What is it about Rockbrook that makes it so special? That’s a pretty loaded question- certainly one that has no right or wrong answer. Some of us may say that it’s the beautiful mountain scenery, others may agree it’s the fabulous counselors, and many may decide that muffin break separates Rockbrook from the rest. However, we think that the friendships made at Rockbrook are a good place to start when discussing what makes camp so wonderful. Though we may only spend a few weeks each year with our camp pals, none of us would hesitate to call them some of our best friends. Sarah and Evie, two Rockbrook girls who met last summer, are a perfect example of ‘true friendship born to last’.
Just last month, Sarah flew from Florida to Maryland to visit Evie and to celebrate her birthday with her. According to her mom, who wrote to tell us about the trip, Sarah’s winter break was “full of firsts that wouldn’t have happened if she had not attended camp this past summer.” Sarah and Evie spent a week together and had lots of fun along the way. The girls saw Les Miserables, played in the snow, went skiing, and counted down to 2013. What a fun trip! Check out some pictures of Sarah and Evie during their trip below, and be sure to let us know about any adventures you have with camp friends during the year- you might just make the blog!
Evie and Sarah reunite at the airportEvie and Sarah hit the slopes!!!They don’t look Les Miserables to us!
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.
Sweet and Fiery
Can’t Slow Her Down
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.
Rainy day? A Chance To Play!
Happy As A Clam!
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.
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.
The Rockbrook Songbook, 1970
Now that camp songs are running through your mind, go an listen to our archive of Rockbrook Camp songs!
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!
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.
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!
“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!”
We have just mailed the 2012 Rockbrook Carrier Pigeon to this years campers and staff. The Carrier Pigeon is the camp’s annual yearbook featuring stories, poems, drawings and photographs of the summer. The Carrier Pigeon has been published each year since the camp was founded in 1921, making it one of the best resources for the history of camp. This makes this years copy the 91st edition of the Rockbrook memory book. The Carrier Pigeons are wonderful treasures filled with Rockbrook memories and fun times. Here are some samples from over the years:
The Carrier Pigeon, 1926
The Aim of the Pigeon
“Like ghosts passing to and fro, good times come and good times go.”
Good times do come and go as swiftly, but the Pigeon is going to help us keep our good times with us. The little funny incidences and all the pleasures that go toward making up this happy summer of ours are going to pass more slowly because of the Pigeon. Certainly, time will pass as quickly, but the memories will remain.
In the long winter to come, we will be able to laugh and talk over the good times at camp. Not only that, but we will be able to pass on our happiness and share it with others- the others that are not with us now. All because of the Pigeon that will bring back our memories at Christmas time.
We will never forget it it, this happy summer of ours, It is the aim of the Pigeon to do this, to serve as a record of happy memories. With your help it will succeed. – K. Wallingford, Junior Editor
The Carrier Pigeon, 1980
To Me Rockbrook Means-
togetherness around a campfire
Jean and Sarah Scott playing their guitars
And everyone listening and enjoying the soft music
Making crafts and going home and sharing them with your family
Sitting on the hill in the evening watching the sun slowly
fade behind the proud tall mountains
Rockbrook I thank you for the Happy days you gave me. – Muffy Howard
We hope you have many happy memories of your time at RBC and if you have any copies of your old Carrier Pigeons we would love to hear from you. Please share with us any of your favorite camp poems, memories, stories and photos.
The most distinguishing feature of the Rockbrook Uniform is the Red Rockbrook Tie. The tie has been part of the camp uniform since Rockbrook was founded in 1921. This made us wonder…what is the origin of the Rockbrook tie?
After doing some digging, it looks like that many of the early girls’ camps like Rockbrook had a tie as part of their uniform. While they come in many different colors, they all share a similar element- the Friendship Knot. It appears that the history of the friendship knot in camping came from the Girl Scouts. According to the Girl Scouts, the Friendship Tie (and knot) stand for the “tie that binds all girls and women who are part of the world association of Scouts”. The knot is a sign of the continuous friendships they share. Nothing could be more true for all of our Rockbrook girls and women all over the world. The red Rockbrook tie is surely a symbol of the Spirit of Rockbrook that binds us all together!
