Thursday, June 23, 2011
Summer Camp Blast Off
Campus Kids-NJ fans know that this summer's theme for bunk group names is Outer Space. We collected lots of suggestions from campers and gave the list to our counselors this week so they could decide on bunk group names. Here they are!
InterGIRLactic Planetary (IGP) Division: Head Counselor Devon
Freshman Girls: COSMIC CUTIES (counselors Chloe and Becky)
Sophomore Girls: MOON PIES (counselors Emma and Kimmy)
Junior Girls (3 groups);
WRITTEN IN THE STARS (counselors Gabby and Laura)
MARTIAN MALLOWS (counselors Kat and Meg)
GALAXY GIRLS (counselors Rhyan and Michelle)
Solar Sisters Division: Head Counselor Kim
Senior Girls (3 groups):
THE ROCKETTES (counselors Yianella and Lauren)
LUNAR LADIES (counselors Erica and Hannah)
HONEY MOONS (counselors Alexa and Mel)
Super Senior Girls (4 groups):
SUPER NOVA GIRLS (counselors Teeny and Alyssa)
SUPERSTARS (counselors Missy and Nina)
SUPER SONIC SISTERS (counselors Rachel and Christine)
THE 'LIL' DUPERS (counselors Rachel, Pascale and Jess)
Galactic Empire Division: Head Counselor Abe
Freshmen Boys (2 groups):
LITTLE MONSTARS (counselors Al and Jamie)
COSMIC KIDS (counselors Eli and Ross)
Sophomore Boys: PARKING METEORS (counselors Ben and David)
Junior Boys (2 groups):
SPACE INVADERS (counselors Kiran and Marc)
FISSION CHIPS (counselors Stephen and Adam)
Rebel Alliance Division: Head Counselor Dave
Senior Boys (2 groups):
ROCKET POWER (counselors Royce and Jesse)
ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROS (counselors Jake and Celil)
Super Senior Boys (4 groups):
GANGSTARZ (counselors Danny and Jason)
SPACE VENTURA (counselors Matt and Kyle)
HUBBLE SPACE TELEBLOKES (counselors Simon, Luke and Doug)
SOLAR SYSTEM OF A DAWN (counselors Ste, Koen and John)
It's Thursday night and all the dorm decorations have been made and the rooms are getting their finishing touches. We'll see some of our campers for our optional Settling In Saturday, but we'll see ALL of them on Monday. Can't wait!
Tom
Monday, June 20, 2011
74 Plus 1
Today during staff orientation we set up our annual Activity Skills Round Robin for the counselors. This is when Stu and Jeremy put out a piece of paper for each activity offered at camp and instruct the counselors to walk around and sign their names to the activities they can teach. Even though we hired our staff knowing their activity skills and interests, this is one last chance for them to tell us if they are a #1 (high skills and able to lead the activity), a #2 (skilled, but probably better as an assistant), or #3 (interested in helping out and learning more about it).
I walked around and counted seventy-four activity pages! I didn't even realize that we offered that many activities! It was fun to watch each counselor go to each paper and decide where (or whether) to put his/her name on it.
There was also a seventy-fifth page, titled "Other". This is where counselors could write down new activity ideas. I'm excited to see what new additions we'll have to our program this summer.
As you probably know, during the summer our campers get to pick their own activities every day -- individual choice, not group choice. That's an amazing amount of choice and our campers make the most of it, trying out lots of new activities and going back to those they like the best and/or want to learn the most about. It's one of the coolest things about our camp.
Our full staff orientation is just a little over 24 hours old and we already feel like we've been together for a long time. We've played games, taken tours of camp, talked about various age level characteristics of children, started to plan our program activities, had two bunk meetings and a campfire, learned some CK Classics like Rob-Lou-Jen, Gladiator and Ga-Ga, and lots more. It's amazing what we accomplish in a small amount of time.
It's a great staff and I think those lucky campers who will be joining us soon are going to agree with me. Well, some of the staff are playing basketball in the field house right now and others are just chilling while the head counselors, Teri and Jeremy sneak away for their meeting to pick the bunk group co-counselors. We'll find out tomorrow what they decided and continue our orientation the rest of the week.
