Celebrating Third Session 2010
It’s easy to celebrate the session when you look back on all that we’ve done over the last few weeks. It’s celebrating, though, that we do today, our last full day together. Foremost, perhaps, the girls mark their place as a cabin group by designing and painting a plaque for the inside of their cabin, something with all the their names and the date that can be hung in the cabin for girls who come after them to see. The girls spend so much time together as a cabin group, and share so much (at every meal, for example), it makes sense to want to preserve that group feeling. Of course, there’s always the cabin photo, but this is something extra.
Down at the barn, the girls who have been riding celebrate their experience by presenting the “Horse Show” for the rest of the camp. This is a chance for the riders to show off their new skills, ride their favorite horse again, and perform horseback riding drill team routines. Instead of a competition with prizes and ribbons, this is a real show with everyone welcome to demonstrate their horseback riding abilities and to have fun doing it. It really is a cheerful atmosphere, complete with popsicles to help everyone to stay cool as the late morning sun came up over the mountain.
We also celebrated the amazing dramatic, vocal and dancing talents of our campers with the presentation of this session’s musical, Annie. After weeks of working on their parts, rehearsing, building scenery and designing costumes, everything came together for an amazing show. We had more than 80 parents attending, and with the entire camp also there, the gym was packed! If you didn’t get to see it, you’ll be able to catch it on this year’s DVD yearbook. No worries.
We’d held off long enough for another “Rockbrook Surprise” everyone loves: Biltmore Train! That’s our special all-you-can-eat ice cream bonanza recalling the Biltmore Dairy’s ice cream truck and its camp visits. Think tubs of ice cream, stacks of cones, and the campers going back for more and more. Certainly a little decadent, but it was also a great way to celebrate everyone’s success with the play and to enjoy some time socializing with the families who came to see the performance.
Perhaps the biggest celebration of the day came at the end when we held our Spirit Fire closing campfire. Since it’s very first summer in 1921 Rockbrook has closed its sessions by gathering everyone around the fire ring on Vesper Rock to reflect upon and appreciate everything we’ve shared over the last few weeks. Through songs, memories, tributes and recognitions, we all celebrate each other and what camp means to us. It was remarkable to see these girls choke back tears as they hug each other and about their love for each other and for Rockbrook. Camp, how it makes them feel and how it helps them grow, is so important to them. It’s humbling to see it in action.
The final day of camp is full of celebrations. Throughout the weeks of camp, these Rockbrook girls accomplish wonderful and amazing things. They learn more than they can say, and grow more than they realize, but most importantly, feel at home at Rockbrook. It’s their camp.
With all of that, it’s easy to celebrate.
Second Session Final Day
The final full day of a camp session is always a mix of emotions, partly the business of packing and finishing projects, but also a chance for savoring time with friends and enjoying being at Rockbrook. The morning is filled with several special events for the girls. This is the day, for example, when the girls receive their pottery pieces after being fired. It’s the first time they get to see how the glazing has turned out, whether the colors worked as they expected, and as you can see, there was great success.
Also this morning, we took our riflery, archery and tennis “teams” over to Camp Carolina to challenge them in tournament. The activity instructors at Rockbrook selected several girls from each age group to go and compete. It’s a lighthearted affair that finishes up with a quick dip in the lake. This year the girls gave a good showing in tennis and riflery, and won the archery competition! The older girls put on a little combat face paint to add a little intimidation to the mix. Looks like it worked…
Meanwhile, down at the horseback riding center, Cara and her staff present the session’s “Horse Show.” This is a chance for our riders to perform for the rest of the camp. Everyone dresses up, horses and campers alike. We saw so many jumps, riding in formation, and complex patterns among several riders. It’s really a festive atmosphere, complete with popsicles for everyone toward the end.
Today is also the day when we present the camp musical, this year Annie. Weeks of work go into this performance— casting, rehearsals, practicing the songs, learning lines, building scenery, designing costumes and making it all come together. With more than 50 people involved, this is a real challenge! We invite parents of the main cast members to attend the performance and the entire camp packs the gym to see it as well. There’s so much talent, it’s really impressive. If you didn’t get to see it, don’t worry because we taped it so it can be included in the DVD yearbook.
The Spirit Fire closes the day. Since Rockbrook’s very first year, this has been a very special time at camp everyone looks forward to. It’s when everyone dresses in their uniform and gather’s around the fire ring on Vesper Rock for a program of songs, tributes, memories, and recognitions. It’s a time for appreciating each other and the good times we’ve spent together these past few weeks. It’s an opportunity to reflect on what camp has meant to each person over the years, and perhaps to express those feelings to the whole group by coming to the front to speak. Without fail there are tears of joy as girls hug and talk about their love for each other and for Rockbrook. The Spirit Fire is a time when it’s so clear how important camp is to these girls, how they have grown here and learned to be their best selves, to realize they can do so much, and be so good. It’s absolutely remarkable.
The final day of camp provides so many concrete accomplishments. Throughout the weeks of camp, these Rockbrook girls create wonderful and amazing things… They acquire surprising skills and talents… They find some of their very best friends… And, more than ever before, feel proud and confident about who they are.
