Camp Runoia has helped make me who I am today. Runoia has taught me many life lessons, especially how to adjust to change in my life. Before camp, I had never been away from my parents. Although it was extremely hard for me being away from my family my first year, Pam and the staff handled themselves great, always being there for me when I was feeling homesick. The second and third year, I had a fantastic time, and had started to learn how to adjust to the change of not being with my family. Now, fast forward to college. I am from Pennsylvania and because Camp Runoia taught me to be an independent woman, I was able to go to the University of Maine. Here at the University of Maine, I met my now fiancé, John and are now settling in the Portland, Maine region. I would never have been able to go to college far away from my parents, if I had not been to Runoia. Camp Runoia has helped me become a strong independent woman. I am so grateful for my time at Runoia, and feel that sending me to Runoia was the greatest gift they ever gave me, for at Runoia I learned so many life lessons. I really believe I would not have the life I have today without Camp Runoia. Anastasia Kerner
Category: Uncategorized
Singing
Perfect Harmony
This week is concert week for the chorus that I am a member of. It means two nights of rehearsal and two performances which equals a lot of singing. I love being part of a group of women that spends time together making music. We are not professional musicians but spend time and effort learning notes, exploring musical nuances and perfecting our performance. For 2 ½ hours a week I become lost in the complexity of music mastery and the production of choral sound.
At camp singing is a large part of our everyday lives. We sing silly songs, rowdy songs, quiet, contemplative melodies and most importantly we sing our Runoia songs. We spend time at Assembly learning songs; some have been sung for generations and others are new to Runoia. Old songs carry our history. Hearing them reminds us of our special place on Great Pond. We find ourselves humming Runoia tunes when we are far from camp and know that many of our alumnae sing them to their own children as lullabies.
Our camp songs have actions, guitar accompaniments, nonsense words, no words, harmonies, different parts or barely a tune. We make songs up to popular tunes, we lip sync, we cry while we sing: sometimes from laughing and sometimes because it is our last time of the season singing together.
At camp it is not the quality or musicality that matters so much although we do channel our inner Diane Smith and try to hit those odd high notes in Tumbledown and It’s Blue and White! It is more that we do something together. We can be heard singing in the Lodge, Dining Hall, around the campfire, in a sail boat or canoe, down the path to the waterfront, out on the hiking trails, for the camp Talent Show and in the vans. Songs are a unique part of our camp culture that we pass along orally and through our song book.
Songs and singing make us happy! Music has the ability to unite us. We may not always sing in perfect harmony but we sing together to celebrate our community, traditions and just because we can! It is part of who we are at Runoia it is our ‘Harmony’.
Listen to a few favorite Runoia songs here!
Meet the staff
A guest blog by Morgan Price
My name is Morgan and I will be the girl who runs around camp taking pictures, updating our social media sites, blogging about all of your exciting adventures and activities and helping with event planning! You will almost always see me in my bright colored, monogrammed hats.
A little about me: I am from Marietta, Georgia- right outside of Atlanta. I am finishing up my sophomore year at Georgia College and State University with a major in Marketing. I am highly involved on campus and have served a few different positions for my sorority Zeta Tau Alpha. At school I live in a house with thirteen girls and love it! I have two sisters, a twin sister and a twelve year old sister. I love shopping, exploring, traveling, cooking and dancing. I can teach you how to make an awesome friendship bracelet and love making crazy costumes!
Even though this is my very first summer spent at a sleep away camp, I am so excited for camp to start and I hope y’all are as ready for it as I am. I purchased my bright pink duffle bag and I am already shopping and packing for everything I need for camp. While Georgia isn’t exactly across the world, I am still excited to travel 1300 miles to see the beautiful state of Maine that I have heard so much about.
A “Little Life Lesson” from me:
Sing Loud, Sing Proud; dance like nobody is watching; and try everything!
