News

December 14, 2015

Choosing a Camp for Your Child

A camp experience is part of a child’s education, and a vital part of a girl’s education. As one Wawenock alumna attested, “An investment in Wawenock makes more financial sense than an investment in college. Wawenock taught me invaluable life skills. I just wish the whole world was like Wawenock.”

So, choosing a camp may feel like a big undertaking, where do you begin?

When considering camps, we suggest you look for professionals who seek to partner with you in the growth and development of your child. As camp directors that’s what Andy and I consider you are doing when you send your daughter to camp – you are entrusting us with one of the most important people in your life. You should feel that the camp you choose is an extension of your values and of who you are.

Think about what you are looking to get out of a camp experience for your child. There are camps that are created to be fun, with a focus on entertaining, and there are specialty camps which focus on building skills in one particular area. There are also camps, like Wawenock, that offer a wide range of activities and place an emphasis on human development and community building, while teaching valuable 21st century life skills, such as communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. At Wawenock, we believe in a camp experience which is focused on developing the whole child, because this affords children opportunities to challenge themselves and to grow as individuals, as well as members of a group. We are dedicated to creating a safe place for a girl to explore and discover her strengths and to take healthy risks that build skills. We strive to create a place that empowers her to be her best self, both at Camp and in the world beyond. Of course, we ALL have FUN in the process!

So, if you’re seeking a camp experience for your child, we encourage you to ask friends and families for recommendations, take a look at some websites and see which ones have messages that resonate with you. Then, call and speak with the Director to hear what their philosophy is and how it plays out in the camp. Ultimately, as camp directors, we want you to find the right fit for your child, so she can have a happy and successful growth experience. If you would like to discuss Wawenock for your daughter please call us at 207-655-4657 and ask to speak with Catriona (pronounced Catrina) or Andy.

Another great way to get to know a camp in the off-season is through Camp Gatherings. We will be hosting gatherings from as far North as Quebec and as far South as Virginia this winter. Wawenock Gatherings typically last about two hours, and are a relaxed and informal way to learn more about the camp experience. Prospective families have the opportunity to meet a number of people from the camp family – Andy and me as Directors, camp parents, current campers, staff, and alumnae. After a brief presentation about Wawenock, you will have a chance to engage with others and ask any questions which may be on your mind. In addition, your future camper will meet and interact with other girls in a structured and fun way.

Camp Wawenock Gathering Schedule:

December 21st: Madrid, Spain, hosted by Fatima Velez

January 16th: Montreal, Canada area at the home of Melanie Simard

February 14th: Winter Gathering and Sledding at Wawenock

February 27th: DC and VA area at the Carroll Family home in Falls Church, VA

February 28th: NY, NJ, CT area at the Fernandez Family home in Larchmont, NY

March 19th: DE, MD, PA area at the Greenville Country club in Wilmington, DE, hosted by the Gallagher family

April 3rd: MA and RI area at the Scheerer Family home in Duxbury, MA

May 28th: Spring Fling Clean Up Day at Wawenock

If you don’t see a gathering in your area, and would like to get to know camp in person, let us know so we can try to schedule a home visit. To R.S.V.P. and for more information, email office@campwawenock.com or call (207) 655-4657.

-Catriona

November 12, 2015

Wawenock Staff – Making a Difference at Camp and Beyond

“The Wawenock staff is totally aware and supportive of each camper in her daily life at camp, giving her love and confidence and success.” – Alumna and Mom, Nancy M. H.

It is the staff that makes the Wawenock experience so impactful – full of fun, learning and growth. I couldn’t possibly say it better than the campers themselves. Here’s why they love the Wawenock staff:

They are committed to help you succeed & willing to help you accomplish your goals
They are responsible, but they know how to have fun
They are easy to talk to; you can always ask them for help without being judged
They’re always friendly and respectful and positive about everything

“I can’t begin to explain how much my time at Wawenock shaped who I am. Being able to explore who I was becoming with a group of supportive, intelligent and compassionate women was so invaluable.” – Alumna, Nadege R.

As children and adolescents ebb and flow through different stages of development, their lives are filled with challenges and mini-lessons to learn along the way. As parents, we have all had our share of moments, struggling to know the right way to respond to our children, how to encourage them, perhaps even steer them in the direction we feel will help them become successful adults, all the while holding our breath and hoping they will respond positively. We feel responsible for our children’s actions, whether it be performance in school, social interactions with others or behavior at home and in our community. That is a big weight to bear all alone.

Andy and I feel so fortunate that we, as parents, have had the opportunity to have many partners in raising our children along the way. They have been impacted and influenced by a whole host of adults and young adults, and these people have become like family to us. We’re convinced that our unique position to have a constant stream of high school and college-aged women interacting with and mentoring our daughters has had a lasting impact on their development into well-adjusted young women.

