All about Our New Honor Council Program

Stewarding the traditions and ideals of Greystone is a privilege that we never want to lose sight of, and we know it’s something you care about too! In every camp decision, we strive to focus on what matters: keeping the heart of every tradition alive, while making sure it resonates with a new generation and gives God glory most of all.

Sometimes that means making adjustments and changing course slightly, which is what we were led to do this year with the Honor Council. As with everything we do at Greystone, this was a slow, prayerful decision that had been in the works for several years, informed by our campers and families. We couldn’t have been more excited to finally see it in action this summer!

We love this new program, and so did our Senior campers (we saw positive effects from it all summer long!), and we hope you’ll see that while the process has changed, the heart of the Honor Council has stayed the same, and in fact, is more celebrated than ever before.

We believe that every girl is capable of becoming a godly leader, so the focus of the Honor Council is now an intensive leadership program led by Jimboy, Margaret, and Sandi Taylor. Senior campers can now choose to participate in this program during their last year at camp. Instead of being an exclusive club (as you all remember, few girls were tapped every year into our Honor Council, and the pressures to be chosen were intense and often led to hurt feelings), our updated Honor Council is now a touchstone experience in a unique time of transition in their lives.

All Seniors are now invited to participate at the beginning of the session, and we’re proud to say that this summer, every one of our Seniors chose to be a part of the program! The group met with the Millers weekly (many of you will remember weekly dinners with Mrs. Hanna!) and had two more meetings with Sandi each week where they read articles and learned about what godly leadership looks like at camp and at home.

Sandi’s favorite part was “having specific, special sessions with the girls to not only teach but dialogue about the challenges they face in the real world and how to navigate them with wisdom and power in Christ.” The new program gives us a unique chance to invest in this group as emerging leaders and change-makers, not only at camp, but wherever in the world God takes them.

They still led our community in some of the classic Honor Council responsibilities, like running All-Girl Assemblies, serving as the color guard at Flag, and speaking at Closing Vespers. In the future we hope to incorporate more chances to practice leadership at camp, whether that is girl-helping in a class, assisting a counselor in a Tentalow, or setting up for an Evening Program. Girls who successfully completed the program were invited to join the Permanent Honor Council at Banquet.

This change was a relief to our whole community. Every camper in camp knew what these girls were committing to, and what getting that “Gold G” meant at the end of the session. Our Honor Council Seniors were able to vocalize what they were learning, and will now be able to explain the honor fully on college applications and resumes well into the future. It took the pressure of being “chosen” off of their last year at camp. Instead, they could focus on growth and reflection as they considered how to be a Godly leader when they went home.

This switch also more fully represents what we believe about these girls and their potential. Godly leadership isn’t just reserved for a small group! There’s no pressure to join, but we want to teach and support and encourage any girl who feels led to participate in the program. Every one of our Greystone Girls can grow to become a leader, and we’re looking forward to seeing how the lessons they learned this summer pay dividends in their lives for years to come.

What’s even more exciting is this first summer was only the beginning! We plan to continue to grow and adjust the Honor Council leadership program every year to make it something that serves and supports our Senior campers.

Jimboy said it best: “We are confident that the directors of previous generations would celebrate this adaptation of a much-beloved institution. Our mission and purpose – To Glorify God – is accomplished in a manner that resonates with the campers and counselors that we serve. What was sometimes a stumbling block (the manner of choice was mysterious and subjective) has been turned into a stepping stool for those who aspire to the ‘high and noble’ ideals that we continue to love so much!” We hope you’re excited too.