Monthly Archives:June 2015

The credit goes to Kid President for his inspiration on this blog post (taken from his You Tube video on a “A Letter To A Person On Their First Day Here”)!

Saturday, 70+ girls arrived at Camp Woodland.  Welcome! This is camp! It is a pretty cool place. There is lots to see, smell, and there are s’mores. There is so much to do: singing, dancing, and laughing. Laughing is the BEST. (Especially when milk comes out of your nose!).

Some days awesome things will happen. Some days you will get ice cream. Some days you won’t. Some days your kite will fly high. Some days it will get stuck in a tree. It’s just how it is.

There are plenty of reasons to dance – you just have to look for them. Don’t worry, though, you aren’t at camp alone. You are going to meet lots of cool people here.

Being a camper is hard sometimes. You should give each other high-5’s just for making it to breakfast. Just treat everyone like it is their birthday even if they don’t deserve it. We all mess-up sometimes. The biggest mess-up is not forgiving each other’s mess-ups. Maybe you will do sailing or horseback riding or arts and crafts . You might even get to pet one of the goats at the Zoo or try Log Rolling!

It’s so, so much. It’s a lot. Try this. Take a deep breath. It is AMAZING. You’re going to do it a lot this summer. Enjoy it. Pay attention. Take brain pictures because amazing things will happen every day. You are going to do so much, but it’s not about what you do. It’s about WHO YOU ARE and you are AWESOME!

WE’RE REALLY GLAD YOU ARE HERE!  We need to say that a lot. Camp gets busy and you are important and you are going to do a lot and you’re going to smell great. But, don’t get too busy. Remember to let everyone know that you are glad they are here. You don’t have to remember this all right now. You are going to need a pep talk sometimes (that is what your counselors are for). That’s OK. For now, you’re here, you’re awesome, and you’re going to have a GREAT summer!!

“We welcome you to Camp Woodland! We’re mighty glad you’re here! We’ll send the air reverberating with a mighty cheer. We’ll sing you in, we’ll sing you out, to you we’ll raise a mighty shout! Hail! Hail! The gang’s all here. We welcome you to Camp Woodland!”

The day we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived: the first day of camp. Throughout this past year, similar to the last seven leading up to this day, a constant feeling took solace in the bottom of my stomach and remained there from the moment I turned off of the Woodland Road last summer to the moment I turned onto it once again. This blend of nostalgia and eagerness for the summer to come served two functions: to remind me why this quaint paradise pulls me back year after year and to serve as the light at the end of the tunnel after a long year of school.

Although the ten months in between camp sessions filled with classes and homework are extensive, the “camp bug” that resides at the bottom of my stomach always gives me a reason to persevere. No matter how difficult reality may be and how vastly my camp nostalgia may grow, the knowledge that this summer paradise will always await me time and time again provides me with the comfort and confidence I need to focus on the present while maintaining my eagerness for the future. “One month from now, you will be relaxing on the beach next to Sand Lake soaking up the sun and listening to the sounds of the waves crashing onto the shore, endless laughter, and the pleas of all of the girls who beg for double canteen,” I tell myself. And, oddly enough, here I stand once again in the paradise whose mere memory urged me forward these last ten months.

After a long year, we finally reached the end of the tunnel; the long-awaited paradise; the ultimate cure to the “camp bug.” The cabins are open, the horses are waiting, the guns are clean, and the sailboats are wading. We could not be more excited for you all to take this summer to relax, to enjoy, and to thrive. Welcome home, campers!

-Alex K
Treetops Counselor

One of the best things about camp is seeing how campers grew over the year and witnessing their eagerness to learn something new. This comes in many different forms including learning something new about themselves, reconnecting with camp friends and making new ones, and even trying new activities. As a counselor, the most fulfilling part of the camp experience is learning something new from the campers. Whether it’s a new craft project, song, dance, or story we learn just as much as the campers! Their excitement to learn a new skill and master another drives us to try new ways of teaching. Each summer I learn so much from the campers and even about myself. Learning doesn’t end with the end of the school year and camp is the prime example of how anyone can learn to thrive in a variety of different activities. Throughout the summer whether campers are at camp for two, four, or six weeks, it is obvious how they become more independent and comfortable with themselves as well as working as a team!

