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Staff’s Stand Out Moments From The Summer

We spoke to some staff members about their favorite moments from Summer 2021! Read about summer staff’s Dylan, Cullen and Jamie’s favorite summer memories.

We got a really bad rainstorm on the day of the Ice Cream Social. So for the whole day the topic on whether the ICS was going to happen or not was very nerve racking and it kept everyone on the edge of their seats, not just the campers but also the counselors because we love it just as much as they do. Unfortunately the rain was really bad and they had to postpone the ICS to a few days later (lucky for us we had the first ICS social in the middle of the day which was pretty awesome). But something really cool that happened is that within about 10 minutes, the program office came up with an evening program and it was to turn your cabin into a crib. I do not think I have ever seen my campers get so bummed out and then end up having one of the best nights at camp. We had a bean bag chair, LED lights, they had their hats hanging up all around the cabin, kendamas doing cool tricks, and we also had music going as well. Seeing them so excited about what they created made me feel so happy and even for me, it was definitely one of the best nights throughout the entire summer.

Another fun moment at camp was during cabin night. It was either Session 3 or 4 and we did kickball, but put a little twist on it. Every time the campers scored a run we would spray them with the hose and by the end of the night we all were soaking wet. Our main goal was to make sure that no one left the A-field dry, not even the counselors. Also on the A-field, another cabin was doing a slip and slide as well as another cabin doing tag with shaving cream. And near the end of cabin night, all of the A-field went crazy. There were campers chasing after me with shaving cream as well as campers going on the slip and slide and people sliding everywhere because at this point, it was not really a field anymore. But I think this really shows what camp is about. We do not need a specific plan or schedule, all that matters is that the campers have fun and create fun memories. Sure we were supposed to play kickball, but the fact that we all ended up having fun together made the night really special. Anyone can play kickball, but can they do it while getting chased by campers with shaving cream, not unless you are at Coniston. This has been one of my favorite memories at camp so far, and this will be my tenth year and I have a lot of memories already!! 🙂 This is what makes Coniston so special and unique, the only plan for the entire summer is to have fun, and the path to get there is never the concern, the only concern is that everyone leaves camp with a smile on their face!

Dylan Steward, Cabin Counselor 2021

One of my favorite memories was jazzercise day on gfro. Basically we would all dress in neon and have a jazzercise dance to start us off and then at the end of the class we would have a huge freeze dance game but when the music stopped everyone would jump into the water and swim to the line as fast as they could. It was a huge hit that the campers really enjoyed. 

Senior division night was also a lot of fun for the campers. Viking ball as always was a huge hit especially since it was the first time for all the campers due to the missed summer. We also had a big party on the a-field for another division night which we called kickback with a bunch of different activities that campers could choose from depending on what they wanted to do. We had two huge bins full of water balloons that led to a giant water balloon fight which was so much fun and it got everyone involved which was a great sight to see!

One special experience was during free time a few days before the drama show. I had a boy in my cabin who was the lead role in the play. When I walked in, I saw some of the younger kids were having trouble. I watched the lead boy take them aside and explain to them what they were supposed to do and how to fix their lines and such. It was such a cool moment being able to see one of my campers step into almost a counselor role for the younger kids. There were a lot of great experiences this summer but these definitely stood out for me. 

Cullen Steward, Cabin Counselor 2021

It is definitely hard to pick just one favorite, but up at the top of my list of evening programs would definitely have to be Tik Tok night. The camp was split into the hype house vs the sway house, and campers went around to stations to win likes and money for their house. Campers were super into the Tik Tok themed stations and it was awesome to see them so excited. 

Of course we also did the Olympic Games style color wars during all of session 3, and it was so fun to see campers try to win points for their “country” all session long. They could win points through things like winning an evening program, winning cabin clean up, or finding rocks hidden around camp etc. Campers would literally spend all of free time searching for rocks, it was hilarious. On Sunday we held the Olympic Games and they could earn mass amount of points for their teams, complete with a torch lighting opening ceremony. 

