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Daryl Bogues-Overnight Coordinator-Vespers

As most of my friends or anyone who knows me well would know I am not the biggest of public speakers. So writing and delivering a vesper, for me was not going to be an easy job. We all have previous ones that we will always remember. So I decided to look at these for motivation.
 
Now, I do have a page where I save quotes that I find either enjoyable or motivational to read occasionally. So I decided to use one of these quotes for my vesper.
 
Some of you may know it; it goes a long the lines of, ‘yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. And that is why it is called the present.’ For me, I feel this is brilliant for camp. We should appreciate what we have with us here and live in the moment.
 
For most of us our camp experience may only last 14 days each summer.  For some of us it may be our first, third or unfortunately our final year at Coniston.
 
Camp provides us with so many opportunities that we may not get anywhere else. Where else can you climb the ropes tower; jump off the high dive; paint in arts and crafts; act in the drama show; or even go on an overnight, sleeping around the lake surrounding by the stars, all in one place.
 
As some of you may know Coniston has a number of different pillars or values that they focus upon, inclusion being one. For me I feel that this is one of the most important. It makes us all feel welcomed and at home here. We all come from different places, all with different personalities. But it is all of us that helps make camp the great place it is. Creating bonds and friendships that will last a lifetime.
 
Some of my greatest memories have been at Coniston, even though I have only spent three summers here.
 
Before I got here I knew no one, and it was the first time I had ever been to America. As soon as I got off the bus I didn’t know what to expect, but I was greeted by staff and instantly felt welcomed. I have since met some of my greatest friends here. Most of these friendships have helped create memories that I will never forget. Much as the time in 2018 when Colin had convinced all of camp that it was my birthday, only about 6 months too late. Or even in 2019, the simplest times of kayaking the lake with some of the overnights team; Matt, Izzy or Zoe. It’s these friendships and memories that I hope will last forever. And I hope all of you are able to say the same.
 
There is still plenty of time left to try new things, live in the moment and create new friendships.
 
The things we regret most, are the things we wished we had done sooner.
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Cabin Counselor Kaitlin Braun Vespers

My name is Kaitlin and if you were to ask me my preferred mode of transportation my response would be a silver 2018 Subaru Forrester with orange detailing. 

I love to drive in this car—it has rallied up well over 3000 miles in the last two years. I also love being alone while driving. I have full autonomy over the music, the temperature, the speed, and the destination. Having the ability to get myself from point A to B or meet up with a friend at any given point is truly a freeing feeling, however, I often forget the financial tolls the freedom is accompanied by. While the car can seemingly drive forever, granted there is gas in the tank, I do not have an endless supply of money to fill it up.

While driving provides a physical sense of fulfillment and gratification, being an outlet for my friends and peers provides me with an emotional one. Simply I feel great joy in knowing I am someone people can go to when they desire being heard. As with driving, I wish being a part of my friend support system was also something I could do without having some sort of toll accompany it. I wish I could listen, support, cheer-on, hug, cry, laugh, and console a friend at any given moment with a clear mind and full heart. I, however, am human and so are all of you, which means we need time to recharge. Much like my back burner concern regarding the financial toll constant driving takes, I often subconsciously disregard my own mental “bank account” if you will, midst of being a part of others support systems. I forget to take time for myself, reach out to my own support system, and remember that I, myself, am allowed to have off days.

Finding a balance in the things you love to do, regardless of what they may be, is essential to living a healthy lifestyle. Being mindful of the fuel you designate to the attention and time you give others is wildly difficult, but wildly necessary. A car cannot drive without gas, and acquiring gas requires money. You cannot be a support for those around you without being conscious of your own needs and that requires strength.

I leave you with this; do what brings you joy 100% of the time, but do remember to account for how much gas you’ll be burning through because every output requires an equal input in order to be sustained.

