Program & Daily Schedule

Camp Pinecliffe’s philosophy of creating well-rounded girls is the basis for our structured choice program. Our 7-period schedule is a combination of 2 choice periods and 5 assigned, ensuring that all of our campers participate in all of our activities, regularly rotate through all of them, and have the opportunity to focus on areas that interest each camper most.

I remember going to Pinecliffe for the first time as a nine-year-old, nervous and thinking that camp was just a place to go for 7 weeks in the summer. As I formed friendships and discovered a love for new activities like waterskiing, hiking and silver I realized that my original perception was completely wrong.

Gabby | Alumna

Programming

Our intentional scheduling allows campers to experience the activities they know and love, while trying new things in a comfortable environment. They also learn how to be supportive teammates and friends.

Electives & Choice

Our campers have one elective period daily, which changes weekly, allowing campers to focus in a small group setting on activities that interest them most. Campers participate at electives in Senior or Junior groups, rather than by age group or bunk, and for many, activities are grouped by skill ability.

Because we run all of our electives each week of the summer, and campers rotate through the electives, we can have elective groups devoted to campers wanting to learn basic skills and elective groups dedicated to campers looking to improve on advanced skills.

Our Daily Choice period, in the morning for Seniors, and afternoon for Juniors, switch every day. Campers are given different activity options each day to choose from, whether it’s a sport, an art, archery, canoeing, or even free swim, Daily Choice is an excellent opportunity for campers to participate in something different each day that interests them.

These elective and choice activities provide our campers with two unique experiences: spending time with campers of different ages and skill-based development.

Camper Schedule

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7:30 — Reveille

A typical day at Camp Pinecliffe begins at 7:30 when our bugle plays Reveille, waking the camp.

8:00 — Breakfast

Breakfast, like all of our meals, is served family style. We have a different breakfast every day (eggs, pancakes, bagels, etc.). Campers are always provided the option of our breakfast bar, which includes fresh fruit and yogurt daily, as well as a variety of hot and cold cereals.

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8:30 — Bunk Ordering

After breakfast, campers return to their bunks to clean and prepare for morning activities.

9:10 — Morning Assembly

The entire camp gathers for a daily assembly, where we sing camp songs and make important announcements.

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9:30 – 12:40
Four Activity Periods

Pinecliffe has 4 activity periods in the morning, each 40 minutes in length, with ten minutes between, providing plenty of time for campers to get from one activity to the next without missing instructional time. We use the 2nd period of each day for Senior Choice, while 4th is our dedicated Junior Elective period.

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1:00 – Lunch
1:45 – 2:45 — Rest Hour

All campers spend rest hour in their bunks, supervised by a counselor. This provides our campers an opportunity to write letters home, read a book, or play a game with their bunkmates.

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2:50 – 5:20
Three Activity Periods

We run three activity periods in the afternoon, each also 40 minutes in length. During the final two periods of our day, our Juniors have a 6th period daily choice, and our Senior campers attend their electives during 7th period.

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5:20 – 6:00 — Free Time

This is a structured free time for all of our campers. Many of our departments, including tennis, boot camp, landsports, and swim, are open for campers to have additional instruction in areas of their choice. We use this time for all of our competitive inter-camp teams to practice for upcoming games and focus on advance skill development.

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6:15 – Dinner
7:15 – Evening Program

The entire camp comes together as a large family where we all play organized activities.

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8:30 – Milk & Cookies

Junior campers line-up at the Main Bunk in their pajamas for Milk and Cookies. Camp “big” Sisters spend time with their Camp “little sisters.”

9:00 – Taps

The day ends with Lights Out at Taps (9:00p.m.), followed by flashlight time where campers can read or write letters quietly on their bed before falling asleep.

Older Campers

Senior campers impact the lives of younger campers as they run the show as our Campfire Speakers. Learning leadership qualities is an important aspect of our campers’ personal growth.

An important part of Pinecliffe’s philosophy is to provide our campers with opportunities for leadership. Many of our traditions, such as color war, Cabinet, and campfire speakers are managed and led by our senior campers. Our younger campers are also able to learn the building blocks of leadership through smaller roles including song leaders and activity captains.

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Camp Sisters

At a single-gender camp, girls learn to be themselves and form lifelong bonds with their fellow campers.

All Girls Here