What type in Sternberg/Heller?

amother

OP ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 1:40 pm

DD wants to apply to Camp Heller with a couple of friends. My impression was that it has a more mixed crowd but I don't really know. DD is more sheltered - no access to smartphone or social media is a huge value for me, I don't want her making friends who will pressure her to join WhatsApp groups to stay in touch. Also tznius wise - she's been wearing her skirts higher up already when I'm not looking... I don't want her to be further influenced to downgrade, our home is full Bais Yaakov standards and I don't want her to be looked down at in the community and school. I know she'll do what she wants anyway, like pulling her skirts higher, but I also know that she's very influenced by friends and right now her friends are more our type.

It's also important to me not to send to a place where there's peer pressure to have specific products or brands.

I'm cringing as I read what I wrote because I don't want to sound like I'm putting people into boxes or looking down on those who are different than me. But I do want to know before potentially sending DD into an environment that could pull her away from my values.

amother

Navyblue ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 1:47 pm

My daughter went to sternberg for 4 years
This year she is going into 11th and going to Michlelet ncsy (which is a learning Israel camp) I would say she’s pretty frum. Doesn’t cover legs, covers knees and elbows 95% of time. She has an iPhone but no social media. Most girls in camp had iPhones, some w and some w out social media. (They couldn’t have their phones in camp tho) She definitely had more chilled girls in her bunk (wear short sleeves, etc out of camp) but in camp there is a dresss code obviously
She’s very growth oriented and definitely grew from sternberg. It’s an amazing place, I can’t say your daughter won’t get influenced. But sternberg is definitely a great place to grow and an amazing learning experience etc

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 4:18 pm

Thank you!
Being that most girls have iPhones, do they use WhatsApp groups and other social media to keep in touch after camp? Ie would dd be left out of a social group if she doesn't have access?

amother

Blueberry ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 4:58 pm

I went to Heller 25 years ago. I was a sheltered Lakewood girl. My parents sent us to Sternberg because it was cheaper or they got a discount. I was exposed to G-d knows what in Heller. All I can say is if you care about these things, be careful and don’t be naive. Smart phones didn’t exist back then, but I had no concept that frum girls had boyfriends. Just the tip of the iceberg. It definitely formed the trajectory to whom I am today. Not a good one.

amother

↑ Blueberry

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 5:00 pm

amother Hunter wrote:

Sternberg is a huge mix. You will have yeshivish to modern orthodox and everything in between.
It’s not a camp that has social pressure for wearing brands at all!

Depends what’s important to you. I sent my daughter to a frummer camp than Sternberg that was very into brands. But at least she wasn’t surrounded by girls who had boyfriends.

mother51 ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 7:22 pm

amother OP wrote:

Can anyone more recent update if Sternberg still attracts girls who are involved with boys or other concerning behaviors?

Hi yes I just spoke to my daughter who was in heller last year
She said there was one girl in the bunk of 40 with a boyfriend and in the rest of the bunks maybe a few more. So 90% of girls didn’t have boyfriends. I saw how much my daughter grew from sternberg/ heller and she came home telling me how excited she was for shiur every day and how amazing it was to learn because she wanted to not because she was in school. Most of her friends were like this.
PM me for more Q

↑ mother51 ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 7:23 pm

amother OP wrote:

Can anyone more recent update if Sternberg still attracts girls who are involved with boys or other concerning behaviors?

Also if your concerned send her second month it’s a more yeshivish crowd

amother

↑ Hunter

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 7:28 pm

amother Blueberry wrote:

Depends what’s important to you. I sent my daughter to a frummer camp than Sternberg that was very into brands. But at least she wasn’t surrounded by girls who had boyfriends.

You will find maybe one girl in the entire bunk of 25 girls that has a boyfriend. Did you go to heller? I did

↑ mother51

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 7:33 pm

amother Hunter wrote:

You will find maybe one girl in the entire bunk of 25 girls that has a boyfriend. Did you go to heller? I did

Either you send to sternberg where one girl in the bunk has a bf who’s parents allow her to or you can send to a yeshivish camp that still has that one girl in the bunk w a bf she just rebellious and hiding it from her parents

amother

Taupe

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 7:35 pm

My dd is yeshivish and loves sternberg she has been there for over 7 years. Huge mix. Even in bais yaakov camps some girls have boy friends you just don't know about it as they keep it a secret. If your daughter is the fun outgoing nature type she will love it.

As far as where your dd is now she is probably rebelling against something in her life that she is unhappy with try having a heart yo heart talk with her. Teenage years are confusing and they love to experiment and try new things and get on parents nerves.

Try to notice her positive traits and don't give any attention to the negative ones.

nicole81 ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 11:26 pm

My 9th grader went to Sternberg second half this past summer. She didn't own a phone (now she has a dumb phone that's talk only, no text) and has no social media. She wears knee socks and fully covering skirts. She went with 5 BY classmates just like her. There were plenty of other girls like this and girls that wore short socks and shorter skirts. Everyone did their own thing, no pressure. No pressure about brand names either.

↑ nicole81 ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 11:28 pm

amother Hunter wrote:

You will find maybe one girl in the entire bunk of 25 girls that has a boyfriend. Did you go to heller? I did

No one had a bf in my daughter's bunk. Also OP, second half tends to lean more right wing.

↑ nicole81 ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 11:56 pm

amother OP wrote:

Thanks.
Another question I forgot to ask, do they offer any financial aid? Seems very expensive and I know there's no federation there anymore.

No financial aid unfortunately, however you can possibly get funding from your local federation. Mine does give out some funding.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Yesterday at 12:17 am

The website names a trip fee. Like wth? Since when are trips not included in a sleep away camp? It's not like you even theoretically have an option to just stay home that day. It's not a small fee either.

And they expect payment in full by May 1, almost 3 months before she would set foot in camp. How do people deal with this?!

↑ nicole81 ↓

Yesterday at 12:55 am

amother OP wrote:

They're flexible with payment. I don't even think I registered my daughter until May and they let us pay it out through August. And yeah the trip fee is annoying. It also costs to send emails to your camper. But kids also have the most amazing time there so I guess it was worth it for my dd.

amother

↑ OP

Yesterday at 1:59 am

nicole81 wrote:

They charge for emails?!!! What about snail mail? Phone calls? You're trusting these people with your kid away from home and they charge you extra to contact them?!