This week at Camp ROGA, the mission was clear: sharpen your senses, stay in disguise, and unlock your inner spy during Secret Agent Week! Campers stepped into the shadows as rookie recruits, decoding clues, cracking top-secret puzzles, and mastering the art of stealth. From laser maze evasions to crafting spy gadgets and building undercover identities, every activity provided an opportunity to hone their sleuthing skills. With teamwork, quick thinking, and a hint of spy swagger, our agents-in-training took on every covert challenge. So your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to head over to Camp ROGA, where Spy School is officially in session!
Before our little spies could jump onto the case, they had to receive some top-notch training to make sure they were ready to take down the evil organization. We decided to organize our training with a heist of the evil organization in mind. To start with, in order to scale the organization’s wall, the spies practiced rope climbing, with a twist! While the brave spies would be scaling the ropes, we would have patrols going around the bottom of the rope, on the lookout for any sneaky spies that might try and pilfer their intel. The spies had to scale the ropes stealthily and quickly enough that the guards didn’t catch them, starting their climb when the guards were turned away, and then making it up the rope and out of the guards’ sight before they turned back around. Many were caught, but luckily for them, it was just training, so they just had to jump off the ropes and run from the patrols, laughing all the way, while another group of spies took advantage of the guards’ distraction and scaled the rope themselves!
Another infiltration tactic that the spies learned was camouflage. This was a tactic that sought to disguise the spies in their environment, whether that environment be long grass or shadowed halls, and render them undetectable. To train for this, we had students line up in front of our largest foam pit and then jump in when the signal was given, trying to make it across the pit without being spotted by the guards. Whenever the guards turned to look, the spies had to freeze and remain still to avoid detection for as long as the guards were looking, and that could be a very long time indeed. However, once again, any spies getting caught also provided an opportunity to the other spies, as the guards would have to chase the spies through the pit, giving the others just enough of a distraction to make it across the pit and away from the roving sentries.
The spies managed to evade many pitfalls on their way into the organization’s walls, but once they were inside and about to take the intel for their team, they had to evade the laser wall, which threatened to undo all their hard work! The laser wall stood before the spies and their exit, and was the final hurdle the spies had to overcome before they could secure victory. In preparation for this final challenge, the spies were tasked with each taking turns running through the laser field one at a time, dodging any lasers in their way as they fought their way to the finish lines. Our practice lasers were operated by our coaches, who would hold barriers in the way of the spies at random, only showing the spies where the lasers would be when they were right in front of them. Spies who successfully dodged the lasers got to get back in line and continue going, but the number of lasers and the challenge would increase until there was only one spy left. This was a creative challenge; the only rule was to dodge the lasers, and how the spies accomplished their laser dodging was left up to them. This, combined with the competitive nature of the game, resulted in the campers trying to one-up each other in increasingly grandiose ways, resulting in many breathtaking successes and the same number of hilarious fails.
Before the agents could take their new skills to the evil organization, Camp ROGA had to make sure that they were properly equipped. Finding a top-secret folder in a secure drop (the craft room), our agents pulled out a large set of spy tools, which would help them with their mission. Among these tools were a magnifying glass, an inkpad for fingerprinting, an invisible ink pen, an ID, and their spy manual. At one end of their invisible ink pen, there was a light which could reveal invisible writing, and the spies used this to search through their manual and figure out what mission they would be sent on. Every student got a different set of coded instructions to ensure absolute mission secrecy. Their pen also allowed the agents to communicate with their fellow spies covertly, while avoiding any pesky prying eyes. Agents also needed to create their secret identity before they could successfully go under cover. This is where their ID came in, giving them a plausible identity if they were ever searched by any guards. They also covered their ID with secret messages to show to any infiltrator guards within the evil organization.
After they received their kits, the agents had to construct a set of periscopes that would allow them to stealthily scout out the evil organization’s base. Camp ROGA provided the materials to make the periscopes, but aside from just making the periscopes function, agents had to make sure that they were stealthy enough to use without getting caught. Agents had a variety of different approaches that they used to tackle this issue, ranging from forest, to urban, to carnival, to pretty pink princess camouflage. The agents made sure to prepare periscopes for EVERY type of environment possible, just in case.
All these preparations were hungry work, and the agents needed to make sure they were in tip-top condition in order to ensure their success against the organization. To accomplish this, Camp ROGA provided a number of tasty snacks to make sure everyone’s tanks were full enough to fight the organization on equal footing.
The Evidence: An assortment of fruits, veggies, beef sticks, and crackers—laid out like a top-secret stash. Agents were free to sort through the clues and build their own case file of flavors, ensuring something for every operative’s taste.
Hot on the Trail Mix: For agents who were this close to cracking the case, this snack offered the perfect brain-boosting blend. A mix of sweet, salty, and crunchy fuel to keep their minds sharp and their missions on track.
Bombs and Fuses: Wait—what’s that?! Another snack… or a ticking time bomb?! Agents had to act fast and “defuse” these explosive treats with their stomachs before they went off. Crisis averted—mission delicious.
Looking for Clues: a deliciously deceptive dessert that challenged our agents’ observation skills! These chocolate pudding cups looked innocent enough… until you started digging. Hidden beneath the surface were sneaky gummy worms, waiting to be discovered. A sweet reward for sharp eyes and sharper spoons!
Finally, the day of confrontation with the evil organization comes, and agents prepare for their final battle. New reports come in last second, confirming that the organization has moved its base underwater, and the agents hurry to put their underwater base under siege. With a blast, they water balloon their way through the doors and capture as many evil scientists as they can, under threat of the organization’s water weapons at every moment. With a final slide underneath the watery laser wall, the mission is done, and the intel is captured, allowing the victorious agents to enjoy a nice time in the water afterwards. After the long week of making preparations, a nice, relaxing time in the sun playing with their fellow spies was just what everyone needed.
With their missions complete and gadgets stowed away, our secret agents headed home, tired, proud, and armed with new skills, sharper instincts, and a few classified memories from the field. While spy ops may be on hold (for now), the excitement is far from over. Join us next week as we shift gears and dive into the Camp ROGA: Olympics!!