We also ran a camp-wide game of Among Us for a Sunday program that went really well! One cabin each round got to be the imposter and try not to get caught by the rest of camp while doing tasks around camp. 

Jamie Woods, Program Director 2021

 

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Coco — Mexican staff share their culture with Camp

A highlight from this summer were the stunning Drama Shows. In particular, our session 3 drama show, Coco. For those of you that were lucky enough to be involved with this show or to have watched this show know how special it was. If you haven’t seen the Disney movie Coco, it is a story inspired by the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead. We had a large number of staff this year from Mexico, including our two drama directors Alma and Sylvia. 

Alma and Sylvia shared with us why they felt it was so important to create a show that shared their culture with the rest of Camp

The idea for Coco came from a conversation we had together. We wanted to create a play that was complex in the aspect of cultural exchange that we wanted to capture in scenes.  We  wanted to share our culture and the best way that we found we could do this was by putting on the Disney show Coco. Coco is a touching story, many of the elements of Mexican culture are brought together in this movie and that is why we chose it since we did not want something cliche about Mexican culture.

We chose Coco because we love the Day of the Dead. In Mexico it is a wonderful tradition that we celebrate with our families, the food, the flowers, and the meaning; we believe when we die our souls go to the Mictlan, the underworld. Our families or relatives put an Ofrenda with our favorite food, beverage, a portrait, flowers, and sugar skulls to remember how we were in life and tell our future generations about us. For Mexicans, death is very important because it allows us to transcend, being the bridge between our ancestors and the new generations.

We wanted to bring a piece of our homeland to a corner of the world where they probably had never heard of the Day of the Dead. It was very important for us to share our roots with the camp since we saw their traditions and interactions on a daily basis and we wanted them to understand a little bit of what we experienced on a daily basis in Mexico. 

It was a magical process, from the elaboration of the costumes and scenery, to the staging, which we had to contextualize to the children so that they could understand the reason for many dialogues and actions that for our Mexican children is their daily bread. We included many Mexican influences, such as: traditional sugar skull makeup, the scenography of the Mictlan (the underworld), traditional death paper cut that was designed with our own hands, the traditional orange and purple flowers (Cempasuchil) that only bloom in the months of October and November that show the way to the Mictlan, as well as the traditional Ofrenda with candles, portraits, and food. The costumes we made were also influenced by Mexican culture. We made long skirts for the dancers and hand-painted skeleton shirts, as well as other shirts with the design of traditional flowers from a specific state called Oaxaca. A classic and fun reference we also included was the sandal when a mom corrects your bad behavior, we loved to explain to the campers and drama staff the meaning and why moms do that. 

Making Coco was very important to all of the Mexican staff. They were willing to participate in everything from making paper flowers, painting t-shirts, and attending rehearsals for the songs we sang at the beginning of the show. They were very excited and proud to do it. We all sang “La llorona”, at the start of the show, because it is a classic of Mexican regional music. 

Many of the Mexican staff cried, touched by the show. Some of them were homesick, that’s why they cried and felt closer to everybody. For Mexican staff sharing this tradition was significant. 

We carried out the play with a lot of love and dedication, like all the work we do at the camp. However, Coco was one of the works that we liked the most because it allowed us to approach a different culture with our hearts in our hands, starting from a place full of magic, equality and appreciation.

To be honest, at first, we were nervous that the show would not be well received by the campers and the staff but it was a great surprise and relief that they were so excited and curious to learn about Mexican culture. We loved everyone’s reaction to watching the show. We are very proud and happy to have been part of this great experience making Coco.

Alma Julieta Martinez Bello and Sylvia Hernandez Deunas, Drama Directors 2021

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Alumni and Volunteers Helping to Make the Magic Happen

Countless alumni and volunteers from around the United States jumped in to lend a hand as the challenges of the pandemic forced us to pivot to ensure a safe and fun summer. Without the passion and creativity of these generous individuals summer wouldn’t have been as successful.

