Camp Job Information

Every summer, staff member and camp counselor jobs are available at Rockbrook Camp for girls.These jobs are rewarding and challenging opportunities, but there are many tips and tricks to do well all summer long.

Firecrackers and Confetti: Resolutions for Happy Girls

December 16, 2014

By Sofie Ehlinger

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A happy girl’s guide to this year’s New Year’s Resolutions.

1. I resolve to go on at least one adventure a day.

Adventures of the pack-up-your-suitcase, walk-in-the-woods, live-by-the-seat-of-your-pants persuasion are lovely and, very often, inaccessible. Climbing Mt. Everest is hard, but big adventures are everywhere- unopened doors, questions just waiting to be asked, roads less traveled. A right turn instead of a left, can begin a grand adventure!

2. I resolve, everyday, to learn one new thing about my family.

Engage with the people you love. Ask them about who they are. Ask them about their day, their passions, their history, their successes. Give your family the opportunity to share their stories.

3. I resolve to find gratitude for at least one thing that did happen and one thing that didn’t happen.

Psychologist Chris Thurber tells us that just as important as it is to rejoice in what you have, life also moves forward when you acknowledge what you don’t. For example, you weren’t expecting a fire today and be thankful there wasn’t one.

4. I resolve to burn fewer cookies.

Thurber also points out, when you throw a batch of two dozen cookies in the oven and twenty of them burn, savor your four successes. Then, consider how you can recalibrate to burn fewer of the next batch. Life requires a few tweaks now and again.

5. I resolve to let the sky be my limit.

Once a day, aim to see things not how they are, but how they could be.

6. I resolve to go where there is no guarantee.

Share yourself with the world. Never hold back, even when your efforts have no guarantees.

7. I resolve to start every day believing that I am a somebody and end each day as a better somebody.

Start each day believing that you are somebody- you are worthy of love and connection and you have amazing things to offer. Then, let each day change you for the better.

8. I resolve to be a tough cookie.

Set backs, scraped knees, a scraped ego. A life filled with challenge is a life filled with color and possibility. Be tough enough to absorb life’s lessons.

9. I resolve to be astonished.

Stay amazed. Life is an endless journey of firecrackers and confetti.

10. I resolve to give.

Your value increases in proportion to how much of it you give away. Holding tightly to your time and money can, ultimately, narrow your wealth.

11. I resolve to be a party animal.

The world is a party and you can be the life of it! Life is like a stick of gum- you can simply chew it or you can blow bubbles.

12. I resolve to never stop making mistakes.

Mistakes are open doors. Mistakes are proof that you are as alive as you’ve ever been. Mistakes mean that you are a take-risks, sing-out-loud, love-with-your-whole-heart, share-what’s-on-your-mind, change-the-world, happy girl!

Girls Can, Too

September 5, 2012

By Sofie Ehlinger

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Girls Can, Too

Tony said: “Boys are better!

They can…
whack a ball,
ride a bike with one hand,
leap off a wall.”

I just listened
and when he was through,
I laughed and said:

“Oh, yeah! Well, girls can, too!”

Then I leaped off the wall
and rode away
With his 200 baseball cards
I won that day.

-Lee Bennett Hopkins
Poet, anthologist, and teacher

At camp, girls can, too. Unlike our poetic heroine, Rockbrook girls don’t have prove anything to anyone… they just can, too. They can…

Roll a kayak
Make a bracelet
Ride a horse
Climb a rock (with one hand)
Score a goal
Weave a basket
Plant a garden
Shoot a Rifle
Balance on a balance beam
Hike a trail
Build a Fire

Show the world, “Girls can, too.”

Human Relations Makes the Counselor

March 3, 2012

By Jeff Carter

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Have you seen this aphorism— A Short Course in Human Relations? Its author and origin are unclear, but it’s been around for years, and in various versions. I found one reference to it as a motivational poster spotted in 1987, and now there are even YouTube videos devoted to it.

As you can see, it is eight principles organized as a descending series of “most important words.” Taken together, they are meant to be “wisdom literature,” “rules of thumb” to guide and improve how we relate to other people. There’s certainly a lot to say about each of these principles, but it’s easy so see why the human qualities they represent— humility, honesty, encouragement, openness, respect, gratitude, cooperation, and altruism —are so fundamental to establishing strong, positive human relationships.

To understand how this is relevant to being a camp counselor, we need only to recall the close-knit character of camp, the true community life we share at Rockbrook. As we know, camp is foremost a community of people brimming with enthusiasm and a true sense of belonging shared by everyone. It is quite literally built upon positive “human relations,” daily interactions between people inspired by “central values like kindness, cooperation, compassion, care and generosity.”

Driving this sense of community are the camp staff members, cabin counselors, and directors— the leaders at camp. Beginning with these kinds of admirable character traits, we extend them to others, thereby strengthening the camp community, and ultimately enhancing all the benefits of camp life. The better we are at relating to each other, the better camp is.

So that’s one of the secrets to being a great camp counselor. Be an expert in human relations. Master this short course! Be the kind of person who relates to others in the ways this course advocates, and you’ll be a long way toward becoming an admired leader in any community.

How to Conquer Your Fears

November 30, 2011

By Sofie Ehlinger

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It was Franklin D. Roosevelt who reminded us that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Camp provides one of the most gentle, nurturing backdrops to encourage girls to face their fears and conquer their anxieties. As counselors we are an integral part of this process. Here are some simple tools to help your campers overcome three common fears at camp.

