Author: Alex

Camp Runoia life skills go to college

Posted on by Alex

At camp we often talk with our campers about how you can learn things at 8 and still be doing them at 80! Imagine still paddling a canoe in your older years after first dipping a paddle as a young camper on Great Pond. Some life skills are technical or ‘hard’ skills  like learning a ‘J’ stroke while others are more subtle and referred to as ‘soft’ skills such as navigating relationships.

Camp provides campers of all ages the chance to learn, progress and master many skills that last with them long after their camp days are over.

In this week’s guest blog, Jen Dresdow talks about how years at camp prepared her daughter for a smooth transition into college.

In August, my husband and I became empty nesters as we sent our only child, Natalie, off to college. After many college visits her junior and senior year, Natalie chose Hollins University, a small private women’s school in Roanoke, VA, about 4 hours from our home in Alexandria.

As Natalie and I both worked at camp during the summer, we had about 10 days between arriving home from camp and her move-in date for pre-season riding. Natalie quickly organized herself for dorm life with the efficiency of a seasoned camp parent.

The transition into college life proved to be an easy one. After 12 summers at Runoia, Natalie found navigating the small campus and being where she needs to be on time an easy task. Similar to navigating her camp schedule as both a camper and a counselor, she quickly fell into the routine. From 7:30am riding lessons to evening French conversation groups to her work study in the gym, she is where she needs to be when she needs to be there. Camp taught her the skills needed for community living and navigating dining hall choices.

Natalie rides on the Varsity Equestrian Team, and just like camp, the barn bubble is her happy place. However, having a roommate who is not a rider, has been a great fit. Natalie used the school’s roommate match program to place with a roommate.  Years of sharing a cabin with others, learning to share, keep spaces tidy, and communicating effectively, have helped her to settle into dorm life.

We are grateful for all the lifelong skills built at Runoia over the years that allowed Natalie to take a well stocked “toolbox” to college.

Falling back and looking forward

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Up here in Maine, the sun sets now at 4:20pm. On the shores of Great Pond at Camp Runoia it feels like we are hurtling towards the shortest day of the year. The time change sets us into darker days and longer nights. Relishing that extra hour in bed reminds us that we need to get up earlier in order to make the most of the light.  Fall has lasted longer than is typical here in the northern corner. The days have been warm and while early morning frost is seen on the pumpkins it has been balanced by bright, blue skies and trees still clinging to their color and leaves. Camp is already shuttered up tightly against the winter weather and only the animals walk the paths.

There is no argument that winter in Maine is long. Once the leaves fall we won’t see them again until May and life will slow to a crawl as we bundle up against the cold. It’s an awesome time for camp planning, for dreaming of those long summer days, connecting with camp friends and wishing away time until we are all back on Great Pond.

The camp community doesn’t take much rest time and days are filled with professional development, camper recruitment and staff hiring. Program planning meetings, site maintenance and building projects fill in the practical tasks. Connecting with peers in the industry and catching up on common themes and challenges is engaging and revitalizing.

We don’t stagnate in the dark cold months, we energize and look forward with great excitement to the next season.

Here is some fall poetry from one of our younger campers to brighten your day – we love getting log entries from the Runoia community.

By Ari aged 8

Yellow trees

There are a bunch of fellow, yellow trees

I feel the nice fall breeze and join these yellow, fellow trees.

There is so much joyful glee!

So I plee to be these yellow, fellow trees of glee.

The leaves have fallen all the glee is gone

Something I see to be joyful, glee gone to be.

 

Sunlight

The sun is bright, what a beautiful sight.

It is a wonderful light of that beautiful sight,

Of the bright light.

Why Camp? Colleen talks about her journey to Runoia

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“Why camp?” is a prompt that seemingly pulls my whole life, identity, and personality into question. As my director at my alma mater’s office of outdoor pursuits would say, we are “camp people.” She used this as a way of not necessarily vetting the people and employees she let into her life and office, but more as a sign that she had found a kindred spirit. I remember her delighted reaction – a reaction with the animation of a camp person – during my graduate assistantship interview when I told her that I was a camp kid. To us, it is an indication of just the kind of person we’d like to work with, and someone who we know we can connect to. In my twenty-six years, being a “camp person” remains the quickest, most sincere source of connection to strangers that I’ve personally experienced. It shows in Runoia’s staff training each year, where friendships are forged in two short weeks, grown in the following eight weeks, and maintained for lifetimes following. It reminds me of my own childhood camp, where sessions were only one-week long, yet resulted in friendships that remain in adulthood. Camp is where I found a deeper connection each summer to my sister, who is now my best friend. 