I will openly tell you I am one of the worst singers to ever walk the planet, but that doesn’t stop me from singing. I love to sing even though I am not as talented as Taylor Swift I give it my best shot. Remember this when you are getting ready to sign up for activities each week. Camp Runoia offers many activities from Archery to Windsurfing and everything you can imagine in between. Just because you may not be the best at something does not mean you shouldn’t sign up for that as an activity!
Always remember “the best thing to hold onto in life is each other”- Audrey Hepburn
Love Morgan
Camp trunk?
A trunk or not a trunk? that is the question!
I am a first time at sleep away camp for my youngest daughter Mom this year. My oldest did a whole bunch of programs that either just required a duffel bag or a suitcase. She was more the college campus, camp kind of girl! it’s been a while so I am back shopping for camp supplies.
Today’s question for deliberation is what to pack in to? A trunk or duffel bags? and if we do decide on a trunk what type? my head is already swirling just contemplating thinking about it. You would think as the camp director I’d have a clear vision but it seems that there are so many pro’s and con’s for each option. To me the ubiquitous trunk screams sleep away camp and is a connection to the long time tradition of kids packing up for the summer and heading out by train to camp. But wait this is 2015 and no one arrives by train anymore and we won’t be traveling far with her stuff!
The girls that bring trunks to camp love them as they are a great catch all for spare towels and linens dress up clothes and all manner of junk you can just throw in there before cabin inspection. You can sit on them, use them to get up to your top bunk and play a round of cards on top. Trunks these days comes in such an array of styles and colors they can be an identity statement and it’s also pretty cool to bring your parents old camp trunk.
Duffel bags are easy to pack and can be tucked away on the luggage rack collecting dust bunnies until the end of the season. With all of her stuff unpacked she won’t forget about items that may be stored in the trunk and will be able to see everything.
Whichever option we go with I am sure it will work out fine it usually comes out about 50/50 amongst the campers. There are then those international staff who manage to put everything they need for the entire summer into one small backpack maybe that’s what we should do!
Spring has sprung
This weekend the first in April is a busy one. For some it is the beginning of Passover for others a celebration of Easter for almost all it is a time to get together with family, shake off winter and greet the new season. April is a time of hope and the promise of better weather, new life growing from the once frozen ground and an end in sight to the school year it brings a promise that summer is just around the corner.
In the camp calendar April is the beginning of our busy season a time of planning and of preparation. We are nose to the ground getting everything ready for our staff and campers arrival in June. Most of the hiring is done, beds are filled (don’t worry for those still considering camp we have a few spots open) and staff training planned. We are filling in the summer schedule with camping reservations, adventurous day trips, competitions at other camps and a myriad of other fun events.
Our families and staff are also preparing so we field a lot of questions about paperwork, what to pack and the other little details that bring it all together. We love sharing the excitement of those that will be coming to join us for the summer and are always happy to talk through concerns or trouble shoot challenges.
April gets us fired up, filled with excitement and raring to go, we are impatient for time to go by quickly, the last of the snow to melt and the ice to be off the lake. We throw an a Runoia T-shirt even though it is still only 40 degrees out and celebrate that Spring is here and summer will soon follow. We are excited!
The bus!
Reflections on the not so magic school bus
My kids stopped riding the school bus this year. We live in a small, rural community only about 4 minutes on the same road from their school. It dawned on me that while riding the bus is the norm and was certainly convenient it did not have any benefits and perhaps was actually having a detrimental impact on all of us. A change in routine with me driving them has significantly reduced stress in our lives and has strengthened not only our relationships as a family but also our connections within our community.
The bonuses are many: I get to build social relations with the other parents picking up ‘walkers’ at school, I see some of the teachers in the halls and can stop to catch up for a minute or two, if it’s good weather we hang out playing outside school with friends, my kids talk to me and each other on the ride there and back so I find out way more than I did when they were on the bus, we also have more time for fun and stress free homework before heading off to activities.
While driving I have paused to noticed the number of parents on our route that sit in their cars for sometimes 20 minutes or more waiting for the bus when they could drive up to school and get their kids. It is interesting that we become so conditioned to do something a particular way that we never look at it from a different perspective or question the ‘why’.
