Mary Schmich (1997 Essay)

Campers enjoy some water activities at Camp Eagle Island summer camp.

Saranac Lake, New York

1960

(via Mike Lynch Cartoons: Girl Scouts of America Activity Booklet: “It’s Fun To Design” by Kathleen B. Kelly)

Summer Camp, 1996

Camp Names:

So you’re spending the Summer at Camp, and your Camp uses “camp names”… Whether you’re a new CIT or a counselor, using a camp name can be hard to adjust to (even if you’ve been waiting for this moment for years)!

You need to learn to respond to a new name, write it on papers, and introduce yourself as such. The secret to (quickly) learning to identify with and respond to a new camp name?

Refer to yourself in the 3rd person!

Yep, it’s weird! And yes, it’s awkward! But it truly works like a charm. Narrate what you’re doing, answer questions in the 3rd person- use your name in 3rd person references liberally and then some.

“Sunshine is feeling great about high ropes!”

“Casper is going to go to clean up in here and then Casper will head to lunch.”

“Snappy is headed to the lodge!”

Help your new coworkers to get comfortable with their names: use their camp names liberally as well! Even if they are a returning staff member, using their name can help them get back into their camp persona (more on this later).

“Rhythm is good! How is Acorn today?”

“Meadow is going to the lake with Sketch, does Atlas want to join?”

“Has Comet seen Ponyo yet?”

This helps everyone to get into the flow of camp, and can speed up the adjustment process- don’t let camp culture shock get the best of you, embrace the weird new culture around you! But of course, speak up when you feel the new (or return!) counselor scaries set in. Whether it’s your first summer or seventh, the start of summer anxiety can get to you- talk to your fellow counselors and admin staff, and know you will do amazing things this Summer!

Girl Scouts

Camp Names:

So you’re spending the Summer at Camp, and your Camp uses “camp names”… Whether you’re a new CIT or a counselor, using a camp name can be hard to adjust to (even if you’ve been waiting for this moment for years)!

You need to learn to respond to a new name, write it on papers, and introduce yourself as such. The secret to (quickly) learning to identify with and respond to a new camp name?

Refer to yourself in the 3rd person!

Yep, it’s weird! And yes, it’s awkward! But it truly works like a charm. Narrate what you’re doing, answer questions in the 3rd person- use your name in 3rd person references liberally and then some.

“Sunshine is feeling great about high ropes!”

“Casper is going to go to clean up in here and then Casper will head to lunch.”

“Snappy is headed to the lodge!”

Help your new coworkers to get comfortable with their names: use their camp names liberally as well! Even if they are a returning staff member, using their name can help them get back into their camp persona (more on this later).

“Rhythm is good! How is Acorn today?”

“Meadow is going to the lake with Sketch, does Atlas want to join?”

“Has Comet seen Ponyo yet?”

This helps everyone to get into the flow of camp, and can speed up the adjustment process- don’t let camp culture shock get the best of you, embrace the weird new culture around you! But of course, speak up when you feel the new (or return!) counselor scaries set in. Whether it’s your first summer or seventh, the start of summer anxiety can get to you- talk to your fellow counselors and admin staff, and know you will do amazing things this Summer!

Kindred spirits (lovers of all things Girl Scouts, particularly those which are vintage), I present to you my latest project:

Adding vintage badges to my ‘24 staff hoodie!

Each badge represents one week of my summer season, whether it be a lesson I learned or a reference to something that happened. I think I like the arrangement (all on the left sleeve) but I may change it… who knows! These are all from the 60’s!

Example- my third week is represented by the Campfire Cooking badge, because we had a (quite large) grease fire during cookout… not our finest moments but we survived!

I miss summer camp… I can’t wait for summer… I miss my buddies from summer camp… summer will come… I will rise again… to go to summer camp…

I can’t wait for camp foodjsgdusbd

Working at a Summer Camp:

Working at a Summer Camp is not for the weak, nobody will tell you that it is easy- but everybody will tell you that it is oh so worth it.

Working at a Summer Camp is worth the long days and .

Working at a Summer Camp is worth the tipped canoes, and impossible swim caps.

Working at a Summer Camp is worth the soggy sandals, and muddy socks.

Working at a Summer Camp is worth the long hikes and dry, hot sun.

Working at a Summer Camp is worth the spiders, the too-close-for-comfort raccoon sightings, the mosquito bites that seem to never disappear.

Working at a Summer Camp is worth the late nights sat up with homesick campers, and the long, sometimes difficult conversations you have with older campers.

Working at a Summer Camp is worth every minor inconvenience, every sunburn, every rough day, because you make a positive impact on a young kid. This Summer, your time at Camp will be more important than ever- be the person a kid can to look to for hope, be the person that shows a kid they can be unapologetically themself, be the person who takes away their worries (even if it’s just for a week).

When you realize the impact you can have, everything becomes worth it. It will never be a walk in the park- if it were, everyone would do it! But it will always be worth it.

Don’t mind me. Just cleaning your dash