Author: Alex

‘The seasons they go round and round’

Posted on by Alex

It’s prime foliage time here in Maine. At Camp Runoia we are surrounded by such stunning beauty that it is often  hard to visually take it all in and difficult to capture it’s magnitude in a photograph.  The days are crisp and clear, perfect for hiking and being outdoors yet too chilly to be out on the lake and the water is certainly far too cold now for a dip.  The air has the hint of the winter cold that is soon to come.  As the seasons seem to be changing so quickly and summer still doesn’t seem all that long ago, it is hard to imagine that in literally two weeks the trees will be bare.  We will be heading into the 6 months of the long Maine winter and we won’t see leaves again until mid May. Summer homes are shuttered, the tour buses will be heading back down the highway and a more dormant phase of life here will soon ensue. It’s already so quiet and walking through camp feels a little like a spooky, Halloween ghost town. Our Runoia,  Great Pond summers are truly amazing and the rest of the year is pretty spectacular too.

How cool it would be to have a time lapse video of a year on Great Pond. It would be fun to see how the view from the boathouse that we all relish so much would change through the seasons.  How interesting it would be for those that only ever see the summer view.  Who knows what surprises would be captured on camera. The deer that lurked around the edges of the cabin line during the summer have once again become more confident in their solitude.  They have taken back the space among the ferns. Their hoof prints now mark the paths that not too long ago were tramped by flip flops.  Our girls too have moved into their new season, the carefree days of summer are behind them and school days are full and busy. We hear the laments of parents who are navigating the logistics of school activities, sports and just trying to find time to fit in everything that needs doing.  Staff are back at college or their jobs, needing references, figuring how they can make just one more summer of camp work in their lives and plotting how they can travel half way around the world to see their camp friends.

The camp seasons are not typical of other industries, we spend couple of months in the summer engaged and surrounded by people and doing ‘camp’ and then our energy switches to analysis, construction and planning.  At this time of year our contact with people is less in person more through technology and certainly far less frequent than the hustle and bustle of daily summer camp life. We still hold our camp connections and relationships dear and are thrilled to hear from campers, staff and families about how life is and how they are looking forward to next season.

We truly can’t wait for summer to come around again yet are enjoy this changing season of Runoia life.

There is always time to embrace the beauty that Great Pond has to offer us whatever the season.

Our beautiful Belgrade Lakes

Hopefully your fall days are filled with pumpkins and apple cider!

100 years of change for women – right to vote

Posted on by Alex

As we come off a summer where girls have access to all the activities and experiences that they choose it is hard to imagine what life 100 years ago was like for women.  When Lucy Weiser and Jessie Pond decided to start a camp for girls in very, rural Maine they lived in a society where women had little say in their own lives.  It was 13 more years until they had the right to vote,  can you imagine what fierce and bold women they must have been! How fortunate we are that they created a place where girls can grow and be empowered.

Ms Weiser

The women’s suffrage movement began to formally organize in 1848 but is wasn’t until 1919/20 that women were finally allowed a say in the democratic process and were given the right to vote. Even then not all women were able to vote as minorities were still excluded. The 19th amendment was passed on August 18th 1920 long after those pioneer women had started their campaigning and 13 years after Camp Runoia opened. Maine was a little ahead of the national curve ‘On November 4, 1919, Governor Milliken called a special session of the Maine state legislature. By a vote of 72 – 68, Maine became the 19th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment.’  Here’s a short video that may be fun to watch with your daughter. You can ask her what the process at camp is like when we vote for our team captains.

I wonder if the women who founded Runoia were involved in the suffrage process. Did they take to the streets with sashes and signs to advocate for their rights or were they quiet observers as many other women of the time were. We constantly encourage our Runoia girls to advocate for themselves, speak up for their needs, make their own choices and to not always just go along with what everyone else is doing.  It’s certainly challenging to think that for most women a hundred years ago participating in the adventurous activities our girls do today would have been impossible. Even to other women the suffragettes seemed somewhat extreme ‘they seemed bold and unladylike to venture out into the world.’

The Suffrage Centennial in Maine is in full celebratory swing with many different events planned around the State over the next six months.  One of our camp mom’s is a curator of the Maine State Museum which is hosting an exhibit and special events that are both informational and entertaining.

How thankful we are that brave, strong women walked before us and that our girls have equal opportunities.

Share the stories of the suffragettes with your daughters and take them with you when you go to vote!

