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Hello Camp Jeanne d’Arc Community,
In this issue of Blue Sparks, we are excited to tell you all about how we’ve been engaging with campers this fall, some new blog posts on loneliness and camp skits, and an amazing interview with one of our most dedicated alum, Amelie Couture.
And, if you’ve been following on social media, you may have seen that Courtney Shutts (pictured) and myself (Liz Rambo) are expanding our roles at Camp. Check out the details here. We are both excited to get into it!
Enjoy this Blue Sparks and, as always, stay in touch with us at Camp Jeanne d’Arc!
Liz Rambo
Head of Legacy and Enrollment
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Have you all been seeing the studies about loneliness? Adults and kids alike are experiencing more loneliness today than ever before. Ugh. It seems like gone are the days of free range kids gathering wherever all the bikes are parked and instead kids are being shuffled to and from sports or clubs or spending their time on screens. We think Camp can help. In our blog post, “Camp Cures Loneliness,” we explore how Camp Jeanne d’Arc can be a way to solve for loneliness in kids.
The blog post states:
“According to a June 2025 study by The World Health Organization, social isolation and loneliness among teens is on the rise. It’s interesting how kids can spend all day with their peers in school and after school sports or extra curricular activities yet still feel lonely. The study points to dissatisfaction with the quality of social interactions as one of the main drivers of loneliness. Enter overnight summer camp, where the nature of the experience lends itself to building strong bonds among peers. Overnight summer camps are designed to create community. And true community is what successfully combats loneliness.”
Read on for more about how Camp Jeanne d’Arc nurtures community and helps kids connect.
| | Alum Spotlight: Amelie Couture | | |
Have you ever been inside the Hearth and noticed the boards hanging on the walls? The beautifully crafted boards are skillfully adorned with calligraphy lettering notating all of the honors from each summer – from Campcraft club to senior clubs to spirit awards and everything in between. Have you ever wondered, who does all this amazing work?
I am here to tell you that Amelie Couture, one of our most dedicated alum, is the woman behind the scenes! Amelie spends hours and hours (over thirty minutes per name) to ensure that our Hearth board tradition lives on. I had a great chat with Amelie about Camp and life and her incredible volunteer efforts for JDA.
Amelie was a camper, counselor, and staff member at JDA from 1990 to 2003 and 2005. She enjoyed arts and crafts, drama, canoe, and all the traditions of camp! She was a senior canoe club member and was part of the stained glass chapel project spearheaded by her mother Chantal Auger Couture (JDA alum, ‘57-‘63).
I asked Amelie, what did Camp give to you? I loved her answer! “I was a shy kid, I did not speak English very well, I was not very sporty. But the people at Camp took me in and made me feel like I was a part of something.” We talked about the transformation from a shy, French-speaking-only kid, to an adventurous and socially outgoing camper, to a confident and engaging leader on the waterfront. Not only did Camp give Amelie the chance to build confidence, but as Amelie was painting cabins, driving the four-wheeler, lifting trunks, providing first aid, she realized Camp gave her the opportunity to be a powerful woman role model for hundreds of girls. Camp is a place where girls see women doing the work!
Now, Amelie is a nurse. She credits her career journey in part to her time at camp. As a senior canoe club member, Amelie needed to know basic first aid, emergency, and survival skills. She continued learning these skills as a lifeguard and waterfront director. Later, as a staff member, Amelie was making quick decisions about safety and the well-being of the entire camper community. What valuable experience in the field of nursing!
So, the next time you are in the Hearth, take a good long look at the Hearth boards. Not only will you gain a greater appreciation for the campers who earned the honors, but maybe you will see that the hard work to recognize and raise up these campers came from a strong (and awesome) woman, Amelie!
| | Cardinal Hangout, Middle Camp Halloween Party, and Upper Camp Council | | |
Think Camp Jeanne d’Arc is only a summertime thing? Think again! We love when our campers get together in person or virtually throughout the year. This fall, we’ve been actively supporting camper meet-ups. Here’s how are we keeping Camp friendships going year round:
- Cardinal Hangout! We really wanted to focus on getting our youngest camper group – the Cardinals – together this fall. They formed close bonds over the summer and often do not have access to phones the way our older campers do to keep in touch. So we created a virtual, low-key hangout with the Cardinals. The campers enjoyed a scavenger hunt, a special guest counselor, and spent A LOT of time giggling. And we loved how they were all checking to make sure who was coming back next summer!
- Upper Camp Council. Our 13+ campers are so amazing! They are totally invested in keeping traditions strong and adding ideas to meet older campers’ needs. They gathered via Google Meet to discuss some of the small but meaningful changes that went on last summer at camp. That included things like adding designated snack times to the day, the addition of cabin free-time during the 5th activity period, casual Sunday breakfast, frequency of campfire, and the big sister/little sister program. There is no doubt that the upcoming Upper Camp leadership is strong and Camp Jeanne d’Arc is in good hands.
