It’s hard to believe how quickly a summer can fly by…it seems like just yesterday we were reuniting as a camp family, and here we are nearing the halfway point of what has been an awesome summer!
After an incredible 5 days of Pod Camp, we were thrilled to receive individual schedules and head out on our first “A” Day of the summer. Today is our first “B” Day and the campers are loving it! To make it even better, tomorrow is an “S” Day, and it’s a LoSo favorite – CARNIVAL DAY!
We have much more fun coming up: Beauty and The Beast & Wizard of Oz, Moose Bowl & Katahdin Cup, Funtown, Banquet, CIT/LIT White Water Rafting, Socials…so much fun to pack in, but don’t worry, we’ll get it all in! It’s all part of what we refer to as The New Awesome!
We’ll keep you updated in future blogs, and remember that it’s always a beautiful day in the state of Maine!!
I consider myself very fortunate to spend my summers at Laurel South on Crescent Lake. I remember thinking the name of the lake was something really special my first summer. Many of my favorite camp memories are traced back to the time spent in the water: jumping on the trampoline, passing a level in swim and waterskiing for the first time all rush through my head.
As I look back on those memories they come into a greater focus. I can picture one of my favorite counselors giving me instructions from the boat while I put on my skis. I can hear the lifeguard reminding my friends and I of the waterfront rules while she strapped on my life vest. I still feel nostalgic about getting out of the lake for the last time as a camper, wishing I had one more summer with the friends I grew up with.
It’s only in looking back now that I realize the magic of Crescent Lake is tied to the people as much as it is to the location. The waterski counselors were so excited when I first got up skis. My friends and counselors were always ready to have a great time. As a counselor now, it’s through that lens that I’m reminded of the magic of Crescent Lake.
Before my first summer at Laurel South I was reminded of all the things my parents used to tell me: brush your teeth, try new things, make friends…As my bus ventured toward Casco I remembered my tour of the camp the year before. I thought about the activity selection form I completed, all the things we packed and sent, what the cabins were like. I couldn’t help but be excited (and a little bit nervous.) What I wasn’t ready for was how much Laurel South was going to impact the rest of life, and how quickly it would feel like my summer home.
Stepping off the bus I noticed the counselors cheering and smiling. It seemed like hundreds of them were there to welcome me! The energy that met the campers on that first day left a lifelong impression on me. Over the summers I spent at Laurel South, I realized the most important thing is the people. My summer connections gave me confidence, taught me about myself and encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone. (Not to mention that my counselors were always there to remind me to brush my teeth and encouraging me to try new things.)
Obviously, the best part of every summer is that camp is FUN! Each day is packed with swimming, songs, tennis, waterskiing, laughing, basketball, art and everything else Laurel South has to offer with the amazing backdrop of Crescent Lake. I’ll always cherish the memories created, the skills I learned and the friendships gained. And I’ll always love my summer home!
The sun is setting earlier, the nights are a bit cooler and camp is over. After living, playing, learning, laughing and growing together for three-and-a-half weeks, we now reflect on another incredible season. The bonds that were forged at Laurel South are remarkably strong. Camp is a unique place where children and counselors wake up, eat, play and spend the days together with friends all summer long.
The magical thing about summer camp is that it goes far beyond three-and-a-half weeks. Memories last a lifetime, and everything is more than it seems. Playing basketball isn’t just about gaining and improving skills, but also about learning to be a good sport and teammate. Finishing a ceramics project is about following directions and unlocking creativity. Campers conquer their fears and step out of their comfort zones at the Climbing Wall and Challenge Course. In the cabin they build confidence by celebrating each other’s achievements, supporting one another and living together.
The lessons learned at camp translate in the real world. Whether in the classroom, at extracurricular activities or in the community, camp helps us become better students, teammates and friends. Parents: We know you’ll have the chance to talk with your camper about what they learned this summer. As always, we want to thank our campers, camp parents and counselors for another amazing summer!
As long as Spirit Days has been a tradition at Laurel South, so too has the campers trying to predict the exact day and time that it will break. Every session of every summer, Roger brainstorms with the CITs to come up with just the perfect opportunity when no one will see it coming! And the larger the CIT group, the harder is it to keep all of that information secret. Well we can tell you that this session’s incredible CIT group did just that! Any camper who tells you they knew exactly when Spirit Days was breaking are trying to pull a fast one on you! It was an amazing break during a Social, followed by a late night Tug of Ohana!! All day yesterday and today, the Green Trains and Blue Planes are competing in a spirited but friendly competition. Games are being played, cheers and songs being written and practiced, plaques being constructed. And while we try our very best to win, we know that at the end of Spirit Days, we’ll all be winners for having shared such a fun and exciting time. We look forward to our Closing Ceremonies tonight which will officially reunite us as one camp family…and the fireworks show tonight will be pretty cool too!!
So here we are, right at the halfway point. We’re psyched for Wednesday’s Carnival. Thursday our 8th Graders depart for North Conway, NH. And have we mentioned we still have 2 Theater Shows, a Moose Bowl, a Katahdin Cup, a 7th Grade Day Trip, plenty of intercamp games and tournaments, and so much more time to create lasting memories with our friends? As we’ve been known to say, “Laurel South…the way life should be!”