I was intrigued to read an article by well-known psychologist and author, Michael Thompson, entitled Why Camp Counselors Can Out-Parent Parents, in which he supported this concept. He states: “In our age-segregated society, camp is the only place in America where an 11-year-old can get the sustained attention of a 19-year-old. In return for the attention of these ‘older children,’ campers will make sacrifices. They will follow all kinds of rules and adhere to all kinds of rituals that they would likely fight at home. When children return home from camp, parents are amazed. ‘She is so grown-up,’ they observe. ‘He is so responsible!’ a startled father exclaims. ‘He cleans up after himself.’ Another mother, amazed at her child’s growth in only a month, remarks, ‘He tries so many new foods!’

There’s just no contest between parents and counselors. The college students are vastly better looking than we are; they are truly cool and they have dazzling skills. When children need a summer filled with growth and change (not to mention fun and glory), I tell their parents to give camp a chance.” No wonder Wawenock campers love and admire, and aspire to be like their counselors! Read more about the Camp Wawenock Staff.

– Catriona

May 28, 2015

The Gift of the Wawenock Camp Family

We are constantly reminded what a gift our camp family is! We feel so fortunate to be at Wawenock and last Sunday’s Connect and Clean Up day reaffirmed just how special the Wawenock Camp Family is! Campers, Parents, Alumnae, Staff and friends came from as close as Raymond, Maine and far away as China to help prepare Camp for the coming season! With a team of 40, we managed to accomplish a great deal! It’s amazing how quickly the beach gets raked with 10 people, led by campers Meghan and Erin who will be part of the Leadership Training Program this summer! An amazing amount of sticks and slash was cleared from the pathways by another team of about 20! The pottery hut was cleaned out, the tennis nets were raised and a brand new Gaga pit was built! Though we were working hard, and some sore muscles were reported after the fact, there was a clear sense of purpose, with everyone pitching in with passion, from the 8 year olds to the…older ones!! Additionally, the sense of camaraderie was evident and the opportunity to enjoy each other’s company was relished during our end of the day barbecue (pun intended!). We all managed to have some fun playing tennis, trying camp’s new games – spike ball and gaga, or simply relaxing in the sunshine. Nine brave people even had a dip in the lake! Thanks to all who attended and helped us begin to prepare for the coming season. The excitement for Summer 2015 is palpable now – less than 4 weeks away and we’re counting the days!

May 7, 2015

Forest Management at Wawenock – Timber Harvest Winter 2014-2015

Did you know that 60% of Wawenock’s property is held in a Conservation Easement? That means it will be protected from development forever! The creation of a conservation easement was a long-held dream of the Usshers and a priority for June Gray. Andy, Catriona and Pat also agreed that there are many benefits to protecting the forest that collects and filters the water entering Camp’s cove, houses wildlife, and prevents erosion of the property from excessive water run-off. June was thrilled to see the process of partnering with an organization reach a successful conclusion in 2011. We were all thrilled to know that the forests surrounding Camp and buffering us from adjoining properties would forever remain natural – allowing campers to explore the wonderful woodland habitat around them without encumbrances of buildings or development. The partner who holds the easement is SWOAM – the Small Woodland Owner’s Association of Maine.

SWOAM visits Camp every year to monitor our easement property, ensure that no development is occurring, that the land is maintained utilizing best practices, and that we meet our goals of protecting and preserving species diversity, nature habitat, and the overall health of the forest. Part of maintaining a healthy forest is having an active forestry management plan under the guidance of a licensed Maine Forester. Our forester, Greg Foster, got to know the Wawenock property when working alongside his father, who partnered with Lillian and Syd Ussher in the management of Wawenock’s woods for many years! We do not need to log every year; thinning to improve the balance and health of trees every ten to twenty years is typical for most sections of the forest.

We wanted to tell you about our recently completed forestry work, which includes some areas of the property where trees have been cut for the first time in many decades. With the goals of forest health improvement, species diversity maintenance and thinning of some older trees that reached their maturation date, the forester marked trees to be felled throughout the uncut easement sections, as well as in some places on Camp’s remaining property. Cutting occurred mostly to the left of the delivery road and the road that continues beyond the dining room, winding up to the Images and Archery and Riflery ranges, as well as select thinning of trees that posed safety hazards closer to Middler Hill and Ussher Lodge. The area closest to The Images was selectively thinned to preserve, as much as possible, the look and feel of the shaded path that we all know and love.

