By Jackson Preston-Werner, age 12
I’m gonna be honest, us campers need to thank the counselors much more than we do. I’ll even admit that I don’t thank them enough, and that’s why I wrote this article. To bring attention to these wonderful people who help take care of us day and night. They’re so committed that they sleep in the same buildings as us. Now that’s commitment if they know how annoying we can be.
Thanks to The Yearly WriCampian thinking ahead of the game, two counselors were able to be interviewed. The first was Harrison Prak, who is a Lower Camp counselor and the leader of the Running Club. When asked what he’d change about camp, Harrison quickly said that he’d make the allotted time for Tracks longer. This would allow for the campers to have more time on their respective projects. What Harrison really wishes at camp is that campers would tell counselors where they are going so counselors wouldn’t worry as much. After being asked about his least favorite part of being a counselor, he said that he really disliked being stern with campers. On a happier note, Harrison said “I love working with kids, and I think you’re all special.”
Looking to the opposite end of camp, we have Lil Gellman, who in addition to being an instructor and leader of the Newspaper Track is pinch-hitting this year as one of three counselors in Wel B Yon. For Lil, the job of a counselor “is the hardest and most rewarding in camp,” and Lil shouted out fellow instructor Alice Bethke and fellow counselor Todd Sweeney, this summer’s intrepid, OG Wel B Yon counselors. Lil described the Senior Campers as talented, hardworking, sensitive, and very self-sufficient. Asked for their opinion on what they’d change about the camp, Lil replied that they would supply more hot water for the showers. Finally, Lil would like to let every camper know that although some counselors may seem strict at times, they need to ensure campers’ safety, health, and wellbeing, and “we want everyone to have as much fun as possible.”
We’ve been talking about the counselor’s opinions on the campers; now I think it’s time to hear what the campers have to say. A few days before this article was written, a survey was posted. This survey posed some questions, the first of which asked what campers might want to say sorry to their counselors about. Most respondents would like to apologize for staying up too late, then for not listening, then for yelling, then for saying rude words, then for not showering, and then for a lot of other random things ranging from interrupting, playing Gaga Ball too early, making their bunks late to breakfast, and taking the Hustleman lore too far (Keep in mind those are not all of them). But the main thing campers want to say is that they love that their counselors sing and dance with them, teach them things, play games, tell funny stories, and are just awesome in general! So on behalf of all of the campers, thank you counselors. We really appreciate and love you.