It's an awesome week at camp. Wish you were here.
Tom
I walked around and counted seventy-four activity pages! I didn't even realize that we offered that many activities! It was fun to watch each counselor go to each paper and decide where (or whether) to put his/her name on it.
There was also a seventy-fifth page, titled "Other". This is where counselors could write down new activity ideas. I'm excited to see what new additions we'll have to our program this summer.
As you probably know, during the summer our campers get to pick their own activities every day -- individual choice, not group choice. That's an amazing amount of choice and our campers make the most of it, trying out lots of new activities and going back to those they like the best and/or want to learn the most about. It's one of the coolest things about our camp.
Our full staff orientation is just a little over 24 hours old and we already feel like we've been together for a long time. We've played games, taken tours of camp, talked about various age level characteristics of children, started to plan our program activities, had two bunk meetings and a campfire, learned some CK Classics like Rob-Lou-Jen, Gladiator and Ga-Ga, and lots more. It's amazing what we accomplish in a small amount of time.
It's a great staff and I think those lucky campers who will be joining us soon are going to agree with me. Well, some of the staff are playing basketball in the field house right now and others are just chilling while the head counselors, Teri and Jeremy sneak away for their meeting to pick the bunk group co-counselors. We'll find out tomorrow what they decided and continue our orientation the rest of the week.
It's an awesome week at camp. Wish you were here.
Tom
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The History of the CK-NJ Logo
So the other day, I was unpacking my summer clothes and rummaging though some old camp stuff and I stumbled across some CK-NJ history. I found the old sketches we had of the CK logo. Some of you, I figured, might like to know the history of our amazing camp logo.When I started working for Campus Kids we used the text logo at the top. Tom has told me that a lady who was a friend of one of his old colleague's, drew the logo as courtesy. Although no money was exchanged, Tom assures me that they sent her a VERY NICE bouquet of flowers. We usually printed it in the horizontal format you see here but occasionally it appeared in a vertical format with Campus above Kids. The style of the logo was intended to be reminiscent of the lettering on a college jersey and emphasize that we were on a school campus.
Later on, we realized that just the words weren't really campy enough. Some people saw the logo and assumed we were an academic program. We didn't want that so we decided to add a graphic of some kids. Tom didn't want something too detailed, more of a silhouette drawing that would look good in one color and any size. My wife Vanessa drew the second sketch you see there as a basic concept. It evolved into the third sketch by the time she was done. What she was going for was to show that it was boys and girls at CK and that we were both sports and arts. Also, (if you couldn't tell) the girl is playing Frisbee and the boy is doing the art. We started using that logo around 1997. In 2002, we reverted back to the text logo because we felt it wasn't saying enough about us.
Somewhere in the neighborhood of 2006, Tom and I were sitting around talking about how we needed to bring a picture of kids doing camp activities back to the logo. We felt people were not noticing our advertisements because the text was just boring and didn't feel summer campy enough. So I took out my sketch pad and drew the concept you see to the right. We wanted to show a variety of activities, not just the generic sports and arts depicted in earlier graphic. We also added the Sundial, which was the centerpiece of camp and would be easily recognized by any current CK-er. At the time, two big activities for us at camp were skateboarding and guitar. Remember, 2006 was the summer of the first CampStock! So we knew we wanted to include those in the graphic. Here's a little piece of CK logo trivia: the guitarist in the logo is based on a photograph of long time CK-er, Josh Katz, performing on stage. Anyway, we showed my terrible little sketch to Vanessa and it evolved into the logo we use today! It is usually depicted how you see it here but in some situations we add the year.
I hope you found that interesting. Stumbling across those old drawings was a pretty cool find. Well, camp is right around the corner and we're getting ready to move our operation over to the summer office. See you soon!
Jeremy
Later on, we realized that just the words weren't really campy enough. Some people saw the logo and assumed we were an academic program. We didn't want that so we decided to add a graphic of some kids. Tom didn't want something too detailed, more of a silhouette drawing that would look good in one color and any size. My wife Vanessa drew the second sketch you see there as a basic concept. It evolved into the third sketch by the time she was done. What she was going for was to show that it was boys and girls at CK and that we were both sports and arts. Also, (if you couldn't tell) the girl is playing Frisbee and the boy is doing the art. We started using that logo around 1997. In 2002, we reverted back to the text logo because we felt it wasn't saying enough about us.
