Oasis on the River Overnight Camp

Come dip your toe into an exciting sleepway camp!

Oasis on the River is a sleepaway camp created and offered by Christchurch School in partnership with its sister school, St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes. It is an intentionally designed, introductory overnight camp for rising 4th graders to rising 6th graders. Within a caring and structured environment, campers will get to test the waters of outdoor independence while maintaining the comfort and safety of an overnight camp experience in Christchurch’s up-to-date student dormitories.

Location

Located in Virginia’s River Realm, Christchurch’s 125-acre campus is safe, secure, and beautiful! This idyllic setting is the perfect place for summer adventure and exploration. Also, being only a 2 and ½ hour drive away from the Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. area, Oasis on the River is truly the perfect fit for campers and families alike looking for a fun and safe first-time sleepaway camp experience.

Summertimes will offer optional bus service from the Upper School Campus (1000 St. Stephen’s Road) to Christchurch School on Sunday, July 12, returning on Saturday, July 18. The fee for the bus service is $40.00 one way, or $75.00 round trip.

Activities

Camp activities offered include archery, sailing, traditional fishing and seining, expedition-led canoe and kayak adventures, tubing on the river, scenic nature walks, evening campfires, marine science and aquaculture, arts and crafts, outdoor camping, and a variety of group games and other traditional summer camp activities. During their free time, campers will also get to enjoy the campus’s wooded trails, beaches and waterfront, manicured sports fields and multi-use spaces, tennis courts, and a wide variety of indoor facilities for everything ranging from recreational play and sports to arts and music to an impressive design and tech Makerspace, plus much more.

Campers will begin the week learning archery and then move on to sailing activities where they learn to trim sails, steer a course, and balance a sailboat. Next up, campers will participate in exciting hands-on marine science and aquaculture projects both on and off campus, including learning about how watermen carry on the traditions of oyster cultivation and harvesting. Campers will also visit the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to examine and see first-hand high-tech science equipment and state of the art laboratories, as well as collect and observe aquatic animals while discovering the importance of wetlands. Also built into each day around these activities are expedition-led canoeing and kayaking adventure trips, as well as various practical and creative activities.

Campers will then participate in the camp’s culminating activity, the “Big Paddle,” an adventure trip on the river from Urbanna Creek to Christchurch School, in its fleet of canoes. During the “Big Paddle,” campers will travel the Rappahannock River along the shores of nearby historic Rosegill Farm, while keeping a sharp lookout for a variety of exciting wildlife such as bald eagles, dolphins, blue herons, and ospreys. It is a perfect trip to build confidence while having fun on the water! Then, on the final night, campers will set up and stay in one of our many Big Agnes tents.

Residential Information

Campers will stay in Scott Dormitory in two separate halls separated by gender. Each hall will have an adult Christchurch “hall parent” residing in it, along with at least 1-2 camp counselors. There will be two campers assigned to each dormitory room. Rooms are furnished with individual beds, closets, dressers, and desks. Additionally, each hall has a recreational common room, full refrigerator/freezer, microwave, and sink, as well as a common bathroom with individual private lavatories and showering facilities. All our dormitories are secure and protected. External access into each dormitory, as well as interior access to each individual hall within each dormitory, is restricted with access only made possible with the use of a preprogrammed keycard, which camp leaders will always have on-hand. Security cameras are also placed in all public common dormitory spaces, including staircases, hall corridors, and hall recreational common rooms, and each individual dorm room has its own secure lock.

Have a friend you want to register with? Please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate rooming requests.

Questions? Please reach out to Keith Swadlo, Director of Summer Programs, at kswadlo@sssas.org.

Registration Open!