Camp Champions Blog

We have reached the end of our first week of camp. Susie Ma’am and I have completed every Friendship Game/Man Cave and had a great time doing so. The campers and counselors have all found their camp rhythm and routine. Cabins have transformed from a mish-mash of individuals to functional groups.

Tonight, our evening event is Fiesta, which includes an outdoor picnic featuring Mexican food and tons of games and activities.  The campers love the variety and the ability to spend time with campers of both genders and all ages.
 
It has also proven to be an unusual learning experience for me over the years.  Let me explain.
 
I spent my Junior year at the London School of Economics.  One of our classes discussed the failings of the Soviet Communist economy.  Our professor explained that “bad incentives” led to terrible outcomes.  One example was a regional director who responded to clear, but ill-conceived incentives 
 
His bosses wanted to see a new convention center for a major conference.  They specified they wanted an impressive architectural statement and a certain amount of square feet.  They also provided a budget.  If he produced all of these things, he would receive a bonus and a promotion. 
 
But they never said anything about making it sturdy or having quality bathroom equipment. 
 
After 12 months, the structure was pleasing to the eye, exactly the right size and (after a little creative accounting) on budget. 
 
It, however, had a septic system that would experience systemic failure in less than 15 months.  The cement used for the structure was inferior and way below code.  He had cut back on structural steel.
 
Luckily, no one was hurt when huge portions of it collapsed during a late night earthquake 3 year later.  Actually, it was more of a tremor than an earthquake, but it essentially destroyed the building. 
 
Of course, the manager was long gone by the time the failures occurred.  He had stayed around long enough to enjoy the ribbon cutting, cash his bonus and plant seeds of uncertainty about his successor that would  assure that he got the blame for the inevitable future failures.
 
The requests from his bosses were reasonable: a reasonable size, meeting a budget, and creating an attractive appearance.  The incentives, however, were not well designed.
 
That brings me to Fiesta.
 
Fiesta generates trash.  Since it is a picnic, we have paper plates, disposable spoons/forks, plastic cups and miscellaneous items that campers might win at some of the booths.  [Note: we believe it is important to minimize trash and hate to use disposables, but we have learned that bringing permanent flatware and plates outside the FIllin’ Station (dining hall) means that flatware and plates end up in trash cans.  I know not why, but all efforts to deter their disposal have failed. I would hate to lose the picnics, so we live with extra trash a few times a term.]  
 
Back to Fiesta.  Campers put most of the trash into large trash cans, but a good bit ends up on the ground.  Two years ago, we offered a treat for any camper who brought us 20 pieces of trash.  A member of the leadership team stood next to a specific trash can and awarded campers with a cookie once they produced the 20 items of trash.
 
We underestimated their resourcefulness. 
 
Several campers took a plastic cup and tore it into 20 different pieces.  Viola!  Instant treat.
 
Others went to the other trashcans, pulled out 20 items, walked over to the leadership team member and received their reward.
 
A few people saw this as missing the point, but I saw a different lesson.  Rather than chide the campers for “breaking the rules”, we recognized that they were responding to the rules in a perfectly rational, even creative, way.
 
Now we frame the challenge differently.  Rather than make trash pick-up a game with rewards, we talk about being respectful and considerate.  We remind that campers that our dining room staff has worked hard to create a fun picnic, but they will need to clean whatever we do not pick up.  If we leave items on the ground, we are making life harder for people we should be thanking.  Please help the people who are helping us.
 
When we framed cleaning up as respect and kindness, they were much more responsive. 
 
We also still have rewards for bringing in extra trash.  But now we simply position someone next to every trashcan (so no one recycles trash) and say that only full cups count.
 
Ultimately, we all learned something.  And we did not even need an earthquake to learn it!
 
Steve Sir
 

Tonight is a laid back night.

One of my hopes with this blog is to provide you a feel for camp. Sometimes that means explaining a tradition. Sometimes I will share quotes from campers. Other times I strive to give you a glimpse of what it like to be a parent-aged “adult” at Camp Champions.

 

Enjoying Green Acres

On behalf of the staff and counselors at Camp Champions, let me welcome everyone that is joining us for our 50th continuous summer of camping fun!

We wait each year for this day: the smiles, the hugs, the laughter and the opportunities for growth! 

We have had our two-week orientation and we cannot wait for the first campers to arrive.  But we know that this is YOUR session at camp and we cannot wait to share our excitement and love with your campers.

I am delighted to say that this was unquestionably the best group of counselors I have ever had the pleasure of working with.  During orientation, they were focused, attentive and enthusiastic. We have a record number of international counselors who provide a fun, different perspective to camp (over 20 from the UK alone).   This group has been in sync for the past 2 weeks and are ready to practice everything that they have learned. They are deeply committed to our mission of helping children find their inner champions.  They understand the importance of safety as a foundation to fun and growth.  

They also know that they are not just serving campers, but they serve entire families. 

Susie Ma’am and I are both so excited to be working with this group.

After you dropped off your children, we had swim tests and tours.  The campers came together to write the rules for their cabin.  We believe that campers behave best when they believe their voices are valued and they collaborate.  

We just finished our first torchlight ceremony (I will explain this more in a later blog).  The picture I share shows campers walking with their cabins to torchlight.  We sang some songs, saw a skit featuring Susie Ma’am and enjoyed a short fireworks display.  We took time to assure our new campers that the odd traditions and songs will soon become familiar and loved.  I also stressed that we are all delighted to have them join our camp community. We love watching our returning campers reach out to their new friends and cabinmates. As my mom used to say, all campers have one thing in common on Opening Day – they all want to make new friends.

Now, your children are in their cabins.  They are enjoying their first “nightly ritual” – a time for reflection, conversation and sharing.  We started this tradition 4 years ago.  Since creating it, we have found that cabins are more cohesive and happier with each other.  They cultivate respect and gratitude.

The evening is cool with a slight breeze.  The stars are winking at us.  Simply stated, it is lovely.

Tonight, your children will sleep with their new friends and counselors.  Tomorrow, we will wake at 7:30 and embrace our first full day of activities.  It will be a full one, so we need to make sure that we all get a full night’s sleep.

Susie Ma’am and I have had the joyous pleasure to do this for 23 years.  We look forward to a full night’s rest as well.  After all, we need to keep up with a camp full of energetic campers!

I hope you enjoy this website.  Enjoy the photos and take time to read the articles.  We will provide you a nice one-way mirror into the life of camp.  Some of these articles are new, but many are tried-and-true favorites.  If you are a returning parent, please do not think we are getting lazy.  Instead, we want to give our new families a chance to see what we value and what we are striving to accomplish at camp.

Until we see you at closing day – have a wonderful few weeks!

Steve Sir

                                                                   

This morning, I read several stories about a soon-to-be-released study from the Harvard School of Education called “Turning the Tide”. It focuses on the college admissions process and makes several radical proposals.

This is a relevant re-post of a blog post by Steve Sir in 2013. As the holiday season approaches, all of us are wondering what the best gift for the important people in our lives might be. And to a grandparent, few people are more important than their grandchildren. Here's an idea that many families have found to be the perfect grandparent gift to their grandkids.

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Each fall, my wife and I get the same dreaded email from our parents:

“What do the Grandkids want for Christmas?”

Grandparents want our help finding the perfect holidy gift for the grandkids.  They want to give something that satisfies two criteria:

1. The gift should be something that the kids appreciate and enjoy.  In other words, they want a gift that makes an impact.
2. It should be something that is consistent with our parents’ values.