42°
"I camped here in Conway Cabin when I was in the third grade. I remember my troop had to use compasses to find our breakfast. We all searched together and after five or 10 minutes, we found it," recalls Kicska, who is a Fairfield resident.
Camp Aspetuck is a 16-acre Girl Scout camp that offers one- and two-week sessions every summer from late June through early August. The camp is for girls going into grades 1-12. About 130 girls from across Fairfield County attend the camp each session.
Camp Aspetuck is one of nine Girl Scout summer camps throughout Connecticut.
According to Kicska, part of what makes Camp Aspetuck unique is its specialty programs. These include "International Food Traveler," where campers cook and prepare food from different countries, as well as learn about the countries themselves.
New this summer is the program "Trip To Mars," where girls learn about planets and constellations, and make star gazers and astronaut ice cream.
According to Kassondra Granata, community and public relations manager for Girl Scouts of Connecticut, Camp Aspetuck is embracing STEM, which is a national initiative to encourage the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
"With STEM, we want to encourage and empower girls to pursue jobs in the fields of STEM," Kicska said.
One STEM-related program offered at Camp Aspetuck is rocketry. "The girls learned about the shape of a rocket, how to fuel a rocket, and how to launch it.
"Girl Scouts help to empower girls by teaching them skills they can take with them for a lifetime.," Kicska said.
Six-year-old camper Natalia said she enjoys making art projects at camp. "We made chickens from cotton balls," she said.
Bella, who is 13, is in her ninth year at Camp Aspetuck. "It's great making so many friends here. We all meet up during the school year and go shopping. Also, we talk to each other in a group chat," she said.
Eleven-year-old Jada said her three favorite parts of her day at camp are the "counselors, swimming and my friends. All the people are so nice and caring," she said.
Camp Aspetuck runs through Aug. 5 and still has openings for the summer. For more information, call (800) 922-2770 or click here.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Westport and receive free news updates.
