Getting Ready

It’s hard to believe we’re in the final few days before our 2009 summer camp season begins. Everyone at camp has been busy getting ready. We’ve set up activity areas, swept and cleaned the cabins, filled the lake, and opened up the kitchen. Last night the first few counselors arrived! They have arrived a few days early to enroll in different courses— Rachel for riflery and Kara for archery. All the other counselors arrive this weekend (by land! by air!) to kick off our staff orientation week, and just seven days later, the first session campers arrive. That’s exciting.

Are you ready for camp?

Nurse Jenny's Getting Married!

It’s official! Nurse Jenny (Jenny Kay Jakubcin) announced her engagement to Nathan Gillard Emerson! As you know, Jenny has been our head Nurse at Rockbrook for 9 years and is loved by everyone at camp. She’s originally from Florida, so she’s planning the wedding down there this coming May. We’re so exceited for her and Nathan. Congratulations Jenny!

2008 Returning Camp Staff

We have an absolutely fantastic camp staff lined up for this summer! It’s a great mix of returning counselors and campers, plus new faces that have heard about Rockbrook. You’ll see Callie, Christine, Elizabeth-Anne, Kelly, Katie, Beth, Elise, Eva, Cadey, Katy, Devon, Whitney, Michelle, Kathleen, Brooke, Lexie, Kasey, Lillian, Cara, Bridget, Lori, Bianca, Jenna and Emily —to name just a few of the old RBC folks. In fact, more than half the overall staff are returning to camp with previous Rockbrook experience! That’s another important way that all those great Rockbrook Camp traditions live on— through an excellent group of counselors.

A job like no other — Summer Camp!

Having a summer camp job really is one of those amazing jobs where you have so much fun, stay so busy, and meet so many awesome people, the time just flies by. Of course you have to love working with kids, feel comfortable being outside most of the time, and be up for some serious dressing up, but where else can you get this excited about a summer job? Where else can you dress up like this because it’s “super hero day?” This is not retail or restaurant work; it’s an awesome summer job.

Carrier Pigeon 2007

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It’s on the way! …This year’s Carrier Pigeon, Rockbrook Camp’s summer “yearbook” has just been mailed out to all of our campers. It’s bigger and better than ever this year.

76 pages… 117 photos… 53 drawings… all the cabin photos from every session… 31 poems… and all sorts of other camper writings!

It’s so much fun to think back to all the fun from last summer— banquet, spirit fire, carnival, birthday night, granny bingo, rafting, the alpine tower, and on and on! We think you’re really going to enjoy looking through the whole thing.

So check your mail! It could come today!

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Camp Jobs

This is the time of year when we start announcing our summer camp jobs. Each summer part of our camp staff return to be counselors, trip leaders, and activity instructors, but we also accept applications from new people who would like to work at camp. With 200 girls at camp each session, we need lots of people to help with the program. In fact, we’ll have almost 100 employees during the summer helping! So if you, or someone you know, would like to learn more about our camp jobs, get in touch with us (or fill out this form) and we’ll send you an information packet.

Gilligan's Island!

“The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed. If not for the courage of the fearless crew, the Minnow would be lost. The Minnow would be lost. The ship’s aground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle. With Gilligan, the Skipper too, The Millionaire and his wife, a movie star, the Professor and Mary Ann… Here on Gilligan’s Isle!”

That’s right, last night was restaurant night and what a better theme than Gilligan’s Island!?!? The girls got dressed up in island cast-away outfits and sat around their tables and waited for their counselors to come serve them. Counselors put on their Island gear and waited their tables. We had delicious “Sea” food and it was a grand time! Gilligan’s Island was before most of the campers’ time, but they enjoyed seeing Gilligan, Skipper, Ginger, and Mary Ann at their tables!

Girls Residential Traditional Camps

Another common question we hear is about the number of counselors at camp. At any girls residential camp like Rockbrook, it is important to consider the camper to counselor ratio. With 200 campers enrolled in each session, people are often surprised to hear that we have close to 100 employees during the summer, with about 50 of those being cabin counselors. The others are special activity staff members, maintenance, housekeeping and kitchen staff, and other support staff members. The typical cabin arrangement is 2 counselors and 8 campers per cabin— a 1:4 ratio. A couple of the cabins are larger, and in that case, we’ll have a CIT (counselor in training) stay in the cabin as well. 26 different camp activities, 200 campers, 200 acres of forest, and almost 100 employees… there’s a lot going on!