Category: Camp News

Rest Hour Etiquette
By Catherine McPhillips
** How to manage your campers during the most important hour of the day. **

It’s true. Rest Hour will become your most indispensable asset at Nakanawa. During this hour, you can read, sleep, catch up on letters, prepare for your activities, and most importantly, recharge your energy and spirit for the rest of the day. Camp is a very communal experience, and Rest Hour is that one sacred time each day that is all your own. No one can expect you to work on anything, discuss or plan, or be anywhere except on your very own bed.

By the end of the first week, you will come to regard Rest Hour as one of the very best features of Camp Nakanawa! This time is just as important for your campers. Whether they believe it or not, they NEED this time to rest and regroup before their afternoon activities. Here are a few simple ways to make sure you and your bunkies enjoy maximum benefit from this hour:

On the first night, when you are laying out the ground rules and goals for the cabin, Rest Hour should be at the top of your list.

MY RECOMMENDED REST HOUR RULES:

1. Rest Hour bell: Everyone has to be in the cabin before the bell. After lunch is not the time for hanging out in other cabins, at Egypt, etc. Stragglers will make it very hard for you and the other girls to start your rest hour properly.
2. All girls MUST go to Egypt (the bath house) before the rest hour bell rings. Tell your bunkies to go straight from the Dining Hall to Egypt, and verify that they have in fact done that. (This is extremely important in Junior Camp, as those little bladders do not hold as much.)
3. Stay on your bed: Even if the girls want to share markers or paper or headphones it is important to stay firm to this. Let them know that they can divide up supplies before the bell rings, or borrow something of your to tide them over. No bed sharing, no walking around the cabin.
4. No talking: If you are not firm on this from the beginning, it will be very easy for Rest Hour to turn into “cabin hang-out.” We have PLENTY of time to bond as a cabin, but Rest Hour has a different purpose. So, keep the girls quiet from the start, and they will quickly respect and appreciate the environment you have created.

These seem like very simple rules, and they are. However, letting one girl sit on another’s bed, or one whispering conversation persist in a corner will soon turn your Rest Hour into an after-lunch circus. It is also unfair to the other cabins to disturb their Rest Hour. Be firm on these rules and reassure the girls’ time and again that this is for their health and well being, as well as yours!

Steve Baskin ACA video Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4rI3olRHxP4

Hi, Counselors!

This is a very important topic that will impact campers AND counselors:  Going Unplugged!  Camp Nakanawa is one of the few (and proud) camps that provide an unplugged environment for all campers.  The feedback from parents has been so supportive and thankful.  Parents want their daughters to have a natural camping experience, free from texting, phones and the internet.  So we plan to offer that pristine, unplugged environment. Please read this training module carefully, as it also impacts the way you as a counselor interact with technology.

