After a decade at Camp Wingate*Kirkland in Yarmouth, the School moved its Upper School overnight retreat to Camp Bauercrest in Amesbury.

Camp has been a long-standing tradition, marking the start of classes for Upper School students, who spend time away from home—unplugged from technology to strengthen community bonds before the official start of classes.

In a September email to families, the School explained that logistical considerations drove the location switch. They highlighted that Bauercrest, being closer, cuts travel time to just an hour and provides more bunk space, which had become an issue at the smaller Camp Wingate*Kirkland. 

“We enjoyed our time at Camp Wingate*Kirkland the past ten years, but due to the growth in the school and the change in programming, we had to look for a new location for the upcoming school year,” the email said, also detailing how the location provides functional indoor spaces, such as a dining hall, gym, and additional gathering spots to support community-building efforts.”

The School also emphasized that Bauercrest provides functional indoor spaces, such as a dining hall, gym, and additional gathering spots, which will support the camp’s community-building efforts.

For the first time in school history, seniors also did not leave a day early for camp to participate in special bonding activities.

Instead, the Class of 2025 spent a night at Lucky Strike Bowling in Boston. Students also participated in a grade-wide activity on campus, sharing their aspirations for the year and engaging in group games to strengthen bonds.

This change left some students disappointed. 

“I’m upset because I was looking forward to spending more time away and experiencing the new camp,” Polly Zimmerman ’25 said.

Conno Wagner ‘25 expressed mixed feelings. 

“I think it’s an exciting opportunity, but I was also looking forward to more time at camp for bonding,” Wagner said. 

At camp, Abby Jacobs ’25 enjoyed spending time with her peers. 

“Camp was really fun and it was a great opportunity to bond with some of my classmates who I didn’t know as well,” Jacobs said. 

Ana Calanca Freire ’26 felt otherwise. 

“The camp itself was more modern and hillier, but it didn’t have that woodsy feeling. It felt more like a school than a camp,” Calanca Freire said.

Ava Bruell ’28 disagrees with Calanca Freire.

“The location was very nice and pretty, although the hill was a bit challenging,” Bruell said. “It was fun to run around with everybody.”

Even with a salad bar, Freire also felt that the food lacked diverse options. 

“I think they served a lot of bread,” Freire said. “All of our meals were based on pasta, bread, buns, or muffins.” 

However, Lucas Williams ’25 appreciated the food at Bauercrest but felt that the camp’s layout hindered community bonding compared to Wingate*Kirkland.

“Everything felt more communal at the old camp,” Williams said. “At Bauercrest, during free time, everyone was spread out in their own areas.”

At Wingate*Kirkland, according to Williams, students naturally gathered around the basketball courts to watch games or meet up at the camp’s bodega. At Bauercrest, he felt that it proved harder to coordinate spending time with everyone.

Sophia Sampaio ’26 felt that the School has room to improve its programming.

“I think there was too much camp family time and not enough time to spend with friends,” Sampaio said. “It was very overwhelming and some variation would have been nice.”

Sampaio and Williams also felt that the activity blocks were overly long and too unorganized.

“The activities were organized but unorganized at the same time,” Williams said. “You had time to sort of make your own fun.”

Over the summer, Upper School Student Life Coordinator Tess Cicala worked closely with Neudel and Student Senate members to craft programming at Bauercrest.

“I spent a lot of my summer planning and organizing and talking with Upper School Senate to make sure that their ideas were really heard,” Cicalla said. “The rest of the time was spent working on logistics, figuring out the activities and what was needed to make that happen. There’s a lot that went into it that I don’t think everyone necessarily realizes.”