First Day of Classes

Our Head Staff Team prays about LOTS of little things before the campers arrive. One of the biggest little things that we pray about is the weather.

At camp the weather matters… we make the most out of our circumstances no matter what the weather might be, but there is no denying that camp is much easier to adjust to if it is sunny and warm. Today (and the rest of this first week) match that goal to perfection! High of 80 degrees, sunny with no chance of rain, and a nice breeze coming out of the West. It makes us happy, the smiles as we left Morning Assembly were bright and plentiful. Not all of the good feeling is due to the weather, but it certainly doesn’t hurt!

• The Weather is PERFECT!
• Records are being set in the Dining Hall.
• We Had Our Best Opening EP EVER!
• Our Food Is Shockingly Good.
• There is a very sweet feeling around camp.
• Classes are going very well.
• We Love Camp!!!

Our first meals were amazing… Spaghetti with home baked bread and cookies for dinner and a lovely breakfast of freshly made buttermilk biscuits with fried ham and apples. Lunch today is Dorothy’s Chicken (an old family recipe), rice pilaf, roasted asparagus, and fresh baked bread. Dinner is Pork Chops, roasted potatoes, and fresh green beans.

All meals are supplemented with the amazing fruit and salad bar. This salad bar has both hot and cold items and the quality of the options is amazing. This morning we had fresh blue berries, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, Greek Yogurt, Oatmeal, dried fruit (great on the Oatmeal), cereal, and milk. It is amazing!

As good as it is, the food is not what makes this summer a “Record”… The record is due to the speed we are finishing our first meals and the enthusiasm of the singing as we clean the tables. Our Dining Hall is a complicated place (we eat family style from kitchen windows, there are rules to each window and the traffic pattern can be hard to “get” at first). It is normal and expected for the first meal to be a little chaotic and take a little more time than normal. This year we had a PERFECT first meal. Everyone quickly finding a place and having a great meal. The song volume is usually a bit quiet that first meal, but not last night. It was VERY LOUD and VERY ENTHUSIASTIC. Margaret thought it felt like the closing week of camp. Amazing!

We also offer the campers “Apple Cart” at 11:00 each morning. Laura drives a cart loaded with cold apples around camp and everyone can get one if they like.

If that is not enough, we also have healthy snacks available at the “Ice Huts” around camp. Each hut has an ice and water dispenser, a cabinet filled with “bean chips” (a high protein chip the girls love), and refrigerated drawers filled with string cheese.

Finally, we give the girls a little cold watermelon after rest hour every day. All these little things add up to making each camper (even the picky eater) happy with her food options at camp!

It really has been a great 24 hours. From the Opening Day routines (we finished scheduling at noon… the earliest ever) to the “Firsts” (First Dinner, First EP, First Breakfast, First Classes) Everything is really going well. I hesitate to say it but it is true: THE BEST OPENING EVER!

Just a quick example: I went into Tennis, Yoga, Dance, Fitness, Gymnastics, and Glass Beads classes this morning and was blown away by how engaged the campers were (great concentration and interaction with each other) and how well prepared the counselors were for this important day. The first day of classes is HUGE (you only get one chance to make a first impression) and every class I attended was knocking it out of the park.

Some of our classes are unique to Greystone (I have not seen a Glass Bead program elsewhere), others are found all over the place (Tennis and Yoga for instance). What sets our program apart is the way the counselors consistently lead the girls with excellence and love. The campers thrive in this setting and I cannot over state how impressed I am with what I see. Make sure you write your girls and ask for them to let you know about their classes!