The Fear of Water

Start by encouraging the camper to ease into the water. Sit by the lake with only her toes in the water.
Once the camper is comfortable, move to standing calf-deep in the water. Ask the camper to splash herself with water on her thighs. Once confident with this, splash water on her arms and chest.
When the camper feels comfortable submerging most of her body in the water help her learn how to get her face wet.
Sprinkle only “raindrops” on the camper’s face and hair, to mimic the sensation of a shower. Once the camper’s hair is wet ask her to dip her chin underneath the water. Have her then tilt her face toward the surface of the water and get her forehead wet. Once the camper feels very comfortable performing these tasks, move to teach her to blow bubbles underwater.
Place your index finger in front of the camper’s face. Tell her to imagine your finger is a birthday candle that she must blow out. Once the camper masters the blowing technique, slowly lower your finger having the camper repeat the process until your finger is under the surface of the water and she must have her mouth is the water to “blow out the candle.”

The Fear of Spiders

Begin by educating your camper about spiders. Explain how important spiders our to our ecosystem and how many good things they do for us. Describe how most spiders do not wish to engage with humans (we are bigger than they are- that’s scary to a little, old spider!), primarily eat insects, and lack the capability to bite a human even if they wanted to.
Next introduce your camper to some spider-friendly books. In some cases, the more pictures the better, so that the camper can interact imaginatively with a friendly image of a spider. Other campers will respond to you reading aloud about spiders before bed. Some of our favorite books include Charlotte’s Web, Simon and Schuster Children’s Guide to Insects and Spiders, The Very Busy Spider, and The Eensy Weensy Spider Freaks Out!
Incorporate spider toys as part of your cabin decorations. These could be paper hangings your campers have designed and constructed themselves, toy models of spiders, or stuffed animal spiders. This will help the camper become acquainted with both the form and function of spiders.
Find a real spider (at camp this is not hard!) Have the camper stand next to you, but at a distance to the spider that she feels comfortable. While in the physical proximity of a spider have your camper recall all the ways in which spiders benefit society. Help her to visually identify different parts of the spider’s body and describe their function.

The Fear of Heights

Encourage your camper to sign up for gymnastics. Here, she can begin by balancing on the low balance beam and work towards balancing on the full beam.
Once your camper has slowing exposed herself to these, move to take her on a hike where she can clearly see the altitude increasing, but is assured a gentle path with solid footing.
Before beginning the hike establish at “scared scale” with your camper. Tell her that at different points in the hike you would like to gauge her fear level. One representing “very comfortable” and ten representing “extremely fearful.”Ask her what number she feels comfortable reaching and tell her the moment she feels that number you will immediately turn around. Each day challenge your camper to get a little farther on the hike.
Once a camper has acclimated to a height where she feels comfortable spend time with her in this space. Encourage her to engage in activities that relax her in these elevated places. For example, bring a bottle of lemonade for your camper and her cabin mates to enjoy at a mountain summit, or have your camper and her friends make bracelets on a waterfall bridge.

When helping a camper overcome a fear it is important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all policy that will work for every girl. The key is patience. Your job is to help a camper face her fear when she is ready, but only she can decide when the time is right.

The Scent of Wood Smoke

April 2, 2010

By Jessi Nixon

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Here is a poem we sometimes read at Spirit Fire. It was written by Canadian, Mary Susanne Edgar. Like Nancy Carrier, she founded a girls camp and was its long-time director. That camp was Camp Bernard, located in Ontario. This poem does such a beautiful job conveying many of the sentiments of camp life and why it means so much for the girls who experience it. We love it!

To An Old Camper
by Mary S. Edgar

You may think, my dear, when you grow quite old
You have left camp days behind,
But I know the scent of wood smoke
Will always call to mind
Little fires at twilight
And trails you used to find.

You may think someday you have quite grown up,
And feel so worldly wise
But suddenly from out of the past
A vision will arise
Of merry folk with brown bare knees
And laughter in their eyes.

You may live in a house built to your taste
In the nicest part of town
But someday for your old camp togs
You’d change your latest gown
And trade it for a balsam bed
Where stars all night look down.

You may find yourself grown wealthy
Have all that gold can buy.
But you’d toss aside a fortune
For days ‘neath an open sky
With sunlight and blue water
And white clouds sailing by.

For once you have been a camper
Then something has come to stay
Deep in your heart forever
Which nothing can take away,
And heaven can only be heaven
With a camp in which to play.

Harry Potter Loves Rockbrook

November 20, 2009

By Jessi Nixon

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Tally Singer, long-time Rockbrook girl and assistant director this past summer, lives and works in LA during the off-season. She’s worked on movies like The DaVinci Code, and other Ron Howard productions. Recently, she saw Daniel Radcliffe and friends. Here’s the poster they signed for all us girls at Rockbrook!

Halloween Costume Ideas

October 12, 2009

By Jessi Nixon

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With Halloween approaching, everyone’s thinking about what costume to wear and camp is a place with a highly-concentrated amount of costume ideas! It’s typical to change clothes more than once a day to dress up for things like Granny Bingo, ’80’s Dance Party, Harry Potter-themed Birthday Night, twin day, and lots of other happenings. Here are some stellar costumes from this year:

Camp Food and Kitchen

October 5, 2009

By Jessi Nixon

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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.

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!

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

Camp Job Information

Firecrackers and Confetti: Resolutions for Happy Girls

Girls Can, Too

Human Relations Makes the Counselor

How to Conquer Your Fears

The Fear of Water

The Fear of Spiders

The Fear of Heights

The Scent of Wood Smoke

Harry Potter Loves Rockbrook

Halloween Costume Ideas

Camp Food and Kitchen

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