THANK YOU to the Coniston Nurses who went above and beyond with numerous pre-camp meetings to prepare new protocols to ensure campers and staff stayed safe and healthy this summer.

THANK YOU to Dr. Lester and New London Pediatrics for being on call more than ever to help us through our COVID testing and decision making on protocols.

THANK YOU to alumnae, Sara Noble and Liz Morris, along with Board Chair, Mary Helen Morris for spending countless hours preparing PCR testing kits so check-in could run smoothly.

THANK YOU to Chef Mike & Jan Lambrecht, along with the entire kitchen staff working hard with the challenges of the food shortages to keep everyone fed and Chef Mike for only taking two days off all summer to make it happen.



THANK YOU to alumni Kelly Condon, Jennifer Hamel, and Nick Newberry who worked in our kitchen to help us through the kitchen staffing shortage.

And THANK YOU to all the alumni that made check-in days possible—Emma Tilley, Beth Worthington, and Izzy Glennon who greeted families as they arrived at Camp, Patrick Noble who helped parking run smoothly on the A-field, Shannon Rush and Kathleen Moore for running the Camp store, Beth & Brian Doucet, Jack Berthiaume, and Caitlin Elgert who assisted with the camper health screening/COVID testing, and Jen Deasy and Carter Bascom who welcomed new campers as they unpacked into cabins.

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LOON’S EYE VIEW: Summer 2021 Recap—A Summer of Highs & Lows

By 2021 Girls Camp Director, Francesca Grandonico

As I sit here from my home-office in Boston in my fall sweater, I find it hard to believe that it has been just over a month since many of us said goodbye to the summer as the allegedly catastrophic hurricane Ida rolled in just in time for Session 5. As I can imagine was the case for many of us on staff who are embarking on new stages in our lives, this past month has been a non-stop transition for me, without a moment to take a step back and reflect on the summer. Now that I can finally take a breath, I feel ready to celebrate the storm that was the summer of 2021, and highlight some of our team’s incredible work. Looking back on the summer, I can confidently say that I have an overwhelming sense of pride in the quality, perseverance, and character of every member of staff for years to come.

When we first arrived at camp in June, however, it was a bit of a different story.

We all wondered how the unprecedented nature of the past year would look at Coniston, a timeless constant for all of us, but a place which hadn’t made any drastic changes (or taken a year off) in any of our lifetimes. As the senior staff began to prepare for the summer, we found ourselves presented with a seemingly endless (and somewhat unanswerable) flood of questions. What extra support would our campers need after a year of isolation? How would homesickness be amplified this summer? Will our staff members who missed their CIT/LIT summers feel prepared to lead a cabin? How will we use the hundreds of benches the maintenance staff built? Is gaga COVID-friendly? (I wish I was kidding) What about Coniston Singers? What will the ice cream social (ICS) look like? What generational knowledge will be lost on staff with two new co-counselors? What would masking look like? What if someone got sick? Two breakfasts? Outdoor dining? The list went on and on. 

I wanted to be Girls Camp Director knowing that this summer would present some additional challenges, and because it would be many of my former campers’ first year on staff, but when we sat down for our first morning meeting in the corner office with this fat list of unknowns, I gotta admit I was nervous. 

This summer was tough for many of us. While the pictures on Instagram and Facebook showed so many of the genuinely great little moments, (thank you Margaret & Lorraine) they did not always capture the true challenge for staff that was running Coniston amidst a pandemic after a summer away. Outdoor dining wasn’t always fun. We missed some of our international friends who couldn’t make it overseas. The majority of staff were first year staff members. More campers than I had ever seen before were in need of mental health support and older campers were homesick. Check-in day Session 1 was… long.