Camp Sick

Posted on by Alex

September blew by in whirl of activity. It was nice to be home, to have time to read a book and fix the yard up. There were lots of fine Maine days, the lake was still warm enough to swim in and getting back into the fall routines kept everyone busy.  The summer camp season is intense and exhilarating so a rest is definitely needed both physically and mentally when it ends.

Today it’s a rainy, cool October day.  I got real mail in the post from a camp friend and I’m camp sick. I miss those hazy days of summer on Great Pond, the sounds of people all around me and the late night loon calls on the lake. I miss the simplicity of camp life, where I don’t have to drive anywhere, I show up for meals without having to shop or cook and there is always someone to chat with or just be around. I miss random hugs, and crazy giggles and all the in between connections with girls and staff throughout the day. I miss my early morning coffee in the Lodge office with the sun rising over the lake and deer for company outside my window.  I miss campfires, songs and of course the bell!

The Runoia bubble is so unique and so difficult to describe to those who haven’t experienced it. Camp days are so long and so full it is hard to comprehend all that goes on in a whole summer filled with them.  Later this month a camp friend from Australia will be here, she hasn’t been to Maine in 15 years and is so excited to be able to come back to reconnect with the people and the place that she enjoyed for only 2 summers. The bonds formed at camp last a long time and over great distance for sure.

 

As sign-ups for next season come in, I love sending out postcards to welcome back our returning girls and start a connection with those who will be new. I am already counting down the days until our 114th season and cannot wait to be back on Great Pond with my Runoia summer family.

Camp job – working a summer at Runoia

Posted on by Alex

Returning to the routines of fall I’m often asked how was your summer? What did you do? was it relaxing? For other people, summer is a kick back relaxed time of days at the beach and family barbecues.  For those of us who work in the summer camp industry it’s when we bring our best game and our work ramps up to an intensity that is difficult to describe. Having a camp job is not really comparable to any other industry so it is very difficult to articulate what makes it one of the best jobs ever.

It is hard to know where to start when answering people’s questions.  Here in Maine saying that ‘I was at camp all summer,’ can mean a number of things. In Maine people often refer to their summer cottage, lake house or even a hunting cabin in the woods as their ‘camp’ so one has to clearly define that you were actually working at a residential children’s camp not chilling in a lounger by the lake all summer or off hunting deer! Once the definition of ‘camp’ has been determined it is typically met with ‘oh that must be lovely you get to be on the lake all summer.’ People’s perception is often that I spend my summer swimming, boating and playing with some kids. They also think I must now have the rest of the year ‘off’ as camp just lasts a couple of months of the summer. My Mum is still not convinced that I have a ‘real’ job!

The Lodge office has a great view of Great Pond and deer for early morning coworkers.
When a break from the office means being 40′ up the tower!

The reality is that I spend most of my summer in an office – granted it has one of the best views ever and is often infiltrated with generally happy, smaller humans who have something about their day that they want to share. I manage schedules, answer emails and generally make sure all is running smoothly for the almost 200 people that we have on site at camp. I also get to dress up in crazy costumes, have ‘moo off’s’ with my boss and be immersed in a community filled with love and laughter. A day at camp has more crammed into it than a week of life outside so it is a busy, non-stop and highly engaging job. Throw in a few unexpected thunder storms, an afternoon at the top of the zip line tower or an escaped goat and the long days are never dull.

Lunch time table group hug!

 

Summer camp in Maine is a large revenue generating industry, with over 200 camps that employ thousands of workers, it is big business and plays a large role in the states tourism industry.  Maine summer camps have their own organization that promotes and supports our Maine Summer Camps  and we are a committed group of camp professionals that truly believe that a camp experience is great for all kids. We truly love our jobs.

When people ask ‘how was your summer?’ I simply smile and reply ‘spectacularly exhausting.’ I have one of the best jobs, it is truly a gift to see children and young adults grow and develop over their summers at camp.

Our Camp Runoia 2020 season is already open for enrollment because we just can’t wait to do it all again.

We’ll see you on Great Pond!

Transferring camp skills to school

Posted on by Alex

The camp bell is soon to be replaced by the school bell.

When Runoia girls arrive home from camp their parents often tell us that not only do they seem to have grown a few inches but that they are moving through the world with more confidence and have added to their inventory of skills.  During their time at residential camp girls acquire life skills that transfer to all aspects of their lives and are particularly useful when they head back to school. Acknowledging this skill development and verbalizing with girls what they can take from camp back to the rest of their year can be valuable and may smooth the back to school transition for those that find it a little bumpy.

Camp bus
We’ll take the camp bus over a school bus!