Somewhere in the neighborhood of 2006, Tom and I were sitting around talking about how we needed to bring a picture of kids doing camp activities back to the logo. We felt people were not noticing our advertisements because the text was just boring and didn't feel summer campy enough. So I took out my sketch pad and drew the concept you see to the right. We wanted to show a variety of activities, not just the generic sports and arts depicted in earlier graphic. We also added the Sundial, which was the centerpiece of camp and would be easily recognized by any current CK-er. At the time, two big activities for us at camp were skateboarding and guitar. Remember, 2006 was the summer of the first CampStock! So we knew we wanted to include those in the graphic. Here's a little piece of CK logo trivia: the guitarist in the logo is based on a photograph of long time CK-er, Josh Katz, performing on stage. Anyway, we showed my terrible little sketch to Vanessa and it evolved into the logo we use today! It is usually depicted how you see it here but in some situations we add the year.
I hope you found that interesting. Stumbling across those old drawings was a pretty cool find. Well, camp is right around the corner and we're getting ready to move our operation over to the summer office. See you soon!
Jeremy
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Staff Makes the Camp
Of course, we wouldn't have a camp without the campers, but we couldn't have the kind of camp we want without the staff. Despite our beautiful facilities (at Blair Academy) and great variety of program activities, it's the type of folks we hire and how they perform that gives our camp its soul and personality.
That's why the process of working with our staff is year-round. Each month of the year there is something taking place that involves staff recruitment, hiring or training. It starts way back during the previous summer, when staff job performance is assessed, so that we enter September with solid thoughts as to who should return next summer and in what roles.
As we prepare for a new summer, we break our staff into five parts: leadership team, returning counselors, new counselors, staff assistants, and "other" (a very important category that includes nurses and administrative staff). Each segment has a timeline for identifying who should return, recruiting new staff, and conducting orientation and training.
Staff fill out applications (or "application updates" for returners), provide references, and have interviews with me. Orientation truly begins during those interviews, because that's when we begin to establish a working relationship with the staff member and the staff member begins to understand more about our philosophy and expectations.
There IS an onsite orientation week in June for all staff, but that's just a part of our orientation program. In the months leading up to that week, we provide lots of information about camp via special web pages, online forums and an online video training library. So when the staff arrive for the start of the formal orientation, a lot of work has already been completed.
Our Leadership Team (directors, head counselors, activity coordinators) also meet for three days in January for an intensive planning session, followed by months of work on our online discussion forums.
Even our youngest staff members -- the staff assistants -- have a special weekend orientation in the spring to prepare for their varied and important jobs.
All of our preparations culminate in that very important Pre-Camp Staff Orientation time in June, when we finally have the entire staff together and the very last preparations are completed. Day #1 finally arrives and we all put on our fresh new staff t-shirts and greet the busses as they roll up alongside "the bowl". When I see the happy faces of campers and staff as they greet each other and form into their bunk group "families", I know that the year of staff preparation was worth it, and that it's definitely true that "the staff makes the camp."
Tom
That's why the process of working with our staff is year-round. Each month of the year there is something taking place that involves staff recruitment, hiring or training. It starts way back during the previous summer, when staff job performance is assessed, so that we enter September with solid thoughts as to who should return next summer and in what roles.
As we prepare for a new summer, we break our staff into five parts: leadership team, returning counselors, new counselors, staff assistants, and "other" (a very important category that includes nurses and administrative staff). Each segment has a timeline for identifying who should return, recruiting new staff, and conducting orientation and training.
Staff fill out applications (or "application updates" for returners), provide references, and have interviews with me. Orientation truly begins during those interviews, because that's when we begin to establish a working relationship with the staff member and the staff member begins to understand more about our philosophy and expectations.