1. From the camper’s perspective:  This might be a tough “withdrawal” process for your campers.  So just be sensitive to that.  Because of all of the time spent in texting, Facebooking, surfing, kids are loosing many of the communication and collaboration skills.  That’s where we come in:  We help them re-focus and re-learn how to communicate with each other and work together in a collaborative way.
2. What are the rules for campers?  Pretty straight-forward.  A camper may not have any type of gizmo (phone, laptop, iPad, iPod, etc., etc.) that can access the internet.  Even those that can be turned off:  Not allowed.  Cabin counselors will collect these on the opening day of camp and return them to their campers on the last day of camp.
3. Technology rules for counselors.  This is pretty straightforward, too.  You have the same rules as the campers while in the general camp and cabin area. You may not use any gizmo (phone, laptop, iPad, IPod) in your cabin area or any area for that matter, other than the CB (your counselor bunk).  You may keep your “gizmos” in there.  You may use them during your time off or after your campers are asleep in bed. And you may only use them in the CB.  (There are a few exceptions that we will explain during our orientation together.)
   But back to counselor technology….I would use your time at camp to be a time that you, too, take a break from the crazy world of texting, Facebook, YouTube, Skyping, surfing the web, etc.  You will have access to the Camp Nakanawa wifi, but you will find it has less and less of a draw as the camp days go by.  Try to take as much of a break as you can.  Go out on the lake with a counselor friend after your campers are in bed (instead of sitting alone on your computer inside).  You won’t believe the stars!  Enjoy your time talking with your new-found counselor friends.  You won’t regret it.
4. Counselors’ Social Networking Policy.  Nakanawa’s policy follows the policies of most schools.  Here goes:
   1. 1. Online presence:  As a camp employee, it is your responsibility to deliver our Nakanawa mission. This includes all dealings both inside and outside the workplace; both on and off duty.
      2. Content: You are responsible for the content of all text, audio, or images that are placed or sent over the Internet.  Do not use the name Nakanawa anywhere at any time.  (Use the word “camp” instead.) Use of abusive, profane, harassing or obscene messages will put you at risk for termination of your job. Do not share the names of any campers.  It is our duty to protect them and their identity.
      3. Profiles:  Make all profiles private, please.
      4. “Friending” people: If a camper is under the age of 18 and is not a staff member, Nakanawa prohibits employees from “friending,” “following,” “liking” or have a private association with them.  If you are already a friend of a camper (because you were once a camper, too), please set them as a “limited profile.”  Remember, your Head Counselors and Ann are on Facebook….and see all! Also remember, your employers (including Nakanawa) use Facebook as a screening tool.

One of the comments we hear from brand new counselors is that they wish they had brought some additional items (that are not on the official camp list.)  Luckily, Martha (pictured at left) remembered her handy dandy wild woman bone.  lol!  Just kidding.  (Have we really scared off all of the new counselors now?!)  Martha had the “honor” of being the Wild Woman for the circus.  Who knows what you might have the honor of doing this summer?

So, just to help you know some of the “extra” stuff that we might bring, here’s the start of a list:

Extras that you might want to bring to camp:

1. Construction paper for note cards (to write notes to your bunkies) – one of those multi-color “pads” is perfect.
2. Markers (for the construction paper notes), and/or paint pens (which can be used to decorate anything from a plastic cup to a flip flop.)
3. A book for yourself, and one to read to your cabin at devotion time.
4. Ipod speakers (battery-operated) so you can all listen to music as you clean up.
5. Crazy hats
6. 4th of July colors (shirt, hat, etc.), if you are here during 4-week.
7. A crazy costume if you have one….never know when you might need it!
8. Musical instrument if you play, to sing your bunkies to sleep (no pipe organs, please).
9. Extra non-uniform clothes for running, free day, days off, “after TAPS” (see your counselor notebook), and pre-camp.
10. A pair of sneakers or water shoes that you don’t mind getting totally soaked.
11. A small spiral notebook that you can record info about your campers. This is used in writing letters home to the parents (called “Mama Letters.”)
12. A sweatshirt, as it can get chilly at night, and last but not least,
13. A great sense of humor and fun-loving spirit!

But please know that you don’t HAVE to bring any of these extras, and there will be plenty of all of these around camp.

Start your packing…..Camp will be here before you know it!

Hello There!

Congratulations! You might not know it yet, but you have just changed your life in a great way by becoming a Nakanawa counselor. I should know, because I did the same thing four summers ago. I’d never heard of Nakanawa before, never known anyone who went there, and certainly had no idea how to pronounce it. (I called it ‘Nak awa nana’.)

At first, I was nervous that I would not fit in with the women and girls that have been coming to Nakanawa for generations. I had never worked a summer camp before and had no idea what to expect out of a camp that called their bathhouse ‘Egypt’ and woke us up with a bell. The first time I sensed that Nakanawa might be a wonderful place was when I received a reply from Ann Perron, the owner/director of camp, about an email I had sent a few hours earlier. The email I had sent had a long list of too many questions about things that I felt like I needed to know for camp. I was amazed that she replied so quickly and answered all my questions in detail. She even encouraged me to email or call her if I had more questions. I was impressed with the personal interest she took in helping me feel comfortable coming to a new place for the summer.

