Rockbrook Camp News Archive

The new issue of Campnavigator magazine has a couple of pages featuring an article about Rockbrook. Campnavigator.com is a Web site devoted to helping people understand summer camps, learn about the different camps and summer programs out there, even find a job working at a camp. It has information for campers, parents, camp staff members, and camp directors alike.

About 4 times a year Campnavigator publishes a full-color digital magazine with additional articles about summer camps, and topics related to issues campers, parents and camp staff members will find interesting. In the most recent issue, there is an article about the role community plays at Rockbrook and its power to boost campers’ self esteem. It’s a short piece that shows another way that a summer camp experience is amazingly beneficial.

Here’s the article. Give it a click, and a quick read!

Filed Under: news
Tagged: articles, girls camps, kids programs, self confidence, self esteem, self growth

Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2012

By Charlotte Page

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays at Rockbrook because it gives us a chance to dress up, and RBC girls love any opportunity to wear a cool costume. Most of you have probably seen our Halloween get-up by now, but this is another look at how we dressed up for Halloween here in the office.

In response to our Halloween mailing, camper Charlotte sent in a fabulous photo of she and her sister, Lake, in their fun Halloween costumes. Charlotte, on the left, is a dragonfly and Lake, on the right, is a Mermaid. Thanks for sharing, girls! You two look awesome!

Finally, we had a spooky surprise waiting for us in Birmingham when we visited our friend Eliska for a camp party. She and her mom, Jen, and her sister, Virginia, had come up with a creepy craft of making ghosts. It was great to see them and our friend Esme and to meet some new girls! We hope everyone has a very happy Halloween!

Filed Under: news
Tagged: Birmingham, camp costumes, camp party, camper, costumes, Halloween, Rockbrook Surprise

Summer 2012 — Terrific!

August 9, 2012

Sometimes people ask if the summer seems to pass slowly or quickly for us at Rockbrook. Oddly, it’s both. Today, our last day of the 2012 summer season, we look back and recall all the amazing things we’ve done- the horseback riding, whitewater rafting, zip line rides, pottery, archery, swimming, etc. —and it seems like our opening day was months ago. With so much accomplished, it just had to have taken a really long time! But also, staying busy everyday, packing each day with activities, events and memorable moments, makes the weeks zip by. “It’s 12:30 already?!”

This strange speedy/slow pace is the mark of a truly rich experience. Add to that the fact that we’re all so close at Rockbrook, such good friends, so enthusiastic and genuinely happy, and you can begin to understand why we love camp this much.

Also, you can see why saying goodbye is so hard. We’ll miss all our amazing friends, the silly, terrific fun of camp, and how the whole experience makes us feel. For every session this summer, camp has proven once again to be a magical place filled with spirit and wonder.

It has been a pleasure to spend these few weeks with your delightful girls. Thank you for sharing them with us! And while we must say goodbye for now, we’ll look forward to seeing them again next summer here at Rockbrook.

Filed Under: news
Tagged: camps, closing day, girls, girls summer camps, summer

Shirts Inside Out

August 8, 2012

For years now, ever since the early 1960s, Rockbrook has been holding camp dances with the boys of Camp Carolina— both camps shared the same owners, the McConnells, for a while beginning in 1961 (Have you seen the RBC History Video?). In addition though, we’ve also held archery, riflery and tennis tournaments each session, with the RBC girls challenging the CCB boys to a friendly competition. It was today that our sharpest arrow and bullet launching ladies and racket wielding women traveled across town to show the boys how it’s done. The girls, dressed in special t-shirts they made for the occasion, came ready, and by the end of the morning, had soundly beaten the boys in all three sports! Archery scored more than 90 points to best the boys and riflery won by more than 10. A great showing!

Back at camp, Kelly and the Equestrian staff had organized a barn party for everyone, both riders and non-riders alike. There were simple hand-line pony rides and other games to try, but the funniest event was a relay that challenged two groups to put on baggy clothes and ride across the field the fastest. Riding in all those layers, and carrying an enormous handbag made it a little challenging too!

After packing our trunks and moving them to the Landsports barn for tomorrow’s pickup, we were treated to this camp session’s musical performance, 101 Dalmatians. This was a delightful production with homemade costumes (lots of white puppies with black spots, hair in ponytails as ears!), painted scenery, props, as well as choral numbers, solo songs sung, and a cute suspenseful story. The fiendish Cruella de Vil, who plots to make a dalmatian fur coat, is foiled in the end and Roger and Anita adopt all of the 101 puppies spared, the cutest, most bright-eyed smiley puppies you’ve ever seen.