If Coniston has taught me anything over the past 11 years, it is that if you present a team of strong-willed, passionate, hard-working young adults with any challenge, they will rise to the occasion. And they sure did. Staff gave us constant feedback about what their campers were struggling with, and we made adjustments each day to try and meet their needs. Every challenge faced this summer was met with resilience, competency, and boldness of staff and campers alike to find creative solutions. A third period land sports class readily helped staff move dozens of benches to the clearing behind the dining hall for what might have been the most epic talent show of all of my years on staff. Our new international staff members from Mexico, Columbia, and Switzerland brought an incredible and needed vibrant energy to camp. Meg Davis and Katie Bosco used their fellowship which focused on mental health to become a fundamental support and line in the chain-of-command for staff and campers to talk to and work with. For campers who needed additional help and worked with therapists at home, we connected them with their therapists over the phone who reminded them of their existing coping strategies and how to apply them to camp, to ensure that they could make it through their two weeks. 

Outside of the challenges, this summer was one of progress and one I am so proud to have been a part of. It is hard to explain, but the culture at camp this summer felt different, not because of the pandemic changes, but perhaps because of the new generation of staff setting the tone and leading the way for all of us. Staff was vibrant and excited, representative of the years and years of enthusiastic counselors who came before us, but there was also an added level of social consciousness indicative of 2021. For the first time, staff and campers actively and enthusiastically introduced themselves using their pronouns, which made it known that all Conistonians were welcomed. Without question, we called campers by the names they identified with, and opened ourselves up to learning and growing as a culture. 

I sent a feedback form to staff a few days ago to ensure I was representing the recap of the summer properly, and I was overwhelmed by the depth of their responses. I am excited to share a few of them here.

When asked “What are some positive changes camp made this summer?” one staff member shared, “I cannot discern the cause of the change, but the staff atmosphere was more kind and welcoming, especially among Boy’s Staff.” 

Another staff member shared this intangible feeling of inclusion, stating, “We created a space for everyone to express themselves in any way they chose and added pronouns when introducing ourselves!” 

While missing a summer of camp impacted the confidence of our staff initially, having fresh staff members in the majority allowed for a somewhat of a reset and rethinking of our culture. A Co-Ed Vespers that I had started during my own fellowship in 2019 became a cemented tradition, boy’s staff made special shirts for their ICS song, and we had open conversations about identity and respect. Coniston continued to be the place we all know and love, while adapting to the latest understandings of how to be welcoming and inclusive. We even added equity and inclusion into our core values! 

Another question I asked staff to reflect on was, “What were some of the most rewarding moments of your summer?” One staff member wrote about a wonderful moment with her camper that I thought was worth sharing: 

Watching my campers go from being homesick and insecure to sad about wanting to leave camp on the last day was so rewarding—this one camper, in particular, brought tears to my eyes the most. I had a camper who very much wanted to leave on the first day of the session. After talking with her one-on-one and giving her coping strategies to deal with her homesickness (one of which was journaling!), she soon started a camp journal of everything that she loved about Camp. She wrote down every detail of each day and was never seen without her notebook. One day, when we were walking back from Vespers, she grabbed my hand and hugged me from behind, whispering, “I love camp. I never want to leave.” It brought tears to my eyes to see how far she had come.

This is just one anecdote of the hundreds of stories each camper and staff member holds in their hearts, and the perseverance and strength of each camper and staff member this summer will carry with them to prepare them for future challenges and hardships, just like it always has. On the last few days of camp, when everyone always tries to see who will be back next summer, I was pleasantly surprised that every single person I spoke with answered with an unequivocal, resounding yes. While of course we always have a high staff return rate, there was something about overcoming the challenges of this summer that brought staff closer together than I ever had seen before, and created something truly special. 

