Camp Ponacka’s primary aim is to provide a setting away from home where each boy really counts. Learning skills is important to foster self-confidence, one of the keys to a rich life. Ponacka offers each boy many opportunities to learn, grow and challenge himself… at daily activities, during a canoe trip, by swimming across the lake, or participating in our end of month drama production. The Ponacka Spirit – a sense of gratitude and personal responsibility, forgiveness and humility, and an appreciation of the natural world – is embodied by every staff member and CIT, and is both ‘caught’ and taught. It can be found in Ponacka’s “Morning Talks,” shared daily after breakfast by individuals on staff. The ‘Ponacka Spirit’ is why Ponackians say their summers on Lake Baptiste were the highlight of their childhood years and the foundation of lifelong friendships.