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June 29, 2009
First Day of Camp!
I don't know if there are words to describe how exciting and fun the first
day of camp is. We have been anticipating this day all year and the
pre-camp staff orientation was great, but the moment those first buses pull
around the bowl and the counselors start clapping and the campers step off
the bus -- it's amazing. It's one of those "you have to be here"
moments to understand the joy. The buses were even on time!
There's a lot of necessary things to get done on the first day, like health
screenings and swim assessments and other first-day chores, but we're pretty
efficient with all of that and we get right down to the business of fun and
activities. So our campers and counselors were at the ceramics shop
and the theatre and the field house and the pool and the squash courts and
everywhere else enjoying a wide variety of activities.
 Camp
is a busy place and sometimes I feel like I'm pulled in a dozen different
directions. So when I stopped by the "celebrity dress up" evening
activity, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was one of the
celebrities being portrayed. Peter was the closest likeness and I'm
thinking of recruiting him to help me out with my camp director duties.
Maybe he'll split the list with me.
My evening finished quite late. It included a walk with our staff
assistants to the waterfall at Blair Lake. The peacefulness of the
night, with beautiful stars overhead and the soothing sound of the falling
water were the perfect end to a perfect day. It's camp time!
What could be better?
Tom
June 25, 2009
Is anybody keeping score?
 We
had an all-staff softball game yesterday down on the lower field and it was
pretty funny. "All staff" at our camp includes lots of people who play
sports, but also a lot who wouldn't usually spend time on the softball
field. So we had a mix of the athletic, the musical, the artistic, the
competitive, the free-spirited, the determined and the care-free. That
gave our game a festive atmosphere, with few people caring exactly what the
score was or how many outs had been made (nice try, Donald, to keep everyone
observing most of the rules). In addition, our staff includes people
from different countries, so playing an all-American game like softball
meant that not everyone knew the rules. That meant occasionally the
batter swung like they were playing cricket, that many people didn't know
how to tag up when a fly ball was caught, and even that one first baseman
threw the ball at the base runner (thinking it was kickball?).
Oh, well. If the purpose of this activity was to make great softball
players out of the whole staff, then we'd better schedule a few more
sessions. If it was to have lots of fun, to give everyone a chance to
participate and to grow closer as friends and colleagues, then we all were
winners, regardless of the score.
Don't worry, campers. When you sign up for sports at CK-NJ this summer
there will be counselors who know the game and how to help you improve your
skill. Just like when you go to ceramics someone can teach you how to
throw a pot on the wheel and when you go to drama someone can help you
sharpen up your acting skills. We have many talented people here with
a wide variety of interests.
Once in a while it's fun to mix everything up, like at our softball game,
where occasionally the sounds of laughter are interrupted by someone calling
out, "Is anybody keeping score?"
Tom
P.S. --
Click here to see photos of our softball game at our 2009 summer camp
photo gallery. Check the gallery often, where we soon will be posting
new camp pictures every day.
June 22, 2009
Why we come to camp.
Tonight we had bunk meetings during which staff members shared why they had
chosen to come work at camp this summer. I wish campers and parents
could be part of these sessions because I think you would learn a lot about
our camp and the deeply felt dedication this staff has for what they do.
These staff are here because their work is lots of fun, but they also come
to make a difference in the world, to have the kind of impact on other
people's lives -- our campers -- that is hard to achieve in many other
places. Camp is where they can combine their idealism with reality.
As our former campers tell us, they remember their counselors forever and
they attribute much of who they are to what they learned from those
counselors. As the director, I have the amazing privilege to work with
these wonderful young people. Every day is fun, challenging and
important.
The full staff orientation only started yesterday afternoon, but we feel
like we've known each other for a long time. That's part of the magic
of camp, made better only by the arrival of our campers in one week.
We can't wait.
Tom
June 17, 2009
We picked out a sundial.
Moving from Hackettstown to Blairstown, we knew we'd have to get a new
sundial. All CK-NJ folks understand what we mean. Well, you'll
be glad to know that we purchased one today. All is well. We
have a sundial at camp!
Tom
June 14, 2009
A short break for a short hike
 We
have about a dozen staff members up at camp now working on a variety of
preparations for the summer season. It's a combination of meetings and
planning with the physical labor of setting up the dorms and program areas.
Earlier today we took a short hike to Lake Genevieve, which is part of a
125-acre woodland on the back side of the campus.
As you can see from the pics, we met a turtle on the way out. She was
not pleased to see us. You can also see most of the members of our
leadership team -- our activity coordinators, head counselors and assistant
directors -- enjoying a much needed sunny day.
After that it was back to work and getting excited for the start of camp!
Tom
June 8, 2009
Transition
It's time to move to camp! This is the week when we pack up our office
stuff and move it all up to our summer camp office, which is in Annie Hall
on the Blair Academy campus. We start with a cargo van and a couple of
mini-vans and some helpers (counselors Andy and Mike will be doing the
honors). The big stuff goes up on Tuesday; things like the duplicating
machines, tables, filing cabinets and boxes of books and papers (whatever
happened to the "paperless office of the future"?). We also visit our
local storage locker to pack up things that we use just up at camp.
Then we make the first trip to camp, unload everything and test out the
phone lines. Wednesday we make one or two more trips between storage
lockers and Blair and, hopefully, the summer camp office is in working order
by Thursday morning. Our leadership staff start to arrive; Dave Heath
is first on Wednesday. By Friday we have that whole team in place and
we are working away on final plans for the staff orientation and the summer
camp season. Sharon, our office manager, comes up on Saturday.
Nurses Tina and Alan drive in Sunday after a cross-country journey. As
the days go by, more and more preparations are made and more staff arrive
until we're ready for the start of our staff orientation on June 21.
It's never fun to move, but moving up to camp makes it all worthwhile.
So, campers, as you sit in those hot classrooms counting down the final days
of the school year, think of us up at camp working hard, having fun and
excited to see you very soon!
Tom
June 2009
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