July 8 2024

We are entering what I consider to be the most fun time at camp. The campers are settled in and very comfortable with each other and their plans for the summer. The counselors are confident in their duties and have settled into a routine that includes a day off (always a huge morale boost). The kitchen has become a well-oiled machine, with almost fifty teenagers performing to almost professional proficiency making that amazingly difficult job look easy. Maintenance, Housekeeping, Office… the entire team deserves a shout-out. We are fully engaged in what we do, and it is a delight to do work that we find interesting, with people that we genuinely like.

This is also a great week to do “extra” things that often become memorable moments that are sometimes celebrated for years. Many campers will be rafting today on the Chattooga III River. Four hikes will be heading out to explore the surrounding area. Classes are in full swing, with campers passing levels, completing and starting projects, and just having fun. This is the week before our big camp productions; at camp, a week is long. Enough time to allow campers to feel like there is a lot of time left in camp, and there is no rush to get anything done. A time to fritter away without a care in the world. The lazy part of Main Camp, a time marked by good conversations and good books enjoyed under shade trees on hot summer days.

This is a time of camp that the campers love, and over the years, we have honed our system to allow camper and counselor alike to delight in the moment… a week savored without pressure. Everyone thrives When we provide time in this place with these people! This is one of the reasons that we love Sundays so much at Main Camp. We don’t do that much in the afternoon compared with our other sessions. We offer many options, but the girls prefer to do their own thing- talking, sitting, reading, and sunning. Water activities will ALWAYS be a hit, but most other activities are sparsely attended in favor of the coveted free time shared with friends. The afternoon rain showers provided the perfect setting for the spirit of camp. Crazy fun outside in the rain for those who wanted that (about 10%) and cozy lazy time inside for the rest.

Tonight we will surprise the girls with a fantastic EP. Group Night is a blowout event where each of the 6 groups will enjoy a program prepared specifically for their interests. The Senior-Seniors will board buses and head into town. We have rented out a great movie theater to watch Mama Mia. They will have carte blanche access to the concession stand and get a taste of the real world for a few hours. The Junior-Seniors will have Putt Cove all to themselves, we have prepared a couple of surprises. Our 90 9th graders will wear their finest camp clothes and come to my house. Margaret and I are catering a “fancy” seated dinner for the night. The 8th graders will be fully engaged in playing their own version of Survivor. The 7th graders will go crazy with a Silent Disco (a hilariously fun event). The 6th grade will get dirty with a paint war (something they have been requesting). Our 3-5th grades will have a Unicorn and Dinosaur party (also with special treats). It will be a fun night that goes late, prompting a sleep late morning tomorrow. Should be fun!

Breakfast Club finished the Great Day Theme on Mental Growth today. We encouraged the girls to strive for “high ideals”. The Honor Council Pledge was composed by Dr. Sevier a hundred years ago, yet the phrasing still rings true. “Believing that sincerity, courage, honesty, kindness, and truth culminate in the spirit of Greystone, we pledge ourselves to strive ever toward these high and noble ideals.” In setting goals for life, include character goals and the more easily measurable goals that we often see more clearly.

Thank you for checking in; have a Great Day and a Great Week!

• Breakfast Waffles and Sausage
• Joke S-Car-Go
• Lunch Chicken Enchiladas
• Dinner Pizza!
• EP Group Night
• Weather Partly Cloudy, 85 degrees, chance of rain