SmokeSignals Blog

SUMMARY - Answers to parents' frequently asked questions about going to summer camp.

IMAGE - Photograph of a campers on the mountain top.

IMAGE CAPTION - What a view! What a summer! Come join us at Merri-Mac!

Staff Reunion

January 11th, 2012

Between Christmas and New Year’s we had a great staff reunion.  All of the girl’s slept over at Anne Archer’s house (next to the fencing pavilion) and there were so many people there that there were Merri-Mac counselors sleeping on almost every inch of the house (even the kitchen floor!).  Lots of quality hang out time was spent together, we went into Asheville to get coffee, and we even had a white elephant gift exchange at the Boyd’s house!

It was amazing to catch up with folks from the summer. I was reminded again of just how blessed we are to have such a great group of people surrounding camp.

We even had an appearance from “Virtual Dave” at the Staff reunion.  It was nice to see her wandering around the party on Brie’s Ipad.  Very nice touch, Dave!

It is hard to believe that camp is just around the corner.  After Christmas it seems like the snowball of camp preparation really begins to grow larger and head down the mountain!  We are getting super excited and can’t wait for June. What about you?  Are you ready for camp?

 

 

Posted in About Camp, News, Summer Camp Staff by Adam | (3) Comments

Returning Staff

January 12th, 2011

One of the most important questions a first year parent can ask is how many of your staff return each summer? Counselors who love camp love sharing it with new campers. They do it for the same reason that we play our favorite music for friends, or talk about our children, or church, or anything else we care about. It is in our DNA to share things we love with other people. Counselors who love camp come back, and become insiders, and they love inviting others to become insiders too. Great camps are always about making first year campers become camp insiders, and returning staff is the starting place for this.

The good news is that we already have a fantastic group of returning staff for this summer…and a couple of exciting first-timers.

So Who’s On Board So Far?
In addition to our adult staff we’ve hired: Anna Herring., Amelia Wallace, Mary Becker Menendez, Anna Southard, Rachael Brouwer, Chassidy Smith, Mary Page Boyd, Renee Easterlin, Kelly Jeffries, Clare Sullivan, Laura Gordon, Elizabeth Powell, Meg Merritt, Kaila Lessner, Haley Fulford, Corbin Aiken, Madison Mirandi, Kelly Branning, Biz Schill, Sallie Gurganus, Lee Bolton, Casey LaBrosse, Mary Beth Lawrence, Natalie Brouwer, Anne Pellegrino, Annie Grace Shaffer, Kate Miller, Meredith Wilson, Jan Bellows, Catherine Custard, Morgan Sobol, Melinda Rankin, Robin Fearheiley, Mary Jarnagin, Jennifer Porter, Erin Fischer, Morgan Rutledge, Amanda Tappan, Claire Porte, Katherine Albanese, Ellen Valle, Falon Doutrich, Patti-O, and Anne Archer….And it is just January so are also a lot of other girls from last year just about to commit. Stay tuned for updates.

From This Haven…
Adam and Ann

Posted in How to choose a summer camp, Summer Camp Staff by Adam | (0) Comments

Hiring Great Counselors

November 12th, 2009

“How do you find your camp counselors?” is one of my favorite questions from parents.   Yesterday we hired two more Merri-Mac Counselors in Training. (Laura S. and Kelly J.).  These are graduated campers who are ready to make the transition to staff.  Throughout both interviews I was struck by how much confidence I have in them both.  I think there are 2 reasons for this.

Training Camp Staff

Training Camp Staff

First, we know them very well.  Over  their eight years as campers  we have watched each develop a sense of adventure and leadership as they worked their way through White Feather ranks and then into tribal offices.  We have worked with them as they have developed their activity skills, with Laura becoming a strong kayaker and dancer and Kelly excelling in canoeing and backpacking.   And we have seen them display an exceptional ability to care for other people.  In other words, camp has prepared them to be great counselors.

Second, because they love camp they want others to love it too.  This means that they will almost certainly be the among the hardest working staff we can find because doing the things that it takes to make Merri-Mac great does not feel like work to them.   So Laura will not just want her campers to love kayaking, and Kelly will not just want her love backpacking, they will want them each to love kayaking and backpacking at Merri-Mac.

Of course we also hire first year girls to be counselors, and they bring something equally important.  First, the expand our applicant pool, helping us measure our level of professi0nalism with the training they have received in other places.  They also help us look at camp through fresh eyes, evaluating which parts of the camp tradition are the most important.   Every now and then it is our first year girl that has the best idea of the summer.  When this happens we know we have a Merri-Mac girl for life.

From This Haven…
Adam and Ann

Posted in Summer Camp Staff by Adam | (0) Comments

Camp Merri-Mac
1123 Montreat Road Suite A
Black Mountain, NC 28711
Directions | Google Map
828-669-8766

Camp Merri-Mac for Girls | 1123 Montreat Rd Ste A | Black Mountain, NC 28711 | 828-669-8766