So to us, and to many of my other camp connections, knowing someone is a “camp person” is like a preview to who they are. A “camp person” can be anyone, of any and every identity, but a few things always hold true. To me, they are: a person who values connection with nature, others, and themselves; someone who builds and draws on their community in their toughest moments; a person who shows flexibility, empathy, and devotion to others; a person who shows devotion to themself. I can only speak for myself, but that sounds exactly like someone I’d like in my community and by my side.

I’ve noticed in recent years, in a time where we are almost constantly in front of a screen and expected to be one-hundred-percent available at all times, we sometimes mistake this accessibility for connection. True connection with others this way has, however, fallen short for me and many others. Camp is where we can seek authentic connections when we need them most, and to “build lifelong skills” in a unique place that is designed  to facilitate growth. While our campers head home at the close of each summer eager to share the activities they participated in and the feats they’ve accomplished, they are also sharing their friendships, their personal victories, and the counselors they loved most. Beneath the hands-on skills our campers and staff learn at Runoia, we are quietly building the connection, community, flexibility, empathy, and devotion of “camp people”. 

It’s funny to me, then, that I still identified as a “camp person” even in the time between the end of my own camper experience and landing at Runoia years later – a testament to the idea that camp never leaves us. When I first arrived at Runoia in 2018, I thought I was taking my last opportunity to have one camp summer in the open space between my undergrad and grad years. I did not expect to find a camp community again. I had remembered the importance of being a “camp person” myself, but completely rediscovered the magic of connection with other “camp people” that summer. My absence in summer 2021, taken to move across the country, solidified my need for a connection that most people may not know they’re missing if they’ve never experienced it. 

Maine is not my home in the literal sense. I’ve never truly lived there, save for the three summers I’ve spent at Runoia. Even now, I’ve managed to move further away from Runoia, and my home camp for that matter, than I’ve ever been. And yet, coming back to Runoia – even just virtually for now – is a homecoming: a camp person stepping back into her camp-person-self with her camp people. And I am so happy to be home.  

Colleen O’Malley – Assistant Director, Camp Runoia

Making bagels a recipe for happiness

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A lifelong love of baking, a summer working in the camp kitchen and connecting all of those life skills with developing positive mental health strategies. 

Tori’s guest blog this week is an excerpt from her descriptive essay about the joys and benefits of making bagels from scratch.

 

When I first tasted a bagel I was genuinely confused as to how people enjoy consuming them. It tastes like a stale piece of bread topped with some expired, whole milk. Their value to this earth and to cultures doesn’t make much sense. They’re not particularly high in vitamins, they taste like cardboard, and are difficult to make. Okay, maybe I judged them too harshly too fast. I let my opinion of one bad bagel escalate into a future of bagel negativity. Once I finally allowed myself to coexist neutrally with the bagel, my perspective changed. Approaching bagels from a different angle made all the difference. The satisfaction of kneading dough, testing herbs, and creating life from scratch lured me in. Watching the dry yeast bubble in excitement while preparing a collection of herbs and flavours makes me feel at home. I can feel the anticipation building up by the time the dough just barely starts to form together. Getting to knead it and let all of my energy out from throughout the week is like my version of a “runners high.” Its relieving nature helps me to expel excess anger and emotion. I think that it’s probably best that I let it out on the dough, rather than on something or someone else. It’s also not like a bad anger, it’s more of an energized one. One that drives self motivation rather than self discipline. By the time I take the bagels out of the oven and bite into their crisp, golden exterior, all of that built up emotion dissipates. I feel calm, refreshed, and relaxed. There is nothing more satisfying than making a bagel, completely from scratch. 

