Hello Camp Jeanne d’Arc Community, 
Wow, what a summer! The 2024 Camp Jeanne d’Arc season brimmed with lakeside fun, hikes a plenty, traditions old and new, and many many lifelong friendships forged. And like all summers, the 2024 camp season ended with tournaments and club practicals, awards and accolades, tearful goodbyes, and the start of the countdown to next summer! In this issue of Blue Sparks I will share all the wonderful Banquet details, an interview with our first medalist since 2009, an alum spotlights, and a closer look into the senior clubs at Camp Jeanne d’Arc. I hope that as you read along, you can feel how special this summer was!
Best,
Liz Rambo
PS Do you want to be featured in the next Blue Sparks? Let me know and we’ll set up an interview!
Summer Wrap Up
As expected, the summer of 2024 season included all the best traditions: Christmas in July, Wishing Night, tournaments, Smugglers, Awards Night and Banquet, daily campfires, the Name Game, and loads of activities. In addition to all of the things that make every summer awesome, here are some of the special highlights of the 2024 CJDA season:
- CJDA awarded our first Medalist Award since 2009! Congrats to Callie McCartin who received Camp’s highest honor (See below for more on Medalist and an interview with Callie!)
- Campers put on two plays this summer, Frozen Jr in the first half session and Willy Wonka during the second half. The performances were so fun!
- The Leahy Cup was awarded to the Les Pucelles and the Jolis Coeurs took the Crown Trophy. The Leahy Cup is awarded to the team who excelled in Les vs Jolis competitions and athletic events throughout the summer. The Crown Trophy is awarded to the team whose campers display Camp Spirit and camaraderie. Congrats to both teams!
- We welcomed several alumni to conduct workshops this summer where they contributed their expertise in the field of mindfulness, astronomy, and field hockey. Are you an alum and want to conduct a workshop? Let us know!
- Our Tbird cabin planned and executed a super fun Roblox afternoon. While campers do not have access to technology at camp, the TBirds created games and activities with the theme of the popular Roblox video game!
- Both first half and second half campers enjoyed a motor trip to Burlington, Vermont for a tour of the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream factory and downtown shopping!
2024 Banquet “A Carousel of Time”
Banquet night at Camp Jeanne d’Arc is nothing short of magical. At the end of each summer, counselors and staff plan a celebration of achievement and community while at the same time create an evening to remember.
This year, the theme was “A Carousel of Time.” The theme captured the timeless simplicity of Camp. A canopy of red and white tulle threaded with fairy lights welcomed the campers into the Hearth while intricately painted images of carousel horses were mounted on the walls. Counselors worked hard to craft mini-carousels for each table’s centerpieces.
The theme sets up an evening worth remembering. Banquet Night recognizes campers who earned entrance into clubs, the campers who were honored with leadership awards, the teams who won the Leahy Cup and the Crown Trophy, the campers who won archery awards, riflery awards, the Polar Bear club, etc. And while there are sometimes tears of disappointment from campers who were striving for entrance into a club or wanted to earn a pin or an award and may have come up short – there are also wonderful displays of support that campers have for each other.
It’s almost like the campers recognize that they experienced something magical this summer.
They experienced growth. They stepped outside their comfort zones. They learned skills. They made friends. They became a community, a family. They transformed this little place in the Adirondack mountains into their home. And they will be forever changed by it.
Medalist
The Jeanne d’Arc Medal, known today as Medalist, was awarded the very first summer at camp in 1922. The award honors a camper who has made a real difference at camp, without whom the summer would not have been the same. The award, voted on by campers, counselors, and staff, is not given every year. This is camp’s highest honor, given only to those girls who have truly impacted camp.
Before this summer, the award was last given in 2009 to Aileen Leintner. And after 15 summers without bestowing this honor, we are beyond proud to share that Callie McCartin was the 2024 Medalist recipient. I was delighted to chat with Callie about what it means to be a Medalist. Heading into this summer, Callie made a concerted effort to “lead with an open mind and an open heart.” What a great outlook! She wanted to worry less about getting into clubs and earning accolades, and more about doing what makes her happy – connecting with others.
Callie told me that when she was a first-time camper four summers ago, she was painfully homesick. She was very reserved and she couldn’t wait until the last day of camp when she could be reunited with the comforts of family and home.
But it was this experience of overcoming struggle that helped her become the leader she is now. Callie sees camp as an alternate family where girls support each other and build lifelong friendships. Her outlook allowed Callie to make meaningful connections with each camper. Isn’t that what true leadership is all about? It’s not necessarily about being the loudest with the best ideas for theme days or the most clever lyrics to cabin songs. It’s about connecting with and supporting your fellow campers.
The moment she learned she was awarded Medalist was amazing! Honored with a crown of sunflowers fresh from the CJDA garden and the bronze statue of Jeanne d’Arc in her arms, Callie was overcome with emotion. Callie said, “It was the best night of my life! I felt so loved. It is a moment I wish I could relive over and over again.” I guess when you lead with an open mind and an open heart, the love comes right back at you! Congrats Callie on a well-deserved honor, the 2024 Medalist!
