Category: Camp Reunion
Woodland’s Breakfast Club: Reflections of a Camp Alum and Parent
by Becky Coady Langton
For those that remember the movies of the 80’s, there is a final scene in Breakfast Club where Jud Nelson reminisces on the day of detention he endured with the most untypical group of students from his high school. Over the process of the detention day, they break down their personal walls and expose who they truly are. Due to those brave acts, they walk away learning so much about each other and themselves. This classic film describes something very similar about my experiences as both a camper at Camp Woodland in ’88 and as a current parent of campers at both Woodland and Towering Pines.
I was a sophomore in high school in 1988. It was a year where I had begun to hang with the “wrong” crowd, and at 15 my parents decided to send me to camp in order to remove me from that environment. I was mortified to be “punished” by being sent to camp. What was I going to do without all my comforts of home and rowdy friends? My sister, Sarah, had gone to Woodland the summer of ’87, but she was ten that summer and in my 15-year-old mind was less connected to her life at home; therefore, she had nothing to lose.
Reluctantly, I began to accept I would be going. Shortly after the decision had been made, JoAnne assigned me a camp sister named Maureen. She had attended camp for several years and was going to be in my cabin – Aquarius (which in my mind was going to look like the song out of the musical Hair I’d seen at Great America my freshman year in high school). We wrote back and forth for a few months (we still have the letters), and I began to feel more connected to leaving my life and heading up to the Northwoods for the summer.
That summer turned out to be the most magical and personal growth oriented summer of my life. I learned how to shoot a rifle and an arrow, how to ski and sail (EN Forever!!), and I got to participate in the best CO-ED show ever! All of these activities I never would have experienced without getting out of my comfort zone just by saying YES.
Activities aside, the most impactful take away from that summer were the friendships. BEST friendships. Friends that I am still deeply connected to today, friends that know the real me and love me anyway. Friends that will tell me my butt looks bad in “those” jeans and friends that make me laugh so hard that I actually pee those same jeans. I just can’t imagine what my life would be like without these people. Camp for me was life changing…life lifting… and personal growth oriented. In no small part I believe I am the person I am today because of that love and caring I received all those summers ago.
Today my kids are at camp having those same experiences (for the 3rd year in a row – lucky ducks!). Syd and Sammy, you are both so fortunate to have the opportunity to do this earlier than I did. I can’t go back in time and attend camp any more years than I had, but you get to do all of what I did and more. I know the impact it’s had on my life, and I know your life will be enriched in a way that you’ll never know any differently. You are getting outside your comfort zones, learning personal communication skills, how to play well with others, how to be goofy and how to be caring and sincere. You’re eating yummy food, working hard at your activities, being a good friend, using your imaginations, setting goals, sleeping hard, and growing into the people that you’ll become. My hope is that one day you will send your kids and make it a 3-generation tradition.
In closing, I will say that each of my camp experiences aided in my gaining a deeper sense of who I was. I left camp that summer and made some different decisions on the friends I would hang with. I began to make better decisions which let to greater personal accomplishment and focus in school. I’m so thankful that my parents insisted I go to camp, my own Breakfast Club experience. It was the opposite of punishment, it was one of the greatest gifts of my life. It was the unexpected. The gloves are off, the emotions are flowing, my heart is open, and I am so deeply grateful for Camp Woodland and Towering Pines…here’s to another 50 years!
Holidays and Family Reunions
Now that the holiday season is upon us (as indicated by the long lines at the post office and popular shopping spots!), many of us have plans to spend time with family and friends in the upcoming weeks. For some, this may be the one of the few times when an entire family (or close to it) is able to get together, a family reunion of sorts. We do the same thing ourselves when Woodland/TP campers and staff come together on a Saturday in November for an afternoon with camp friends in the Chicago area.
Just like the excitement for the holidays has been building up for several weeks now in anticipation of being with family and friends, the excitement for meeting at Jeff and Jenny’s house also ramped up as campers and staff made plans to spend a few hours together at the annual reunion the weekend before Thanksgiving. We even have a few die-hard camp friends among us who make the trip to Chicago from Wisconsin, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. It is also fun to see alumni come back who weren’t at camp during the most recent summer!
The video from the summer of 2018 was shown, scrapbooks containing numerous camp photos were passed around, stories from the past summer were retold, school year events were shared, and plans for next year were made to DO WHAT WE LOVE AT CAMP (and of course, all of this is accompanied by an assortment of yummy snacks!). And, yes, this annual event was one giant family reunion!