Summer 2021 will go down in the books. For all of us who were on staff this summer, we know that this quick recap does not capture the lowest of the lows and the highest of the highs of those few months; but it was my best attempt. For families who sent your children to camp this summer for the first time, thank you for taking the leap of faith and trusting us with your most treasured loved-ones. Looking back on this summer reminds me that Coniston is not just a camp, it is the most indescribable feeling of joy, love and support that we all need a little more of in our lives. Coniston Community, let’s take that with us this year and give out a little extra love and camp spirit, because we are so lucky to be a part of something so beautiful.

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Camp Winning Spirit — Good News

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For 25 years Coniston has offered a care-free fun weekend at Camp for children and their families who have experienced the struggles of living with pediatric cancer. It was Aiden’s first time this summer and we were so happy to have met him and his mom, Sam.
Camp was AMAZING!!! I watched this kid just dive right in and just be a kid doing camp activities with so many new friends. I had a hard time keeping track of him because he was so comfortable being with kids his age he forgot to check in 😂.
 
Let me tell you, watching your little boy paddle away to kayak with his friends is a weird feeling. On one hand I was so happy he was trying something he had never done but on the other hand I was so nervous because, well hello, he’s floating in a lake with 1.5 legs!!! No fear I swear. He let me join him the next day though.
 
He stayed up late, played games, did gymnastics, and even figured out with the other kids how to play Gaga ball together. To see other kids hop around on one leg to even the playing field seriously made me want to cry. The compassion hit me so hard.
 
Aiden is already looking forward to next year at Camp winning spirit! The counselors, parents, and kids were just so welcoming to us and we can’t wait to see them again.
 
—Mom
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Cheers to a Great 2021 Summer

We love appreciate hearing from our community so much. Thank you for all your kind emails, phone calls, and social media posts. This summer was a success because of all of us—together we can accomplish anything! We hope you enjoy a few of the accolades we received below.

I wanted to thank the Coniston staff for putting in the enormous amount of work I know it took to make this summer work around all the changing dynamics of this pandemic.  Our daughter got to do the service trip she has been looking forward to for over 2 years in addition to an incredible Sessions 3/4, and our son was back for Session 4.  While our 16 year-old daughter shed some tears today, she would not trade the bittersweet transition back into “civilian life” for all the world.  As cliche as it sounds, Coniston truly is a home away from home for them both, something they carry within their souls throughout the school year until summer rolls back around. I don’t know what you put in the lake water there but it is truly magical!!!

Also a shout out to the Service Trip counselors who created an unforgettable experience amid challenging weather conditions for our daughter who had not camped apart from her overnights at Coniston and LOOOOOVED it despite all the rain. Those kids bonded in their 11 nights beyond her expectations.

Thank you again for making this happen and have wonderful year!

—Camper Parent

Thank you to all the staff of Camp Coniston for providing our children a summer of laughter and wonderful memories and building friendships. Thank you for the great care you have shown to all our children.

—Camper Parent

I started Coniston at 17 and ever since that beautiful place has been so special to us, to our children, and now our grand girls! Thank you for taking great care of my three granddaughters this summer.

—Camper Grandparent & Alumna

Thank you to all who pulled off another Amazing summer for our kiddos big and small, and still navigating this never ending pandemic.
 
—Camper Parent

Thank you Camp Coniston for being a light of fun and hope for our kiddos during a difficult time. We know it was extra hard this year and we appreciate everything you were able to do!

— Camper Parent

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The Impact of Being a Coniston Tutor

LEARN MORE ABOUT CONISTON TUTORS

Last winter, through a grant from NH Empower Youth Program, we launched an alumni based virtual tutoring program. The mission of the new program is to give students the additional support that they need to succeed. The program utilized Coniston summer staff members who are recent college students, and Coniston alumni who are teachers, to engage students with their studies and help them in areas where they struggle. Tutors meet 1:1 with a student virtually once a week to provide help with one or more academic subjects and/or test preparation in an effort to support academic success.