Refer a Family to JDA
We love to discover how current camp families found their way to Camp Jeanne d’Arc. We welcome tons of alum families – and this includes cousins, second cousins, grandkids, and in-law families. We also hear about discovering Camp via google searches and camp agencies. But one of our favorite ways of welcoming new families is through referrals. Nothing feels better than when current families are so happy with their JDA experience that they pull other families into the fold. It is the best kind of endorsement, right?
Are you a current camp family? Want to learn more about how to refer a friend? Contact Randy Abbott to make the connection happen!
Alumni Spotlight – Caroline McConnie
Caroline McConnie and I have crossed paths a few times in our Camp Jeanne d’Arc journeys. Caroline went to camp in the early 1990s around the same time I was there. And now, like me, she sends her two daughters to Camp. Talking to Caroline was so great. The conversation felt easy and light, yet afterwards I realized that we touched on some powerful topics – gender in the workplace, taking risks, and motherhood.
Caroline hails from Puerto Rico and earned her Bachelor’s degree at Princeton University (where she connected with fellow JDA alum Michelle Cormier) and her JD and MBA at Northwestern University. She currently holds the position of President of Rimco LLC, the Caterpillar dealer for Puerto Rico, Cuba, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands and the Eastern Caribbean Islands.
We talked about what it is like to be a strong woman in a very male-dominated field of construction vehicles. Caroline said that while she is probably one of two or three women presidents of “Cat” dealers in the world, she doesn’t allow herself to put the lens of gender into her work. She is often the only woman in the room, but she doesn’t think much about it. Talk about confidence! In fact, she credits Camp Jeanne d’Arc as a key force in her life for building confidence.
“Camp Jeanne d’Arc is the first place where I had the chance to be a leader,” Caroline said. She was working towards the senior mountaineering club and was tasked with planning and leading an overnight camping trip. For a 14-year old girl who wasn’t yet a fluent English speaker, this was huge! Camp gave her the opportunity to be afraid, but to do it anyway! Being afraid, taking risks, putting herself out there, but at the same time feeling safe and supported gave Caroline those character-building moments. Whether it was swimming in the murky weedy lake (a shade different from the clear blue seas of the Caribbean), excelling at archery (something she never imagined she would be good at) or leading other campers as they hiked peaks and pitched tents, Caroline learned to overcome fear and be confident in herself.
She is thrilled that her daughters Celeste and Emilia are enjoying the same experiences at JDA. We talked about the mother/daughter camp connection that we both are enjoying with our girls. We agreed that not only does the common experiences bring us closer to our daughters, but in both of our families, camp brings the sisters closer together. They look out for each other. Girls supporting girls, women supporting women. And just like Caroline, one day these girls are going to be strong women, and if they ever find themselves as the only woman in a room full of men, they will be ready!
Thank you for the conversation Caroline, it was so great to reconnect! Do you want to be interviewed for the next alum spotlight? Let me know and we can set up a conversation!
Senior Clubs at Camp Jeanne d’Arc 
My guess is that if you are an alum who is a member of a senior club at Camp Jeanne d’Arc, you consider yourself an expert in that activity. Am I right? Senior sailors are grabbing that mainsheet line and rudder, barking orders to their unsuspecting partners. Senior mountaineers are collecting the driest bundles of birch bark hours before the evening fire pit begins. And senior canoers smile as they meticulously park their vessels a perfect 4-6 inches front the dock while the other canoes fumble and bump into pilings and other boats.
I’ll say it now as I’ve said it before, the most valuable part of overnight summer camp at Camp Jeanne d’Arc are the Senior Clubs. Camp Jeanne d’Arc has four active Senior Clubs: Senior Sailing Club, Senior Canoe Club, Senior Mountaineering Club, and Senior Riding Club. Why is it the most valuable? The senior club system provides campers with a high level of adventure skills in each activity. Acquiring these specialized skills is valuable in itself. But more importantly, the journey to become a senior club member at Camp Jeanne d’Arc builds worthwhile leadership skills.
Read our blog post to learn more about why senior clubs are so valuable. And if you are a senior club member, I hope you continue to own your skills with pride!
Alum event changed
The CJDA Foundation hopes you’ll join them at the Camp Jeanne d’Arc Alumni Get-Together! The fun-filled reunion will take place at The Shakespeare in NYC. Reconnect with old camp friends, sing camp songs, and recount your favorite camp memories. Whether you were a camper, counselor, or staff member, this event is for you. Don’t miss this opportunity to reminisce and make new memories with your camp family. Click here to register!
Google Reviews are Great! 
Have you seen our reviews on Google recently? Wow! We are so pleased to see that over 20 new 5-star reviews poured in since the end of the summer session. Our 4.9-star ratings and the anecdotes from staff and families show that not only is Camp Jeanne d’Arc fun and adventure-filled, but it is a transformative experience for girls. Check out the reviews and feel free to leave a review yourself!