Now I am going to play a song that reminds me of a group of people who never fail to remind me of this message. Beige by Yoke Lore

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Annika Randall-Fellow-Vespers

My name is Annika. Annika means gracious. Annika is the African pronunciation of the Swedish name Ahnika. My Dad is African American and my Mom is Swedish so together my name is the perfect combination of everything I am made up of.

I am made up of all the people I’ve encountered and all of the things I have experienced. I hold the warmth of strangers waiting to become new friends on check-in day, the butterflies and nerves before jumping off the high dive, the laughter of my best friends, the knowledge of a new recipe learned at cooking. I hold the wisdom of each vesper, the silent giggles and shhh’s at siesta. I am made up of all these people, all you people, and these moments with each person you’ve met and every moment you’ve had this session.

Take some time to think of the knowledge, lessons and love you have gained from those and this place surrounding you. All of these make up who you are.

I would like to say a few examples that make up who I am this session.

From Zoe, I am made up of the comfort and feeling of home I have with her.

From Annie, I am make up of being silly and embracing craziness.

From Yolanda, I am made up of the power a big welcoming smile can have on a new friend.

From everyone here, I am made up of admiration for you all for taking the huge leap of adventure for coming to Camp with so many unknowns, along with many others. These people inspire me and have left a mark on who I am this session.

Every person and every moment influences who you are. No matter where we originate from, Sweden or Africa, you are the perfect combination of everyone and thing in life. I encourage you to spend the rest of this session (and your whole life) embracing all that you can collect from those with different backgrounds, lifestyles, experiences and add these to what makes you up. We are all so special and uniquely ourselves.

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Colin Grip-Trip Leader-Vespers

   So it’s been a little while since the last time I was at camp. I started as a camper in 2010, was a CIT in 2015, and spent the next 3 summers after that on staff. But in 2018, I knew it would be my last summer. So with the exception of helping out for a week in 2019, I left. I moved on, lived my life, and left camp in the rear-view. 

          So when I found out I had the chance to come back this summer, I was nervous. Every single person from my CIT year is gone, almost all of my friends from staff are gone, and even most of my old campers have left. I spent half of my life at camp, but as the years went by away from it, it began to seem more distant. Some memories started to fade, I went longer and longer without seeing old friends, and seeing camp continue every summer without me made my time there begin to feel insignificant. So I was excited to be coming back this summer, but I was also scared, and didn’t know what to expect.

          That is, until I moved in yesterday, and it felt like I was returning home. I’ve seen some of my old friends from staff, I’m lucky enough to see my old campers being the new leaders of camp, and even a couple of my old counselors are still kicking around somehow. I’ve been reminded of the things I did in my time, from little things like being asked about a game we made up in landsports 4 years ago, to the important stuff, like an old camper sharing how my Co and I helped influence his life. In just one day back, you have all made me feel like I never left. After forgetting much of it over the years, you’ve all reminded me of my impact on camp, but more importantly, all of your impact on me.

           So why does this matter, why am I telling you this now? It’s because I’m not unique. Every person that steps foot at camp leaves an impact. I’ve see the current staff talking about the impact my old friends had on them as counselors, I see the way they interact with you campers to give you the best 2 weeks possible, and I see the way you campers bring the life and energy that makes camp special. Every single person in this ring, whether it’s your 1st year or your 20th, has made Coniston what it is today, and that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

          In a couple of days, this session will be over. Some of us will be here the rest of the summer, some of us will be back next year, and for some of us this might be it. No matter what happens though, whatever you do, don’t take these last days for granted. 

           I challenge you to use these last days to make the best and biggest impact on the rest of camp that you possibly can.

           I challenge you to say thanks to the people who have left an impact on you over the last two weeks, two years, or however long you’ve been at camp.

           And most importantly, I need you to never forget how important you are to this place, and your ability to impact people’s lives. Because as you’ve all taught me, you’ll always have a home back here on the lake.

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Social & Emotional Staff Training by Board Member Katie Smidt

Hi there! My name is Katie Smidt and I’m a member on the board of directors at YMCA Camp Coniston. I attended and worked at Coniston for 13 summers and now I’m a clinical psychologist working in organization development work for the Veterans Administration. I’m also eagerly awaiting summer 2028 to be able to send my daughter to Coniston for the first time.