The program began with New American students from Concord, NH and we quickly expanded the program into Newport, NH. Our goal will be to offer this program to all Conistonians in the near future. If interested in becoming a tutor or receiving services, feel free to reach out to our Director of School Based Programs, Emily at emily.hewes@coniston.org

We hope you enjoy the testimonials below from first time Coniston Tutor’s—the impact was felt by the entire Coniston Community. If you are interested in become a tutor or receiving services you can find more details at the link above.

My time as a Coniston Tutor for the New American community in Concord, NH was incredibly impactful. When I spent time with my tutee I wasn’t just helping him learn geometry and history— I was forging a real, genuine connection with someone who could not have lived a more different life than I have. We found small things to connect over (a mutual love of TikTok, pepperoni pizza, and knock knock jokes), but also talked about his life plans and career goals. The more time I spent tutoring him, the more acutely aware I became that this program is about a lot more than after-school homework help. Towards the end of the school year, my tutee would show up to our sessions excited to show me his grades on the homework we had worked on together. This translated into him being proud; not just of his grades, but of himself.

I would recommend being a part of this program to anyone and everyone in the Coniston community. It was a way to give back, to help others, and (most importantly) to connect.

— Anna Feins

Weekly tutoring sessions allowed my student to pass his class and avoid summer school, and  allowed me to connect with someone I wouldn’t otherwise have met. I felt great knowing I was helping someone who needed it, and it made a difference to him to knowing that someone who had recently been a stranger cared about him and his success. I would encourage everyone to try their hand at this program, even if they’re a little nervous about it — there’s nothing like that moment when a student understands something which had mystified them before! 

Thanks to YMCA Camp Coniston for putting this together, it’s such an important resource for the community!

—Charlotte Perkins

At camp we see social and emotional growth happening all the time. Coniston tutors has been a great way for me to connect that with academic growth during the school year! I love that camp can now support kids in many dimensions and year-round.

—Kathleen Moore

While setting goals together at the beginning of last school year, my student identified qualifying for the National Honor Society and finding new ways to practice photography as ambitions he aspired to achieve. Throughout the school year, he worked with the Yearbook Committee to take photos and even enrolled in an independent study course in photography. In the spring, we heard the fantastic news that he had qualified for, and been accepted to the National Honor Society. I am so unbelievably proud of what my student accomplished last year and feel very grateful for the opportunity to support him along the way.
 
Through the success and growth of the tutoring program, Coniston has demonstrated how its commitment to helping children and young adults grow extends beyond Lake Coniston and into the surrounding communities. I feel very fortunate to be a part of this program and am eager to see it develop in the years to come. The person I am today has been directly shaped by the lessons I’ve learned and the people I’ve met at Coniston. I’m sure other alums feel similarly. Serving as a tutor is one way I can give back to an organization I believe in and a community that has given me so much.

—Gray Kaegi
It can be hard enough during normal circumstances to provide effective instruction to students. During this past year especially, it has been harder than ever to provide many students with the assistance needed to conquer subjects which their normal curriculum may not teach them properly. I myself did not learn as successfully through my former middle school’s mathematics program, and it took self study to master many of my curriculum’s skills. Different kids learn differently, and it has been a privilege to support students through the Coniston Tutors program in navigating material with individually-focused lesson planning. My student gained confidence with mathematics, history, and time management; and ultimately he didn’t have to go to summer school because of all that we accomplished. Coniston Tutors is a remarkable opportunity to grant educational assistance to the camp community. I am thrilled to have been able to chip in to this amazing effort and give back to students who faced challenges similar to those I faced. 

—Nevan Hughlett
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Returning a piece of Coniston History thirty years later

Alumni, Jared Reid shares a wonderful story about YMCA Camp Coniston and how a piece of history got returned to the rightful owner, Alumni, Kitter Spader.