The final event of this, our last full day of camp this summer, was our traditional all-camp campfire we call our “Spirit Fire.” The setting for the campfire is beautiful with all of the campers and counselors dressed in their white and red uniforms, a bright orange, yellow and white fire blazing, the huge white oak and hemlock trees towering above with the dimming grey blue sky above us. The tone of the evening is more serious and reflective than what we ordinarily enjoy at Rockbrook, as tonight’s program is something that’s been passed down for generations— traditional, harmonious songs, and short speeches and comments about camp prepared by campers from each Line, counselors, and Sarah. These are opportunities for the girls to say something about what Rockbrook has meant to them this summer, to express how they feel about camp and the people they’ve come to know and befriend while here. Some of the comments are quite moving, easily bringing emotional tears, while others are truly insightful, like tonight when a counselor told us that for one of her campers, she loved RBC because “it’s the kind of place where it’s OK to wear your shirt inside out.” That seemed spot on. To put it differently, Rockbrook is a place where it’s OK to be your real self, where you’ll be loved for who you really are, and not for just your appearance, talents, or grades. It was such the perfect thought to end this wonderful session.

In so many ways during this time together, we’ve lived with our shirts inside out. And it’s been great!

Filed Under: news
Tagged: barn party, camp musical, self growth, Spirit Fire, The Play, tournaments

Alice Banquet

August 7, 2012

The end-of-session Banquet is a huge deal at Rockbrook, something that everyone, from the youngest first-time camper to the most senior staff member, looks forward to. The element of surprise drives this to some extent, since the Banquet’s theme is kept secret, but it’s also a marvelous experience to attend, one filled with colorful wall panels, table decorations, choreographed dancing by live characters, special food, and dance music.

The planning for each session’s banquet begins long before the girls arrive at Rockbrook. In fact, for girls who attend camp every summer, it can be a topic of discussion years before they even become “CA” campers, 9th graders, the age-group given the task of presenting this end-of-session party. Many of these girls have grown up attending RBC Banquets, seeing what the CAs before them have done, so when it’s their turn, they are full of ideas.

The CAs this session decided to make their banquet an Alice in Wonderland theme, titling it “Down the Rabbit’s Hole” and featuring decorations and characters based on the well-known novel by Lewis Carroll, and the Disney animated film adaptation of the book. The decorations were phenomenal! Every wall of the dining hall was covered with a unique poster painted with a scene of character from the story. There were over-sized and regular playing cards hung among strands of lights, curtains, and fabric. On each table, there were paper mushrooms, plenty of candy, more playing cards, top hats, small bottles of bubble solution, and souvenir red cups. Here’s a short video to get a sense of the detail of these decorations and the amount of time and energy it took these girls to paint and set up the entire dining hall.

The costumes were amazing as well. Several of the counselors dressed as main characters: Alice, the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the Dodo Bird, while the campers became Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the Caterpillar, the King and Queen of hearts, the Door Mouse, and the March Hare. The combined effect of these characters greeting the campers as they came through the red curtain into the now unrecognizable dining hall was magical. The girls, especially the youngest Juniors, had such looks of astonishment when they first realized the theme and took everything in.

The program included a series of skits and dances enacting scenes from Alice’s adventures alternating with courses of food. They served chocolate chip scones after Alice descended the Rabbit’s Hole and met Tweedledee and Tweedledum, cheesy bread sticks after the Cheshire Cat appeared, and fancy small sandwiches when Alice saw flowers dancing in the garden. Cupcakes decorated like mushrooms topped off the meal, followed by cards dancing with the Queen of Hearts. In between program events, the campers, all dressed in this year’s RBC t-shirt, were invited to get up and dance to some of there favorite pop songs from the summer.

“You always remember your first Banquet,” a couple of Seniors told me today. And everyone agreed after tonight’s; this was one of the best banquets that everyone here won’t soon forget. It was awesome. Thank you CAs for all your hard work!

Filed Under: news
Tagged: banquet, CAs, celebration, costumes, dance party, girls activities, special events, summer camps

‘Twas the night before Banquet, and all through the camp…

August 6, 2012

By Catherine Frampton

Greetings from RBC! This is Chrissy again, here to bring you a recap of this fine Monday at Rockbrook.

The girls took to the river as they kayaked the Nantahala!

The girls awoke to a foggy morning in the mountains, but their spirits weren’t at all dampened by the dew. After breakfast the campers began their final activity rotation, heading out to every corner of camp. The sun made a fine appearance during the morning activities, bringing a bit of heat along with it. First Free Swim was very popular as girls rushed to the lake to either take a cool dip in or to wrap up their Mermaid Laps. Tomorrow is the big Dolly’s trip for Mermaid Swimmers and Marathon Runners, so the campers were very active today trying to complete their goals! A very exciting adventure also went out after breakfast today–a kayaking trip for advanced paddlers to the Nantahala River! Four of the five girls who went on the trip paddled down the Nantahala Falls at the end. What a rush!

A camper does the "Spider Man" pose as she descends from the Alpine Tower!