While in the kneading step of the bagel making process, I enjoy experimenting using flavors and herbs. Of course topping a bagel with everything seasoning, or cheese smells amazing by itself, but incorporating herbs takes it to a whole different level. Just for the aromatic aspect, my favourite go-to flavor combination is rosemary and garlic. Not the rosemary you get at the grocery store dried, and not the minced garlic you find in a jar, but the fresh sprigs and full cloves found organically in nature. My favourite part about seasoning breads and focaccias is the trip to my fresh herb garden. Living in Maine does mean that all my herbs are indoors, but I still like to imagine them prospering in their natural biome. Also, the word ‘trip’ might be a bit too generous of a noun. It’s more of a change of rooms carrying my harvesting tools. As I approach my herb collection, I get reminded of all the culinary flavour possibilities that I have yet to develop. Gently peeling individual sprigs off of the base of my plant, its aromatic nature fills my senses with joy. It’s also very joy provoking knowing that harvesting my herbs only encourages new, more quantiful growth. I continue plucking off rosemary sprigs, usually way more than I need, just so I can let my nose take up all of the aroma it possibly can. Then, I scurry over to my other herbs, chopping them carefully with my herb scissors. Another flavour combination I enjoy is chive and herbed goat cheese. I get great satisfaction using my multi-blade scissors to efficiently cut up my chives, without bruising them. 

The feeling of engaging all my senses is so grounding for me. To be able to focus on one sensory stimulation at a time helps me connect with the here and now. It soothes all of the tension being built up in my mind. Somehow, the whole process of not only making bagels, but eating them too, is reassuring to my brain.It helps me feel more satisfied when everything is not completely perfect or equivalent. Having a blob of sticky flour and water turn into an insanely smooth, pliable edible delight  is beyond fascinating. It confuses me how a combination of ingredients, heat, and time can evolve into something so different. Well I guess that’s the science and practiced patience of baking. A learning experience that turns the ordinary into something magnificent and unique while adding a touch of personalization.  

 

By Tori B-J aged 16

 

How old is the ‘right’ age to start camp?

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Trying to figure out when the right age to start camp is can be a real challenge for families.  Actual yearly age carries a lot of weight in our society.  We celebrate milestone Birthdays with celebrations and sometimes commiserations!  My daughter just turned 16. There was pressure for a ‘sweet 16’ . We went with the ‘sassy’ version but all the decorations and marketing available were ‘sweet.’ Other friends bemoan that their child is about to become a teenager and by how much emphasis there is surrounding this event.  Mom friends commiserating that they will have a ‘teenager on their hands’ and that it is apparently just the beginning of the ‘tumultuous years’ suggest that the big 13 is bigger than it really is.  Truth is those kids will be the same person today at 12 as they will be tomorrow when they turn 13. There are displays of some of the teenager characteristics for a couple of years before 13, others are sure to develop over time or may never appear for a particular child.  Age does not define us yet it has societal normative behaviors placed up on it.

As a parent I feel like I am often battling the social norms imposed upon my children.  It is hard to go up against them when ‘everyone else’ does it, has it or has been there.  I love that my sons K-8 school used the ‘wait ’til eight’ theory for cell phone use as it took the pressure off getting him one and now as a 9th grader we are just getting into that realm.

Figuring out when your daughter is the right age for camp can also appear to have social norms and external pressure about when is the right time to send kids off to sleep away camp.  We all know that kids develop at their own pace, have varying life experiences and certainly come with an array of different personalities that are more or less conducive to the camp experience.  We often get calls from concerned parents wondering if their rising 7th grader is ‘too old’ now for camp? Or if aged 7 is ‘too young’ to start.   Will she fit in if she didn’t start in 5th grade when all of her classmates went off to camp?  Can we advise them about what truly is the best age to send your child to an overnight camp experience?

The truth is there is only a perfect age for each individual child, some kids are ready at 7 others at 12 or 13 and some girls  just may never have the desire to be away for an extended time period.  As we talk to parents starting the camp research process we are always excited to chat about their daughters and to help them figure out if she may be ready to join the Runoia fun.

Great questions to ponder for prospective families are: how does your daughter feel about camp? is she driving the process? does she enjoy being away from home overnight with family or friends? is she age appropriately confident managing her own belongings and time?

If you are pondering camp for 2022 and are wondering if your daughter is ready give us a call. We are happy to help support you in the process of determining if this is the best summer – Camp Runoia  207 495 2228.