After reading Kitter Spader’s spotlight piece in the Coniston Chronicle I began to think about a piece of history that may have been linked to him. I had heard that Kidder was the director of waterskiing before I arrived at YMCA Camp Coniston and I had heard about the famous waterski shows that were put on by their staff.  When I became the waterski director I was fascinated with the giant round plywood disk that the previous staff would ride on while sitting or standing on a wooden chair. There was also an early Burton Backhill snowboard that had been altered and made into one of the first ever wakeboards by screwing a waterski skeg onto the bottom of the board. 

At the end of 1995 camp season I asked everyone at camp Coniston who the board belonged to and no one really knew. I decided to acquire the board as a piece of snowboarding and Coniston history.  This wooden snowboard was my prized possession. It traveled around the United States with me from Boston to Virginia Beach to Seattle and then back home to Western Massachusetts. It was going to be the focal point of my future mountain house.  

The alumni spotlight got me thinking about how Kitter Spader may have been it’s original owner. When I brought my two children camp for drop off I saw who I thought was Kitter from the picture in the magazine.  I went up, introduced myself, and inquired about a piece of Coniston history that was left at camp over thirty years earlier.  I think he was amazed that the board still existed and that I knew where it was.  I asked him if he wanted it back after all this time.  He said yes.  Two weeks later at camper pick up we met up again.  He told me some of the stories from when he got the board and when they used it at camp.  The abandoned board was back to its original owner and someone I knew would treasure it as much as I had.

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Twas the Night Before Camp

Alumni & Camper Parent, Kelly Condon shares her story about the night before Camp!

‘Twas the night before Camp and the big boys were packed, They fell asleep counting their Class A claps, Wondering if they’ll get bottom or top bunk beds, While questions re: boating tests danced in their heads…

And what are skits like at opening campfire? Who do you think will climb the tower higher?  When do we eat? What’s the Camp food like? How far away are the overnight hikes We really nap at siesta? Or just read and write letters?  Will we like ropes, archery or riflery better? How will we remember where to go and when? What if we’re not placed with a friend How will we deal with missing home?! Do we walk to the bathroom – at night – alone?! And why do they call the bathroom the college –

Slow down boys, Mom will drop some knowledge… They’re nervous (I’m jealous;) all hows? And whys? But it will feel like Christmas in July.

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LOON’S EYE VIEW: LITs Hike Mt Washington During Staff Training

By Girls and Boys Camp Directors — Fran and Will

“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered” —Nelson Mandela

This quote played repeatedly in my head as I returned to Mount Washington and visited Lakes in the Clouds last week. It was my first time back since I hiked the 6,288 foot mountain as a counselor-in-training (CIT) in 2015. I was accompanied by 40 first-year-counselors (LITs, as they are known) who were robbed of their own CIT experience last year because of the pandemic, along with three other seasoned counselors. Michael, Maya and I were all East Coast CIT’s in 2015, and Will, a former West Coaster, was set to be one of the CIT Directors last summer.

The 40 supposed-to-be CITs who returned this year came back to Coniston ready for staff, but we all knew that they lacked the important buffer a CIT summer provided. The last time these seventeen-year-olds were at Coniston, they were campers (most of them our campers, in fact) and now they were leading cabins of their own. While they were fully capable of taking on that challenge, Will and I thought they deserved even an abbreviated CIT experience before the summer began.

As we were talking about how unfair all of these losses were for these kids, we brainstormed ways that we could recreate some of our most magical traditions for the LITs during staff week; we settled on a surprise cog-up-hike-down Mt. Washington on the Friday before our first campers arrived. We told the LITs to be at the camp busses at 6:00 am sharp, and they were under the impression that the remainder of staff would be meeting them at Mt. Kearsarge in their own vehicles. After almost two hours of driving, many of the sleepy LITs began to catch on, wondering if we had gotten lost on our way to Kearsarge. We spent the day simulating a real-CIT experience, keeping them on their toes without letting them know what was around the corner. When we arrived at the Mt. Washington Cog railway station, we distributed the trail mix we had made, and handed them their tickets for the 45 minute train ride up the mountain. Since we had stored all of their cellphones on the bus, the LITs passed around my phone to take a few group selfies while they took in the view. “We should all hike down!” one of them suggested…be careful what you wish for!

