Summer 2021

Thursday was what we lovingly refer to at Camp as a PMD, or Perfect Maine Day. The sun was shining brightly, humidity low, and the lake animated by a refreshing breeze. Thursdays are elective days so the girls were all over Camp enjoying different activities of their choosing. Some were in the pottery hut keeping busy with hand-building and new glazing techniques; some were sprawled on the hill with books, friendship bracelets, and journals; some were dancing and giving piggy backs to one another on Owaissa Lawn; some were volleying on the tennis courts, and still others were taking advantage of the moderate wind to sail beyond the boundaries of the Cove. Some of our Seniors set off on a Maine Adventure, backpacks hoisted on their shoulders as they prepared to hike and Camp over the next couple of days, and the Wayseekers enjoyed a boat ride around the lake with their counselors and friends. 

We’ve had our share of rain at Camp thus far, and it’s not difficult to imagine what this might look like outside of Camp, where technology beckons with promises of easy entertainment on wet days. However, in the absence of this type of distraction, the campers have kept themselves busy with board games, card games, crafts of all sorts, meaningful conversations, and imaginative play. Activities have more or less proceeded as usual, the girls tolerating weather conditions with open minds and intrepid spirits. Technology has no place at Camp. When it is used, it is used thoughtfully and with intention, and only on rare occasions. Even the staff set aside their phones, welcoming the respite from their devices and choosing to spend their free time reading, embroidering, hiking or running in nature, relaxing on the beach, or just hanging out with each other. They will be the first to tell you that the distance they maintain from technology during the summer enables them to destress and enjoy living in the moment.

We might think that it would be difficult for kids to separate from technology at Camp because of its prevalent use, but the opposite is true. They don’t miss it at all. When asked what the benefits are of being at Camp without access to their devices, they express relief. Many of them comment that they feel liberated from the anxiety provoked by social media and a digital culture that permits trolling, body shaming, and cyber bullying. They feel unburdened by the constant barrage of texts, notifications, and stressors invoked by news feeds. They find there is less conflict in their relationships since social interactions take place face-to-face and in real time, with productive dialogue enriched by nonverbal communication. Instead, they say, they are immersed in an environment that allows them to reflect on themselves rather than on the lives of others. They use their time in healthy and productive ways, recalibrating their attention to focus more on “the little things” and the world around them. They also comment that it’s hard to miss technology at Camp when there is so much to keep them busy, and without the disturbance of devices, they readily approach novel experiences that help them to discover more about who they are. Sure, they miss their friends from home, and are initially taken aback by the lack of immediacy with which they can be in contact with the outside world, but wow do they love camp mail! To see them running to the mail hut, or making their way back up the hill or row or Lodge tripping over tree roots and each other as they tear open and read their letters, is a sight to behold!

Rain or shine, PMD or otherwise, Camp is a place where we live simply. Instead of texting, we talk. Instead of scrolling, we sing. Instead of sitting, we dance. In place of stress, we find peace. This summer we may be “together unmuted,” but every summer we are together unplugged. The digital world we are drawn to inhabit outside of the confines of our summer cannot hold a candle to the beauty and wonder that fills our senses at Wawenock.

 

At the beginning of the summer, when we sit down with Wawenock staff and ask them which Component of Wawenock Spirit resonates most with them, many cite Respect for Others as the catalyst for creating an intentional, authentic community defined by genuine, healthy, and enduring relationships. Others mention Loyalty and the role it plays in the continuation of a Wawenock experience that embraces and engages alumnae, and eventually many of their daughters. Still others talk about Effort and Initiative as the foundation for the resilience and perseverance the girls demonstrate as they strive to advance their skills in a wide variety of activities. However, when speaking with staff who grew up at Wawenock, Love of the Natural World is mentioned repeatedly as a value instilled in them over summers spent nestled in the beauty of the Wawenock trees, lakeshore, and vista. It was at Camp that many of them first interacted in a meaningful, reciprocal way with the environment, and it was at Camp that their burgeoning curiosity ignited a passion for the Earth and its wonders. 

Love of the Natural World shows up in the many traditions and rituals of Camp. We “kneel always” and are reverent when we light a fire. In the Dining Hall, we sing of white caps that appear on the waters of Sebago and of bending birches. We sit on the Images every Sunday night to watch the sunset, the magnificence of which is represented by the sharp contrast of orange ties laying upon our blue blouses. We hike and camp out. We go on Loon Hunts. We splash around at the Rocks. We are lulled to sleep by the lapping waves of the lake, and we wake up in the mornings to bird song. We shun technology. We buy local. We exist in a symbiotic community, giving of ourselves while benefiting from the gifts of others, and of course, we can’t forget the magic of OLS (Outdoor Living Skills)!

One purpose of OLS is to inspire Love of the Natural World. It is intended to provide opportunities to directly interact with the beauty and mystery of our surroundings in ways that promote inquiry and observation. There are built in engineering design challenges, such as constructing and improving upon shelters. There is also an exploration of the physical laws of nature when campers create and float rafts, build fires, and use compasses for orienteering. There is an element of conservation practice when they study and utilize composting. There are basic survival skills taught during lessons on first aid. The girls become botanists when engaged with plant identification, and you could even say they are discovering the tasty science of gastronomy when making s’mores! All of these skills and concepts are implicit in many fun hours of learning that bring joy to the girls as they embrace and are embraced by the marvels of the natural world. Undoubtedly, it helps that they are guided by counselors who inspire because of the passion they bring into their teaching. 