Rockbrook Uniform, 1920’s
Rockbrook Uniform, 2012
We also found a wonderful poem that speaks to the beauty of the Friendship Knot. While we are not sure of the author, we know that they definitely went to camp!
The Friendship Knot
This knot is women in friendship true, And interlaced with memories, too. Of friendship found and share by you, That times and miles cannot undo
Each year, we challenge our staff to spread the camp spirit around their community well beyond the summer. The holidays are a great time to utilize the lessons you learned while working at camp. See if you can complete all ten of these holiday tasks by the new year!
1. Try something new. It can be anything- a new food, signing up to volunteer – whatever you want!
Try Something New
2. Slow things down and spend some quality time with your friends.
Spend Time With Friends
3. Reminisce about the passing year. Think about all the fun you had in 2012. Be prepared for all the good times you’ll create in 2013.
Reminisce About the Passing Year
4. Be silly! Have a dance party, sing in the shower, put on a costume!
Be Silly
5. Lead the charge. Be the one to start something. Organize a food drive in your neighborhood – start a jump rope contest – make and deliver wreaths to all of your neighbors.
Be a Leader
6. Get Crafty! You don’t need to spend a fortune to give great gifts this holiday season. Just a little creativity and inspiration and va-la! You’ve created a gift from the heart.
Get Crafty
7. Lend a helping hand. Wherever you see the need, help out.
Help Out
8. Laugh until your stomach hurts!
Laugh
9. Kick your shoes off. It’s so easy to rush, rush, rush during the holiday season. Remind yourself to relax.
Relax
10. Let the comfort and joy you experienced at Rockbrook show loud and proud in your community.
Charlotte and I recently returned from a Rockbrook Roadtrip, and I wanted to share some of our highlights with you. We traveled far and wide looking for RBC girls. In just seven days we landed in five different cities, spent time with six awesome host families, met eight new canine friends, filled the gas tank close to ten times, saw nearly 150 slices of pizza be devoured, and laughed with countless Rockbrook campers, alumnae, and new pals. Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
On day one, we headed south from Brevard and made it to Atlanta where we had a Rockbrook party at camper Kate’s house. Kate hosted the party with her mom, Betsy, a RBC alumna. We had so much fun! We weren’t ready to leave Georgia after we had such a great time in Atlanta, so we made stops in Columbus and Macon. In Columbus, we laughed all night with Emma, our host camper, and her brother Cam. We fell in love with their new puppy, Tank, but Emma wouldn’t let us take him home.
Tank resting in his basket!
Tank wasn’t the only furry friend that we wanted to take home with us. We had a party at Anna Kate’s house in Macon where I was introduced to her sweet dog, Ollie. I had heard rumors that Ollie was one of the best dogs I would ever meet. Let me assure you, THE RUMORS ARE TRUE. We saw lots of Rockbrook campers at the party in Macon, and Anna Kate’s mom Kathleen, a former camper herself, built a fire so we could all make s’mores. Yum- talk about a crowd pleaser!
Anna Kate and Ollie roast a s’more
We visited Charlotte’s mom’s house in Georgia before heading North for our last two shows. It’s only necessary that I mention this because I was able to snap a picture of LITTLE CHARLOTTE that I feel I must share with you. Enjoy.
After three fabulous shows in Georgia we made the eight hour drive to Charlottesville to catch up with camper Hannah Margaret and her parents, Wendy and Ed. We loved seeing so many Rockbrook girls in Virginia, and a couple of loyal counselors, Lyndsey and Greer, made appearances also. However, it was Hannah Margaret and her dog, Freckles, who stole the show in Charlottesville. Freckles, a show dog in his own right, has won ribbons in a couple of local dog shows with Hannah Margaret as his trainer. Go Freckles, Go!!!
We were sad to leave Charlottesville, but excited to make it to DC where campers Tia, Wiley and Sarah were waiting for us! The DC party, hosted by Alison and Jill, was such a blast! The energy was amazing, and everyone was so excited to hear about camp. We gave all the girls some RBC shades, and they rocked them To wrap our trip up, we had dinner with some of our favorite Rockbrook counselors in DC. Elizabeth, Katie, Christine, Jane, Kendal, Charlotte and I laughed all night long. It was great to catch up! We had such a great time out on the open road, and we loved seeing so many Rockbrook faces- new and old! Thanks for coming out, y’all! We hope to see you all again soon!