The climate at top of Mt. Washington was true to its reputation. It was frigid, windy, and foggy. Luckily, the weather did not stop each would-be 2020 group from getting together with their group and smiling for photos on our communal phone. We divided everyone into the four hiking groups and allowed each bunch to pick out matching Mt. Washington t-shirts. One group at a time, we began the hike down to Lakes in the Clouds—an ancient CIT tradition spot. When we re-grouped at Lakes, the sky had cleared up and the weather was warm. We handed each of the 40 counselors their individual envelopes stuffed full of letters from fellow staff members and let them find a quiet spot with a view to soak it all in. Michael, Will, Maya and I enjoyed a nice moment on a rock at Lakes, reflecting on our own CIT experience and noting the significance of this moment for these kids. As we looked around at the future of Girls and Boys staff reading letters from their former counselors and new co-workers, many of them crying—we knew all the work that we put into fitting this day into an already jam packed staff week was worth it. 

A nice hiker walking through made note of the dispersed 17-year-olds reading their staff letters asking, “Who gave all these kids so much homework?” Although he did not directly comment on the fact that each of them was silently sobbing to themselves, he definitely seemed a bit concerned. One LIT came up to me afterwards, trying to act casual, and asked how his older brother (who was previously on staff) knew to write him a letter—clearly touched by his brother’s well-wishes. Many LITs commented on how meaningful their letters were, and the mood post-letter became much more sentimental. Our hike down the steep Ammonoosuc trail was filled with questions about being on staff and general getting-to-know each other conversations, as we shared our hopes and wishes for the upcoming summer. The line-leaders of each hiking group shifted, as each counselor took their turns making us all count off as well as practicing camp cheers and songs they would use on their own campers this summer. The four hour hike down seemed to fly by, and before we knew it, we were all together again at the base of the mountain.

After some group hugs and pictures, we gave the LITs the opportunity to “ask us anything” about the realities of being on staff, our own CIT experiences, and their own personal questions. After inhaling a bit of pizza, (14 pies, to be exact) we were ready to make the trek back to camp. Ignoring any requests for them to check their cellphones, or their unconfirmed questions about whether or not they were going to run in the lake when they returned, we blasted music and sang all the way back to Main Camp Road. It was only when all three buses arrived on the A-field that we let everyone know that they were, in fact, running in the lake just like the CIT years before them. To the tune of Eye of the Tiger, we drove to the top of Main Lawn, where current and former staff members, many of whom were siblings of unsuspecting LITs, lined the path to the lake in their own CIT shirts. After a tight group huddle, we sprinted and dove into the lake. It seemed like everything happened in slow motion, just as I remembered it in 2015. As I took a step back to look around at the forty LITs hugging each other tightly as all of staff roared, a few tears came to my eyes, it was truly a magical moment. 

After our tears dried and everyone changed out of their soaking clothes, there was a deep sense of gratitude—and closure. Will shared this sentiment as well, telling me, “Something I heard everyone saying tonight was how much closure they got today…I didn’t realize how it was the closure I needed too.” 

COVID took a little bit from all of us this past year in so many obvious and some subliminal ways, but if this day showed us anything, the strength and perseverance of the community of Coniston is not going anywhere. No pandemic is too strong to break the bonds that we have spent generations creating here, and I am excited to move into the future with a strong and united Coniston staff. And so the tradition continues…as we move into the summer, I hope that we all remind ourselves of the strong sense of community that day brought to us all. When the summer gets tough for us at camp and in the real world, I hope everyone reading this takes a little magic from the unwavering spirit of camp with them to their own trials and tribulations.