Camp Life (Classes)

Classes Matter… they are a BIG DEAL to the camp experience and we encourage our counselors to treat them as such.

This is not to say that classes are the most important thing at camp. In my opinion, classes are not as important to a great camp experience as some other things (A well articulated philosophy, grounded faith, counselors, campers, support staff, food, health care, and facility all rank as more important in my book) but there is no denying the importance of great classes.

We spend about five hours in classes every day. The “meat” of our day is spent in class and those hours provide many moments of delight that ultimately provide a memorable camp experience. A few observations from our first days of classes:

Online Scheduling was a success Our first day of camp was very smooth and not stressful for the campers (new campers and young campers in particular LOVED the confidence of knowing that they had a schedule vs. deciding what to take and when to take it). We made it very easy to change classes and over the course of the week we have had about 400 schedule changes. This compares very well to how many class changes we have when the girls schedule themselves (about 350 last June Camp). Online scheduling appears to be a better way of managing camp (especially at Jr., June, and August sessions).
First Day Classes were a slam dunk We think that the most important day of class is the first day. Good starts are very important to both the camper and the counselor. This philosophy also goes to the way we start our day (clap our hands and say it is going to be a great day!). Starting well makes the rest of the session go better. There have been very few campers who decided to switch classes because “it wasn’t fun”.
Weather has been perfect High temperatures have not surpassed 80 all week long. It rains at night and is sunny during the day (just like Camelot). Good weather is a HUGE morale boost to the classes and makes everything more fun.
Serious Sometimes While we joke around and have tons of fun at camp, but some classes are very “business like”. Metal Jewelry and glass beads are obvious serious classes (lots of intense skills to learn and some potentially dangerous situations as they work with flames and machines) but even ceramics, canoeing, and diving provide moments of intense concentration. It is a delight to see the girls taking their activities seriously!
Fun Always Only fun classes are offered at camp. If a class is not fun, the girls switch out of it… this gives us a chance to help those counselors make adjustments that will help.
Excellence Our program is dynamic and excellent because we reward success (better facilities, better equipment, more staff are given to program areas that rate highly with the campers). We celebrate excellence in our classes, each department wants to be known as the best department in camp!
Sweetness, Love, Encouragement I am struck by the spirit of this place. This is seen in every corner of the camp (cabin, class, free time) as girls smile easily and reach out to include the whole group. Girls help each other, they also help the counselors. It is a wonderful thing to see.
Great setting We spend lavishly on our facility, because it is worth it! We replaced the salt treated decking boards on Canoeing with Ipe (a wonderful wood that does not splinter or warp in that harsh environment) this year. Few campers notice the change, but it has made canoeing and fishing much better because the deck is smooth and less dangerous. The new tennis courts, new landsports equipment, new photography equipment, ropes equipment, and many other little purchases pay their dividends now. The girls delight in the little touches, it makes the classes better in ways that add up.

The bottom line… we are working hard to assure that every part of the camp day is as good as it can possibly be. Classes are certainly important and we can confidently say that they are going very well.

Thank you for reading the blog and caring about what goes on at camp. We deeply appreciate the trust and support.