The most frightening minutes of my summer were those last few of the drive to camp. What would it be like? Would I make friends? What have I committed myself to for the next 6 weeks? However, as soon as I drove into camp there were people already greeting me and waving hello. As soon as I wandered up to the office porch to get my cabin assignment, a few fellow counselors offered to help me move in. These were women I had never met and yet they were so friendly. After moving in, it was time for lifeguard training. Being from the city, I did not have experience swimming in a lake. When I was told to jump in the lake and start swimming, I froze. The other counselors encouraged me and I took the leap into Lake Aloaloa. From then on, I knew the summer would be great!

Make no mistake, Nakanawa is centered upon the girls, and by that I mean every female from 6-80 on that campus. You’ll find quickly that being at Nakanawa teaches you personally far more than you will ever teach a child about tennis or canoeing. There are so many women that keep coming back to camp summer after summer because they love the place so much, and are eager to teach everyone the things that they have learned. You won’t be alone, I promise.

The one thing I wish that someone would have told me while I was getting ready to come to camp is this: be ready for some intense traditions. The first day in the dining hall is going to be a mind boggling experience, “You expect me to eat my bacon with a fork? Fourth the bread? What does that even mean?” You’re not going to get it all immediately, but it will become second nature soon. Just go with the flow, mouth the words to the songs, and slowly you will understand that these things that seem so foreign at first are part of what makes Nakanawa such a special place.

Surprisingly, it all gets so much easier when the bunkies come. You think you’ll never get through the first day, but then suddenly when all of the cars are gone, when what was previously a clean, empty cabin is now a dusty disaster zone and all the girls are in bed you realize: I can totally do this. Because after that, it’s the easiest job in the world. Sure you’ll work hard and be exhausted, but you will soon understand that it doesn’t matter if you teach them all how to shoot a bullseye from 100 feet. Your job, quite simply, is to love the girls. You love them, you accept them for who they are, you rejoice in their triumphs, and console them in their failures. That’s what being a camp counselor is all about, and why it’s different from being just a teacher. If you’re prepared to do these things, to work hard and to love, everything is going to be just fine. You are not alone. Everyone is working together for the benefit of these little girls, to teach them and help them become the best women they can be. If, in the process, we learn how to be our best self, then the magic of Nakanawa has worked.

I hope you now understand what I said in the introduction to this letter. The magic of Nakanawa will change you and touch your soul; embrace it, and I know you will find, like I did, that a little slice of heaven is located by a lake in Tennessee.

Best of luck! You are going to have a great summer!

Hi everyone,

My name is Tiny McPhillips.   That’s me with my camp friend of old, Holly, at one of camp’s Service Weekend events.  (I’m the “huggy” one on the right!)

When I was 8 years old my mother shipped me off to Nakanawa for 8 weeks! I had been begging to go since I was 4! You see, my mother and all of my sisters had been Nakanawa campers, so, naturally, I thought being a “Nakanawa Girl” was the greatest thing in the world! That was back in 1965, and I will be approaching my 37th summer at camp. You may wonder what kept me coming back all these years, and all I can say is that Nakanawa has become my home in many ways. Even with a husband and 4 children, I have continually felt the “pull” of the “Spirit of Nakanawa” every summer!

Now that my children are grown, and I have grandchildren of my own, I am blessed to continue to enjoy the presence of children in my life. During the year, as an assistant teacher, and in the summer, with the Junior campers. These days, with our “plugged-in” lifestyles of electronics and cell phones, Ipods, computers, etc.,it is very rewarding to witness the “unplugging” of the girls as they get settled in at Nakanawa. They are free to be little girls again- to be silly and play and enjoy nature and friendships that they will cherish for a lifetime, as I have.

As far as advice goes-people that know me will testify that I am “full of it” where camp is concerned! So here goes-

CABIN LIFE

Do you want a happy, congenial, caring, and thoughtful cabin? Do you want to love being in your cabin and hanging out with your bunkies?

