As cars full of anxious campers rolled down The Avenue, a group of 11 counselors patiently awaited the arrival of their campers whom they would spend the next 6 days with. As campers check in, SMC alumnae happily show their daughters where they used to live, recalling the memories they made on this same campus. This friends, is the sight of the first day of camp and I was lucky enough to be one of those 11 counselors.
For three weeks, I had the privilege of working at Saint Mary’s Fine Arts Camp. It was a truly wonderful experience and hello… I got to work at my favorite place on earth (besides Disney World.)
Saint Mary’s summer camps allow girls from ages 9-13 a chance to be shown what it means to be an individual and discover their confidence. At camp, the girls learned music, dance, drama, art, and writing. And by providing the education for girls to study several art forms, they became exposed to new ideas allowing them to become well rounded individuals. (I mean c’mon, it’s the Smick way.)
And while Fine Arts Camp is a terrific experience for campers and staff, like any job it has it’s quirks. For me, my average day would look like so:
Wake up the girls with your bright, cheery, I LOVE CAMP face at 7 AM- SHARP.
Take them to get food: No actually ice cream is not okay at every meal. (Campers love sugar)
Help in an art class, they said. You and your inability to art will be fine. Thought I would be like…
but ended up like.
Did I mention how curious preteen girls are? Questions on questions on questions. Personal space? What is that? And no… I don’t have a boyfriend. Thanks for the reminder!
All the while, catching up on some of the best gossip ever. Gasp! I had NO idea One Direction led such scandalous lives!
Annddd back to the dining hall. Yes campers, there is pizza all the time. God bless your extremely high metabolisms.
“Free time? I thought you said sit in our room and sing Frozen time.”
Throughout camp, girls displayed their talents in talent shows, classes, and other performances. Seriously though. These 12 year olds are far more talented and fabulous than I’ll ever be. SNAPS FOR YOU CAMPERS!
And come the end of the week, I watched non-artists become artists, hermits become social butterflies, and strangers become friends. And the more I thought about it, the more I saw how awesome Saint Mary’s is in the process of allowing girls to fully flourish. Camp gives young women the chance to taste what being a belle is really like. Even though the days were tiring, hearing a seventh grader say “I can’t wait until I can call Saint Mary’s my school” made every second worth it. The fact that I was lucky enough to share something so special with so many made this one of the best summers I’ve had. So until next year camp, it has been my pleasure.
Photos provided by the author
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