Our Head of OLS, Sophie Kunz, a rising senior at North Carolina State University, is majoring in Natural Resources and Administration. She is concentrating on protecting threatened and endangered species through policy and law, and she is planning to pursue an advanced degree in Environmental Conservation. Sophie credits her summers at Wawenock for inspiring her devotion to the natural world, and she and the OLS staff are committed to exciting that same devotion in campers, passing on the legacy of Love of the Natural World to this generation and those to come. This past Sunday, as Lodgers helped us to reflect on Love of the Natural World while sharing quotes by the likes of Emerson and Thoreau, Sophie shared her own reflections about how Love of the Natural World continues to play out in her own life. Click here to read Sophie’s Love of the Natural World Vespers Speech. 

 

This is the promise we make to the girls as they descend upon Owaissa lawn their first full day of camp, blank schedules in hand, running from table to table to sign up for activities that they get to choose. Wawenock is not a one-activity-fits-all kind of camp; campers do not move around as a cabin group or unit through a prescribed day of programming, and they are not handed a “balanced” schedule that requires them to participate in activities they don’t feel good about. Instead, the girls are emboldened by self-determination to seek out experiences that will excite and inspire them. In fact, they are not allowed to abandon the scheduling process until they’ve generated their “dream schedules,” working with the directors and counselors to ensure that they will have every opportunity to spend their days engaged with preferred activities. Camp has the structures and routines in place that allow for this kind of freedom and flexibility; there is a framework, there are explicit expectations, and there is an appreciation of the responsibilities inherent to the practice of choice. 

There are numerous benefits to The Schedule of a Lifetime. With six possible activities to select, plus swimming, it is likely that the girls will necessarily choose some activities that were unplanned or that will stretch them outside of their comfort zones. Girls who enjoy staying on the waterfront might find themselves hitting targets on the archery range. Girls who prefer the arts might find themselves paddling canoes into Hawthorne’s Cave. “Hey!” they will say. “I didn’t know I would like this so much! I didn’t know I could do this!” The important distinction is that the girls are choosing which “unintended” activities they will pursue. They are deciding for themselves what new path to forge, and this will foster a sense of autonomy that is about more than just growing up. It engenders the self-confidence to do certain things and become independent, the ability to act and think for themselves. It develops self-esteem by nurturing a stable and rich inner life that will help to prevent boredom and diminish dependence on others. It also sends the message that we trust them, and that we are proud of their accomplishments. In allowing for self-determination, we encourage the campers to take initiative and to try challenges they can most likely handle. When we disempower children, when they lose sense of control over their own fate, we create environments in which they are more likely to disengage and feel anxious. Instead, we provide them with a learning climate in which they have some skin in the game. We are setting them up for growth opportunities that will promote intrinsic motivation and resilience. 

To walk around camp is to see the embodiment of joyful learning. Not everything will be easy, but The Schedule of a Lifetime engenders the buy-in necessary for grit. It cultivates the power of YET: I chose to do this, I want to do this, I can’t do this YET, but I know I can get there because my counselors believe in me and want to see me reach the goals I’ve established for myself. And it’s true that not every activity the girls choose will be one that they love. That’s important, too. Sometimes the path forward as we figure out who we are involves first figuring out who we are not. Campers know there’s always next summer to try something new and different, to move them further towards their own truths. The Schedule of a Lifetime is not simply a promise that camp is a fun and enlightening place to learn. As is stated in our philosophy, “fun is not WHY we are here; it is a wonderful bi-product of a happy, creative, secure group of people – all sharing a summer of discovery, growth, and friendship together. The confidence and security we each need to learn, laugh, and love with others is only possible because of the structure and supportive environment that is created by community members.” To build this kind of community requires that each person feels respected, valued, and known, and this is the promise of The Schedule of a Lifetime: this camp is yours. This camp is ours. We are going to create it together.

 

We are thrilled that that the 2021 season is underway, and we were able to welcome back our full camp family to their summer home! The sailboats are moored, the Super is anchored, the water is warming, and PDFs hang at the ready. The horses are stabled, the targets are posted, the court’s nets are tightened, and wood is stacked at our campfire site. The dances are choreographed, the stage has been set, the clay’s ready to mold, and craft supplies have been stocked to the hilt. The energy at Wawenock has been electrified by the anticipation of staff, and to say we are all eager for camp to come alive with the vibrancy and vitality of the girls is a measureless understatement. Wawenock spirit is burning bright!

Each summer a theme is chosen to help set the intention for camp. This year, the overarching theme is TOGETHER UNMUTED, THE STORY UNWRITTEN. For over a year, the girls have had to navigate environments in which they’ve been told repeatedly to silence their voices. Quite literally, as they’ve joined classmates and teachers in a remote learning environment, they’ve remained in a near constant state of muteness, the chatter and conversations that characterize a spirited learning culture dampened, red microphones disturbing a gallery view of children eager to engage. Well, it’s high time for change. This summer, in our sacred space, voices will fill the air. Songs will be sung. Cheers will be cheered. Dreams will be shared. Laughter will resound. We will gather in this sheltered cove, together unmuted, to tell the unwritten story of the Summer of 2021. It will be a tale of wonder, with a setting defined by our lake and woods and sunsets. It will be rife with dynamic, inspiring characters whose own stories coalesce into an adventurous tale filled with poetry and prose and exciting plot twists. Comedy, drama, and fantasy…it will be a story for the ages, captured as it unfolds by a community of girls and women who have never been gathered as such before, their voices and memories seeping into the earth of our camp grounds as ink seeps into the page. 

During pre-season, as staff sat together, unmuted, on the Images at Vespers, watching the orange cast of sunset illuminate Sebago, we reflected on what a gift it is to be unwritten. What a gift to be here. What a gift to be part of the unfolding narratives of our campers, and the unfolding story of Wawenock for Summer 2021.