Q: WHO IS THE CAMP DIRECTOR?
A: Sandy Valine is in her eighth year as Camp Director for the YWCA of Vermont's Camp Hochelaga, but was also a 10 year camper and 5 year counselor at camp. She held the following staff positions- waterfront counselor, Head of Lower Mids and Head of the Waterfront. She is a veteran elementary school teacher with more than 20 years of experience in New Hampshire with certifications in Elementary Education, and General Special Education. Her Master's Degree in Education also provided certification as a Reading Specialist. She has completed the ACA's New Director Workshop Training, actively participates in the Vermont Camp Association and attends the ACA New England Conference each year.

Q: WHAT’S NEW FOR 2008?
A: The new Craft House will be built on top of the foundation (built in 2007) with spectacular views overlooking the lake. The Craft House will have 2 separate classroom spaces, a covered porch for additional classes and a deck. We are looking forward to the completion of this new addition to our facilities. The new building will have 3 sinks, ceiling fans, new cabinets, screened windows and several sliding glass doors with screens. Building should begin soon and we are planning on having it finished in early spring. There is a tile project being planned so that Friends of the A&C Building can leave a message or share their art work for many more decades. Contact us for more information.

Q: WHAT PROGRAMS ARE OFFERED AT CAMP HOCHELAGA?
A: Camp Hochelaga offers five one week residential sessions and one two week session for girls ages 8-17. We also run day camp sessions for girls ages 6-12+ concurrently with our residential camp sessions. We offer a Counselor-In-Training program for girls age 16 and entering their junior year in high school.

Program area classes and activities are available in Arts and Crafts, Landsports, Tennis, Archery, Drama, Swimming, Sailing, Canoeing, Kayaking, Waterfront games, Nature and Outdoor Education Skills, etc.

Q: WHAT'S THE DAILY SCHEDULE LIKE?
A: The girls select their classes on Sunday evening from a variety of options.

Our daily schedule will look something like this:

7:00 Reveille
7:45 Flag Raising
8:00 Breakfast - Cabin/Line Clean Up
9:00 Activity 1 Perhaps archery or landsports
10:00 Activity 2 Arts and crafts or canoeing
11:00 Flex Time 1 swim lesson or tennis Girls select each flex time choices each evening. Advanced classes in archery, sailing, kayaking, canoeing are offered.

11:45 Flex Time 2 time with friends or Craft Activity
12:45 Lunch

2-3 Rest Hour quiet time for reading, talking, writing letters, etc
3:00 Activity 3 Drama or jewelry making
4:00 "Free" Choice The girls would sign up for an area of interest for that day: perhaps it’s a free swim, art activity, archery, game, etc. This changes each day
5:00 Cabin/Line Time activities with their friends and counselors
5:45 Flag Lowering
6:00 Dinner
7:30 Evening Program some type of all camp activity such as a talent show, theater production, scavenger hunt, funny skits, etc.
9:00+ Taps (bedtime for) Lower Mids, Upper Mids, Seniors. Time varies by line.

Then it starts all over again!

Q: WHAT ARE THE FACILITIES LIKE?
A: Campers at Camp Hochelaga live in comfortable, rustic cabins with built in shelves and bunk beds that house up to 8 girls. There are three bath houses (one for each age group) with hot showers, sinks and toilets nearby the cabins. Counselors live in platform tents intermingled among the cabins.

The Weld Lodge was rebuilt in 2001. It serves as a meeting place, library and dining hall. Our trained kitchen staff members provide an incredible variety of balanced, nutritious family style meals with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables at each meal. Our popular salad bar is a big hit with both campers and staff. Vegetarian options are available at each meal and our cooks have been able to accommodate a number of food related allergies or issues with advance notice.

The Health House is centrally located. We provide medical services and first aid with medical personnel living in residence. We also have a 24 hour link with a licensed physician and emergency medical services. The majority of the counselors and staff are also CPR and First Aid certified.

The Wigwam is a program building that houses our drama and theatre productions as well as many evening programs. The Wig, built in 1926, is one of the original buildings at Hochelaga and a wood stove was added to the great stone fireplace.

The Arts and Crafts building houses many interesting classes and activities, such as jewelry, basket weaving, drawing, puppetry, paper mache, book making, knitting, and many more activities.

