So Many Rockbrook Staff!

We are currently gearing up for another fun-filled summer at Rockbrook led by so many wonderful people! Some folks think that our staff is simply comprised of our cabin counselors and activity instructors. However, the Rockbrook ship needs a variety of crew members to keep it afloat and continue its fun summer traditions. Here is a glimpse of the wonderful non-cabin positions we hire for every summer.

Kitchen Staff: These folks work closely with our Kitchen Manager Rick Hastings to prepare all of our meals and snacks each day from scratch. From sprinkle muffins in the morning to cookout food on the hill, the kitchen staff keeps us energized and happy!

Liz works in kitchen
Liz baking some yummy treats!

Nurses: Our nurses are usually moms of campers who keep us healthy. They live in our health hut, pass out routine medications, evaluate any injuries, coordinate doctor appointments, and keep track of our campers during their time at camp.

Adventure Staff: This group is comprised of some experts in their respective fields who typically live off camp and come in most days to lead a variety of trips. They are specially trained to lead backpacking day and overnight trips, whitewater kayaking trips, rock climbing trips, and a few others. Most are trained to drive buses and get our campers to and from camp safely.

Lexie helping a camper to climb
Lexie helps our campers climb safely

Maintenance Staff: Led by our year-round caretakers Mr. Richie and Mrs. Connie, our extra maintenance staff who join us during the summer keep our facilities in tip top shape. They routinely clean the bathrooms and dining hall. In addition, they help us move the heavy stuff around camp, paint and any other miscellaneous tasks to keep camp beautiful!

Office Staff: In addition to our camp directors, we bring in a fantastic office team for the summer so that our directors can move about camp and work with our campers more easily. They handle camper forms, luggage, the camper photos that go up daily, parent communication, and really anything that arises.

We sure appreciate all of these folks and what they do to keep us going!

Camp Food and Kitchen

One of the most common questions we hear is “What’s the food like,” which translates into,  “How often do you eat tater tots and chicken fingers?” The answer is, not very often! The kitchen strives to find that balance between kid-pleasing-comfort-food while at the same time being health conscious. There is always a deluxe salad bar at lunch and dinner and a vegetarian option at all meals.

Corey
Corey

Rick Hastings was our Head Chef this year. He has a background in vegetarian cooking and has also worked at a camp before. He and his fabulous kitchen crew welcomed campers into the kitchen to help prepare the day’s meals and snacks –  including muffins for the daily mid-morning muffin break!

Shucking Corn for Dinner
Shucking Corn for Dinner

Here is what the Senior linehead counselor, Sarah Thompson, said about the food and kitchen staff this year:

IMG_4171_m
Food tastes better prepared with a little love!

“I cannot praise the kitchen staff highly enough. A happy camp is a well-fed camp and they feed us exceedingly well! The magic started during  staff orientation (Capers? Fresh Basil? Is this really camp food?) and did not let up as the summer weared on. The food is healthy, innovative and delicious.

What impresses me the most, though, is the staff’s attitude. They are unfailingly helpful and upbeat, even when faced with hordes of hungry and demanding people.  More importantly, they realize that the kitchen affords valuable opportunities for the camper. The kitchen staff has opened its doors to several campers this summer, allowing girls to assist. Often, they are girls who are somehow most in need of the opportunity. There are some places at camp – the climbing tower, for instance – where girls are clearly going to gain confidence and other skills. This year’s kitchen staff has turned the kitchen into such a place for campers. The knowledge, independence and self-confidence they have instilled in the girls is nothing short of amazing.”

“Cooks you made a wonderful dinner! You know we’ll never get any thinner!” – From the Cook Song

2009 Lovely Lineheads

Every age group, or “line,” has a head counselor known as a linehead. This year we have a stellar lineup (pardon the pun ;-))!

messy fun staff women
Christine in the middle

Juniors: This will be Christine Alexander’s 14th year at RBC! She loves to paddle around the lake and share her love for camp with everyone. She is attending George Washington University in DC.

funny messy women staff
Lexie and Katie going all out

Middlers: This will be Katie Cheney’s 5th year at camp. You’ll find her lifeguarding down by the lake this summer during 1st session. She is currently attending Penn State University. Lexie Sears will take over as linehead 2nd and 3rd session after returning from a study abroad trip to Australia. This will be her 9th year at camp! Lexie loves to climb and shoot guns down in riflery.

Smiling Sarah at Dolly''s after a game of Dress-up Bowling during orientation
Smiling Sarah at Dolly”s after a game of Dress-up Bowling during orientation

Seniors: Sarah Thompson joined our staff last year and quickly became an enthusiastic leader. She will be graduating from Emerson College in Massachusetts this May with a degree in Literature. She’ll be heading up the sports activity this year.

Thanks Ladies! Here’s to another great summer!

Is Camp Employment for You?

Summer Camp Employment

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.

Camp Nurse Jobs

Camp Nurse helping girl

Speaking of nurses and nursing, in particular camp nurses, we want to remind everyone that Rockbrook will be hiring nurses again for this summer’s camp season. We hire nurses for each of our sessions, for 2-, 3-, or 4-week terms. Accepting one of the nursing positions is one of the best ways to experience summer camp as an adult, work with happy engaged children, and get to know this area of North Carolina.

Benefits of Camp Nursing

Being a camp nurse is a wonderful way to experience camp life, to spend time outdoors, to work with amazing people, and to compliment so many of your nursing skills. It’s a chance to join the camp community, make lots of friends, and enjoy a special place for a few weeks of your summer. Just like the campers, odds are you’ll love camp and you’ll want to come back summer after summer.

How to Apply

If you, or someone you know, might be interested in one of our camp nurse jobs, please let us know. We’d love to tell you more about it.