…Because I Don’t Want to Leave! By Greg Keresztury
Last Friday, during checkout at Lake Stockwell Day Camp, the Director Lynn Passarella, and I were helping to facilitate the pickup process when we both focused immediately on a younger camper who we saw crying her eyes out as her counselor walked her up to the road to go home. This was quite abnormal, so we both went over to her and asked what was wrong, as did her mother who saw her coming over as well. The camper looked at Lynn and me, took a deep breath, and then said “I’m crying because I don’t want to leave!”
Her mother smiled, gave the camper a hug, and helped her into the car. Lynn told the camper that we’d be here, waiting for her to come back to camp next year. I let her know that we’ll be spending the next several months brainstorming ways to make camp even greater for 2018. She still didn’t want to leave, but she at least had a better understanding that it was only ‘goodbye for now.’
Friday afternoons in August at Lake Stockwell Day Camp are always emotional, as the summer is winding down, and the realization that camp is ending soon starts to sink in. Our campers will be going back to school soon, as will a good portion of our staff (be it high school, college, or as educators). Some of our campers who have been coming the entire summer are in their last session, as they have a vacation week or two before heading back to school. Some of our staff leave early as well, as their athletic or school commitments begin before camp ends.
However, the last two weeks of camp are also a lot of fun. We have many new campers who join us for the first time during Sessions 9 or 10, as some families use this time as a ‘trial’ before registering for multiple sessions the following summer. Further, the campers who have been with us for much of the summer have typically progressed to a point where their camp experience is evolving to fit their interests and skill level. For example, the end of the summer is an opportunity for campers to tackle a difficult element at the challenge course that they’ve been progressing toward all summer, or an opportunity to expand into their growth zone in an activity which they’ve become accustomed to during the summer.
These last few weeks present an opportunity of development for our staff as well. Staff members who have been learning from the program and activity directors over the course of the summer now have an opportunity to unleash their creativity and what they’ve learned as they’re given more program responsibilities. To me, it is always fun to see what staff come up with during the last few weeks of camp, as these folks typically bring a new perspective into camp programming which helps provide a different experience for the campers.
To the camp families joining us for Sessions 9 and/or 10, we have a tremendous staff in place and they’ve been doing a fantastic job engaging campers this summer – these next 2 weeks will be fun! To our camp families who are done for the summer, please know that we loved having your camper(s) here, and we will be here for the summer of 2018 when you’re ready to come back!
In the meantime, please lookout for the Seer surveys which will come via email in September so you can let us know how we did this summer. As always, our goal is to continue to improve in order to better serve our campers each year. know Lynn and Cate Wobbe, our Stockwell Assistant Director, already have some great ideas in store for next year!