My parents still say that going to camp was one of the best things for both my sister and I because we thrived! We are comfortable in our skin, are willing and eager to get to know new people and try something new, and camp provided opportunities for us to become leaders. Learn, Laugh, Lead is not just a slogan it is a fact of what camp provides each and everyone who attends.

I, for one, am so excited to see how experienced and novice campers take advantage of this summer. Camp is “Where I Thrive in 1-5” and has been for years! What about you?

Authored by: Sara F
2015 Masters degree in Public History, Wright State University
Camp Woodland Camper, Senior Counselor

Turning right onto County D from Highway 51 always brings out my reflective side. That curvy, wooded stretch of highway is the road back to when life was simple. At camp, whatever problems I had could be worked out if everyone worked together. I learned to look for the good in everyone and discover new things about myself. I controlled my own destiny. I picked my activities, reached for my goals and the possibilities were endless. I tried new things in a failsafe environment and learned by doing, doing, and doing some more.

Woodland girls cheered one another on towards those achievements. Everyone was on the same page, working towards the same goals: fun, personal growth and learning things along the way.  As great as being a camper was, three of the greatest memories I have of the camp experience came long after my days as a camper. Perspective is such a gift! As an adult you start to realize all of the hard work and effort that goes into running a camp. John and Anne Jordan ran a first class operation during my brothers’ and my era, and their children and grandchildren continue to do so today.

In 2010, I took my son to visit Towering Pines, just to see if he would like to go to camp the following year. He got to see inside of a cabin, the waterfront, and looked at the TP museum where he saw his uncle’s name in many places. Our final stop was the dining hall where lunch was being served. I got to say hello to Mr. J, and introduce him to my son. I had not seen him since he attended my wedding 10 years prior, but he was so warm and welcoming. It means a great deal to me that my son got to meet one of the people who made TP what it is today.

The following summer when I dropped off my son, we visited Woodland to show my daughter. She toured the Farm Zoo and observed a riding class. JoAnne Jordan Trimpe was there with her mom, Mrs. J, and they both met my daughter, who was so shy and hesitant and clingy that day. I am so grateful my children got to meet the elder Jordans since they were a big part of my life growing up as well as fond friends of my parents.My third greatest camp memory is hearing my sister-in-law ask why my brother did not press harder to get her to send my older nephew and niece to camp. Having not attended a camp like Woodland or Towering Pines herself, she just did not understand what it was all about. Their youngest son now goes to TP and loves it. When she visited him there for the first time, she “got it.” It’s been fun to see both her and my own husband “converted” to people who embrace the camp experience. My husband said he wishes his parents sent him to a place like TP when he was growing up.When my then almost 8 year old daughter returned from her first summer at Woodland she was no longer the shy, clingy little girl the Jordans met that summer day 5 years ago. Originally scheduled for only two weeks, she begged to stay another two, and ended up asking to stay the entire six week session. She’s already planning to stay all six weeks this summer.

Here are some highlights from our debriefing session on the ride home:
Favorite thing about camp: Archery (sorry Sand Lake…you are too cold)
Favorite counselor: Everyone
Favorite friend: Everyone
Favorite horse: Bonnie
Favorite meal: Everything (except Fish Friday) and she discovered she likes salad, and REALLY likes the picnics.
My daughter has been a little pampered and as a consequence, can be a little “particular,” so I thought camp would be good for her in that respect. She definitely needs to do more for herself, as she is perfectly capable. At camp, she learned that she can’t always get her way and she sometimes needs to think about the group and not just herself. Most importantly, she has learned the simple pleasure of being with a bunch of girls her own age, laughing, singing and having fun together.

The question about whether a child will take to camp is sometimes a reflection of our own insecurities as parents. In the case of my daughter, she’s the youngest and I admit she is a little coddled. I was nervous she might not like some of the camp routines, but I recognize the value in her learning that there are other ways of doing things. Maybe I was really nervous that she’s not going to need me any longer? Despite that insecurity, there was one thing I did not feel any misgivings about! I was not one bit nervous leaving U.S. soil for a few days to go on vacation with my husband. I knew that anything that could possibly come up with my kids would be handled expertly by TP or Woodland.
Thank you, to all generations of the Jordan Family, for bringing our children the Towering Pines/Woodland experience. The world is a better place with more campers in it!