Tag: guest blogger

Guest Blogger: PFC Division Leader

Posted on by PineForest

Tell us about yourself!
My name is Zach Gelb and I was the Senior Boys Division Leader in 2015 and will be the Hi-Senior Boys Division Leader in 2016. This will be my 14th summer at Pine Forest Camp. I was a camper for 8 summers and a staff member for 5, going on 6 summers.

What did you get out of your position as Senior Boys Division Leader?
My position was amazing. It was so much fun to interact with the kids and staff and watch them grow. The 7-8 weeks you spend at PFC will give you lifelong friends, a fantastic summer, and a bond you will always remember with the best people.

What makes a good counselor?
A great counselor can’t sweat the small stuff and has to be willing to try new things. Some of the best counselors I have seen always have great positive energy and are willing to help out in making the summer great for the kids.

What was one of the biggest challenges you faced in your Division Leader role?
I had a camper who was homesick. I paid extra attention to this boy and made sure he always had something to do. After the first week of camp, his homesickness improved. But for that week, it was challenging to make sure he was always distracted and having fun while also dealing with many other children at camp.

What was your favorite thing about your Division Leader role?
I like many things about camp such as: boys’ line-up, basketball leagues, banquet, evening activities, camp chants, campfires, A-Game, and color war. However, my favorite part is seeing kids upset on the last day. Yes, that may seem odd, but when campers and staff cry on the last day, you know you did your job since they don’t want to leave camp. Like I said, camp is a magical place and you will forever cherish the bonds you make. Each summer is different and it just gets better and better. To have a camper or staff member (yes, staff cry too) cry or say thank you on the final day shows how appreciative they were of their experience at camp.

What do you wish you knew before working at camp? Any advice for new counselors?
My advice would be to look at each day as a new day at camp. Try everything you can and break out of your comfort zone early. Being a camp counselor can be very rewarding and you need to take advantage of every opportunity, as the summer goes by very quickly. As far as supplies, make sure to bring an egg crate, a fan, bug spray, and some funny costumes. You can purchase most of that stuff near camp. I would also encourage you to try and meet other staff members, whether it be in person or online, before you come to camp, but this is not a necessity.

Gelb

Guest Blogger: PFC Counselor

Posted on by PineForest

My name is Adam Polikoff and I am a general bunk counselor at camp. This upcoming summer will be my tenth summer. I was a camper from 4th grade through 11th grade (8 years), and became a counselor for the first time last year!

What did you get out of your position?
My experience as a counselor showed me the integral role that I had in the summers of each of my campers. As the summer went on, I realized just how much what I did each and every day influenced the enjoyment of each camper under my supervision. During the last few days of camp, many of my campers and others in my division told me personally that I, along with many other counselors really made this past summer one of the best of their lives. Also, I learned how the job of being a camp counselor really brings many co-counselors together as friends. I have been going to camp for a long time, so naturally I did not expect to become good friends with anybody other than my original “camp friends,” but I quickly realized that I became close friends with many counselors who were experiencing PFC for the first time.

What makes a good counselor?
From my experiences as both a camper and a counselor, I have learned that a good counselor is one who actively keeps camp fun for his campers. In order to consistently do this, a good counselor genuinely enjoys the time he spends with his campers! Campers are happy when their counselor has a positive, upbeat attitude.

What was one of the biggest challenges you faced in your role?
One of the greatest challenges that I faced in my position was encouraging my campers to clean the bunk. Every day after breakfast, there is a period of time designated to cleaning the bunks for inspection. However, as would be expected, most of the campers showed no desire to actually clean the bunk during this time. Rather, they would choose to play games and sit around. One of the ways through which I attempted to remedy this problem was by providing certain small incentives to the person who cleaned the most or even to everybody upon receiving a certain inspection score. This turned out to be an effective strategy.

What’s your favorite thing about your role?
My favorite thing about my role at camp is that it allowed for the creation of many bonds. I am very happy that I was able to leave camp with new friends. As I left camp, I knew that the time that I spent with my campers contributed to their enjoyment of the summer in a big way, and that satisfying feeling is one of my favorite parts of being a counselor.

Any advice for new counselors?
Try to keep a positive attitude around your campers even when you are tired. If you are able to remain positive and sustain an energetic mood, then that positivity and uplifting attitude will translate unto the campers and help them enjoy each and every day as much as possible.

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#PFC365

Posted on by PineForest

This past December, we bumped into another PFC family while away on vacation. The immediate bond our kids all felt together was so apparent to me, even outside of Greeley. It didn’t matter that they weren’t the exact same age. Their camp family ties gave them familiarity and comfort together and it was such a great a way to make their worlds just a bit smaller.

In our house, talk of camp happens on weekly if not daily basis – bunk group texts, discussions over what dress-up clothes to bring, song ideas for MTV Night, where they hope to have their beds this summer, as well as endless stories, reliving the summer past. It’s so heartwarming to witness and so amazing. Living 10 months for 2 is truly not just a cliché. The children don’t even realize how much camp makes up their daily lives and who they’re becoming, but I, as a parent, most certainly do. I don’t take any of it for granted and feel so thankful my children have made these connections and memories at such a young age.

It’s all you wish for as a parent; that your child makes true friends and special memories and that they have a safe place in this world to escape to, to dream about and to look forward to getting back to year after year.

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