We were so excited to see former Rockbrook counselor and Junior Line Head extraordinaire Christy Middleton Buchanan when she stopped by the RBC office last week. She came by to introduce us to her sweet baby girl Mirabelle! Mirabelle was born July 1, 2010. She is absolutely adorable and already has been introduced to all of the Rockbrook songs! We wonder what her favorite song is?
Christy says that she is already counting down the days until Mirabelle can be a Rockbrook camper! Summer 2018 will be here before you know it! We will be waiting Mirabelle!
Who doesn’t love receiving a great homemade craft from a friend or family member? We are so impressed how some of our counselors (past and present) have been using their crafting skills to surprise folks throughout the year. Take a look at these fantastic crafts!
2009 Curosty counselor Anna Myers sent us a beautiful handcrafted bird (a Rockbrook Cardinal!) that we now have hanging in the camp office. Since her teaching days at Rockbrook and graduating from NC State University, Anna has been teaching art in Raleigh and most recently in Providence, RI. Her sweet gift most definitely brightened our day!
Charming Cardinal
Longtime camper and counselor Christine Alexander, who served as both a CA counselor and the Junior Linehead in 2010, just sent us a very fun shot of a group of her mom’s adventurous friends. Christine heard they were preparing for a big outdoor adventure trip, so she took the time to make her mom and each of her mom’s friends a friendship bracelet and picked out colors specifically for their personalities. Now that takes a lot of time and dedication!
“I’m a counselor. You’re a counselor. She’s a counselor. We’re all counselors. Wouldn’t you like to be a counselor too. Be a counselor. Rock-Rockbrook counselor!”
Being a Rockbrook Camp staff member is one of the most fun and rewarding ways to spend a summer. Sleep-away camp counselors provide a nurturing and magical environment for Rockbrook campers. By living in the cabins with our campers (typically two counselors per cabin group), counselors truly get to know their campers and their goals for attending camp. We often say that our counselors are like big sisters to our campers while they are away from home. It’s a wonderful bond that campers talk about for years.
So what makes a great counselor? First and foremost, a counselor must have a strong desire to work with children. Many Rockbrook counselors are planning to be teachers one day. Our counselors are a diverse group of young women usually in the 18-22 age range. We have found that it is wonderful to have long-time Rockbrook counselors mixed in with new counselors who come to camp with lots of fresh ideas. A Rockbrook counselor has to be ready for anything. The camp environment is goofy and fast paced. It also takes a lot of initiative to help plan activities and events with an emphasis on the whole team or camp. By putting their campers needs in front of their own, counselors find their summer experience to be a very rewarding one.
We are currently hiring for our camp staff, so check out the staff area of our website for more details!
Our fantastic counselors from summer 2011 have been popping up recently at the camper slideshow parties. It’s such a treat for Mandy and Sarah to visit with them in addition to the campers at the parties. Here are some updates from those visits!
Chase Nelson dropped by the party in Knoxville, TN. She is currently a junior at the University of Tennessee and is contemplating her degree focus. We can’t wait to hear when she chooses her focus, but most importantly, she can’t wait to get back to Rockbrook next summer. It seemed like she is enjoying being a counselor maybe even more so that her days as a camper.
Michelle Postma with sister Deborah
The next familiar face was Michelle Postma in Atlanta. She drove all the way over from Athens, GA, where she is a sophomore at the University of Georgia. She seems to be super busy with classes. We are excited that she is planning to be back at camp next summer focusing her energy on outdoor adventure trips for our campers. Her wealth of knowledge about orienteering and the trails around camp are invaluable.
Finally, Maggie Cameron dropped by the Winston-Salem party. Maggie worked as a CIT (counselor in training) in 2010 and is very excited to be a full counselor in 2011. She is very busy finishing up her senior year at Mt. Tabor High School. While she isn’t sure where she will be next year for college, she is busy applying and is most excited about Wake Forest and UNC-Chapel Hill. Good Luck Maggie!
Rockbrook counselors are amazing role models to our campers. We would be lost without them and their great experience. We’ll see everyone on the road soon!
Just what have all of the awesome counselors from summer 2010 been up to? Like our campers, most are back in school and hard at work! We have been keeping up and have some updates to pass along. They would love to hear from their campers, so make sure to friend them on the Rockbrook Friends Net. If you don’t currently have a login, go to the community part of the camp website, and you can set one up there. Happy Fall!
Katie exploring the Italian coast
Middler Linehead Katie Estes is living in Europe for the semester instead of regular classes at Wake Forest. She is studying in Firenze, Italy, and making many trips to other destinations while there. Her most recent stop was Munich, Germany!
Riflery counselor Haley Hudler is loving being back at Denison in Ohio where she is very involved with her sorority Delta Gamma and enjoying the beautiful fall!
Christine showing some true RBC skill
Junior Linehead and paddling guru Christine Alexander is living in up with every adventure she can take on. As a leader at George Washington’s adventure program, she is constantly leading trips with other students on the weekends.
Junior counselor and sports instructor Hunter Futch is continuing to pursue new athletic endeavors in college. As a Freshman at Millsaps, Hunter is not only starting on the soccer team but also enjoying being part of her sorority Phi Mu.
We are sure to have a great deal more news to pass on to you, so stay tuned!
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.
