Living, Meals & Activities

The camper’s week focuses on their specialty major and an elective of their choice and includes a daily recreation period and nightly campfire program. Sugarloaf is an overnight camp that runs Sunday to Saturday for both sessions. The staff consists of many El Dorado County teachers and many Sugarloaf alums.

Living Groups

Students are assigned to same-gender living groups consisting of eight to twelve campers, grouped by similar ages and or grade levels but including students involved in various camp programs. Each living group is assigned one adult counselor. Counselors participate in meal times and organize events with their assigned groups, and sleep in the same cabin with their groups. Cabin mate requests are granted as space permits at the camp director’s discretion.

Meals

Three nutritious, balanced meals are provided in an enclosed cafeteria, with fresh fruit and water available to campers throughout the day. A limited amount of snacks and drinks are for sale at the Sugarloaf Student Store during afternoon recreational time.

Instruction

Much of the campers’ day will be organized around classes in their chosen majors and electives. The major programs offer nearly four hours of instruction daily, with an additional hour devoted to elective activities. Major and elective classes meet throughout the morning and after dinner, with afternoons reserved for recreational activities.

Recreational Activities

Each afternoon, the campers have over three hours of recreational and leisure time with plenty of organized activities from which to choose. These include water activities, nature hikes, basketball, volleyball, Frisbee golf, and many other activities. Campers can choose to become involved in the fun group activities or to spend their leisure time pursuing individual interests, such as reading, writing, working on arts and crafts projects, rehearsing for talent night, or other interests. One of Sugarloaf’s many artistic activities that campers can participate in is the Henna face & arm painting.  While this activity is fun and safe for most students, some have allergic reactions to certain henna paints.  Please advise your child to opt out of this activity if they have had any allergic reactions to henna and ask them to alert our staff if they have any reactions to the paint at camp.  Each evening, campers, counselors, and staff gather for an evening program that may include singing camp songs, a night hike, or a talent show where campers and staff perform on stage.

Final Performance Day

We complete our week of camp on Saturday with a final performance for family and friends, showcasing the talents and week’s accomplishments of each camper through music, theater, and dance performances and an outdoor gallery of art, photography, and video productions. Parents and the public come to enjoy the performance and visual arts displayed by the campers, with campers heading home after the afternoon program.

Please Note:

Participation in all rehearsals and the final (Saturday) performance is required for campers enrolled in performance majors. Performance majors include all band sections,

A Cappella, Vocal Ensemble, Dance, and Theater.

Campers must be committed to the entire camp session.

Sugarloaf Camp is a limited enrollment performing arts camp; the final performance is vital to the camp experience. Therefore, any camper that leaves camp early and does not perform in the Saturday performance will be disqualified from attending Sugarloaf Camp for the following year.