Well, let me share the wisdom of one of my mentors, Casey Fisher, from my 1^st year as a cabin counselor. She told us that our first week needed to be spent earning the girls’ respect and obedience. Make sure they know who is in charge at cabin clean-up time, rest hour, and bedtime. Once you establish a consistent routine, THEN you can show them your “softer” side! I promise you, this is the best way to manage your bunkies-I guarantee this approach will work and free you to have a fabulous summer full of magical moments with your bunkies, instead of maddening moments arguing about what is expected of them!!

Another trick to cabin cleanliness is to straighten up at night before they go to bed. This is a great way to keep up with everything and not be so overwhelmed every morning. Who wants to wake up to a mess every day? Then after lunch, right before rest hour, have another short straightening up time. Cleaning in small intervals helps!!!

Keep in mind though, that all of this takes TIME-time spent IN THE CABIN…not in the Counselor’s Bunk (CB). The old saying, “you only get out of something what you put into it” applies especially to being a cabin counselor.

These little girls will love you immediately-give them your time and attention and you will make lasting relationships. Also, please know that the non-cabin counselors are there for anything you need-call on us! We are (or try to be) a wealth of information, patience, and experience!

Another point to bring up is our unity as a staff concerning cabin life. The campers need to know that we are all dedicated to giving them the best summer of their lives. Their parents are paying mega bucks to send them to camp-it is our job and our responsibility to make sure that their daughter is given enough attention, is well cared for, and is happy. I overheard a group of parents commenting about the condition of the cabin when they visited Nakanawa. One said the cabin looked like a bomb had gone off!!! One said that her daughter had lost many articles of clothing and no wonder when she saw how chaotic and messy the cabin was! It left these families with a bad impression of camp, and of the counselor. Moms and dads really want their daughters to learn cleanliness and personal responsibility at camp, and the condition of the cabin is a true indicator of how well their counselor has done in this area!

Your success as a counselor corresponds totally with the happiness of your bunkies. If your campers are well cared for and attended to, you will have done the job you have been hired to do!!

This is an awesome responsibility! I can’t wait to meet each of you, and congratulations on landing the best summer job ever! Please feel free to ask for my help anytime!

Sincerely,

Tiny

Every so often, a grandmother comes up to us and says the most amazing thing:  “Camp is just the same as when I was a young girl.  It hasn’t changed a bit.”  In this hustle bustle world, that isexactly the phrase that we cherish the most.  The values, the spirit, the emotion of camp linger and continue through the years.

We thought it would be nice, in this 90th decade of Nakanawa, to give you a little snippet of Nakanawa and its traditions.  Most of this is taken from the book, Nakanawa, The First Fifty Years by Margaret Hawkins Matens.  (You may purchase this item at camp.  The campers love to hear the stories of old, directly from this book.)

Let me tell you a bit about my friend, Pepe…..
by Shelly Duer Landau

As you probably know by know, Ann and Pepe are directors of Camp Nakanawa and have been for the past 39 years. We all understand how Ann found her way to Nakanawa…… First of all she’s of the female persuasion and secondly, she is Mitch’s niece. But Pepe found his way to Nakanawa via his “bride,” Ann.

Ann and Pepe were 29 years old when they became Nakanawa’s third directors. Pepe had already had a successful career in the poultry industry, working closely with his father in their family business in Georgia. When the call came to run a camp for girls, Pepe said he felt just that….. a calling.

And I can see that same “calling” today. As counselors, we are so busy teaching and taking care of our bunkies, that many times we do not see all of the behind-the-scenes work that Pepe does. I have seen a typical day in the life of Pepe Perron, and it is a long, full, busy day, for sure.

Pepe is the first to rise at camp, visiting the two camp dining halls, making sure all is set to go for the day, meeting the IWC truck, unloading the truck, all before our wake-up bell rings. He is usually at one of the camp flag raisings. What he loves most is to interact with the campers. How many times have I seen Pepe talking with a young junior camper before breakfast? They will be sitting together on the bleachers. Pepe will be asking the young camper how things are going. The little camper will be talking Pepe’s ear off about her favorite activity.