Last summer, I provided a virtual training to staff members on understanding the different components to an emotional experience that may affect some of our campers. Helping staff to understand the relationship between our thoughts, physiological responses, and behaviors can be useful to be more sensitive and aware of how certain emotions can impact our campers. We all know that the past 2 years in particular have been especially challenging, and raising awareness of the impact this can have on us can only improve the comfort that campers might feel.

I used an anxiety provoking situation as an example to help staff consider how they might be able to pick up on how a camper might be feeling. We can ask someone to describe to us how they’re physically feeling, or what thoughts are going through their mind, but we tend to be have the easiest time detecting that someone’s having a challenging time through their behaviors – what they’re actually doing.

The training also helped staff to consider ways to offer support and validation to their campers if they’re having a particularly difficult time. Sometimes, a camper may not want to talk with a staff member about what they’re thinking about or what might be bothering them. And that’s okay. Staff were encouraged to consider other ways of helping a struggling camper come back down to their baseline level, or at least adjust the way they’re feeling – such as encouraging a change in behaviors (like going for a walk together, modeling a deep breathing exercise if a camper is particularly worked up, and helping a camper to be more in tune with what they might be feeling in their body).

Finally, the training had a large emphasis on the importance of self-care – both for campers and staff. Camp is an incredibly exciting, action packed place with countless opportunities for fun with friends. And, a gentle reminder to all that having some downtime and quiet time can be really useful. We all have different ways to recharge – for some, having those social interactions really helps to energize us. For others, we might need that reset by reading, lying down, or going for a quiet walk. There’s no right or wrong way to recharge – it’s all very specific to each individual. And I think that can be really helpful for both staff and campers to understand that. Thanks for tuning in – here’s to a great summer!
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Coniston in the Community!

YOUTH AND GOVERNMENT GOES VIRTUAL 

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This year, YMCA Camp Coniston staff, along with dedicated teachers, worked virtually with Stevens, Newport and Kearsage High Schools to deliver Youth and Government sessions to serve 300 teens from 30 schools throughout New Hampshire. Coniston’s main role was assisting the press corps—a body of a dozen students from different districts that write, edit, and publish newspapers during the sessions. Sessions were held virtually, which allowed students to communicate differently and perhaps change the process for planning in the coming years. We look forward to the 2022 sessions this March!

YMCA Youth & Government is a national program of the Y that involves thousands of teens nationwide in state-organized, model- government programs. Students from every corner of the U.S. have the opportunity to immerse themselves in experiential civic engagement and to, quite literally, practice democracy.

 

THE BUDDY BENCH

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YMCA Camp Coniston has a new Buddy Bench. Thanks to John Tilley for the idea, James and Aaron in maintenance for building the bench, and Session 5 campers for painting!

Our Arts & Crafts Director, Barb Hawley took it to the next level—as we like to say at Camp she Barb’d it up a bit with some friendship quotes. Barb’s true mission is always to share the joy experienced while creating art and that is just what she did with us. We can’t wait for the bench to see many new friendships formed on its comfort!

“Sit here and be a friend, make a friend, love a friend… give your time and your ears.”

 

K-9 SEARCH & RESCUE TRAINING

We were glad to see Northern New England K-9 Search and Rescue return this past winter and spring to use Coniston’s facilities and grounds, free of charge, for training purposes. The group is the main search and rescue group for VT, NH, & ME and is called into duty when hikers and skiers are lost in the outdoors. With Camp’s record breaking forty-forty inches of snow the conditions were perfect for training. We thank this group for their wonderful service in keeping the New England outdoor community safe!

 

HYPETHERM VOLUNTEERS

 
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Hypertherm volunteers worked for six full days at Camp to help us get ready for the summer! Several of the volunteers were Coniston alumni and we had a wonderful time welcoming them back to Camp. We can’t thank all of the volunteers enough for all of your hard work. We could not get camp ready without you!