Out-of-Camp trips offer our campers the opportunity to see many of the beautiful destination spots in Maine. Our 8th Graders (Acadia National Park & Bar Harbor) and CITs (Whitewater Rafting on the Kennebec River) both returned this afternoon. We can’t wait to hear their stories about the adventures they had, but we’re glad to have our entire camp family back together! Yesterday was our first “S” Day, and each group had its own special trip: Saco & Kineo (Splashtown USA), Baxter & Allagash (Aquaboggan) and 7th Grade Nation (Old Orchard Beach). After so much excitement in one day, it was nice to sit back and relax last night with our annual Drive-In Movie on the Downeast Field. It was the perfect end to an amazing day!
As the summer keeps moving, the fun never takes a break. Tonight, Roger and Dagni are dining in town with our 7-Year Club. It’s always an awesome time to hang out and reflect on some of the most memorable times of their long camp careers. And while camp may be moving quickly, we have so much to look forward to: Canobie Lake & Funtown, Moose Bowl & Katahdin Cup, Lion King & Aladdin, Carnival…the list goes on! We’ll keep you posted, and, until next time: It’s a beautiful day in the state of Maine!!
What a wonderful First Session we had! From Arrival to Departure and every day in between, we made the most of each day. From Moose Bowl to Katahdin Cup, Lion King to Aladdin, it truly was one of our best summers yet!
For all of our campers who departed, thank you for an awesome time, and we can’t wait to see you next summer. To our incredible group of CITs, thank you all for the positive example you set for our younger campers. Yours was a special group who we’ll remember fondly. We hope to see many of you back as counselors in a few years. To our staff: wonderful job First Session! To our camp families: thank you for the tremendous faith you’ve shown in us. We understand that choosing a camp is no easy task. We hope we exceeded your expectations.
And just like that, our attention turns to the equally amazing campers arriving on Monday! We can’t wait to see you. Get ready for the summer of a lifetime!! Camp…the way life should be!
Every summer seems to fly by, and this one is no exception! Seems like we just arrived, and OMG, we only have 2 weeks left! The fun hasn’t slowed at all, and camp is in full swing. Seeing children playing sports, building rockets, creating art, enjoying nature, challenging themselves at adventure, splashing in Crescent Lake, riding horses, practicing for upcoming theater shows…all unmistakable signs the 2019 summer will be another one for the ages!
One early highlight was our Katahdin Cup team scrimmaging another camp, under the lights, in front of 100 cheering fans. What a night it was! Our ladies made the entire Laurel South family proud. We are sure this special night will become an incredible tradition. Yesterday was the 4th of July, and our traditional BBQ dinner was followed by the most epic fireworks show around! Today the entire camp traveled to Canobie Lake for a day of rides, games, food, and (most importantly) spending times with our camp family, creating memories and forging friendships that will last a lifetime.
With only 2 weeks to go, we will continue full-steam-ahead, making the most of every moment we are together in Maine. Still to come: Spirit Days, Theater Shows, Carnival, Moose Bowl, Katahdin Cup and so much more! Stay tuned for future blogs, and – as always – it’s a beautiful day in the state of Maine!
As each summer ends, we tell ourselves not to be sad the current summer ended, but rather to be excited because the countdown to next summer has officially begun. And while it may seem like yesterday we bade farewell to our summer home, it’s with incredible excitement we say: “Welcome to Laurel South Summer 2019!”
From the back-to-school days of the fall, through Thanksgiving and the Winter holidays…from the turning of the calendar to the flowers blooming in Spring…from arriving at Pre-Camp to Staff Orientation…the excitement and enthusiasm builds to a crescendo that culminates today with the arrival of 400 of the greatest campers in the world!
Our staff had an amazingly fun and productive Orientation week, and they’re thrilled to welcome our campers from 27 states and 17 countries! For the next 3 ½ weeks, we’ll have a ball. From the ballfields to the waterfront, equestrian center to the theater, adventure to arts, out camp family will have the opportunity to form friendships and create memories that will last a lifetime. We’ll unplug in one of the most beautiful settings.
We’ll blog all summer to keep you current on all the fun in Maine. As Roger frequently says: “It’s a beautiful day in the state of Maine today!”
Summer is a few months away, and for college students searching for a summer job or internship, it’s right around the corner. Every year students compete for unpaid internships with lofty ambitions that they’re getting a foot in the door for their future careers. While there are great opportunities to be had in corporate settings, few summer gigs are as beneficial as working at camp. Here are some of the best incentives for working at Laurel South this summer!
Gaining Leadership Skills
Just like teaching in a classroom, being a camp counselor instantly puts you in a position to lead campers of different ages and skill levels. You’re constantly forging bonds with campers and other counselors, leading activities and communicating. Camp counselors quickly learn how to lead, because they understand the more engaging an activity is, the happier their campers are.
Creativity
We often say that a day at camp is like a week outside of camp, and camp people know that all too well. What’s better than a job where your coaching or instructing in the morning, making up new games during cabin time, and acting out your alter-ego on stage for a laugh in the evening? Camp gets you out of your comfort zone in the best way and allows the creative juices to flow every day.
Make Lifelong Friends
Camp is an immersive experience and there’s nothing else like it. Working alongside your peers is one thing, but living with them 24/7 is an entirely different experience. Campers and counselors alike build some of their truest, deepest friendships at Laurel South every summer!
Work Outdoors
Is there anything worse than squandering amazing summer days in an office? At Laurel South, you’re outside every day. It’s the perfect place to unplug, lace up and explore the beauty of Maine!
Make a Genuine Impact!
Campers are at a time in their lives when they’re looking for mentors, and Laurel South is such a natural place to find them. It’s always the little things that count, and being there every day for your campers adds up to a lot of little (and big) moments that make a difference each summer. Counselors often don’t fully realize the impact they’ve made, but campers remember their counselors forever.