There IS an onsite orientation week in June for all staff, but that's just a part of our orientation program. In the months leading up to that week, we provide lots of information about camp via special web pages, online forums and an online video training library. So when the staff arrive for the start of the formal orientation, a lot of work has already been completed.
Our Leadership Team (directors, head counselors, activity coordinators) also meet for three days in January for an intensive planning session, followed by months of work on our online discussion forums.
Even our youngest staff members -- the staff assistants -- have a special weekend orientation in the spring to prepare for their varied and important jobs.
All of our preparations culminate in that very important Pre-Camp Staff Orientation time in June, when we finally have the entire staff together and the very last preparations are completed. Day #1 finally arrives and we all put on our fresh new staff t-shirts and greet the busses as they roll up alongside "the bowl". When I see the happy faces of campers and staff as they greet each other and form into their bunk group "families", I know that the year of staff preparation was worth it, and that it's definitely true that "the staff makes the camp."
Tom
Friday, May 13, 2011
Friday the 13th!
Guess what happens tonight in Blairstown, NJ, home of Campus Kids-NJ? The Historic Blairstown Theater Reopens tonight! If you ever takena stroll down Main Street, you can't miss this charming little theater. After working on for two years, the owners are bringing the theater back to life tonight to show the classic horror movie Friday the 13th. I'm sure all you CK-NJ trivia fanatics already know that the original film was shot in Blairstown. Anyway, I just had to mention that!
But before I head off for the weekend, I've got some camp news for you. I'm sure lots of you have seen all the countdowns on Facebook and know we're getting very close to move-in day. Tom, Teri and I will begin getting the camp office set up the first week of June. Then the leadership team arrives and we start getting everything else ready. We've been busy reading all your camper choice surveys and answering questions about camp. There's still some space left, though! If you aren't signed up, get your parents to call us up ASAP!
We keep adding to the list bunk group names based on the suggestions sent in by campers. Some recent favorites of mine include Syzygy Sisters and Total Eclipse of the Heart. You can see the full list here. Keep your suggestions coming, here!
Coming soon to a blog near you: the history of the Campus Kids Logo!
See you soon,
Jeremy
Sunday, May 8, 2011
The First Week of May
May 1st came and, in the blink of an eye, the first week of the month is gone! As you can imagine, the pace around here quickens, along with the excitement for camp. Long months of preparation are about to pay off because camp starts next month!
May is the month of planning final logistics. Now that we know who most of our campers are (though they are still signing up!), we can work out the last details of our bus routes. Likewise, with almost all of our staff in place, travel plans for all of them are being plotted. Lots and lots and lots of forms are arriving daily at the office: health forms, camper choice, personal information, etc., so we're reading all of those and incorporating that information into our plans. The final decisions about staff pre-camp orientation are being made. The art supply order was just placed, with other orders for equipment and supplies to be finished up soon. Teri, Jeremy and I are starting this week to call families of new campers to check in and see what questions they have. And the list goes on and on. It's a lot, but it's very exciting. I'm even finding it a bit hard to sleep some nights because I'm so excited about camp!
We're also still giving tours up in Blairstown and campers are still signing up where we have space. Every season is beautiful at Blair Academy and Spring is certainly spectacular. Here's a photo from a recent weekend:
Aside from "Blair" who is still sitting in front of West Hall finishing up her drawing, what's missing from these photos are our campers and staff! These flowers may be gone when we arrive in June, but the leaves will be on all the trees, the weather will finally be hot, the days will be long, and the 21st season of Campus Kids will begin! Let the first Frisbee be thrown, the first drum beat heard, the first dives be taken into the pool. Camp is coming!
Tom
May is the month of planning final logistics. Now that we know who most of our campers are (though they are still signing up!), we can work out the last details of our bus routes. Likewise, with almost all of our staff in place, travel plans for all of them are being plotted. Lots and lots and lots of forms are arriving daily at the office: health forms, camper choice, personal information, etc., so we're reading all of those and incorporating that information into our plans. The final decisions about staff pre-camp orientation are being made. The art supply order was just placed, with other orders for equipment and supplies to be finished up soon. Teri, Jeremy and I are starting this week to call families of new campers to check in and see what questions they have. And the list goes on and on. It's a lot, but it's very exciting. I'm even finding it a bit hard to sleep some nights because I'm so excited about camp!