 

 

 

 

 

 

At camp girls often become more self-reliant, they learn to make new friends, manage their personal belongings and get from place to place on time and in the right attire. Day to day living tasks become their responsibility. They problem solve, communicate and advocate for themselves every day. The Runoia community is rich with opportunities for girls to push beyond their comfort zones, try new things and build on their strengths. Campers often surprise themselves with their new found competence and confidence. They learn that with perseverance and dedication that they can do things that once seemed difficult or that make take multiple tries to master. They learn that they have value and a place in our community, that they are respected for who they are and that there are people who want to build relationships with them. Making independent choices are a huge part of a Runoia camper experience and they affect all aspects of a girl’s daily living and camp experience.

Our favorite kind of backpack! The challenges of hiking a mountain can fill your child’s tool kit with skills that transfer to school.

Intentionally re affirming your daughter’s summer successes, reminding her of the great camp friends that will be there next summer and actively naming all of the skills that she now  has in her tool kit can really help strengthen confidence through those first sometimes daunting back to school days.

We wish all of our campers a smooth transition back to school and if they need a ray of camp sunshine to brighten their days enrollment for 2020 is opening this week! For some of our teachers on the Runoia staff school is just a filler job between summers!

We are officially starting the countdown to Camp Runoia’s 114th season on Great Pond.

Camp Runoia Traditions – the ‘name story’

Posted on by Alex

The close of a Camp Runoia summer has a lot of traditional moments. Some seem like camp classics; from finding out the end of season scores,  singing ‘It’s Blue and White’ at Cotillion to enjoying a final campfire together. Others are a little harder to fathom how they evolved. Runoia examples are the log book statistics and the ‘name story’. I’m sure if we pored over the Logs for a long time we could go back and find out when some of these traditions became established and maybe even who brought them to camp.  Certainly some have evolved over time and others have come and gone in just a few years.

The ‘name story’ was an established  part of Log Night long before my time at Runoia and I have been writing it for a lot of years now. It includes the last name of all of the campers and staff that stay with us the whole season and needs to be read with a creative flair as there are some tricky names to get into some kind of tale. There were more names than ever this year.

Camp Runoia staff 2019 their names are in the story!

Here is the 2019 version of the Camp Runoia ‘name story’:

FFMD’s – Fabulous Fine Maine Days

After a very rainy May, that had put a real Strain on getting everything Doone to open up Camp Runoia it had been a summer filled with  ‘fine Maine days’ and beautiful sunsets to the West on Great Pond.

Campers had enjoyed the familiar routines of camp life. Nagle every morning the Flagg was raised, the Bellringer kept the Kells ringing on time, Vanns had taken the campers out on trips, girls got to tie Dye their T-shirts in all kinds of Clancy colors and it had been a great time with lots of Cartmell’s across the kickball field. A ride down to the Marini on the ski boat was a real treat.

At assembly even with a Hacking cough the Germain counselor was really good at translating the word of the day.  In Liu of songs, Dresdowed in their camp uniforms everyone headed out across the Heath to visit the old Mill on the other side of the farmhouse. ‘Budeiri that we have an old ruin at camp’ said the young rapper McCarron to Sidorsky.

When lunch time rolled around after Grace everyone sat down to a delicious meal. On the Plata that Jacob took out of the Hubbard and brought out to the table was a Bolduc roasted in Herbst the Corneluius delicious too. That was a fine Bolduc-Jackson said ‘I Kotsiri would like some of those Hobbs Knobs British biscuits for desert.’ Meanwhile the vegetarians were delighted with their Heuberger made from chickpeas.   While everyone was waiting for desert Frank O’Malley the Irish counselor enthusiastically played a little jig on the Picariello while campers joyfully McLellaned around the dining hall.

Up at the farm the chickens were making such a Kranefuss when laying their Brown and White eggs. ‘Ojeah I feel like a real Pratt’ said Dean the farm counselor ‘I think that the baby goats finally escaped by jumping on the old Cobb horse and have Krakoffed down the road.’ ‘I Quinonnes what to do!’ Now that they are Friedman, I will have to Mullen over a plan with Emerson, Alexander in order to capture them maybe Cooper can help us too.  With a quick prayer to St Peter the counselors Tapiaed on the grain bucket and Skaliotised off after the goats.

When the trippers were out hiking a storm rolled in and the campers had to Neal down and Crawley through the Thacker underbrush toward the Goodoak that guided them to the edge of the woods. They Pulliamed themselves along using Phillips rope that luckily he had brought ‘That was pretty Roffman ‘ exclaimed Martin I hope that everyone is o’Shea. Pammenting the fact that they had to cut their trip short they all used the Holthouse and washed up with the biodegradable Castillo soap. Then with a big cheer of ‘hip hip Perez ‘ they hopped in the Radford van and with Davis driving headed back to camp.

