It’s another stellar day at Agawak.  Temperatures are hovering around 84 degrees with a light breeze off the lake.  Midnight Movie was super fun and we slept late. This morning campers selected the following activitiesto participate in:  boot camp, biking, water aerobics, jogging and softball.  Tennis, basketball, and soccer teams spent part of the morning preparing for the upcoming competition with Chippewa.  The last hour of the morning was used up in a second Blue and White Lip Sync practice.

Today we celebrated camper of the day, Ellie Jordan, and Counselor of the day Melissa Granik. Campers were excited when Ducky announced chicken nuggets, sweet potato fries and salad bar for lunch.  This afternoon we have a basketball extravaganza taking place on the basketball courts followed by an open waterfront as the campers get ready for a social with our neighbors down the road- Camp Timberlane. Like always, I’m sure we’ll be popping a few fuses as everyone tries to blow dry their hair all at once.  

I want all of you to know that I couldn’t be more pleased with how camp is going.  The staff has been AMAZING!! It’s not easy being a camp counselor but this group makes it look easy. Camper and counselors learn more at camp than they could anywhere else. When we’re at camp all of us tend to lose our outside worries. The cell phones are off (I hope), The Internet is another land, and we live by the bell-not our watches. While we’re trying to make the kids’ days, they are actually making ours.  Some of the staff that didn’t return made choices of pursuing internships over the summer, but I truly believe a person learns more at camp than they could anywhere else. In a world of distractions, camp lets staff discover what really is important. Being a camp counselor is an early lesson in parenting. But it’s also a lesson in compromise, in leadership, respect and compassion. And the campers help teach it.

My goal for the rest of the day is to get out of the office to enjoy the beautiful weather but more importantly the kids! I want my campers and staff to always feel they can come to me with any issue no matter how small or big. I can’t make connections with them sitting inside my office so hold your calls until tomorrow, if you can.

Smile on,

Mary and staff