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A Nyoda Day

The rhythm of life at Nyoda is built around our daily schedule, which gives girls the opportunity to take safe risks, learn new skills, create an appreciation for the outdoors, make new friends, develop skills for life, build confidence and improve their self image. While still leaving room for creativity, our schedule allows girls the comfort of structure and frees them from the stresses and concerns that surround them during their school life.

We begin each day with "Set ups" which gets everyone out of bed and moving. It is always easier to start the day with laughter! Then breakfast, bungalow clean up, and Sing, our daily camp meeting. There the girls sing songs (hence the name, Sing) and hear announcements for the day from every department and the Head Counselor. Then it is off for the first Activity time, 10-12. During these two hours girls choose the activities they want to do and drop in and out of these locations. Dance, Crafts, Dramatics, Archery, Boating, Horseback Riding, Swimming, and Tennis give all girls opportunities to try new skills, return to familiar things, and accomplish goals. Swimming is mandatory and, along with Horseback Riding, are the only two departments that have scheduled lesson times.

Before the 12:30 lunch is Bung time, a relaxed time to share with the friends and counselors you live with. After lunch is Rest Hour, a quiet individual time for writing letters, reading, or taking a nap! After Rest Hour is Rec Swim, all invited, and then a second Activity time from 3-5 where a camper can return to something she began in the morning or try something new.

After dinner the activity is for the entire camp, and is different each evening. These fun–filled activities are planned by the counselors and range from team game to counselor hunt to station activities involving pirates, TV shows, Olympics, and Mystery Theater. Campers are grouped in many different ways which helps them get to know everyone here. It adds to our feeling of community and improves each person's self confidence to have friends of all ages. Good Night Circle ends the day with songs and a friendship squeeze.

The Nyoda Day is planned with a mixture of active fun, friend bonding time, and individual accomplishments. Our Motto is Nyoda, Where Girls Like Who They Are and we strive every day to have every girl do exactly that.

Ceremonies and Events

Tradition is hugely important at Nyoda. With 100 years of happy summers, tradition is the glue that binds the generations of campers together, allows the torch to be passed each summer to a new group of girls, and provides the memories that last a lifetime. Some traditions are small, but loved, like pizza on Friday and wearing blue and white on Sunday. Others help define who we are, like Council Fire, Honor Girl, Christmas and Team Show.

Council Fire highlights the accomplishments of campers each week, with involvement in the Council Fire topic and departmental awards for those passing the tests in each department. Honor Girl candles recognize those who were role models and examples to their peers, and the traditional songs that have been sung for 100 years are still part of this beloved ceremony.

Christmas in July, with toilet paper decorations and shaving cream snow is enthusiastically celebrated! The team shows, one each session, have only three days of preparation, and are still the highlight of the summer for many.

Why We Love Our Counselors

Counselors Make Camp Happen! They join our staff after having been campers… some for up to 8 years! Because of that fact, they not only obviously love the Nyoda life, but they strive to re-create for their campers the same fun atmosphere and sense of well-being that was created for them by the counselors that went before them.

The heart of Nyoda’s community is our staff. We select our girls through an application and interview process, looking for those who are responsible, creative, child loving, and mature. We strive to place each counselor in a bungalow and department where she can best use her skills and give the campers her time and attention. Our Junior Counselors are chosen from previous campers, and they are still in high school. Our Senior Counselors are college age and have been a staff member long enough to head a Bungalow and a Department.

Nyoda’s counselors put their heart and soul into making each summer the best ever for each camper. The role of a Nyoda counselor is multifaceted, with each counselor working as part of a bungalow team while also instructing during our two activity times. They create a community in their bungalow groups, at their tables, and in their departments. They do this without electronics and distractions from home, using their own creativity and years of traditions. They have fun, whether working or playing, and bring every girl along with them. Each one teaches friendship, responsibility, integrity, and kindness in their own individual ways, reaching out to every girl. They are truly dedicated to our missions and our motto, Where Girls Like Who They Are, and strive to send every camper home feeling confident, accomplished, and respected.

As a group they develop and maintain strong bonds of friendship, and truly enjoy working together. The relationships they have with each other are the role models for their campers. The happy environment at Nyoda depends on these girls and, as 100 years testifies, they have truly been successful.

History of Nyoda

Barely a quarter of a mile in from the street one can discover a whole new world. A gentle hill, a sparkling mirror lake, tall pine and maple trees, rustic cabins, this is a very special place where girls finishing 2nd to 9th grade come to feed their spirit and grow strong in mind and body.

From the first excited hello hugs to the last tearful goodbyes, Nyoda girls spend their time here forging lifelong friendships, learning new skills, perfecting old ones, and achieving independence, all while having an amazing amount of fun! Celebrating 100 years in 2017, this tradition of play and personal exploration makes Nyoda more than just a summer camp. It is a second home to all who attend here, and when we go, each of us takes a small piece of it with us until the next time.

It was just over 100 years ago that the story of Camp Nyoda began. Lee and Grover Smith, who were raising three girls in Montclair, New Jersey, made a very progressive decision. It was a time when girls were learning how to cook, run a household, knit, and sew, but learning skills beyond those was just not accessible. The Smith’s had a very different vision for their daughters. At that time, summer camps had only been created for boys. So, they set out to find the perfect place for their daughters to live their summers in the outdoors, a place where they could challenge their limits, learn new skills, and become confident young women, while focusing on cultivating the spirit within and developing deep and lasting friendships. The perfect spot was found in Oak Ridge, New Jersey. There were rolling hills, a lake, and plenty of open space, so they purchased the 125 acres and named it “Nyoda,” after the Indian name for “rainbow,” which so often appear over our beautiful mountain after a rainstorm.

In 1917, the Smith’s vision first came to be, when about 60 girls from Glen Ridge, Montclair, and Verona, attended a summer camp just for girls for the very first time. It was monumental! So much so that the Montclair Times ran an article every week highlighting the activities that the girls at Camp Nyoda were enjoying. Nyoda has been a private camp since its inception, but in the early days it was a place where the Camp Fire Girls Circle of Montclair and Glen Ridge could go to work on their outdoor skills and progress through the Camp Fire Girls levels.

Nyoda has remained in the same family for four generations, all of whom have honored its original vision of living by work, health, and love. The family members have carried many traditions forward, but have also embraced the future by creating new customs for modern generations of girls. Many alumnae have had the pleasure of seeing their daughters, nieces, and even granddaughters, attend Nyoda and love it just as much as they did. Much has changed for girls and women since 1917, but one thing that remains is Nyoda, which still teaches girls to face challenges and develop in mind and body. It is a place where girls learn the value of working toward goals and supporting each other. Nyoda is a place where girls feel accepted enough to to be their truest selves. A place that helps girls like who they are.

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Refer a Friend

For every friend you refer to us who signs up and attends camp this summer, you will receive $150.00 off your daughter's tuition. For every 4 girls who become campers this summer, you will receive $1000 towards your tuition.

Just fill out the form below and we will get the ball rolling!

Host a 'Get to Know Nyoda' Gathering

Have at least 4 prospective girls and their parents attend your gathering and receive $100.00 off your daughter's tuition as a Thank You for hosting.

Send Molly an email (molly@nyoda.com) and we'll help!

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