There are also a couple of Lounges, buildings used for a variety of purposes, such as dance, banquet preparation, aerobics, yoga, etc. The Middler Lounge will have an air hockey table, ping pong table and our camp store.

The Nature Hut is our home for Environmental Education / Nature / Outdoor Living Skills. Getting more familiar with our natural environment is an ongoing goal. Getting better acquainted with nature and all that it brings to our world is a great benefit to Camp Hochelaga’s location.

Hochelaga's sheltered cove on Lake Champlain is the perfect place to learn how to sail, canoe, kayak, swim or have fun playing waterfront games. The archery field and tennis courts are also popular spots as are our fields for other landsports. Our 30 acres allows the opportunity to campers to spread out and experience many interesting areas both on and off of the shoreline.

Q: HOW MANY CAMPERS PER SESSION?
A: Our residential sessions can house at least 110 girls. There are 10 cabins on the Middler Line (grades 3-8) and 4 cabins on the Senior Line for girls in high school.

Four cabins are generally assigned to each the Lower Mid Line (grades 3-5) and Upper Mid Line (grades 6-8). Centrally located ninth and tenth cabins "swing" depending on enrollment figures.

Our daycamp generally serves approximately 20+ campers Monday through Friday. The girls typically range in age from 5 to 12, although older campers have also attended. The younger girls often travel together to activities and receive additional support and guidance. The day campers are actively included into the “regular” camp program and are encouraged to meet the residential campers and spend time with them on the lines if they would like to do so.

Q: WHERE DO CAMPERS COME FROM?
A: The Hochelaga Family continues to expand. Last summer we had campers representing 20 states and 2 foreign countries. The majority of our campers come from across Vermont, and New England. Some of our first time campers come with a buddy or a friend; however most do not, but make friends they stay in touch with throughout the year and arrange their schedules to come back to camp together the next year. A strong percentage of campers are returning campers. Our alumnae outreach also continues to spread the Hochelaga Spirit and encourages families to send their daughters to Camp Hochelaga and the shores of Lake Champlain!

Q: WHAT ABOUT THE COUNSELORS AND OTHER STAFF MEMBERS?
A: Many of our counselors and program specialists “grow up” at Camp Hochelaga. While the majority of the staff is made up of college students, we also hire “older” counselors and staff members. Many of our counselors are enrolled in or have completed education related degrees or course work in their particular area of interest/expertise. Most of our counselors are leaders in their schools, groups, and communities and share their enthusiasm for life and working with others.

We have a week long, intensive orientation and training session prior to the campers arriving. During this orientation, the staff participate in a variety of training sessions including child development, First Aid, CPR, team building, group dynamics, skill development, instructional practices and the prevention/identification/reporting of child endangerment. There are many topics covered by a variety of speakers both in and outside of the YWCA VT and Hochelaga Community.

Q: HOW MUCH ARE TUITION FEES?
A: Day camp week-long sessions are $195 which includes lunch daily.

Mini Camp (4 days, 3 nights) sessions are $290.

One week residential sessions are $495.

The two week residential session (RC 6) is $975.

There is a $50 discount for consecutive residential sessions (RC 1-5).

The activity fee for weekends between residential sessions is $65.

There is a transportation fee of $25 each way for prearranged travel plans to the

Burlington International Airport or Burlington Bus Terminal.

We also are very fortunate to have a Scholarship Fund to help families.

A $100 non-refundable registration deposit will hold a spot for your camper.

All campers are required to become YWCA VT members. There is a $5 fee for girls

under the age of 15. The fee is $15 for girls fifteen and older and they become

voting members of the YWCA Vermont.

All campers will receive a camp t-shirt as part of their tuition fee.

We accept Mastercard and Visa, cash, checks or money orders.

Please call 802-862-7520 to make a deposit or for more information or email us at

HochelagaCamp@aol.com

Q: ARE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE?
A: Yes! There is a scholarship program at Camp Hochelaga. The deadline for Round One is March 13, 2008! Last summer more than $32,000 in scholarship money was awarded to 90 girls. This program is supported by generous assistance from the Turrell Fund, Vermont Student Assistance Corp, the South Hero Rotary, The Green Mountain Crescent Circle of Gamma Phi Beta, several generous individual donors and organizations as well as Hochelaga Campers themselves, who chose to donate all or part of their store card balances. Last summer the girls donated monies to cover 2 residential weeks as well as additional partial scholarships.