- Middle Camp Halloween Party! We hosted a virtual Halloween party for our Parrots, Flickers, and Orioles complete with Halloween trivia, costume sharing, and a lively discussion on what is the spookiest place at Camp! Campers voted the Bath House and the Tunnel as the spookiest, but our Camp Director Sandy said that, in fact, the basement of LaCabina is actually spooky spot number one!
| | Camp Jeanne d'Arc Artists! | | |
Every summer, it seems like extremely talented artists come to Camp! Last summer, camper Ana Mercede and junior counselor Lorenza led an effort to create an amazing painting of Joan of Arc. This prompted us to think about other Jeanne d’Arc alum who have created art and find a way to highlight their work! We asked on Facebook for folks to help us find JDA artists. Here are a few (there are many, many more!):
Bibi Rojas. Bibi was part of the JDA community in the 1980s and early 1990s. She could be found leading campfire with her guitar in hand! Bibi currently lives as an artist in Venezuela and describes her work: “pencil sketches — simple scribbles where I let go of control and followed the movement of the hand … over time these sketches evolved into what I call Light Code illustrations — small pieces that carry a mix of color, form, and feeling. Some are hand-drawn with acrylics or alcohol markers, others are digital or hybrid, mixed-media” Click here to view more of her work.
Lis Zadravec. Lis was a camper, T- Bird '74 & Owl '75 and a junior counselor in '77. She later became the art instructor and staff member in '06, '07 & 2011. Lis’ work is “primarily in colored pencil and expresses poignant human expression. Her subjects reveal themselves with their vulnerabilities and their strengths with masterful treatment of facial features and hands, a myriad of textures, and articulated light and shadow.” Find her work here.
Madeleine Kelly. Madeleine, a multi-generation camper, granddaughter of Molly Scanlan Kelly, was a camper from 1998-2002. She currently resides in New Orleans where she is an artist and teaches drawing and painting. Maddie describes her work: “My work explores kinship, mystery, and reverence for the more-than-human world. Paintings and etchings emerge from intimate encounters with elements of nature that I inhabit and that inhabit me. I spend a lot of time in the swamps in and around the Atchafalaya Basin in South Louisiana, so the flora, fauna, light, and water I encounter there is especially present in my work.” You can check out her work here.
Monica Kelly. Older sister to Madeline, Monica Kelly is also an accomplished artist in New Orleans. Moncia spent a couple summers at Camp Jeanne d’Arc in the 1990s. According to her bio, “Monica Rose Kelly has been running her studio in New Orleans for over a decade. Her practice intersects the fields of fine art, public art, murals, illustration, and design. Monica’s work is vibrant in nature and communicates the energy of the soul. Her unique style was influenced by growing up around hip hop and graffiti, as well as traveling around the world and discovering the great works of the Impressionist painters, as well as the Art Nouveau and Art Deco architectural movements.” Check out her studio website.
Veronica Escalante. Veronica was a camper/counselor in the 1990s/2000s and currently she and her family go back and forth between Yucatán, Mexico, and the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. Veronica describes her work: “I create visual poetry. I write poems and then integrate the words into my abstract paintings, often visualizing them as heartbeats.” You can view her portfolio or check out her work via Instagram and website.
Are you an artist and we missed you? Let me know! We would love to feature you in future newsletters!
| | More Than Costumes and Skits | | |
To keep on trend with Halloween and costumes, we decided to create a blog about performing at Camp titled, “More Than Skits and Costumes, How Performing at Camp Fuels Growth.” Many of you probably have tons of memories dressing up, botching your lines in the play, and creating improv paper bag skits. It was such good fun that I bet you didn’t even know you were experiencing growth, right?
The blog post begins:
“You know you are at overnight summer camp when the costumes come out and the skits start… skitting? And while performing at camp is super fun, there is something deeper happening. Campers who perform loosely-produced skits in front of a group are gaining confidence, learning how to roll with mistakes, and understanding how being authentic with others is the best way to connect!”
The blog goes on to show a bunch of ways Camp Jeanne d’Arc nurtures growth when young people are given a safe, supportive space to step outside their comfort zones, embrace with true selves, and discover the leader within!
Read on here!
| | Campers Capturing the True Spirit of JDA! | | |
Love it or hate it, social media is a part of life! At Camp Jeanne d’Arc, we use social media to keep in touch with our camp families, to share with the world how beautiful it is on Chateaugay Lake, and to showcase all the fun things we do at camp. Periodically, we take a look at our most successful posts on social media. This year we got some good engagement surrounding our posts about Camp and College, Christmas in July, Smugglers, and Camp as a Digital Detox.
But our number one posts were camper-created slideshows that truly captured the spirit of Camp Jeanne d’Arc. You can view these video montages here: First Half, Second Half.
Thank you to campers Caroline and Ella (2025 Owls and members of YALC) for their hard work on gathering camera videos, splicing the edits together, and adding just the right songs to demonstrate the special sisterhood of Camp Jeanne d’Arc! And it is a testament to the fact that you don’t need professional camera work or high-end edits to connect with your audience – simply amazing campers who know what is at the heart of the JDA experience!
| | Do you Have a Camper-Aged Daughter? | | |
Do you have a daughter nearing camper-age? Have you been wondering if the time is right to start exploring Camp Jeanne d'Arc for her? Give us a call! Even if you are a few summers away, let us know if you have questions. We are excited to build the next generation of campers with you!
| | Do Me a Favor, Come Back! | | |
We know that last summer was awesome, but the real test is how fast campers sign up for another summer! As of now, our returning campers are signing up for camp faster than they did last summer, securing their spot for another amazing Camp summer!
Leading the way are the returning Orioles with 15 girls returning (this includes all sessions)! Wow!! The Parrots, Cardinals, and Flickers are not far behind. If you haven’t registered yet, you may want to do that soon, very soon!
| | Connect with Camp Jeanne d'Arc! | | | | |