We have limited openings and would love to find the right ‘ready’ campers to fill them!

Formative experiences – from single gender school to camp

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A few days ago an old classmate sent me a link to a podcast from my high school. I’m not one to keep up much with my old alma mater, living 3000 miles away makes reunions and the like fairly impossible. I was intrigued enough to engage as it was hosted by my former headmistress.  I grew up in England and attended a very traditional, all girls, grammar school. Admittance was via a rigorous examination and interview process and I was the only student from my primary school to head off there. I strode off into a whole new world of education and opportunities which definitely set me off along the path that I travel today. 

At the time I had little concept of the benefits of a single gender experience but the podcast reminded me just how fortunate I was to spend my formative years from 11-18, in an all girls and predominantly female managed institution. Miss Winfield now in her 80’s eloquently speaks on the podcast about the opportunities that were available to girls without constraint and how support and encouragement was given for developing a well rounded student ready to move forward in her life. Along with strong academics there was an extensive athletic and music program supported by arts and adventures on school trips.

Using words such as ‘self advocacy’, ‘independence’ and ‘confidence,’ it is impossible not to draw similarities from my old school to Runoia. To be strongly encouraged to make ‘independent choices’ ‘maximize your opportunities’ and get the ‘best out of your day’ are recurring themes. While there is no doubt that coed experiences have equitable value there is something very different about learning and growing in a single gender setting. There are no limitations visible or hidden and the presented opportunities are available to all. It is rare to see conflicts around funding, scheduling or opportunity.

I loved that my school had rigorous expectations, partnered with parents and was truly staffed by teachers who were passionate about their jobs and imparting their wisdom to the next generation. Again such strong similarities to camp, upholding traditions, negotiating new theories and providing continuity over time. Another similarity of the two experiences is that the opportunity was made available to many different  girls. Diversity and welcoming a broad spectrum of different people are valued at both places. Providing a rich environment in which to grow and learn in formative years and building skills for the future is something that I have great gratitude for and am committed to providing for our Runoia girls.

At school I certainly developed lifelong skills and am encouraged that girls have the opportunity to do the same in a fun and engaging summer experience at Runoia.

 

Making new connections – marketing Camp Runoia

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There was an ‘open house’ at both of my kids’ schools this week. Well not so much ‘open’ more staring at the screen for online zoom introductions to teachers and curriculum. It was hard to stay focused and be able to put names to faces. I certainly didn’t connect with any parents as I may have done if we had been in person, nor did I get to feel much of the culture of the place.

I have never set foot in my son’s new high school. We did a virtual tour in the spring and as the building was closed all of last year there were no in person opportunities to visit or meet the faculty. Fortunately I have friends whose older kids go there so I could trust their opinion and description and figure out that it was a great match for my child. My research worked and  it has indeed been a super fit.  The transition has been smooth and as he is older I am not so concerned about him getting lost or not finding the bathroom! I do feel disconnected from the people that he interacts with everyday. The names are faceless and it’s hard to personally connect in a zoom room, through email or by phone. My new school experience has made me realize more than ever just how difficult it has become for parents to choose a camp.

A lot of our Camp Runoia marketing has previously been done in person, either on camp tours during the season or visiting people’s homes during the winter to connect and chat. Covid certainly changed all of that with zoom calls and virtual tours. 2021 and 2022 was a new era for us with parents dropping off their campers at the gate and never actually getting to see our beautiful campus, meet the counselors and staff or see the view from the  beach. What a leap of faith it is to send our children off into an unknown place on the premise that we trust it will live up to it’s marketing!

 

There were a few horror stories that hit the media about camps this past summer. Facilities with not enough staff, huge covid outbreaks or food supply shortages. None of our Runoia families freaked out! They trusted that we had things under control and that their child was being well cared for and that if there was a legitimate problem we would be in contact with them in a transparent way.

Marketing our camp and building trust and relationships during this challenging time has led us to develop new skills and engage in different ways. Our campers had an absolute blast this summer, they went home with great stories and are willing to spread the word about camp to their family and friends. Parents also found great value in the Runoia experience and are talking up the benefits of overnight camp and the value for the whole family. Virtual connections are now more the norm and it doesn’t seem odd to be ‘meeting’ on zoom rather than in person.

