Kids shouting. Water splashing. An entire container of beads crashing to the ground. These sounds may seem undesirable to most, but for those who have experienced summer camp, it’s an entirely different story.
Experienced through the eyes of a counselor, a camper, or maybe both, summer camp has a type of magic that’s indescribable to anyone who hasn’t been to one. The lifelong memories and skills gained through doing fun activities (perhaps in the middle of the woods), being introduced to a group of strangers that will become best friends in a week, and experiencing the outdoors, will last for life.
Being a camp counselor for several summers has possibly been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Being around 100 children every day for eight weeks made me a kinder, gentler, and more empathetic person. There are so many memories I made that I never could have imagined before I took on the role.
A memory I look back on fondly takes place near the end of the summer camp session I worked. It was known throughout camp that the oldest group of girls had been coming back every summer, and that they knew the facilities inside and out. After being at the same camp for so long, it’s understandable if some of the activities start to get a little repetitive. In addition, the ending weeks of camp tends to burn everyone out. While I was on break a few minutes before the older girls came in for their activity, I received a text I did not want to see at that time. It wasn’t anything serious, but looking back, I had thought my entire day was ruined, and I certainly did not want to teach dance to a bunch of teenagers. As soon as I received that text, the group of girls came parading in, ready to start. What I wasn’t expecting was for them all to hand me notes of affirmation, and written words of how much they appreciated me. This moment immediately brightened my day and reminded me of what was important.
Happy memories like those are what kept me going through a long eight weeks of summer camp. It reminded me of the mark counselors leave on kids, and how it is our job to make them better people.
My favorite camp motto is “start how you want to end.” Even though that was just a quote that was reiterated to us during camp orientation, it is a true sentiment. My summer goal was to leave a positive impression on as many kids as possible, and I can say I successfully did it, and that it was extremely fulfilling.