 

 

NEW LONDON NH ROTARY

 
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Thank you New London NH Rotary for helping us get ready for the summer! They provided us with 2,000 masks and what a difference that made! They also visited Coniston for their annual meeting at Camp the Friday before Labor Day!

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Coniston in the News!

Read on to find out what our wonderful Alumni have been up to this past year!!

Coniston was featured on the New Hampshire Chronicle!

Sean McDonald and Audrey Cox with the New Hampshire Chronicle visited Coniston this summer to try out some of our Camp activities!

 

 

Parents speak about Coniston nationally!

 

Coniston parents, Abbigail Chau and Anna Caccavaro, along with John Tilley, spoke with Yahoo!Life about camp this summer in an article: Camp is back! Here’s how it’ll work and why families can’t wait: ‘This is a summer of healing for our kids’. 

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Click to read the full article! 

 

John Tilley was live on New Hampshire Public Radio!

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Before summer began, John Tilley was live on NHPR NH Roundup with Laura Knoy talking about overnight camp and camping.

 

 

RECORD BREAKING SNOW AT CONISTON!

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On December 18th, Camp’s home town was featured on Good Morning America for having gotten one of the largest snow totals in New Hampshire!

 

 

CONISTON PODCAST!

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Look out for future announcements on our social media about our upcoming PODCAST!! Our Summer Camp Director, Nicole Berthiaume, has created this podcast and has been recording sessions with our wonderful summer staff about how life on Lake Coniston echoes through all of our lives. If you are interested in being a guest on our podcast please contact nicole@coniston.org.

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Career Development Program

As part of our college and career development counseling initiative, current staff members received special opportunities during the summer to meet with our alumni and parent communities all while learning about the process of college applications.

This summer, high school aged LITs (Leaders in Training) had the opportunity to attend a Common Application / College Admissions workshop and older staff members were provided with a Resume Writing workshop, all offered by Jennifer Tockman of Colby-Sawyer College.

If you are are willing to speak to younger staff about the college search process, please reach out to jesse@coniston.org.

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Alumni News!

Read on to find out what our wonderful Alumni have been up to this past year!!

A group of alumni spent a changeover together— Meaghan (White) Bonin CIT ‘98, Erin White former camper and 90s staff, Berta Sinclair Coniston living legend, CIT ‘96, Mary (Blaney) Hughes CIT ‘96, Kelly White CIT ’96, and Tim White – CIT ‘00. Mary and Kelly’s daughters attended session 3, and Meg’s daughter hopes to be joining them in 2022! It was also the 25th Anniversary of Berta, Mary and Kelly’s CIT year!

That’s right! Katie Smidt, ’04 CIT, ’10 & ’11 Girls Camp Director and current member of our Board was on the docket for some virtual staff training this year. Katie taught our staff about how to care for campers and their own mental health this summer.

 

 

Former camper and staff member, Andy Miller got married to Alexandra this past! Congratulations to you both! We are so happy to see so many Coniston alumni at your special day.

 

 

Big congratulations to Rachel Adler, former camper and staff member, on her marriage to Alex Dixit! It is lovely to see so many Coniston friends there to celebrate your wedding day.

 

Ben Kamisar got engaged! We hope you have a beautiful wedding day!

Michelle and Gabe Faithfull got married! Congratulations on your magical day!!

Josh Bates got engaged! We hope you have a wonderful wedding day!

Katie and Matt Comstock are expecting their first child! Congratulations! We can’t wait to meet the future camper!

Kyle Leahy, former CIT Director and camper, got married to Olivia. Congratulations!

Cassie Short Cassie Short got engaged to Bobby McLaughlin. They will be getting married in June 2022!

 Liz Dion graduated from Ohio State University with a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. Congrats Dr. Liz!

Dylan Lustig and his wife Katie, welcomed their baby boy, Jack, in January! Congratulations Dylan and Katie. 

