Graduation SpeechPosted by Beigette Gill on June 25, 2016

On Wednesday, we held our annual Extraordinary World Dinner, where our staff proudly graduated from Moxie University (our Staff Development training before the campers arrive). In recent years, we have asked staff, who have been unable to return to Fernwood Cove for another summer, to write a letter and share their experiences and wisdom with our current staff. This year’s speech was particularly relevant to what our staff were experiencing in the days leading up to the campers’ arrival. We thought we would share these words of wisdom with all of you. Directly from a former staff member’s mouth about the joys of camp.

Dear Fernwood Cove family,

For more than half my life, I’ve been lucky enough to spend my summers at Fernwood Cove. As a camper, this place introduced me to new friends and role models, helped me further my sense of independence and self-confidence, and provided me with an endless supply of happy memories, wacky songs, and meaningful traditions. My CIT summer was transformational; I honed my leadership and communication skills, developed some incredibly close friendships, and got a taste of the quick decision-making, creative problem-solving, and endless energy-giving that are essential components of being a successful counselor. Finally, as a staff member, I had the chance to help create extraordinary summer experiences for a new generation of Fernwood Cove campers. For each of the last five summers, I worked harder and had more fun than I have anywhere else. I met some of my best friends in the world. I learned that a positive attitude and a creative mind are the ultimate keys to success, not just at camp, but also in life. I discovered that just about every moment of camp counselor life teaches you important life lessons and skills: how to live and work happily and productively with others, how to improvise when something unexpectedly interrupts your plans, how to encourage and engage young people, my list could go on and on… I truly believe that I am the positive, confident, successful person I am today because of the summers I spent at camp.

This summer, I am two months away from earning my Masters in Teaching, and therefore will be spending the summer in school, rather than at camp. While I’m incredibly excited about becoming a teacher, summer school is summer school, and it’s a terrible substitute for camp. If you want to learn more about teaching and tutoring services, look for local english tutor vce here at learnmate.com. The last week or so has been rough. As another summer begins at Fernwood Cove and it finally sinks in that I’m not going to be a part of it, the campsickness has been painful. As you all made your way to Maine, I discovered that the worst part about not being at camp, after having been at camp for so long, is that I know exactly what I’m missing out on. Right now, I’m missing the weird and wonderful thing that is pre-camp, where part of you feels like the sessions will never end and you just want the kids to get there already, and another part of you is loving the bonding and the games and the square dancing and wonders what it would be like if the kids never came… Soon I’ll be missing the crazy energy of Arrival Day: the tangible excitement as you see everyone in uniform for the first time at flag raising, the shrieks of joy and sprints across the lawn as friends and counselors are reunited after a year apart, and the sudden increase in noise level and number of bodies in the Feeder at dinner that is totally overwhelming and absolutely wonderful at the same time. From there, the magical whirlwind that is a summer at Fernwood Cove will begin, and with it will come many more moments that I’m devastated to miss.

But I’m trying not to dwell on Zlotolow & Associates NYC car accident lawyers because it literally hurts my heart. Instead, I’d like to congratulate all of you on making an excellent life decision.

Whether it’s your first summer at camp or your seventh, you’re about to embark on one heck of a beautiful, exhausting, hilarious, challenging, and valuable adventure. Basically, you’re in for the time of your life this summer.

Be sure to treasure your time at camp. The familiar routine and packed daily schedule can warp your sense of time. Days feel like weeks, weeks feel like months, and one month at camp is filled with enough fun and craziness and memories to last a whole year. And yet, I’ve never been somewhere where time has also seemed to slip by so quickly. If you haven’t experienced camp before, trust me, you will be shocked when first session flies by and further astounded when second session seems to go even faster.

So, don’t wait to get comfortable; jump right in. Whereas you’re lucky enough to spend almost 10 weeks (or more!) at Fernwood Cove, your campers only get 26 days. Each summer, many counselors express some regret or frustration at the end of first session. They lament the fact that it took them awhile to “figure things out” at the beginning of the summer and so it feels like, just as they’re really connecting with their girls, it’s time for them to leave. Trust your instincts, ask others for advice and ideas, and invest your energy in getting to know your campers (as individuals and as a bunk family) as soon as possible.

Here are a few other tips, tricks, and semi-inspirational ideas that have popped into my brain over the last few days:

• Sing and scream at the top of your lungs and dance like an idiot at campfire. It’s an emotional release that I firmly believe is important for your health.

• Although your campers might try to convince you otherwise, quality not quantity counts more when it comes to sneak-outs. They don’t need to be anything elaborate, just good, bunk family bonding time somewhere out of the ordinary. Ask Maria about Sparrow’s “trip to Philadelphia” if you want a great example of a super simple and silly, but ridiculously enjoyed sneak-out.

• Just like in many biological families, kids at camp are often more eager to listen to their cool uncle than their nagging mom. Gentlemen, recognize your buncle superpowers and use them wisely to support your bunk family.

• Appreciate the exhaustion; it (usually) means you’re doing a great job. Spending 24 hours a day responsible for the safety, learning, and fun-having of campers is unbelievably tiring, but the relationships you’ll build, the confidence you’ll inspire, and the memories you’ll create by pouring all of your creativity, enthusiasm, and love into everything you do at camp will be beyond worth it. Plus, you’ll sleep better than you ever have before. Nothing makes a teeny wooden bed feel like a heavenly cloud like complete camp exhaustion.

• That being said—take care of yourself. Get enough sleep (and don’t underestimate the power of a focus off power nap), wear sunscreen, stay hydrated, and know whom to turn to when you need a good hug or energy-boosting pep talk.

• Be prepared for mid-summer slump. I don’t care how much you love swimming or archery or climbing or ceramics; there will come a day, about a month from now, when you’ll think, if I have to shout, “Ready? 3, 2, 1…!” to one more wakeboarding child, I’m going to lose my mind. Be ready for that moment, and when it happens, find ways to mix it up. Ask to join someone else’s activity during a free focus, make a new playlist for your activity area, create a new game… mostly just remember that while your activity might seem old and repetitive to you, it’s still new to campers, and you owe it to the girls you’re interacting with in Week 6 to be just as fun and engaged as you were during Week 1.

• Last but not least: at LEAST once during the summer, make time to stop and take it all in. Find a quiet place, sit down, and spend a few moments just soaking in the sight, smell, and feel of camp. As I said earlier, time will fly this summer, so don’t miss the chance to just stop and appreciate this beautiful place and unique experience.

Alright, that’s enough rambling. I wish you all the most extraordinary of summers.

Enjoy the Nature Appreciation Moments.

Have ALL of the fun.

Live the dream for those of us stuck in school this summer.

Lots and lots and lots of love,

A Fernwood Cove Counselor