The blue and White games had gone off splendidly even though there had been a petition for the introduction of a Brown team. Shooting competitions had been a big hit, using the old Smith and Wilson and the newer Santos-Pearcy model , Jackson and Gwilliam Atienzad perfect scores. ‘O’Dwyer ‘ said Harris even though I Browder my best effort I Mahedy must try harder I only scored a Kerti and need to get at least a 40 to pass my level. On the fields girls were Korineing around bases after using the Melgar bats to hit home runs. ‘Korosi’yelled the team captain as a camper ran for home base.

While sucking on Mintz and Mullering over the events of the season the directors figured that it May have been the best summer yet on Great Pond.

Camp friends for long days

Posted on by Alex

August came in with perfect camp weather, warm sunny days and cooler nights which made sleeping in the shacks much more tolerable after the steamy days of July.  We were surprised at how quickly our final Camp Runoia days have flown by . We have certainly packed them full to the brim with activities, adventures and time with our camp friends.

We welcomed the new month in with a spectacular meteor shower which the CIT’s got to view from the boathouse where they spent the night.  Our 2nd shack girls also got to get a night under the stars with a sleep out at Fairy Ring.  4th shack wrapped up the overnight tripping program with a grand adventure to the coast and Camden Hills.  Giving girls an overnight, experiential trip has long been an integral part of the Runoia program and one that is still greatly valued.

We welcomed 9 new level one archery instructors into the counselor teaching team – the CIT’s all passed their training class and learned some critical fundamentals of teaching which will transfer to any activity they are specializing in. They also passed their lifeguarding test which they have been working on all summer.  The whole group spent an awesome day of volunteering at Lobsterfest in Rockland managing the children’s tent and touch tank.  These girls have built and incredible skill set this summer and we really hope we will see some of them back as JC’s next year.

The CIT’s rushed home from volunteering as 4 of them were in the play Saturday evening. They joined a younger cast for a Mahadin performance of ‘A Mid Summers Night’s Dream.’ It was truly spectacular lots of hard lines to learn for sure and we all enjoyed the theater in the park atmosphere.

Runoia riders have been out and about getting in some final shows at other camps. We rode very successfully against Vega and Matoka on Friday and had a competitive day against Forest Acres on Tuesday.  It is great for our riders of all levels to have an experience with different horses at an unfamiliar ring, they really get a chance to put all of their skills into action. Almost 50 Runoia girls participated in the Blue/White horse show this past Sunday! Lots of points scored for their teams.

 

The Blue/White competitions filled our final Sunday with swim races, softball, kickball and soccer games and the horse show. Monday 19 early morning Oak island swimmers also scored some points for their team. We are all looking forward to finding out the final scores at Cotillion during the traditional game of ‘hucklebuckle beanstalk’

Our last activity block has been filled with project finishing, level gaining, old and new skills and lots of fun and laughter. While girls are certainly excited to see their families at the end of the week, we are already counting down the days until our 114th season in 2020.

 

Second Session Smiles

Posted on by Alex

Hello from another Fine Maine Day at Camp Runoia! The sun is shining, the boats are out on the blue waves, and the boisterous energy of our Second Session campers and their smiles is radiating throughout all of camp. 

We welcomed our Second Session Runoia Gals last Thursday, and hit they ground running with orientation and programming. Everyone has gotten into the groove of their block schedules, and echoes of “Hey! Are you going to Rec Swim?” can be heard everywhere. 

5th Shack Bringing The Inner Sunshine At Assembly

As we are almost an entire week into Second Session, the campers already gotten to tag up for two blocks of daily program activities. Our counselors have been working tremendously hard to make these programs magical, and all of the camper smiles and laughs tell us that it’s working. Even though yesterday was a rainy Maine day, our staff and campers rallied together in bright outfits and big smiles to bring out everyone’s inner sunshine. There was even a contest at Assembly for the shack with the brightest outfits, and people were in it to WIN it. Congrats to 5th shack who won the contest!

Runoia Gals At The Summit Of Katahdin

Today we are welcoming back our campers that went on trips this week. One group headed off to summit Katahdin, while another group went to hiking on Bigelow Mt. and canoeing on Flagstaff Lake. We’re so excited to welcome them back and hear everyone’s trip stories! Also today, several girls went to compete in a horse show at Camp Mataponi and represented Runoia fantastically winning show champions!