Ken Sneider, took 3rd place in the 5th annual San Francisco Sourdough eating contest, with a finish of 3.5 loaves!

Coniston parent, Chris Winship, represented Coniston during his backcountry camping trip in Yosemite NP!

Coniston alumnae Georgia Rivett Mills, Lily Himmelman and Jesse Ladd have moved in together in London!

Helen Segil started her own pottery business – Sludge House! Check out her business on instagram @sludgehousestudio

Kate Powers is making history in Portland! She is an ultimate frisbee player for Portland Rising, Portland’s first women’s professional ultimate frisbee team!

Chris Lovejoy Coniston alumnus, has just released his first solo single ‘On & On’ on Apple and Spotify. Check out his music video on YouTube!

Catherine Merkt moved to London to work at a Family Law firm after graduating law school, and has now moved back to her hometown of Geneva, Switzerland to complete her legal training.

Catherine has been working for a year and a half in a top family law firm as a trainee lawyer, and will take her Geneva bar exam in October 2022! She hopes to further her interests in child protection and women’s rights in the future. Good luck Catherine!

 


Yes! That is Conistonian and legendary drama director, Allie Luecke on the Guardian modeling her sleeping bag up-cycled into a puffer jacket. On Allie’s instagram page @allie. upcycles she shows people how to make their clothes fit better by letting out a seam, or creating a brand new piece from a garment that you love, but just isn’t working for you any more.

 

Jake Stetson just started a position in Flight Test Engineering at Boeing. He flies primarily on the 737-10 which is a new plane working towards getting certified. He flies on the plane with the test pilots and a number of other engineers. His role is to monitor and manipulate the total weight and center of gravity of the airplane during the tests. He also acts as the cabin safety focal where he is required to be CPR and First Aid certified so he can handle any safety issues in the cabin of the plane during testing. Amazing work Jake!

 

Walker Horton graduated from UVM with a degree in Computer Science and Information Systems!

Chloe Parker, former Drama Director, welcomed her baby boy, Harley, this past year!

Talia Ungareli graduated from UVM with a major in Animal Science. She is now at Gladys Porter Zoo, Texas, working as an Animal Caregiver/Trainer for gorillas and large carnivores.

Colin Grip met up with his former camper Eddie Scott. They both just started grad school and undergrad at Duke University together!

GeIzabelle Serrentino just got accepted at the University of Arizona! Congratulations Izabelle!

11-year-old camper, Quinn McCarthy, volunteers with the Pascack Valley Navigators as a student mentor, helping children ages 5 – 18 with special needs learn the basic skills of various sports. Great work Quinn!

Bert Myer shared this lovely photo with us. All of these children—sons and daughters of former Coniston campers and grandchildren of Coniston—connected friends—attended Camp this summer at the same time! (The photo is a few years old).

Ronan Carroll, Ryan Berger, Cameron Dunphy, Cal Donnelly, Otelia Donnelly, Owen Dunphy, Thomas Berger  and Wesley Berger. 

 
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Fall Chronicle – Director’s Message

This summer, we were together again. We played together, worked together, ate together, and laughed together. The smiles we saw on children’s faces every day made a difference and this was because of the hard work, sacrifice, and dedication of so many. There are countless memories from the summer of 2021, but the one that will never disappear is the feeling of connection and togetherness. We returned to where we flourish and become our best selves and created the extraordinary community where we are all valued and supported.

On the walls of the Sander’s Leadership Center hang four banners—Community, Leadership, Civics, and Service—concepts which embody the Coniston Experience. On the following pages, you will find inspiring stories highlighted by these concepts,moments of celebration from summer, days of adventure, and lessons in resilience.

You’ll read about the relief which was felt by being surrounded by a supportive community, the joy of being utterly silly, and the pride that comes from accomplishing new things.

We hope these stories bring a smile and give you the feeling of hope. As we look to the future, remember Camp is not just a place you go for a weekend, a week, or a month, but an idea we carry with us as we all try to leave the world—and each other—a little stronger than before.

Read the Fall Chronicle