats of strength on the bars. These gymnasts dance, tumble, stretch and jump. They do it all! Every camper in the show has dedicated the last several weeks to hone their gymnastics skills, prepare routines and practice until they got it just right. 

Briarwood Day Camp and all the counselors here in the gym are so proud of all our amazing gymnasts and we are so excited for them to share their talent with you!

SOME FRIENDLY BRIARWOOD REMINDERS
• If you want to reach your camper’s counselor during the camp day, call the office at 215-598-7143 and we will gladly relay your message. Please do not TEXT or CALL your child’s counselor directly during the camp day. Our counselors are busy watching children and we have asked them not to check their phones during the day.
• Early and Late Care is available from 7:30 am—6:00 pm sharp. Please call the office if you will need this service.
• While it never rains at Briarwood, in the event of a passing shower, please send your camper with the appropriate rain gear should the forecast call for rain.
• Everyone should apply sunscreen daily prior to coming to camp.
• We have a lost and found at camp. It gets pretty full this time of year. Campers’ items should be marked or labeled before they come to camp.
• Did you miss a Bugle? You can find all of this summer’s Bugles in the news section of our website.
• Sure, we’ve got rain dates listed on our calendar . . . but it never rains at Briarwood Day Camp!
• Yes, it is Briarwood’s 40th summer. We’ll celebrate Briarwood’s 40th birthday next year.

Happy 40 Summers of Briarwood!
1986-2025!
Get ready for the celebration on August 11, 2025.

Important Dates
• Week of July 28-S’mores Week at Nature
• July 28th-Super CITs to Citizens Bank Park
• July 29th-Busy Bee Show
• July 30th-Wednesday Themeday: Sports Jersey Day
• July 30th-CITs to Point Pleasant Beach
• July 30th-Gymnastics Show
• July 31st-Carnival
• August 4th-Staff Night Part Deux
• August 5th-Mystery Day
• August 6th-Wednesday Themeday: TBA
• August 11th-Briarwood Birthday Celebration
• August 12th-Tie Die Tuesday
• August 12th-Drama Show at 10:30 am
• August 13th-Wednesday Themeday-Briarwood Spirit Day
• August 13th-CIT Field Day
• August 13th-CIT Banquet (PM)
• August 14th-Briarwood Marathon
• August 15th-Last day of camp – early dismissal at 2:30