And speaking of activities, you will see both Ann and Pepe pop in to various classes. It may look random, but rest assured, they are checking in on a camper who may be homesick, who has some issues going on in her home life, or just may want to check in or a camper in order to give some feedback to a concerned parent.

Pepe makes his day look easy…..but it’s not. He is responsible for the entire physical plant at Nakanawa. That’s over 100 structures, with grounds larger than many state parks. Got a wasp nest? Call Pepe. An issue with any of the facilities? Call Pepe. An injured camper? Yes, that’s Ann and Pepe, too.

One of Pepe’s best roles is the leader of at Council Ring. Once a week, we gather by the council fire in the woods to celebrate the week’s activities and accomplishments. Pepe presides over the council, smiling at the campers, cheering on the challenges and congratulating all who receive their posture ribbons. After every council ring, Pepe will smile and say…..”It’s been a really good week.”

So whenever you see Pepe out and about camp, walk over and say hi. He loves to talk with all of us (campers and counselors) about our day, our activities, and (of course) our love of camp.

See you soon!
Shelly

Please read through the following list of committees and email your Head Counselor with your top three choices.  If you would be interested in being the “Head” of a committee, please indicate in the email.

Two Week & Four Week Junior Camp
Email Cindy DuBose at cdubos@neisd.net with your committee choices.

Two Week & Four Week Intermediate and Senior Camp.
Email Karen Rathgeber Hale at karen.campnak@gmail.com with your committee choices.

Counselor Committees:

Evening Entertainment – Plan all camp nightly activities such as skits, talent show, games, etc.

Sunday Afternoon Event – This group plans a fun, active, “station-to-station” type afternoon event, lasting about 3 hours.  It takes a lot of planning, attention to detail, and a spirit of fun.

Newsletter – Usually takes time (daily) to write down the day’s activities. Then it takes at least one hour Friday, Saturday and Sunday to write and complete.  You will be in a group that takes turn writing the weekly camp newsletter.  Karen will take your newsletter and upload to “Emma” our email engine. So no one is really in charge… We just take turns, week-by-week, doing a newsletter.

Photography – Big Job, but manageable with your schedule. Pictures on the Nakanawa web site are the life-line for parents.  On this committee, you will share in the responsibility of taking pictures at various events (classes, meets, evening entertainment, free day events) so that they can be uploaded to the web site.

Council Ring Coordinator  – (Intermediate and Senior 2 and 4 week sessions only).  You would be in charge of the entire Council Ring evening, making certain all individual jobs and recognitions are complete.

Council Ring Challenges – This group selects and lead the challenges once a week at Council Ring.  Challenges are little competitions among the council ring “tribes” (or campers.)

Council Ring Legend – The legend is a story (usually told from a Native American view) which is acted out by campers.  Your committee helps choose or write the legend, direct the story (campers), assist them with set up and performance once a week at Council Ring.

Fire building – You will build at least one fire a week (at Council Ring), but there are other (sometimes random) times you will be called upon to build fires: overnights, vespers, etc.

Sort and Hand Out Mail – BIG JOB! Just like it sounds…. you sort and hand out the mail.  If you are a 4 Week Senior counselor, do not choose this.  It’s just for Junior camp counselors and the 2 Week Intermediate counselors.

Outgoing Mail and Laundry – No you’re not doing the laundry, but rather handing out the laundry slips to cabins, making sure they put their bags on the proper pick up areas, and then organizing the laundry packages when they return from the laundry service.

Flag Raising and Lowering – You work with a different cabin each day, teaching and helping them with flag raising and lowering.

Commissary – Each day, the commissary is open after rest hour (and other times perhaps).  You sell stamps or items, or hand out apples or snacks.

Milk Break / Apple Break – Every day you help serve a morning snack. Yum!

