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.