As always, it was fun to catch up with everyone, and in case you missed it, here are the highlights! Campers shared 1) their favorite thing about school this year, 2) what they like to do when not in school, and 3) something learned at Woodland that has been helpful at home or school:
Heidi: 1) rock-climbing, 2) cheerleading, 3) doing the fun arts & crafts at home that I learned
Lilah: 1) reading, 2) horseback riding, 3) I have learned to lead
Lou: 1) math, 2) volleyball, 3) I have learned to lead and stay focused on things
Delia: 1) meeting new people and having more classes and teachers, 2) basketball and tennis, 3) to make the most of every moment and situation and to live in the moment
Sofia B: 1) meeting and seeing my friends, 2) volleyball, 3) not to always be on my phone!
Riley: 1) Spanish & math class, hanging out with friends, 2) basketball, 3) talking and getting to know people has been really helpful
Molly S: 1) hanging out with my friends, 2) basketball, 3) I learned to talk to more people
Molly K: 1) meeting new people and making friends, 2) cross country and tennis, 3) getting out of my comfort zone to try new things
Tori: 1) orchestra, 2) orchestra and violin trio, 3) feeling confident to not always go with the crowd
Bunny: 1) meeting new friends, 2) swimming & skiing, 3) how to be independent
Lauren: 1) making new friends and joining new sports activities, 2) travel softball, ski/snowboarding club, track & field, volleyball, 3) to be a team player and make everyone feel included
Dani: 1) ceramics class, 2) mock trial and we are trying to go to state this year, 3) to be more positive
Libby: 1) meeting new people, 2) horseback riding, 3) how to be a team player
Amelia D: 1) meeting new people, 2) horseback riding, 3) communication skills and working with other people
Abbey: 1) sleeping in math class, 2) working and doing homework, 3) patience
Izzi: 1) clubs & sports, 2) field hockey, and 3) being a CIT and learning leadership skills
Irene: 1) English, 2) basket weaving, and 3) cleaning my room
Kelly: 1) new friends, 2) swimming & soccer, 3) leadership
Molly J: 1) meeting new friends, 2) horseback riding, 3) how to be a leader
Cayley: 1) anatomy & drawing class, 2) volleyball, 3) the importance of developing strong friendships and support system
Amelia K: 1) I like my classes and making new friends, 2) cross country and various clubs, 3) treat others the way you want to be treated
Jae: 1) math, 2) ice-skating and music, 3) self-discipline
Sam: 1) looking forward to camp & seeing friends from camp, 2) watch co-ed show DVD, look through camp pictures, and plan events with camp friends, 3) patience, leadership, social skills
p.s. Don’t worry if you weren’t able to join us for the Chicago reunion, starting in January, we will be visiting camp families around the US and bringing the reunion to YOU!
Reunion Rap #2 2017
2017 CIT’s
What is your favorite thing about school this year?
Izzi: Being in high school
Abbey: Freedom
Irene: Being at a new school and making new friends
Amelia: I love meeting new friends, and I really enjoy cross country!
Cayley: Meeting new people, and experiencing a new environment
Kelly: The school swim team and my friends on the team
Sofia: My friends
Sam: Meeting new people and spending time with friends
Molly: Going to a new school and meeting new people
Jae: Getting to see all of my friends every day
Hilltop 2017
What activities do you participate in or what do you like to do when you are not in school?
Izzi: Field hockey
Abbey: Play the ukulele
Irene: Volleyball and lacrosse
Amelia: I do cross country and track at school which are a lot of fun!
Cayley: I play volleyball, and I like to read.
Kelly: Swimming and soccer
Sofia: Horseback riding and tennis
Sam: I love playing soccer, hanging out with friends, listening to music, and playing with my dogs
Molly: I horseback ride every week
Jae: Figure skating, band, vocal jazz band, choir, acapella
2017 JC’s
What is something learned at Woodland that has been helpful to you at home or school?
