Poetry Slam

Poetry does just not appear out of thin air. It begins with a spark of inspiration. Because our campers and staff inspire us to “play more and sit less,” we thought it fitting to write a poem for all our Rockbrook girls. Whether you’re a camper in kindergarten,  a staff member at a university, or an alumna crossing your “t”s and dotting your “i”s out in the “real world”, this one goes out to you….

An Ode to a Rockbrook Girl

A Rockbrook Girl.

She’s as sweet as a marshmallow (and fiery enough to melt one).

Her sneakers are muddy and her smile is bright.

It’s hard to slow her down!

She’s zippy, peppy, and over-the-moon.

camp surprised look
Sweet and Fiery
girl rock climbing
Can’t Slow Her Down
camp kids dressed alike
Born To Stand Out

She’s loyal, courageous, and true.

She always stands out in a crowd.

Rain or shine, count her in!

She splishes and splashes and sploshes and takes the world by storm.

sliding rock at night
Rainy day? A Chance To Play!
shaving cream in hair
Happy As A Clam!
shooting arrow
Leaving Her Mark on the World

A Rockbrook girl is a mover and a shaker. She slam dunks, flips and flops.

She’s a friend and a joy. She’s happy as a clam!

She’s a sweet treat. She plays outside.

She explores the world up-side-down, right-side-up, and side-to-side.

A Rockbrook Girl leaves no stone unturned.

The world is just a little bit better because she’s a part of it.

The Rockbrook Songbook

singing songs at night
Singing along at Spirit Fire, 2012

Singing is a HUGE part of life at Rockbrook and is something that every camp generation can share.  We hear fabulous stories from our alumnae of camp songs being sung at weddings, college events, in the middle of a restaurant, or even when you run into a friend at the grocery store.  The songs are in a way a history of camp. What is it about those fun camp songs that sticks with you forever?

Because singing is such a big part of camp life at Rockbrook, we are in the process of updating our famous camp songbook.  Over the years some songs drifted out of popularity, while new ones “came into fashion”.  Songs like “Liberty” and “When the Moon Plays Peek A Boo” were very popular in the 60’s while songs like “The Coconut Song” and “Yogi Bear” are a few current hits.  With our new songbook we hope to include ALL of the camp songs from the Rockbrook repertoire.  That is where you come in!  We do not have a songbook from the 20’s-40’s.  If anyone has an old songbook or can send us any information about the songs from the early years of Rockbrook we would SO appreciate your help.

camp songbook
The Rockbrook Songbook, 1970

Now that camp songs are running through your mind, go an listen to our archive of Rockbrook Camp songs!

Ditch the playground- come to camp!

come to camp
We’re not afraid to get our hands dirty

An interesting article written on the Tennessee Today webpage sheds light on the importance of playing outside.  A University of Tennessee research team recently conducted a study to determine whether children who play on traditional playgrounds or children who play in natural settings are more active and/or more creative.  It turns out that children who play in a natural setting are both more active and use their imagination more than they do while playing on traditional playground equipment.  In fact, the children who participated in the study played nearly twice as much in the ‘natural playscape’ than they did on the regular playground.  This came as no surprise to us at Rockbrook.  We love playing in nature!

playing at camp outside
Run girls, run!

So what is it about nature that inspires us to play more than we would on a playground set?  Maybe it’s the freedom that we have to use our imagination and get creative.  Maybe it’s being able to decide what to do on our own.  Maybe it’s the excitement of the unknown.  Whatever it may be, we believe that the landscape that surrounds us fosters Rockbrook’s mission to allow girls to explore the beauty of nature and to try new things.

playing in the creek
We love to play in the stream!

Playgrounds are great and all, but who is ready to ditch the swing set and monkey bars and head into a fairyland of beauty? We can’t wait to play outside with you all this summer! To read the full article about the mentioned study, click here.

Parent, Raleigh, NC

“I have tears in my eyes about how lucky my daughter has been to get to go to this amazing camp. I grew up going to summer camp and also have been a summer camp counselor in Maine. This is an amazing experience and it has shaped her into a wonderful girl. She will always remember these years!”

Read more testimonials.