After lunch the girls were treated to a very special Rockbook surprise–Biltmore Train! This tasty event means all-you-can-eat ice cream for the girls. They had many flavors to choose from, including strawberry, chocolate, cookies ‘n’ cream, mint chocolate chip, and vanilla. Yummy! Around 3:00 a light storm rolled in, cooling down camp. After rest hour arrows, bullets, and tennis balls sliced through the mist, and the crafty areas of camp–such as Goodwill and Hobby Nook–became quite cozy. With alternating patches of sunshine and drizzles, activities continued throughout the afternoon. We even had a hearty beef stew for dinner–perfect for a damp day!

Twilight tonight offered two very special options to the campers: Disney karaoke (Hakuna matata!) and terrarium making in the Rockbrook garden! Terrariums are small living worlds consisting of moss, twigs, dirt, etc. inside of a glass jar. The girls who participated are able to take home a small part of Rockbrook. They also make ideal fairy houses! The campers ended the day with counselor impersonations at Evening Program, honoring their time here and the crazy counselors they’ve grown to know and love. The girls are tucked in, anticipating the excitement and surprise of Banquet. We can’t wait to see what the CAs have planned for us!

The terrariums were full of earthy mementos from RBC!

Filed Under: news
Tagged: banquet, Biltmore Train, garden, kayaking, Nantahala River, twilight

RBC Gratitude

August 5, 2012

By Catherine Frampton

The girls stand in a horseshoe during the Flag Raising ceremony.

Happy Sunday from Rockbrook! This is Chrissy here, the Waterfront Supervisor, bringing you the latest Rockbrook update! With third session winding down, the girls welcomed a relaxing Sunday at Rockbrook, starting with an extra hour of sleep. After our tasty Krispy Kreme breakfast treat, the girls headed to the hill for the Flag Raising. The red, white, and blue gleamed as the girls, dressed in their whities and red ties, raised the flag against a stunning backdrop of the Smoky Mountains.

All of the girls dressed in their whities for Flag Raising and Chapel.

Next the campers walked the Path of Silence to Chapel, where the theme to ponder was gratitude. After a fitting story and a few traditional Rockbrook songs, the girls were invited to share objects or stories relating to the theme. There was variety in the things the girls are most grateful for, ranging from dogs to family, but many campers voiced appreciation of their parents and of having Rockbrook as a haven in the wilderness.

This afternoon culminated in the Miss RBC event, a mock “beauty” pageant where each cabin works together to showcase their combined talents. The girls performed skits, songs, and dances that required much cooperation and teamwork within each cabin. We were blown away by the performances that showcased their collective talents and cabin abilities.

The final portion of the event was the question/answer routine for the Miss RBC representative from each cabin. The questions included “Do you know the Muffin Man and what is his favorite muffin flavor?” and “What is a honosorarius?” The CITs acted as the guest judges, taking notes about the performances, costumes, and answers of the cabins and their representatives. At the end of the show, certain cabins were awarded ribbons. Each line had a Miss Congeniality cabin award, in addition to 1st Place, 2nd Place, and 3rd Place ribbons. Miss RBC is a great demonstration of teamwork and Rockbrook spirit. What a show!

Filed Under: news
Tagged: Chapel, flag raising, Miss RBC, Sunday

Saturday Activities and Dancing

August 4, 2012

In both ceramics studios, the girls were busy glazing today. After making all of the different pottery pieces, the wheel-thrown bowls and cups, the pinch and coil sculptures, the extruded forms, and slab vessels, the clay has to dry a bit, but then is ready for finishing with glaze. The girls enjoyed adding a rainbow of different glazes to their pieces one brush stroke at a time. Over the weekend, Katie will use the magic of the kilns to change the glazed pieces into shiny, colorful works of art. Most likely, your daughter will have several creations to show you by the end of the session. In the needlecraft activity, which meets on the back porch of Curosty, embroidery and cross stitch designs are taking shape. It’s cool that this detailed work that requires great patience has caught on for several seniors. Using all kinds of thread, they have made a few really complex patterns.

Yoga continues to be a very popular activity this summer with all of the girls, from the youngest through the teenagers. MK, our delightful yoga instructor, knows how to keep her classes interesting and challenging for the girls but also casual and fun. Her classes meet in the stone hillside lodge where the hardwood floor provides plenty of room to spread out each person’s purple yoga mat. It’s also just a beautiful, calm space, very nicely suited for yoga practice. Today MK introduced a couple of group poses that required several people to balance together… A “practice of unity.” They look pretty tough!

The new zip line high above the back of the camp was humming along today. It’s a 450-foot thrilling ride from one massive boulder all the way across the camp. It’s designed to let all the girls ride it, no matter how big or little, so we’ve been sending entire cabin groups down one at a time. Today both the tiniest 40-pound Juniors, as well as the 16-year-old Hi-Ups had a chance to zip. At the lake, there are many new girls learning to kayak. Gearing up, paddling the boats in a straight line, and figuring out the techniques to “wet exit” are the first steps, but in each of these, the fun starts immediately making kayaking a blast right away.