Izzi: Leadership
Abbey: Making conversations NOT awkward
Irene: To stay organized and calm
Amelia: To always try my best and work towards my goals
Cayley: Leadership, adaptability, and interaction skills
Kelly: Leadership skills and the ability to make new friends easily
Sofia: Friendship
Sam: Leadership and social skills have definitely helped me a lot
Molly: Camp has taught me how to be a leader and get out of my comfort zone & try new things
Jae: Leadership and being able to make new friends
Reunion Rap #1 2017
Silver Birch 2017
As you can see, we had a FABULOUS turn out for the annual Chicago reunion the weekend before Thanksgiving! In a series of blogs in the upcoming weeks, we will give you an update about the Woodland girls who joined us for the afternoon to watch the 2017 camp video, flip through the new scrapbook, relive camp memories, and of course, to eat yummy treats. Thank you to our long distance travelers for joining us from Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Florida, and Mexico! If we were not able to connect with you at this event, please feel free to share your news with us for a future post.
Favorite thing about school:
Delia: being the oldest in the school
Eleanor: reading a lot of books
Kaitlyn: chorus
Lou: I like having many teachers and classes
Molly: teachers and friends
Lucy: the administration is super nice
Lauren: learning new things
Lilli: they built a new school that is really nice and modern, and I like spending time with my friends
Rachel: spending time with my friends
Libby: socializing
Starshine 2017
Activities (when not in school):
Delia: I like to do tennis
Eleanor: I like to go outside and play
Kaitlyn: gymnastics and dance
Lou: I like to do gymnastics and hang out with my friends; I also love to play soccer
Molly: cross country and tennis
Lucy: I like to write
Lauren: softball and gymnastics
Lilli: volleyball and confirmation class
Rachel: I like to dance
Libby: horseback riding
What is something you learned at Woodland that has been helpful to you at home or school?
Delia: tennis, I’m better at serving
Eleanor: to go outside a lot and be more healthy
Kaitlyn: for gymnastics I could do a back hip circle and a handstand forward roll
Lou: I learned how to aim for my goals
Molly: I learned about better interaction and relationships and how to deal with different situations
Lucy: definitely social skills
Lauren: how to make new friends
Lilli: to be more tolerant of people
Rachel: learning how to play tennis and archery
Libby: how to be organized
Tamarack 2017
Stay tuned for more reunion news in future blog posts!
Reunion Rap #3
Hilltop 2016
Still MORE camper news from the Chicago reunion!
Favorite thing about school:
Jae: the late starts on Thursday’s
Molly: sports
Emilie: art club (scratch art & pumpkin decorating)
Claire: starting new clubs
Jenna: I love my classes and the people in them!
Sofi: the new friends I have made so far
Aquarius 2016
Favorite thing about school:
Susie: meeting all sorts of new people
Lydia: all of the new friends I have met in my classes
Daphne: classes
Elena: seeing camp friends in the hallway
Chelsea: I really love my US History class; I find it so interesting
Sofia: AP Psychology is really fun and interesting
Colette: my classes and my teachers are great
Live-In’s 2016
Activities (when not in school):
Danielle: crafts, hang with friends, shop, roller blade, etc.
Jae: show choir group called, “Expressions” and figure skating
Molly: diving and gymnastics
Emilie: archery and service projects (bake sale, wrapping LOTS of packages with socks and hats)
Claire: club volleyball
Jenna: dance and spending time with friends
Sofi: archery
Mini-reunion in Nebraska!
Activities (when not in school):
Susie: archery, watching TV, reading, drawing
Lydia: riding lessons and golf
Daphne: play tennis and hang out with my friends
Elena: dance, and “food taxi” club that delivers leftovers to soup kitchens and families in need
Chelsea: working at Ralph Lauren, prom committee, and student council
Sofia: varsity tennis team and choir
Colette: dance competitively
What is something you learned at camp that you couldn’t learn anywhere else?
Danielle: that camp is FUN!
Jae: show choir group called, “Expressions” and figure skating
Molly: diving and gymnastics
Emilie: archery and service projects (bake sale, wrapping LOTS of packages with socks and hats)
Claire: friendships always last
Jenna: how to get along with 8 other girls for 6 weeks
Sofi: to value what I have and to love everyone as they are
What is something you learned at camp that you couldn’t learn anywhere else?
Susie: how to be myself
Lydia: learning to be confident in myself and breaking out of my shell
Daphne: how to make friends that will last a lifetime
Elena: I’ve learned to have compassion for others and be more selfless, whether it be through friendships or the relationships I’ve developed with younger campers
Chelsea: how to work through any problem with communication, compromise, and problem solving
Sofia: how to form friendships that I know will last a lifetime and how to work well with others
Colette: I have learned so much at Woodland, but the most valuable lesson is how to be independent and live with others; as a CIT I learned how to take initiative