Stockwell Day Camp Archives - YMCA OF THE PINES

…though we’re nearing the end…,

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-08-27T07:14:40-04:00August 27th, 2013|

Check out this wonderful Facebook post from one of our Stockwell VC's, who has been making a difference in our campers lives all summer long; Today started the last week of my summer at Camp Ockanickon, even though we're nearing the end, I still had an abundance of new Shawnee's to add to our lively bunch! One, who is having a rough time in life was shy and reluctant to leave my side, but by the middle of the day at playground he was running around and interacting with the other campers. At the end of the day when I [...]

Stockwell Video’s

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-07-13T05:17:58-04:00July 13th, 2013|

It's sometimes hard to stop and smell the roses when Camp is in full swing. I find myself thinking about the days when I was living in New York working at Frost Valley as a 17 year old counselor. Over the past couple of summers I have slowly moved farther and farther away from getting to regularly hang-out with campers. My days are filled with coding receipts, marketing, reviewing surveys and talking with parents....very glorious I know. Last year I started to take pictures because we purchased a new fancy camera and I was extremely excited because I know had [...]

Ad Staff Training

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-06-07T21:56:59-04:00June 7th, 2013|

My summer officially begins on Monday! Our Village Chiefs, Program Directors, Ranger Instructors, Activity Directors, and CIT/LIT Directors all move onto Camp and spend the week preparing their activity areas, learning supervisory skills, and beginning the process of building our 2013 staff team! We're happy to welcome back many returning leadership staff members and quite a few who are going to be in new positions this summer. It is going to be a very busy week packed with a lot different training sessions and challenges. I'm really excited to work with this outstanding group of young men and women and [...]

Staff Orientation, Round 20

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-05-24T13:11:14-04:00May 24th, 2013|

My 20th consecutive Staff Orientation will be starting in a few weeks and it is still one of my favorite events of the the year. The 2013 Staff Team will be getting together for the first time ever. We'll be doing our first Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the summer. Many returning staff members will be moving into new positions. There will be lots of singing! New staff will have their first experience at our Behind Closed Doors role playing activity. BOB DITTER WILL BE OUR SPECIAL GUEST PRESENTER!!!! The first Camp Dance of the summer will be rocking! Old [...]

Open House Tomorrow!

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-05-18T11:48:23-04:00May 18th, 2013|

Please come out and join us at Camp Ockanickon, Camp Matollionequay and Lake Stockwell for our 3rd open house of the season. Tours will be leaving from the Ockanickon Dining Hall (Ocky & Stockwell) and the Matollionequay Dining Hall (Matolly) from 1-4pm on Sunday May 19th. This is the perfect opportunity to learn about all the fun and exciting program we have lined up for this summer, meet our summer camp staff and enjoy some delicious s’mores! There is no RSVP needed…just swing on over! All of our open houses are rain or shine…but we always keep our fingers crossed [...]

Thought of the Day

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-05-17T12:18:09-04:00May 17th, 2013|

Thank you to former Matolly Staff Member, Danielle Wiest, for sharing this great Thought of the Day. Can't you picture a 7-year old camper doing this!!! A little boy went out to the backyard to play with a baseball and bat. He said to himself "I am the best hitter in all the world!" Then he threw the ball up in the air and took a swing at it, but he missed. Without a moment’s hesitation, he picked up the ball and tossed it in the air again, saying as he swung the bat, "I am the best hitter in [...]

Camp is Changing

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-05-14T05:14:14-04:00May 14th, 2013|

Watching the seasons change our environment is one of the great benefits to living here at camp. I love the sudden change when the leaves grow back and everything is green again. The changing seasons always bring about new families staying here at camp. For instance the geese are raising five babies that follow them around near the lake everyday. Behind Ockenhouse there are two wood ducks named Wilma and Fred waiting on their eggs to hatch. Watching deer in the Matolly field eating with their young is a sight to see. If you haven’t gotten a chance recently to [...]

Happy Mother’s Day Weekend!

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-05-10T22:05:32-04:00May 10th, 2013|

It is a mother's responsibility to protect her young. To protect her young, she must keep them close to her. I would imagine that it goes against many motherly instincts for moms to send their kids off to Camp without them. Yet they do it anyway. Moms send their kids to Camp because they know it will be an enriching experience full of fun, adventure, challenge, and friendship. Thanks to all of the moms (and dads) who give us the gift of Camp, even though they miss us dearly while we are away. Have a happy Mother's Day Weekend! Brent [...]

Summer Time!

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-05-06T06:56:48-04:00May 6th, 2013|

I typically mark the start of summer when the first international staff arrive. Jason Garrity from New Zealand arrived last night and first timer, Lex Kelly from Australia, arrived early this morning. Welcome to Lex and welcome back to Jason! Over the next few weeks, loads of international and American staff will be arriving at Camp to get things set up, to work with groups, to go through various trainings, and to begin forming the 2013 Summer Camp Teams for Ocky, Matolly, and Stockwell. Before we know it, the campers will be arriving and Camp will be in full swing! [...]

Fish

By YMCA of the Pines|2013-04-25T12:46:30-04:00April 25th, 2013|

Floating around camp there is a video called “The Fish! Philosophy”. This video has been shown to our staff and sometimes incorporated into our CIT and LIT programs. About this time last year, I watched the video for the first time. I was amazed about culture of Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market, where the video takes place. Although just getting up and going to work or school can be challenging some days, your day will depend on how you make it. Below is The Fish! Philosophy. I challenge you to apply their philosophy in your everyday life whether it’s at [...]