Camp Cadet participants march to the flagpole on Monday morning.
Pennsylvania State Police trooper Samantha Minnucci is the camp director for Camp Cadet.
The flag-raising ceremony is held each morning at Camp Saginaw near Oxford.
Drill sergeant Derrick Flood instructed the campers on Monday.
The campers stand at attention for Sgt. Flood.
On Monday morning, just after breakfast, 120 boys and girls lined up at Camp Saginaw near Oxford, ready to be put to the test.
As a police officer shouted out the cadence, the campers marched in step – or as close to in step as they could manage – up to the camp flagpole, where they lined up in rows for the flag raising. Pennsylvania State Trooper Samantha Minnucci, binder in hand, gave the orders for the morning: “We're going to be going down to the lake, so you will need sunscreen and bug spray!” she shouted.
“Yes ma'am!” the campers shouted back in unison.
The routine will be repeated each morning during Camp Cadet, a week-long camp that combines the usual summer rituals – campfires, boating, swimming and plenty of chow – with lessons in regimentation, rigorous exercise and a just a taste of what being in the military is like. Minnucci, who has been part of Camp Cadet for three years, and the camp director for the past two years, said the campers – ages 11 to 13 – sometimes arrive with a chip on their shoulders.
There's a tall wooden tower and a zip line that tests the bravery of young campers, a rock-climbing wall, motorized go-carts, a lake with canoes and fishing, a pool, and custom activities that Minnucci spends a whole year organizing.
There's a simulated crime scene later in the week where campers will be asked to remember as many details as possible, and then investigate the clues to solve the crime. They'll get a chance to be fingerprinted, to see how officers subdue and handcuff suspects, and see what a drug bust – using bags full of sugar as the drugs – really looks like.
On Monday morning, guest Derrick Flood, a U.S. Army drill sergeant, led the campers in how to stand at attention, how to listen to directions and maintain decorum.
“Yes, drill sergeant!” the campers shouted in unison.
What the campers gain, she said, is increased self-esteem – whether they find it on the zip line, in the fun activities or in the way every camper gets the same yellow shirts and hats, so there are no comparisons of wealth or background during the week. “We want them to leave behind where they grew up, how much money they have. We want them to come here and learn together,” Minncci said. “It's also an easier way to keep track of 120 kids,” she added, smiling.
She is careful to select campers from a wide range of areas in the county – wealthy and needy – for the free camp, which is funded by $35,000 raised through donations and fundraisers throughout the year. This year, there were almost 300 applicants, and 120 were chosen.
While some of the campers are at the camp because it's a week of camp they might not otherwise be able to afford, there are some who are very interested in the military or police work, as well as those who struggle with the most basic physical challenges.
Each day begins with reveille at 6 a.m., followed by physical training for 45 minutes, then breakfast. There's an hour of drilling each day, which still leaves plenty of time for fun.
There were some wandering eyes and fidgety feet during the drills on Monday morning, the second day of camp, and Minnucci said the campers sometimes resist the discipline, but by the end of the week, the graduation ceremony includes every child marching into place in uniform and performing some of the drills they've learned.
“The parents are amazed by it,” Minnucci said. “They're like, 'That's my kid?' To see them go from a mess to amazing in a week is a wonderful feeling.
“It's challenging but so rewarding,” she said. “I had one kid say, 'I feel like I've left my young self behind, and I'm moving on with my adult self.' Another one said, 'I realize that Batman and Superman aren't really heroes. It's you guys. You're risking your lives for us. You're our heroes.' To hear that from kids, it shows they're getting the message.