Because it can look a little unsightly and dramatic at first, there is a desire to rake up every last twig, branch and stick that is visible from the trails as a result of the tree work. We have begun the clean-up process required to reduce fire risk and to make getting around Camp as easy and practical as always, and we will definitely pay some attention to aesthetics in key areas. However, we are also reminded by our forester and our consultants from SWOAM that when we create spaces for unfiltered light to reach the ground, the resulting ‘slash’ quickly gets tamped down by rain, snow, and falling leaves. Furthermore, it becomes an excellent nursery for new tree growth, provides small meadows where wild flowers and seedlings have sunlight to flourish and creates patches of grass for grouse and deer to graze upon. Perhaps most importantly, the branches, twigs and needles provide excellent resistance to water run-off, allowing the vernal pools in the woods to be sustained and for erosion of soil around Camp to be kept to a minimum.

When the water soaks slowly into the land instead of running off, it is filtered clean and our conservation easement becomes a really important factor in the permanent health and clarity of Lake Sebago, for this and future generations.

If you have any questions about Wawenock’s Forestry Plan or Conservation Easement please ask us any time. If you would like to help us with some of the clean-up of the property prior to opening day in June then please join us on Sunday, May 24th for our annual Camp Family Work and Play Picnic Day (great group, great food and great fun!) or let us know when you can make it here and we’ll gratefully put you to work any day that you’re available!

– written by Andy Sangster

timber harvest — Timber Harvest on the delivery road

view of Mt washington — Lake Sebago from the Images, land which is protected by Camp’s conservation easement

April 14, 2015

Join Wawenock’s Green Team and Celebrate Earth Day!

BLUE AND ORANGE GO GREEN

Join us and other Maine Summer Camps on April 22^nd to celebrate Earth Day! Take a picture of how YOU live sustainably (recycled artwork, gardening, a meatless meal, a morning carpool, or anything else!) and post it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using the hashtags #MSCEarthDay and #CWLoveOfTheNaturalWorld to share with our camp family!

Wawenock’s commitment to sustainability and environmental education is a big part of our camp’s philosophy and history. Love of the Natural World as one of the Ten Component Parts of Wawenock Spirit and Camp Service groups, such as Composting and Recycling, are just two of the many ways that Wawenock demonstrates that sustainability is a priority.

This year, I’ve been a part of the Maine Summer Camps Sustainability Committee where, with other camp representatives, we’ve discussed how camps can continue to reduce their environmental impact. We’ve connected with Green Camps Initiative, a non-profit that created an accreditation process to help camps realize the positive environmental, educational, and economic benefits of sustainability.

I have begun working on Green Camps Initiative’s Groundwork Certification, an entry level Certification that will identify Wawenock as a sustainable camp. As one of the camps leading the charge, I presented in a Webinar with Green Camps Initiative to help others see the benefit of working through this Groundwork Certification.

2015 Staff and Campers – We need your help! Consider joining the Green Team this summer to help preserve our beautiful cove, educate others on sustainable practices, and brainstorm ideas for the camp family to bring back to their home communities. We’re so excited for the work the 2015 Green Team will do to keep Wawenock beautiful for future generations of Wawenock girls!

Post by Kristy Andrews

Green Team 2009

March 30, 2015

CIT Training Weekend

Give me a C, Give me an I, Give me a T…what does that spell? C-I-T! The 2015 counselors-in-training gathered at camp on March 6th to begin a (Harry Potter themed!) weekend focused on the transition from campers to staff members. In attendance were myself, Colby N., Sara R, Linda F., Lauren O., and Sarah S. Out of sight but not out of mind were María P., Willa H. and Kristin R., who are also gearing up as CIT’s for summer 2015 but, unfortunately, were unable to join us for the weekend.

I had very few expectations about what this weekend would entail. I had attended the winter weekend for seniors for the past three years, which included sledding, games, all-you-can-eat super sundaes and Lillian’s popcorn! However, we were warned that the weekend to train us to become staff members would not be all fun and games. When everyone arrived around nine o’clock on Friday evening, it was straight down to business. We worked on getting to know each other’s strengths and accomplishments by sharing the things that made us stars—literally!

On Saturday, reveille blew at 7:30 and soupee was at 8:00 am. Straight from breakfast, it was back to work. The day was spent learning about the team at camp, and the roles that every staff member plays in that team. We worked on understanding the importance and responsibility of taking care of campers and being an effective role model. One of the things we found most surprising was how much preparation the leadership training program had given us, for becoming effective staff members. Although staff members have more responsibilities and authority, it was comforting to know that our transition from campers to staff members would not be as difficult as we originally thought it might be.

On Sunday morning, we had our final meeting together before we had to head out to the airport and train station. We all walked away from the weekend with a better sense of ourselves and who we wanted to be as staff members. I am very excited to take on a new role at camp and challenge myself. Of course, CIT weekend got us all SO excited for summer 2015! We can’t wait to welcome campers and start our new journey as staff members in less than 90 days!

-Kelsey W., 2015 CIT

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