February Newsletter
Meet a Director: Meredith
Jr. Camp Program Director
Meredith heard about Camp Greystone from a cousin, started out at Junior Camp (!), went to June, and then all the way through her Senior-Senior Summer at Main. Meredith worked the full summer after her freshman year at The University of Alabama, took a few years off to work in Knoxville and Boston, and has been delighted to be back in her 4th year as Junior Camp Program Director.
A Little Q & A with Meredith
Years at camp: 7 years as a camper and 7th year on staff!
Here’s what you can find me doing at camp: At Junior Camp, I oversee all of you fun staff members and ensure that our classes are running smoothly. We’re always working towards helping these campers have an engaging and memorable experience.
Come find me if you ever need… A pep talk. I love to walk and talk!
These are a few of my favorite things: Reading, playing tennis, running, and riding horses.
Favorite place to visit? Anywhere with my family—there are six young cousins, and it’s so fun to watch them all play together.
One thing you wouldn’t guess about me: I’m also a registered dietitian!
Book I’m loving right now: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Something I want you to know about this summer… You are going to be overwhelmed with love from your campers, support from the Head Staff, and encouragement from your fellow counselors!
The best thing about working at camp is… Giving 110% of yourself and being able to see the joy on the campers’ faces from the effort you’ve put into loving them and helping them have the best week of their summer.
Preparing for Camp
In March, we’ll start sending you some very practical ways to get ready for the summer so February is a great time to read up on all things Greystone.
We’d encourage you to use this month to explore all of the information and resources we have available to you. The more you know about camp, the more confident you’ll feel on that first day of Orientation! Have questions? Reply back to this email!
- Explore our website and the staff website. Here you’ll find everything from our daily schedule and special events to cabin life and food at camp. You can also learn more about what we believe at Greystone and the incredible history of camp that you are now a part of! It’s a great way to spend a study break.
- Check out our New Camper Blogs. We do this series every spring, and while (of course!), it is targeted towards new campers and their families, it also has a lot of good information that could be helpful to you as a staff member. You may be interested in how Opening Day works, food allergies, a cabin tour, or other details like cabin cleanup and mail.
- Watch some videos. Our Vimeo page has years worth of content to keep you entertained and give you a glimpse at all the fun in store this summer. A few of our favorites are our staff highlight video, why we love being tech-free, and this Penpal friendship story. Oh, and a helium-filled Christmas!
- Check out our devotions site for spiritual growth even before you arrive. You can subscribe to get a devotion emailed to you each morning and listen to Morning Assembly and Sunday church messages from past summers at our June, Main, and August sessions. This Blog shares a few of our favorite devotion resources!
The Honor Code
Greystone’s mission is to delight and inspire for the glory of God. Everything we do at camp is shaped by this goal, and as a staff member, you are a big part of the “how” to this “why.” We hope that you will also experience delight and inspiration this summer as we strive to inspire and delight our campers and parents, all for the glory of God.
As a way to honor what the Lord has called us to do at Greystone, we have two different philosophies that we live by during the summer: the Four-Fold Philosophy and the Honor Code.
FAQ Corner
You are not alone - so many staff feel this way before their first summer. Many of our 2025 staff are brand new to camp (special shoutout to those who found us on Google!), and some of those who were once campers haven’t been back in a long time. Every year, some of our very best staff members are those who come into Orientation brand new to Greystone, so don’t fear!
In the meantime, you can know for sure…
- You will make friends so quickly once you’re here! Camp people are the best around, and your fellow staffers wouldn’t be working here if they weren’t ready and eager to make a new bestie.
- We are going to teach you everything you need to know to be a great counselor. Between the materials we’ll send you before the summer, packed Orientation sessions, and the one-on-one guidance you’ll get when you’re here, you will be fully prepared for your job. We hired you because we know you’re going to be great - trust us!
- We are your biggest cheerleaders in this job, and we want you to lean on us! Email Meredith with any questions! Tell us if you’re feeling nervous. We are going to take care of you, and it is going to be a great summer!
Spotlight: How to Make Friends on Staff
Ask any of our campers what the best part about Greystone is, and we bet you’ll hear about all the friends you make at camp! Camp friends really are lifelong friends, and the structure of camp (living all of life together!) means that you get close to the people here quickly. But what does that look like on staff?
- Come in with the mindset that everyone here is a future friend. One of the things we love most about being on staff is that everyone here is on equal footing. You may be really different from someone, but you are working together for a broader mission at camp and that makes becoming friends even easier than it would be back at school. Even if you have tons of friends from when you were a camper, some of your best friends in the world will be made on staff, so arrive at Orientation with an open mind and with eyes looking for the next person to befriend.
- Smile all the time! Jimboy tells the campers this at Breakfast Club, and it can feel a little silly, but it’s so true. A smile tells the people around you, “I’m glad you’re here.” “I want to get to know you.” “I am a safe person to talk to.” This is so important when the campers finally arrive, but we’d encourage you to go ahead and get in the habit during Orientation.
- Stretch yourself during Orientation. That week is the most time you’ll be able to spend with your fellow staff members, so it can be the perfect time to meet people and start new friendships. Orientation makes all of us a little nervous (yes, including the Directors!), but try to push yourself a little. Sit beside a new person during a staff meeting. Walk up to a group of people chatting on the first day. We think you’ll find out quickly that camp people are nice people, and everyone is looking for a new friend. Making friends at camp is easy, but it’s all about taking the initiative and putting yourself in a position to make connections. You’ll be thriving in this community in no time, we promise!
Past Newsletters
Missed a month? No worries, find the previous month’s newsletters below to see what you might have missed!
Pray with us!
This month we’re inviting you to pray along with us for a very important group: our camp parents! Over the next few months, they will be filling out forms, making Target runs, labeling clothes, packing trunks, and hugging their sweet girls goodbye. We never want to take for granted what a big deal it is that they entrust us (and you!) with their daughters.
So let’s pray together this month for all the parents who will be bringing their girls to Greystone this summer. Pray that they would feel completely confident with their decision and know that it will be a great experience for their family. Pray that they would have the words to use if their campers get a little worried about what’s to come. Pray that they would communicate openly with us beforehand, and pray that God will prepare their hearts, as well as their daughters’, for the summer to come.
Verse to meditate on:
“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”- Psalm 16:5-11