We're also still giving tours up in Blairstown and campers are still signing up where we have space. Every season is beautiful at Blair Academy and Spring is certainly spectacular. Here's a photo from a recent weekend:
Aside from "Blair" who is still sitting in front of West Hall finishing up her drawing, what's missing from these photos are our campers and staff! These flowers may be gone when we arrive in June, but the leaves will be on all the trees, the weather will finally be hot, the days will be long, and the 21st season of Campus Kids will begin! Let the first Frisbee be thrown, the first drum beat heard, the first dives be taken into the pool. Camp is coming!
Tom
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Be Prepared!
What is even more unique is when we have the opportunity to do work to prepare for FUTURE summers. Finding time to go to meetings and conferences with people from other camps, thinking about what’s next for CK, and how we can make our program even better for the following summers. And even MORE exciting is when we get to spend time with FUTURE counselors -- teenagers who think they might want to be counselors some day, and get them thinking about what it means to work and teach at camp before they even have a job!
And that is exactly what I did about three weeks ago. I went to a Teen Leadership conference that was held in NYC. Not only did I get to go, but I got to present a session during the conference, AND I also got to bring some participants! Four of our returning Staff Assistants—Zach, Caroline, Lauren, and Kelcy—joined me at the ACA’s Teen Leadership conference for a day of thought-provoking, fun, and lively discussions and sessions. It was basically a mini Tri-State Camp Conference for teens, and not only did I spend the day with them, I met many teenagers from all sorts of camps who were looking to give themselves the extra edge for their future counselor jobs.
All of the teenagers who participated were once campers at some camp, whether it was a day camp or sleep-away. They had that exciting buzz about them, not just because many of them were reuniting with other camp friends, but because they were all on the brink of a new adventure. No longer campers, these teens were gearing up for the first summers at their camps in various new programs and positions– Leaders-in-training (LIT) programs, Counselors-in-training (CIT) programs, Junior Staff, Kitchen staff, and the coveted CKNJ position of Staff Assistant!
We woke up quite early to catch our train. Caroline, Kelcy, Lauren, and Lauren’s mother Mary Ellen, (who works for ACA), met me at the Westfield station, and we took the (get ready) 6:48 am train to Penn Station in New York. It was really early for a weekend, I’ll admit it, but once we were all on the train, it gave us plenty of time to catch up since the last time we saw each other. We enjoyed the ride and met up with Zach in New York, and then had a nice breakfast to fuel up and get pumped for an awesome day.
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| Breakfast at a midtown diner. |
Then, we were on our way to the conference! We took the subway to 112th street and walked to the Bank Street College of Education where the conference was being held. We walked in a few minutes early to help set up and it was a little quiet – but not for long! Teenagers slowly started pouring in until there were almost 300 participants there! Everyone got their schedules and name tags, and I waved goodbye to the Staffies as they went to the first session –some fun camp games to get everyone excited and in the camp spirit.
In the mean time, I set up for my back-to-back sessions. I had prepared an activity and discussion on the topic “transitioning from being a camper to being a staff member,” with the goal of helping the participants begin to prepare for the changes they would experience this summer. It was so fun to finally do the session I had prepared for over the past months, and I think my groups got a lot out of it! I felt comfortable in front of each of my “classes” of 15 teenagers, and I will definitely say my teaching and camp experience helped me stay organized and on topic! While I was teaching, our Staff Assistants attended a variety of sessions, including one called “The top 10 best and worst qualities of a counselor,” and others about managing stress, fun teambuilding games, behavior management, and effective communication. Not only did the Staffies get to learn some good information from other camp professionals about what it takes to be a good counselor, they also spent time meeting teens from other camps, and hearing about what those LIT, CIT, and Jr. Counselor jobs are like! It’s amazing how different their jobs are from what the Staff Assistants do at our camp.