Click on the Scholarship Information links on the website for more specific information and forms.

Q: WHAT ARE THE ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE TIMES?
A: For residential campers our arrival time is generally between 2-4PM on Sundays. In the confirmation packet there are assigned times based on travel, siblings and first timers or returning campers. Our pick ups on Saturday are between 9:30-11:30 AM. We have a short closing ceremony that begins around 10:30AM that we would like all campers and family members attend.
For daycampers our drop off times M-F are between 7:30-9AM. Our first classes and activities begin at 9. Pick ups generally occur between 5-6PM. Dinner is served at 6.

Q: WHAT DOES HOCHELAGA MEAN AND HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE IT?
A: Hochelaga (hosh’ i (short) la (long) ga) is the name of a Native American village located in what is now Montreal.

Q: WHEN WAS THE YWCA VERMONT’S CAMP HOCHELAGA FOUNDED?
A: Miss Marion Gray, the National YWCA Field Secretary to Vermont wrote in her 1919 report to the National YWCA, the following: "Miss Grace Brooks, of St. Albans was secured early in May to organize and direct a small camp for girls..." The camp was called Camp Worth While. In September 1921, the YWCA filed Articles of Association for Camp Hochelaga Corporation. Camp Hochelaga moved to its current location in 1925 with the purchase of 21 acres. In 1928, it received an additional 9 acres as a gift, bringing the total acreage to its present 30 acres in South Hero on Lake Champlain.

Q: WHAT WAS NEW FOR 2007?
A: The foundation for the new Arts and Crafts building was built overlooking the lake. The Middler Lounge became home to an air hockey table and the new Camp Store. A change in the schedule allowed for the girls to select another daily activity as they wanted more choices in the daily schedule. The response was overwhelmingly positive and allowed for the girls to continue to have experience and practice in making choices. A new salad bar and milk dispenser (cow) were great additions to the dining hall. Advanced kayaking, canoeing, sailing and archery were extremely popular activities for girls of all ages, but especially with the older campers.

Q: WHAT WAS NEW FOR 2006?
A: A new handicapped accessible cabin- The Bloom Girls Cabin- was built on the Middler Line. We are continuing to enhance and build program offerings. The YWCA Vermont and Camp Hochelaga will be designing and fund raising for a new Arts and Crafts building. After more than 70 years, the Arts and Crafts building has served us well, creating many fabulous memories for thousands of girls, but it is showing the wear and tear of so many years of service. We expect to continue the CIT Canoe Trip on the Lamoille River, as well as our mountain climbing trips. We are discussing the possibility of piloting a small mentor program during the summer with the assistance of one of our partners- VSAC (Vermont Student Assistance Corporation).

Q: WHAT WAS NEW AT CAMP HOCHELAGA IN 2005?
A: The 2005 camp season included building a new cabin – Susan Haskin Simms on the Senior Line, increasing the capacity for high school aged students to 32 girls each session. In addition, in response to camper interest, additional outdoor living skills classes were offered. More improvements to the three bath houses were made involving new interior painting, floor mats in the shower areas, and some additional or enhanced privacy walls. For the first time in many years, girls climbed Camel’s Hump as part of their Hochelaga experience. A photo from the 1940s and 1950s on a mountain was recreated with the girls from 2005. The Counselor In Training program for 11^th graders embarked on a three day canoe adventure on the Lamoille River as part of their experience, bringing back an old tradition.

Q: HOW DO I GET LETTERS/MAIL/MESSAGES TO MY CAMPER ?
A: Letters/packages should be mailed to 34 Hochelaga Rd, South Hero, VT 05486 or to PO Box 148, South Hero, VT 05486 We retrieve mail from both addresses daily. Please do NOT send any food/snack products to campers due to wildlife and the increasing number of food allergies. ALL packages are opened in front of staff members and food will be stored until the end of the session.

Email messages may be sent to HochelagaCampers@aol.com Please put your camper’s name in the subject line. Emails are printed out and delivered as mail each day. There is a 50 cent charge to help us cover the printing costs. Colored photos are an additional charge. This fee will be deducted from the camper’s store card.