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Where Passion Meets Play: A Glimpse Into High Meadows Camp’s Signature Experiences
At High Meadows Camp, every camper finds their niche – whether that means mastering a centuries-old fire-building technique or writing and directing a play from scratch. With a wide range of electives, the camp encourages personal growth, creative exploration, and hands-on learning. There is something for everyone. Campers enjoy trying classes for the first time or continuing to master passions they discovered in a previous summer. These skills and new interests they uncover last well beyond their years at camp.
Senior Quest (rising 5th and 6th graders) and Legend (rising 7th through 9th graders) campers have the opportunity to select their own courses and build schedules around areas of personal interest. Darkroom Photography, Lore, Performing Arts, and Pioneering are four of the most popular classes among veteran High Meadows campers. Senior Quest and Legend Campers can work towards Knighthood, the highest honor in camp.
What is Knighthood?
The Knighthood Program allows campers the opportunity to challenge themselves individually in attempts to hone their skills in our program activities. “Requirements,” as we call them, are set in place as guidelines for marking improvement and attainment of skills, techniques, and talents. In each camp activity, campers have the choice to progressively achieve levels of Page, Squire, Sentry, and Knight. The final overall level, Knight, is an achievement that few have reached in the history of High Meadows Camp. This level requires many years of work and demonstrated mastery in seven different activities. The requirements for the level of Knight are often very difficult, even unattainable by some. When this overall Knighthood is achieved, recognition is given at the award ceremony where, following a reading of the Arthurian legend, the camper is given the opportunity to pull the sword Excalibur from stones in the center of Stonehenge and their name is added to a permanent sign hanging there.
Darkroom Photography takes place in the basement of historic Crawford Cabin, where High Meadows School & Camp co-founder Bill Crawford’s mother, Mema, once lived. In the darkroom studio, modern technology is left behind. Campers learn about non-digital photography—something they might consider “pre-historic,” especially when they find out that film cameras were considered outdated by 2008 — well before they were born. They explore elements of design, light, composition, and development. Campers working toward Knighthood, the highest camp honor, which is only achieved after complete specific, meticulous steps to showcase mastery in specific areas. must photograph a depth-of-field project and pass a quiz to demonstrate mastery. Knighthood is not easy to obtain. Less than two campers per summer (on average) are knighted with 86 earning the distinction over the past 52 years.
Pioneering invites campers to engage directly with the natural world, cultivating self-reliance and essential outdoor skills. The ultimate goal is for campers to learn how to thrive in the wilderness. Activities include fire building, camp cooking, shelter construction, safe use of outdoor tools, and knot-tying—all essential for spending a day or more in the great outdoors. To complete the Sentry level, campers must build a one-person shelter that can withstand a rainstorm. Those pursuing Knighthood must sleep in their shelter during the Senior Legend Overnight.
Darkroom Photography: A Return to Simplicity
Darkroom Photography takes place in the basement of historic Crawford Cabin, where High Meadows School & Camp co-founder Bill Crawford’s mother, Mema, once lived. In the darkroom studio, modern technology is left behind. Campers learn about non-digital photography—something they might consider “pre-historic,” especially when they find out that film cameras were considered outdated by 2008 — well before they were born. They explore elements of design, light, composition, and development. Campers working toward Knighthood, the highest camp honor, which is only achieved after complete specific, meticulous steps to showcase mastery in specific areas. must photograph a depth-of-field project and pass a quiz to demonstrate mastery. Knighthood is not easy to obtain. Less than two campers per summer (on average) are knighted with 86 earning the distinction over the past 52 years.
Lore: Honoring Traditions and Testing Stealth
Lore is exclusive to campers in the Knighthood Program. High Meadows School & Camp strives to honor Indigenous cultures and the Native Americans who once called this land home. Campers in Lore practice traditional woodcraft and storytelling while learning the importance (and fun) of stealth, camouflage, and non-verbal communication. Campers aiming to reach the Sentry level must complete a full day of silence before telling a Native American folktale. To achieve Knighthood and demonstrate complete mastery, campers’ stealth skills are tested as they must successfully sneak up on a counselor.
Performing Arts: Confidence in the Spotlight
In the Johnson-Kemp Barn Theatre, campers participate in Performing Arts. When animals were moved to a new barn in 1985, campers repurposed the original space. On Fridays after lunch, they would gather to sing and act out skits. It became a tradition, and that’s how the Barn Theatre got its name. In Performing Arts, campers build confidence and express creativity on stage as they learn the ins and outs of scene development and character creation. The plot thickens as campers work toward Sentry (creating a structured theatrical piece with three distinct emotional changes) and Knighthood (writing and directing their own play) levels.
Pioneering: Learning to Live Off the Land
Pioneering invites campers to engage directly with the natural world, cultivating self-reliance and essential outdoor skills. The ultimate goal is for campers to learn how to thrive in the wilderness. Activities include fire building, camp cooking, shelter construction, safe use of outdoor tools, and knot-tying—all essential for spending a day or more in the great outdoors. To complete the Sentry level, campers must build a one-person shelter that can withstand a rainstorm. Those pursuing Knighthood must sleep in their shelter during the Senior Legend Overnight.
High Meadows Camp allows campers to uncover new interests while honing their skills in numerous areas. Campers experience joy, gain confidence, and have the freedom to explore, and it carries over into the classroom at High Meadows School (PreK3 – 8th Grade). The same smile you see on your child’s face after a summer day will be there at the end of the school day, too. Let your child experience the joy of High Meadows year-round and participate in hands-on, inquiry-driven learning by inquiring about HMS today. Limited seats remain available for the 2025–2026 school year.
The High Meadows community celebrates and perpetuates each individual’s quest for knowledge and skill, sense of wonder, and connection to the natural environment. We empower each to be a compassionate, responsible, and active global citizen.
Age 3 through Grade 8 | Authorized IB PYP World School
1055 Willeo Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075 | (770) 993-2940 | info@highmeadows.org
1055 Willeo Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075 | (770) 993-2940 | info@highmeadows.org