With early enrollment at an all time high we are excited for the 2022 season and proud to be celebrating 116 continuous years of Camp Runoia operations. We will continue to grow and move with the changing environment that we live in and to connect and engage with our families and campers.

We love our Runoia connections.

 

A new season for Camp Runoia

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It is barely a little over a month since we shuttered the buildings and closed down camp for the 2021 summer season. Many of our campers have just gone back to school and the leaves are hardly changing color here in Maine and yet our 2022 summer season is open! Early enrollment is in full swing for next summer which is so exciting. This past summer was amazing, we had a blast on Great Pond with old friends and new and truly cannot wait to do it all again next year. After a tough year with lock downs and quarantines, zoom school and no activities our girls were thrilled to be at camp in real time with people. The fun lasted literally from dawn until dusk and even into the night in some cases! We are grateful that parents had confidence that we could pull it off and recognize the social and emotional growth that happens at camp and is even more necessary as kids have been removed form their typical experiences.

In 2020 we were grateful to be able to open with a limited camper capacity and operating only one three week session. We had no idea what the knock on effect would be for future enrollment and couldn’t have predicted that we would still have been in the midst of a global pandemic as we opened the 2021 season. This past summer saw us welcoming 100 new families into our community. How lucky we were to see many of our old campers returning and to have the opportunity to get to know so many awesome new girls.  Camp was full and it felt so good to be operating our regular season again and while there were still some modifications to navigate covid protocols it felt much more like a regular summer.

 

Now here we are looking towards 2022 with an unprecedented early enrollment of returning campers. We have been delightfully shocked by how eager families are to sign up for early enrollment spaces. There have been an increased number of requests for full session spaces and even our younger camper slots and sessions are filling ahead of their usual timeline. This is great news for camp and fantastic from a business perspective yet is certainly a little stressful for folks that are not quite ready to commit yet.

We understand it’s hard to know how life will shake out in the next 11 months. Where we will all be at with covid and its impact on everyday living. The good news is that In uncertain times, camp is a sure thing. Camp Runoia will open in June 2022 for our 116th continuous summer on Great Pond. Campers will swim in the lake, enjoy the great Maine outdoors, connect with friends and learn new skills. There will laughter, bug bites, marshmallows and singing. Camp will welcome old and new faces with the goal of everyone having the best summer ever!

 

We hope that all of our 2021 campers will be back to be joined by some new faces for another amazing summer of building lifelong skills. The season is open for 2022 and we couldn’t be happier.

Returning to Runoia – from counselor to camp parent and staff

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Guest blogger Mindy (Boyce) Martone-Gulling

Archery and cabin counselor 1998/99. Yoga and farm instructor and camp parent in 2021.

Mindy shares her reflections on returning to Runoia.

Camp friends for always!
Working with Kara (Benken) Garrod once again.

My daughter is the outgoing, kind, and hilarious youngest child of five and she and I have been waiting for years for her to be old enough to go to Runoia. I was a counselor in the late ‘90s and left Runoia in 1999 to go to law school, which was followed by a “real” job, kids, and life that kept me far from Camp. But I never forgot how beautiful, fun, warm, and welcoming the CR community was and knew I wanted my daughter to be a part of it. 

Delayed a year by Covid, this Spring we finally signed her up for a session in Harmony Land, the program for Runoia’s youngest campers. We were all so excited. My memory certainly isn’t what it once was, but apparently there’s a whole section of it that’s full of camp songs and I started teaching her right away. We bought new swimsuits, shoes, and water bottles for her adventure and she insisted on watching the Runoia marketing video at least once a day. Even more exciting was that life was such that I was able to join her at camp as a counselor – after all this time.

We arrived on the first of our many Fine Maine Days at camp, she joined her new friends, and I got my first live glimpse of camp in so many years. New facilities! State-of-The-Art equipment! Exciting new activities and adventures to choose from!  And of course almost all new faces, including counselors who usually said “oh, I was just born then” when I told them the last year I had been at camp.  It was clear that Runoia had grown and changed and constantly improved in the time I had been gone. But just as the new facilities blend smoothly into the camp landscape and the new activities appear on the tag board next to old standards like archery and swimming, the heart and soul of Runoia was the same even amidst the changes. Girls just being themselves, hugging friends, cracking wide smiles at mastering a new skill, and laughing as they walk lightly past the ferns down to the waterfront. Campfires, Fairy Ring, taps, the logs, Blue/White, and birthday songs all endure for new generations of Runoia girls.