Some of the girls have been waiting all session for tonight’s activity: a camp-wide dance with the boys of Camp Carolina. As we have for years now, we brought our senior girls over there, and their younger boys came to the Rockbrook gym. Holding two simultaneous dances like this allows us to manage better the combined crowd, but also to select more appropriate music and dancing for each age group… jumpy and loud for the older girls, while a little sillier for the younger ones. The counselors lead the way in both dances, helping the girls have fun together, irrespective of what most of the boys may have been doing. Lots of groups dances and set dance sequences to popular songs made this good active fun. Also, for those girls who preferred not to attend the dance, we had an alternative activity available… an art project in the Hillside Lodge.

Filed Under: news
Tagged: camp dance, ceramics, glazing, kayaking, needlecraft, yoga, zip line

A Treasury of Firsts

August 3, 2012

Over the last two days, Rick and his friends in the Rockbrook kitchen, have been preparing a special treat for us, and today we all enjoyed it. You may be able to tell from this photo, but the treat was authentic homemade, completely from scratch, tamales. A tamale is an ancient, traditional Mesoamerican dish made from finely ground corn, lime, oil and stock combined into a paste, spread into a corn husk with meats or peppers as fillings, and then cooked by steaming.
Each one requires the masa (corn dough) and filling be combined and rolled in the corn husk by hand. But it doesn’t stop there. In addition, the chicken used for the filling is first roasted an shredded off the bone, but then combined with a homemade Guajillo chili sauce, which gives it a bright red color. They also made a green variety using tomatillos, serrano peppers, onion and garlic. For the vegetarians, they steamed a cheese and Ancho chili pepper variety. Can you see why this took two days, especially when almost 700 tamales needed to be made? And the results… Unbelievably delicious. Certainly many of the girls and a few of the counselors had never before tasted a treat like this, but like many of the “firsts” experienced around here— first ride on a zip line, first time shooting a gun, first time cantering a horse —camp is a great place to give it a try. There’s just the right amount of encouragement and “positive peer pressure” to give hesitant girls a little nudge outside of their routine, to challenge their assumptions.

Naturally, at a camp like Rockbrook, with almost 30 different activities and a special event or surprise planned almost everyday, the opportunities for first experiences are diverse and abundant. The girls here can do some amazing stuff, and even if they’ve already felt the chill of Sliding Rock in Pisgah, climbed a real rock using those amazing “sticky” shoes, or enjoyed a long-range mountain view after hiking a steep trail to a rock cliff, for example, it will be a first for them to do it with these people, with this all-girl group of comfortable friends. The same is true for throwing their first pot on the wheel, seeing beautiful cloth take shape off their loom, learning the “trick” to a one-handed cartwheel. There are so many examples! A girl’s experience at camp is a treasury of firsts that she’ll hold dear for many years to come.

It’s significant, too, that this special place for first experiences, this close-knit camp community defined by respect and cooperation, makes it easy to feel successful, and thereby fosters girls’ self-esteem. We’ve written before about the link between success and self-esteem at camp, so please take a look. There’s the good feeling of discovering a hidden talent when you first try something, a sense of personal achievement, but there’s also success to be found in general “social competence,” and in being included in group endeavors. Since so many of the firsts at camp happen in this positive social setting, they tend to be far less frightening. Knowing that you’ll be supported no matter what individual outcome occurs, seeing other girls laugh and enjoy unfamiliar activities, really helps make any first experience a success and thereby a real boost to a girl’s growing self-esteem.

Our twilight activity tonight was everyone’s favorite, a shaving cream fight down on the grassy sports field. It began with everyone interested (like all twilight activities, it was optional), dressed in their swimsuits, lining up along one side of the field. On the other side, we scattered about 120 cans of plain shaving cream. At the signal, everyone ran to grab a can and then to let their foam fly. Complete mayhem ensued, and in about 30 seconds, everyone had shaving cream on their backs, stomachs and in their hair. That’s basically the point of it, like this photo shows so well; it’s to sneak up on your friends and mischievously “get them” with the white foam. And oh what big fun this is! It almost feels a little naughty to spray people, but it’s also pretty hilarious to do. We also pulled out the slip-n-slide for a now extra slippery ride. With everyone basically covered, in some cases completely covered, and all the shaving cream cans emptied, we rinsed off a bit under the hoses and headed up to camp for a warm shower. Another first at camp? Perhaps, but certainly a good one too.

Filed Under: news
Tagged: Camp food, ceramics, pottery, self esteem, shaving cream fight, success, weaving

Pirate Day at RBC

August 2, 2012