Co-Counselors: Dynamic Duos

Abby and Elyse as Mountain mamas!
Abby and Elyse as Mountain Mamas!

Every counselor has at least one co-counselor. Together they help create a the framework which helps generates the sense of community among the cabin. Chore wheels, guidelines, cabin meetings (i.e. powwows), cabin day activities, eating together, staying up late to talk with someone who’s homesick, and just hanging out during free swims with their cabin group are all ways these fabulous pairs make their campers’ summer amazing!

The relationship formed between co-counselors is another ways that being a camp counselor at Rockbrook is THE most rewarding things you can do with your summer. It is not only great fun. It also teaches you how to work as a team with someone, to have a positive collaborative attitude, and to communicate and compromise to achieve a common goal. These are all life skills that help you achieve greater success in the future. Every job requires this kind of maturity, focus and productivity.

dynamic camp counselors
Michelle and Alice didn’t win the shaving cream fight -or did they?

Camp Counselor Skills

Work, play, grow
Work, play, grow…

So you just were offered a job as a cabin counselor and a climbing instructor. You think to yourself, “This should be really cool – I get to be outside, hang out with kids, make a little money and meet new people – hey, it’ll be way better than working in a restaurant all summer!” All of these things will hopefully be true about your summer experience – but wait – there’s more! Camp naturally fosters opportunities to grow in leadership, communication, problem-solving and in learning new ways to cope with challenges. All of these are areas that future employers value, too! Here’s an article from the American Camp Association about how to talk about the skills you learned at camp to future employers.

Spending nearly every minute of every day with a group of people certainly enhances skills in working with others. While these working relationships are established, other traits are also being fostered in the camp setting, such as patience, tenacity, the ability to stick with a job, and being a dedicated employee.

Check it out!

A Word from a Counselor-in-Training

Savannah and Camp Cabin Girls

CIT’s are a vibrant and important part of the Rockbrook Camp community. They work with the counselors to help campers have a great summer and they also get to know “Hobart,” our dishwasher machine, quite well because they are responsible for washing dishes! Here’s what Savannah Tally said about making the transition from camper to counselor this year at Spirit Fire:

Eight years ago, I found myself as a new camper at Rockbrook who was completely overwhelmed with the excitement of experiencing new things and making new friends. My first cabin ever was Junior 4 side A. The year was 2001 and I don’t think I would have guessed that this new summer camp would become a staple in my life; a safe-haven where I would come to reconnect with friends and make memories that would last a lifetime. This was my first year as a counselor, well Counselor-In-Training to be exact, and although I knew Rockbrook and its ways inside and out, I was horrified to come. I mean, of course I was pumped and ready to lead a cabin of my own, but I had no idea how camp would receive me in my new role and more importantly how I would receive it. I won’t lie in saying that it was a difficult transition from camper to counselor but once I got the hang of it, it became like clockwork. Each day is a new day and sometimes I still find it hard to accept the fact that I will never again be a camper at Rockbrook. It does get easier as each day passes along though and now instead of being excited about making a cool bracelet in curosty or climbing the alpine tower, I’m excited to hear what my girls did that day. I love to see all you campers making similar memories to those I have and I’m so glad to make memories with y’all. So even though I’m on the opposite side of the spectrum, Rockbrook is still the same ol’ Rockbrook. I am now back in Junior 4 side A and I can say that no matter where we come from, what we like/dislike, or even how many years we’ve been here, we can all find common ground and love in the heart of the wooded mountain. Of course it didn’t take me eight years to figure that one out.

Camp Friendships for Staff

One of the most common things that counselors say on their final evaluation is that they never expected to get so close to the other counselors. Camp offers a rather rare opportunity these days in that you actually get to live, work and play with the same people! It’s kind of like being in a tribe. With less time glued to your phone, and more time to get to know other people (and yourself), and with so much common experience, funny moments to laugh about, you can’t help but grow closer to the people around you. A real community based on friendship!

Here’s some of my favorite friendship quotes and pictures from this summer:

shaving creamed college girls


“A friend is someone who reaches for your hand, but touches your heart.” – Kathleen Grove

camp bracelets on three wrists
Friendship Bracelets, Oh my!

“A friend is someone who knows all about you and STILL likes you.” – unknown

Kaetlin, Christine and Amy


“A friend hears the song of my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.”

A Crazy Camp of Grannies

Summer camp Girls Dressed as Grannies

A bathrobe
A wig
A couple of hair curlers
Lots of powder for all over
Glasses, preferably small ones on the end of your nose
Pillows or other stuffing for certain areas 😉
A walking cane
Loose, baggy nylon stockings
Big puffy slippers
Really red, and a little messy, lipstick
A scratchy or frail sounding voice

“Put them altogether, and you’ve got a Rockbrook…” Well, a granny of course! And not just one, but a couple of hundred! It’s one of our favorite special evening programs at camp— to get dressed up like old ladies and play bingo. “Granny Bingo.” The thrill of the game, the awesome prizes, the costumes, and all the laughing. Sure it’s silly, it’s crazy, it’s goofy, but it’s also excellent fun.