I believe there were two highlights of the day—one was fun and the second a little more serious. The first fun highlight was definitely our “Leisurely Lunch” of pizza. Leisurely Lunch is an idea Zach wants to see take flight this summer. Instead of rushing through the meal to get to bunk time, he’s asked the Staff Assistants to try to eat at a slower pace and spend the whole mealtime together, talking about everything from camp to sports to current events. So, we practiced and ended up being the last people in the lunchroom besides the cleanup crew!
After a wrap- up session and debrief, we got some awesome t-shirts (what camp person doesn’t love a t-shirt?) and headed back to NJ. Our conversation on the way home was about their excitement for, that one day in the future, starting their first summer as a camp counselor so that they could practice what they learned. Although they aren’t counselors yet, I told them that there were two things they could do this summer to prepare for being a counselor. First, they can observe the counselors at camp this summer, to see if they do some of those skills that they had learned would make them better leaders. Second, I assured them there were plenty of ways they could start practicing what they learned about being a counselor this summer when they are staff assistants. They live in the dorms with the campers, eat meals in the dining hall with them, help run evening activities, and can be with the kids at activities. In all of those situations, there are small things they can do to show that they care for the campers and want to be good leaders. After all, it’s definitely not too early to start the preparations for 2013 when they can be counselors!
Until the next blog,
Teri
In the mean time, I set up for my back-to-back sessions. I had prepared an activity and discussion on the topic “transitioning from being a camper to being a staff member,” with the goal of helping the participants begin to prepare for the changes they would experience this summer. It was so fun to finally do the session I had prepared for over the past months, and I think my groups got a lot out of it! I felt comfortable in front of each of my “classes” of 15 teenagers, and I will definitely say my teaching and camp experience helped me stay organized and on topic! While I was teaching, our Staff Assistants attended a variety of sessions, including one called “The top 10 best and worst qualities of a counselor,” and others about managing stress, fun teambuilding games, behavior management, and effective communication. Not only did the Staffies get to learn some good information from other camp professionals about what it takes to be a good counselor, they also spent time meeting teens from other camps, and hearing about what those LIT, CIT, and Jr. Counselor jobs are like! It’s amazing how different their jobs are from what the Staff Assistants do at our camp.
I believe there were two highlights of the day—one was fun and the second a little more serious. The first fun highlight was definitely our “Leisurely Lunch” of pizza. Leisurely Lunch is an idea Zach wants to see take flight this summer. Instead of rushing through the meal to get to bunk time, he’s asked the Staff Assistants to try to eat at a slower pace and spend the whole mealtime together, talking about everything from camp to sports to current events. So, we practiced and ended up being the last people in the lunchroom besides the cleanup crew!
 |
| Our Leisurely Lunch let us enjoy each others company. |
The other highlight was the Keynote Session by Michael Brandwein. Michael is a well-known and frequent ACA conference speaker, and is the author of many books that we use as resources for the training of our leadership team, counselors, and general preparation for camp. This particular session was about dispelling the myth that great leaders are “born with it,” and he worked hard to convince us that there are many things one can learn to do that will make them a better leader and therefore a better camp counselor for children. Just like a trick can be practiced over and over again to look like it’s magic, he assured us that there are many things you can practice doing, and you’ll get better at, to make you a leader.
 |
| Our Staff Assistants (top) pay close attention to Michael Brandwein (bottom) as he shows some tricks, and teaches about being a leader. |
After a wrap- up session and debrief, we got some awesome t-shirts (what camp person doesn’t love a t-shirt?) and headed back to NJ. Our conversation on the way home was about their excitement for, that one day in the future, starting their first summer as a camp counselor so that they could practice what they learned. Although they aren’t counselors yet, I told them that there were two things they could do this summer to prepare for being a counselor. First, they can observe the counselors at camp this summer, to see if they do some of those skills that they had learned would make them better leaders. Second, I assured them there were plenty of ways they could start practicing what they learned about being a counselor this summer when they are staff assistants. They live in the dorms with the campers, eat meals in the dining hall with them, help run evening activities, and can be with the kids at activities. In all of those situations, there are small things they can do to show that they care for the campers and want to be good leaders. After all, it’s definitely not too early to start the preparations for 2013 when they can be counselors!
Until the next blog,
Teri
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