As a counselor I got to experience things with my daughter that I would have only heard about at home- her unbridled joy trotting off in her yellow one-piece to every rec swim and the ear-to-ear grin when she got the arrow “in the red” during archery. As a mom, I appreciated so much about how girls are loved and supported at Runoia- from a counselor agreeing to stay late at an activity to make sure a level got passed to a tireless search for a lost but much loved book, to the heartfelt good nights from the Directors.

I have always seen Runoia as a special place, and I was so lucky that I can share it with my own Runoia girl, hopefully for years to come.

 

The 2021 Name Story

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The ‘name story’ is a Runoia log tradition – who knows how long it goes back but it’s a fun part of our end of season celebrations. It includes the last name of all the staff and campers who were at camp for the whole summer; around 75 names. It is a little more entertaining when read aloud so use your creative voice and have a go!

 

A Fine Maine day in Lucyland

It was another ‘Fine Maine Day’ on Great Pond that started with an early Marin Bell to wake up the sleepy campers. It was a blue sky day with White fluffy clouds and Raya’s of sun shining down on Camp Runoia. Dresdowed up in their camp uniforms counselors were grabbing their coffee and Mullen over their schedules for the day.

The male staff were hanging out at the picnic tables, ‘Howes it going?’ Johnson Murray asked Alexander. “I have a Budeiri ache and Mahedy really hurts” he replied, “I think I’m coming down with the camp cold.” Oh no! I hope you don’t get the Hoffmann.’ Williams been sick for a week and I bet you Tena bucks Williamson, Jackson gets it next.That Colbourn’s man and we are out of cough drops. Emerson don’t be such a Dorsch I’ve been shopping on Amazon and have all the medicine we need in my Ekart I just need to click the magic button.

It was a busy camp day, trips were out and Melvani was full of the Blauberg team while Morrison, Davis had Chotas the whites. Garcia for closing the Dvorak yelled the counselor before the campers in their Hobbs nailed hiking boots, wandered up and over the Berryhill. They enjoyed their fill of the delicious blueberries and raspberries and all of their fingers were Dyed from the juice. Watch out for that giant Brown Snyder, Russelling in the Mulry bushes yelled the Germain counselor. ‘Get Wachenschwanz against that Bolduc- Jackson while I take care of it. Einzig, three I’ll trap it in that Cavenagh and we can get on with our picking.

Using Morse code, kids in campcraft were enjoying sending smoke signals across the lake.

The waterfront counselors were just getting back from the Marini. They were docking and the driver yelled, ‘Put a Hitch in that rope Grace so the boat doesn’t float away after our Bass fishing adventure with Jacob.’

Up at the Zahn the chickens were Glucking around the barnyard , I bet those chickens are wishing they were Friedman. Riders were Cantrelling around the arena, Korineing over jumps and having a blast.

There were a Millares of things going on. It was time for games at the fields, ‘I’m Sirois’ said Petersen, Martin,I was supposed to turn on the water Fontaine so that campers could fill their water bottles before the Tenorio of ten kickball game. ‘It Dostie matter, they used the sinks and are Cohen over there to get started.’ replied the sports counselor. Campers excitedly took their places and the Kells rang for the games to begin.

Chef and the kitchen staff were cooking up some Clancy food in the kitchen. ‘Make sure that Durham is Cook-Wright’ yelled chef ‘the Parsons from the village church are coming for lunch’. I added some Fennelley and Mintz to bring out the flavor and we can serve it with a fine Sinott grigio and Pina coladas. The campers can have their favorite Heubergers with Alvadrado’s so they won’t be Jonesing for the fancy food. I’m sure we have some Perrinier water too so it will be a treat.’ ‘For clean up and mopping Albanisi on us today, we only have to Shieferstein up the Paquette floor in Lodge before lunch.’

It was a perfect day to be at Camp Runoia