Everyone at Rockbrook is thrilled to announce that Catherine Frampton, affectionately know around here as simply “Frampton,” has accepted the full-time position of Program Director. She worked as the Assistant Program Director last summer, as a cabin counselor for several summers before that, and came to Rockbrook as a camper as well. With this solid camp experience, and with a freshly minted liberal arts degree from Sewanee, Frampton is bringing great skills and experience to her new job.

Frampton replaces Mandy Horton, who after holding this position for five years, has accepted a job working for Agnes Scott College in Atlanta as one of their student recruiters.

Here is a press release announcing Frampton’s new position. The news has spread far and wide!

Congratulations Mandy and Frampton!

Today marked the official start of Rockbrook’s 90th summer as we welcomed our cabin counselors and a few special staff members for the 2011 summer season. We all were very excited to welcome back so many former counselors (almost 80% returners) and to see such eager staff members newly hired for this summer. Throughout the afternoon, many old friends were reunited just as we enjoyed making new friends among the staff members.

We have a full week of orientation and training sessions planned, as well as some fun surprises to keep things lively. It’s an important week as we all focus on preparing for next week’s opening day of Rockbrook’s first camp session, and a great summer. We can’t wait!

Former Staff Director Jessi Nixon

Jessi’s currently doing about a million different things. She is training for another mini-triathlon. Last year, she did her first one along with directors Mandy and Charlotte. So, she is spending lots of time in the pool and on the bike. She is living with a retired lady with whom Jessi spends lots of time and helps her around the house. Her graduate program in Charlotte is taking up a lot of her energy as well. Jessi is constantly on the road and cannot wait to begin her second semester in Christian Leadership. Her other main focus is her part-time job as one of the youth directors at a church in Arden. She continues to love working with youth and the directors team there.

If you would like to contact Jessi, let us know. She would love to hear any updates from our fabulous Rockbrook counselors!

Meet Jeff and Sarah Carter, the owners and directors of Rockbrook. They are the dynamic couple that keep camp running so well, and are full of surprising talents and experience. For example, did you know that they are both educators with years of experience teaching elementary, middle, high school and college students? Did you know that they both began working at Rockbrook in the mid-1980s and continued to do so for more than 20 years now? Did you know that they met while working at Rockbrook and got married at camp (in the senior Lodge)? Did you know they are both musicians with Sarah playing fiddle and Jeff guitar? Did you know they are the parents of two girls, Eva and Lily? Well, it’s all true!

And there’s more to know, so hop over and learn more about Sarah, or learn more about Jeff. And then get in touch with them. They’d love to hear from you.

An Intergalactic Preacher, a Zombie Bride, Elmo and Cookie Monster? Wait, who are these people? It’s Jeff, Sarah, Mandy and Jessi!

One important mark of leadership for the staff at Rockbrook is their ability to model personal character for the girls at camp. We strive to hire cabin counselors and activity staff members who exemplify good character and thereby can serve as role models for the campers. It means a lot to children to see others they admire make good decisions. It’s just a crucial part of building character— having positive relationships with others who embody exemplary habits and attitudes. When we talk about “leadership” at camp, this is what we mean: being that sort of exemplary person.

But what is exemplary character, how do you recognize it, and how do you encourage its development? We’ve found the approach taken by the Josephson Institute to be extremely articulate and practical. It’s “Six Pillars of Character” is a well thought out resource. Essentially, the “pillars” are fundamental principles and values that serve as a core for ethical decision making. They are: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.  Without appealing to religion, politics or ideology, we strive to realize these six values in our camp community.

There’s a lot of good stuff in all of this, so go learn more.

There are so many things a college student can do in the summer; camp employment is just one option. So why choose to work at a summer camp? Well the most obvious reason is a camp job is way more fun than most other short term jobs. You’re outside a lot, you’re goofing around with kids pretty much all day, and you get to live in a beautiful part of the country. It’s also true that being employed as a camp counselor helps you develop leadership skills, communication and organization skills. As you help the campers grow and learn new activities and personal skills, you do too. Working to make a difference in the lives of children, makes one in your own as well.

But perhaps the best thing about working at a summer camp is joining the tight-knit community of people that makes Rockbrook so special. It’s just so easy to make friends, you end up enjoying everything that much more. Sure, camp is employment and you’ll earn (and save!) some money, but it’s so much more. Rewarding, definitely rewarding, all around.

Jeff Carter began his Rockbrook career in the 1980s. Over the years he has served camp in more capacities than most staff members. Hired by previous owner Jerry Stone, Jeff planned and led hiking and climbing trips in his first summers at camp.

During this time he pursued many education opportunities including his degree in comparative religions from Davidson College, where he was also an All-American high jumper on the track team. Then he received his masters degree from Harvard followed by his doctorate at the University of Chicago. He spent a year living in Nigeria on a Fulbright Fellowship completing his studies.

After marrying Sarah (at Rockbrook!) and teaching at Davidson College, he returned to Brevard to help Jerry start the Castle Rock Institute (a college humanities program run at camp). During this time, Jeff continued to work behind the scenes at camp leading trips, keeping us technologically up-to-date, and fixing everything!

While Rockbrook is in session, Jeff continues to be our “Jack of all Trades.” Combining his outdoor knowledge with his goofy sense of humor, he is always up to something new. During the off-season, he works on key staff hiring, website maintenance, health and ACA standards, camp improvements, and the list goes on. Also, when Jeff isn’t busy with camp director duties, he enjoys being outdoors: biking, hiking, and climbing. Typically he brings his two daughters, Eva and Lily, along for an adventure!

Last week when Jessi and Mandy were in Orlando, they spent a day at the “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow” (or EPCOT) in the Walt Disney World Resort. We were all down in Florida last week for two different conferences: The Association of Independent Camps and the American Camp Association. These are annual events where camp professionals gather to explore issues relating to camp programs, staffing, health and safety, and youth development research. They are held in different cities each year, so part of the fun is exploring the local sights. Looks like Jessi and Mandy did just that!