Free Day – One day a week, we do something other than have classes.  But it’s not “free.”  This committee is responsible for organizing and implementing the activities of the day, from hikes to friendship bracelets to special activities.

Overnights – This committee organizes the overnights, making certain every detail is planned and implemented from food, water, devotion plans, fire building, etc. You also help generate excitement and enthusiasm among the other counselors and campers.

Sr. Camp Trips Coordinator – Senior 4 Week Session only. This is a BIG JOB.  You plan and implement the 5 different trips taken by Intermediate and Senior campers. Bring your best patience and organizational skills to this task.

Oversee Patrol and CB Clean Up  Every night, from lights-out until midnight, two counselors serve on patrol.  They make sure that the cabin area is quiet, and they are the go-to counselors in case campers have a problem while their counselors are out of the cabin, hanging out in the CB.  These same two counselors will also be responsible for cleaning/tidying the CB that same day.  Sort of a two-for-one deal.  The Patrol and CB Clean Up Committee will make up the schedule, make sure the tasks are complete, and fill in if need be.

Counselor  Church  This committee plans the one counselor church that takes place during the 4 week camp session (Sunday #3).  (So do not sign up for this if you are only doing the 2-Week session).

Counselor Vespers – (Not for 4 Week Senior session)  Vespers quiet reflective time spent down by the lake, Sunday evenings around dusk.  This committee will organize the vesper service.  It’s always a special Nakanawa tradition.

Inspection – BIG JOB!   This committee will inspect the cabins daily, evaluating each cabin based upon tidiness and cleanliness.  You will have allocated time to complete this task.

Lost and Found – This committee not only helps gather all lost and found items, but organizes it in the lost and found bin, then makes sure it gets back to its rightful owner as soon as possible.  It is best to do this on-going. The committee is also responsible for helping out with this task at the end of both camp sessions.

Posture  Yes… you would be “the posture bird!” Since 1920, Nakanawa girls have been proud of their good posture.  And  we recognize those campers once a week if they are sitting ups straight and tall.  It takes a committee to catch them sitting up tall.  If you teach a class such as glee club, arts & crafts, even canoeing, you may  be able to spot them in your class time.  Otherwise, you would take notes of campers’ names who have good posture, and present their names at Council Ring each week.

Event set-up
This is one of those behind-the-scenes jobs that is so important, happening in stealth, unnoticed way.  This committee is responsible for setting up the Wigwam or Council house for events such as team drawings, church, even some Evening Entertainments if called upon.

4th of July Event – Do not sign up for this if you are in the 2 Week Session only.  The afternoon of the 4th of July is a fun, action-packed afternoon filled with games and activities.  You and your committee will plan the events, organize and lead them.  (Oh, as well as clean up any messes, too.)

Circus – BIG JOB!  Though this is a Senior 4 Week committee.  The planning actually begins during the Intermediate 2 Week session. So sign up if you want a big planning (and fun) job, and will be on the Int/Sr side of the  lake for both sessions.  It’s a 3-ring-circus!

Slideshow Coordinator – Sr 4 Week – Member of TR’19.  If you are a member of TR19, and you are in the 4 Week Senior session, you could sign up to be a part of this committee.  It is a BIG JOB, and one that takes many weeks to pull together.

Cindy Alexander DuBose (TR’86) will be returning for her sixth summer as the Head Counselor for Junior Camp. This year she will be joining us for both the TWO WEEK and the FOUR WEEK SESSION!   Cindy has been a counselor and a camper at Camp Nakanawa since the 1980′s. Cindy coached tennis for 15 years and is the Academic Dean for Social Studies at Johnson High School in San Antonio, Texas.  Cindy’s fantastic experiences and memories from camp have inspired her to bring fun, friendship and love of camping to the young ladies of Nakanawa.  She is organized, well-prepared and always ready to listen to campers and counselors. Cindy is likely to be in the middle of fun, whether leading a hike or a late-night prank (following camp rules of course). Cindy and her husband David live in San Antonio, Texas with their handsome dog, “Buster.”