Camp Stanislaus offers hard-to-find activities

St. Stanislaus, the 1854-founded Catholic boys’ school in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, has operated its popular “Camp Stanislaus” at its beachfront campus since 1928.
 
In addition to offering boys ages 8-15 both day camp and residential camp options from June 11 through July 8, Camp Stanislaus will again offer a summer program for girls ages 8-15 on those same dates.
 
“The boys and girls do their activities separately – they even eat in different dining halls – except for some elective courses and the morning character talks,” said Sam Doescher, camp director, noting that each camp morning begins with an assembly led by Brother Lee Barker, a former principal of St. Stanislaus. Brother Lee, a camp staffer for over 50 years, focuses his morning talks on age-appropriate topics such as homesickness, making friends and peer pressure.
 
“We offer a place where boys, and now girls, can have a safe and fun environment where they can grow in their faith,” Doescher said.
 
The camp, which makes use of the full boarding school campus and a six-wing dormitory, is also known for its wide variety of activities, many of which are either unavailable or difficult to find in the local area. The list includes sailing, water-skiing, archery, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing, swimming, weightlifting, gym and field sports, movies, barbecues, skit nights, art and Saturday “mystery trips” to local areas of interest, just to name a few.
 
“We have a 1,000-foot fishing pier that juts out into the Gulf of Mexico. That’s where we operate our sailing and fishing operation,” Doescher said.
 
The camp’s water-ski lodge on the Jourdan River, equipped with a boat slip, enables campers to access the sport on the river and the adjacent Bayou LaCroix.
 
“We’ll take a group out every afternoon to canoe in either the Wolf or the Jourdan River,” he said, adding that swim time takes place in the campus pool and in the Gulf of Mexico.
 
In one of the elective offerings, marine biologist Letha Boudreaux gives campers nets and equipment and walks with them to the beach to identify marine life and gauge water quality.
 
Campers can choose one week or all four weeks of camp. Cost for day camp is $340 for one week and $315 for each additional week; cost for the residential camp is $695 for one week and $595 for each additional week.
 
An application deposit of $130 for day camp (or $230 for residential camp) is applied to camp tuition.
 
Tours are available. For more information, call (228) 467-9057, ext. 277, or visit www.campstanislaus.com.