A Mid-Winter Mid-Shawanni Thank You Circle

As you saw in the last post, Leadership Weekend was many things, and one of the very best things was a taste of summer in the middle February.

As all our campers know, the last thing we do after a week of Summer Camp (our very last program before departure) is say "thank you." A lot of amazing things happen in a week of Camp, and we each always have a lot of amazing people to thank for it, so we hold a Thank-You Circle to make sure everyone gets that chance.

So what better way to finish out Leadership Weekend? Though only two nights and one full day, a lot of amazing things happened over the weekend too, and there were plenty of folks to be thanked.

We had all told some stories, learned some lessons, done some work, made some new friends, and prepared for summer while up to our knees in snow.

All that was left was to circle up and say a couple thank yous. Standing where we had never done it before.

Right smack dab  in the middle of Lake Shawanni.

Hike to the lake, by the lake, on the lake.

Another neat thing about this weekend...

(I know, I never run out of "neat things" about this weekend...)

Is that even though everyone in attendance has had a long relationship with Camp...

Most had still never met each other!

Campers had come different sessions their whole Camp careers.

Staff had worked different summers.

So aspects of this weekend weren't so much "reunion", as a chance to meet new people.

People they instantly had so much in common with.

They all shared a long-term love of Camp.

And love of coffee. Iced Coffee. (Snowed Coffee?)

Yes, whether campers had been here at the same time or not...

They could tell stories of shared counselors, shared cabins...

Common tactics in Battle for the Island...

Favorite skits from the talent show...

And most importantly, why Camp has meant so much, and continues to mean so much to each of them.

And the very COOLEST thing (I know, I never stop...)

Was not everyone's shared past.

But their shared future.  Because everyone at Leadership Weekend was there because...

They wanted to keep Camp a part of their grown up lives...

Keep giving back to the program that meant so much to them as campers...

And keep making the best place there is a little bit better.

AND!

One more great thing that happened last weekend, before I stop typing about great things that happened last weekend...we welcomed three new staff members for Summer 2015.

One of the perks about working here for summers and summers (and summers and summers) is getting to watch campers become CITs, and then those CITs become CIT IIs, and then those CIT IIs become Volunteer Counselors, and then perhaps, just perhaps, watching those Volunteer Counselors become full fledged Summer Staff members. It never gets old. 

And while these fine folks are used to cramming a summer of  Camp into only six days, just wait till they see what it's like to live here in the 108 acre woods for two whole months.

Logan, Patty and Amber. Welcome to Summer Staff!

NEXT TIME: Meet your Assistant Program Director!