I know there are many reasons why riding the bus is a good thing for kids and I am not arguing the for or against but more the concept that sometimes taking a step back, questioning or doing simple everyday things differently can have unexpected results.
There are many things that we do in life with little thought or intentionality. Mix it up, try doing something differently or at least pausing for a moment of thought about why you are doing it the way that you are!
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Recycling with Betty
This new year, as I am trying to reduce excess material goods in my life, I fondly remember my first couple of summers at Runoia. It was the mid 90’s and the environmental movement hadn’t really hit yet. Well it hadn’t hit the rest of the country but it was alive and well with its roots in the Runoia trash house. Reduce, reuse, recycle was already the mantra and Betty Cobb its biggest proponent.
There was no dumpster at camp back in those days and all the trash had to be hauled to the Belgrade transfer station. As you can imagine at Runoia there were awesome systems in place even for trash management. There was a compacter in the back of the kitchen. I had never seen one before and to be honest the noises it made terrified me a little but it magically turned a large bag of garbage into a small square foot of squashed matter. Paper products were burned after the Saturday night cookouts (not really best practice these days). Cups and plates were always stacked (and still are) to take up less room in the trash. Everything that could be reused or recycled was.
Betty was often found ensuring that the actual trash did not contain any recyclable items. Her goal was not to terrify people into carrying their entire trash pile home with them but to educate us about the need to protect the earth’s resources. She would often say that she was not doing it for herself but for the children as they would be the ones that would inherit the problems.
I am grateful for the lessons I learned even if I was called out in assembly because Betty had found an envelope with my name on it in the trash not the recycle! Sadly Betty’s concerns are now ringing true as we see the impact a lack of attention to resource management is having on our earth’s future. I hope that the Runoia community will long continue to promote environmentally good practices and that it will become a life skill that our girls take home with them.
Make a difference in your home and community, just recycling is no longer enough what else can you do?
“If every household in the U.S. used just one less 70-sheet roll of paper towels, which would save 544,000 trees each year. If every household in the U.S. used three less rolls per year, it would save 120,000 tons of waste and $4.1 million in landfill dumping fees.” (From the Paperless Project).
Resources:
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/green-living/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321#slide-1
Read or watch the The Lorax with your kids it’s a great visual reminder!
Camp Dogs
Dogs Dogs Dogs
Loving and playing with dogs is part of many camp directors’ lives. Most camps have a dog at camp. Some hospitals and senior homes have dogs or other pets for healing and calming purposes. Our Runoia pack of dogs do provide therapeutic peace and calm to most people (once you get over the initial doggy enthusiasm).
Campers like to walk a camp dog in their free time. Others just love to hug our very huggable eight year old black lab, Cody. You’ll find a camper sitting with Katahdin on Abby’s Cottage porch or running up to pet Jake on his afternoon walk in camp. Many of our Runoia alumnae grew up with Coco at camp in the 1970s. Years ago, one camper, got over her fear of dogs by slowly warming up to our old pooch, Lily. She eventually was walking Lily on a leash and petting Lily and looking for Lily in her free time. To this day she says her exposure to the Runoia dogs was a big part of her healing her phobia. So dog-therapy sure does happen, albeit inadvertently, at summer camp.
Just recently Gines’ family adopted a dog, Krewe. So, he’ll be a part of camp this coming summer.
And Alex’s family fosters dogs whenever they can. Alex is wise not to foster dogs in the summer when she knows she is too busy at camp to give the dog the time the dog deserves. Yesterday Abby came to visit camp while she was dog-sitting in the area. So, we had a pack of dogs running around in the snow having a jolly old time. Camp isn’t just for campers in the winter! Today I read an alumnae connection blog about loving his dog. Read Micheal’s blog here. As you know, dogs are a huge part of family culture not only in the United States but around the globe.
Adopting or rescuing a dog is a great gift to canine world. Maybe you will consider an adoption or foster care for a dog in the new year?We encourage you to take the time to figure out if you can fit a dog into your daily/weekly routine, if you can afford the cost of a dog and get your family on board with sharing the responsibility of caring for a dog.