There is a feeling around Runoia right now that can only be described as “electric”— everyone zooming around to their activities, coming and going on trips and adventures, and making memories with new and old friends. Our hope is that while our campers enjoy the excitement of these fleeting days, that the memories made here will stay warm in their hearts long after summer leaves us. 

Until next week,

Aionur

July 4th Celebration and Friendly Competition

Posted on by Alex

Good Morning Runoia Families and Friends! We are in the middle of a string of beautiful Fine Maine Days. The sun and birds wake us up early, and the breeze on our backs gives us a much needed cooling off, as if the Earth knows that we need it. 

Last Thursday we celebrated the Fourth of July— and a true celebration it was. Decked out from head to toe in red white and blue gear, our Rock Star Staff awoke their campers with excited commotion. As the girls rubbed their eyes and made their way to their cabin porches, they were greeted by our equestrian staff on horses cantering by their cabins yelling “The British are Coming!”, per Runoia tradition. Later at Assembly, we honored each country represented with us here at Runoia this summer, including Argentina, Canada, Greece, Spain, Hungary, Australia, Nigeria, Mexico, England, and Poland. 

Runoia Gals celebrating the 4th of July in style.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of activities between our “British” and “American” teams,  from Water Balloon Catch and Spaghetti-Marshmallow-Tower-Building, to an entire camp-wide relay race in the afternoon. The day ended with a reflective Campfire at the Waterfront, where we bonded with songs and skits surrounding the theme of “Unity”. The entirety of the day, planned and executed by our amazing CIT’s, was incredible. 

Harmony Land Campers enjoying some time at the Waterfront.

The rest of the week has been a solid stream of daytime and evening programming- with our campers growing and learning and being excited to try new things. We also welcomed our Harmony Land Campers this week, and they are all settling nicely into their cabin and daily routine.

Later on in the week we hosted a Horse Show here at Runoia, in which we had some visitors from Camp Matoaka and Camp Mataponi come for a friendly riding competition. Our girls were stellar in performance as well as in sportsmanship, making all of us staff members beam with pride. In addition to the horse show, some of our girls travelled to Camp Caribou, where they competed in a riflery competition and represented Camp Runoia fantastically. 

Runoia Horse Show competitors after a terrific day of riding.

As of today we only have seven days left of First Session, which seems unreal, but it’s definitely true that time flies when we’re having fun. This week we will be encouraging the girls to really soak in and enjoy this last week of camp before we must say goodbye. We as staff members get a front row seat to the joy, the learning, the growing, the silliness, and the abounding laughter from our Runoia Gals every day, and we, too, are becoming better people for it. 

The coming week holds in store our Talent Show, Log Night, Awards, and Graduation. We are incredibly excited to savor every happy moment with our campers this week— making memories that will surely last a lifetime. 

Until Next Week! 

 

By Nina Budeiri

Into The Swing of Programming at Camp Runoia

Posted on by Alex

Greetings from Camp Runoia!

Camp is in full swing now, with our second block schedule keeping us all busy this week. We have had two full block sessions now, three days each, giving the girls plenty of time to learn new skills, make new friends and become SUGs (Stand Up Gals).

At Camp Runoia we teach the girls how to be the best they can be, and part of that is looking out for each other, or being a Stand Up Gals, aka SUGs. From helping a friend find their way to a new class, or picking up trash when they pass by it, we hope all our gals will look out for one another and build lifelong skills doing it.

Runoia Gals enjoying a Fine Maine Day on Great Pond

On Sunday we had our first all camp Sunday Fun Day, where we don’t have regular lessons, we get to sleep in and even go to breakfast in our pajamas! We got into small teams in the morning and played sports all over camp but then the rain hit, and we moved indoors for more fun. The Junior and Senior Ends played two rousing game of Scatagories.

Every night our camp gets together to be involved in Evening Program (EP). One night we had Country Creation; shack groups came up with a country name, designed a flag, made up a dance or song, what their country was best known for and more. The creativity and out-of-the-box thinking were amazing! Another night was Counselor Hunt where we had all the counselors hide around camp and the campers had to find them–  The more creative the spot, the more points the counselors were worth.

This Thursday is the 4th of July, a big celebration here at camp. Our hard-working CIT’s (Counselors in Training) oversee planning and implementing all the amazing activities. We can’t wait! It’s a big part of the CIT’s summer and we are all very excited to see what the day will bring! Tune in next week to find out all about the 4th of July festivities and more in our next blog!

 

By: Tess May