Here’s to enjoying your dog, someone else’s dog, to camp dogs and to helping the dogs around the world have a great start to the new year!
Elf time!
Elf on the Shelf – not for the under 10 readers!
There have been lots of commentaries in the mass media about the Elf on the Shelf love it or hate it the under 10 crowd all know what it’s about and it is a very present part of many people’s Holiday build up.
Here’s how it works at our house:
The Elves – yup we have 2 my kids are not the best sharers and we had an old one from Grammy so the retro version showed up too! For the record 2 Elves can get into way more trouble than one.
Timing – they show up whenever Santa remembers to send them! They have been found once or twice hiding out in the tote boxes that we store decorations in, imagine that silly elves.
Names – um yeah about that place in the back of the book where you are supposed to write the names that your oh so adorable toddlers made up – epic fail!
Busted – Luckily their much older sister must have gotten in so late that the elves were scared off from their flight to the North Pole and waited until Mum was at the Post Office!
Pintrest and other parent shaming social sharing sites – I avoid them like the plague and look for links like ‘25 easy things to do with your elf’
Lying – Many parents constantly lie to their kids its part of the deal to enhance and preserve the innocence of childhood and create a little grown up magic in a world that is sometimes pretty tough!
Behavior – a lot of the diatribe on the internet revolves around the moral implications of threatening small children that the elves are going to report to Santa about bad behavior and they will ultimately get coal in their stocking. Luckily my kids are always angels and behave perfectly at all times so we never have to use this threat.
Fun – I think it is totally fun and I love my kids waking up and hunting down the elves laughing at their antics and discussing if they really can see hot glue holding their heads on.
If you’re going to do the Easter Bunny, Santa or the Tooth Fairy then a little Elf magic certainly can’t hurt can it?
It would be kind of fun if they showed up at Camp Runoia.
More reading about those loveable elves is available for endless hours on the www
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/12/16/the-elf-on-the-shelf-is-preparing-your-child-to-live-in-a-future-police-state-professor-says/
https://www.facebook.com/elfontheshelf
The Center of Camp
In the center of camp is a special place. Its hub endures the hustle and bustle of camp’s daily flow. We greet it with the pattering of feet as we fall out from flag raising and it shudders at the end of the day as milk gets spilled upon its floors and crackers crumble into happy mouths. We sing and fill the rafters with graces, bobos and birthday songs.
Where else besides cabins do we spend two and a half hours almost every day with an assorted group of random people? Where else could you find thousands of red and white flowered and plain squares? Like a silent movie, benches and chairs get moved in and out, up on top of tables and down again. It is only furniture but it’s furniture that fills its innards with substance and fortitude.
Probably the person who spent the most time within its screened walls was Johnny. For 54 summers Marion “Johnny” Johnson sat regally reigning from the corner by the flagpole. To date, some of her special sayings are shared in that very same corner. Betty’s Table became, and still is, an icon of good manners, quietly closing doors, trying new foods and cleaning plates. Counselors who return to camp for a couple years adopt their own table and create their own legacies with the campers who share meals around them.
Betty and Diane raised their newborn children under her eaves. Alex, K and other camp parents (and in 2014 Jai and Gines raise their respective little ones) over the summers have done the same. Campers have laughed, cried, screamed, and shrieked with delight amidst the pine paneling. The hum of the water cooler adorned with the magically changing poster provides a watering hole for many. Each corner has its own echo, each it’s own feeling. Late night sardines has been played in all the nooks and crannies. Dances and casino halls, specialty restaurants and rainy day games have transformed her façade at times. Snacks, studying for JMG, package surprises, the mail bag, counselors’ coffee and board games have all been part of its personality. On its walls, some over 100 years old, banners and posters, signs and memorabilia hang to be seen by all. It is the epicenter of our daily sustenance, the Mother Ship of our excursions, the source of many good times and tastes.
The 2006 Log is dedicated to the Dining Hall, to all its bumps and leaks and all its glory.