Camp Green Meadows Cabin Leader Experience
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By Kelani Allen
Writer |
November 7, 2016
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Cabin leaders, junior Kelani Allen(far left) and senior Ashley Gonzalez(far right taking picture with Thomas Oleta and Aileen Colburn students at Camp Green Meadows. Photo by: Kelani Allen
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Thoughts before camp:
Hello! My name is Kelani Allen and I’m a junior at Buhach. Last month I signed up to be a camp leader for Camp Green Meadows 6th grade camp. I’m not really sure what to expect. I’m just hoping that the kids are well behaved and not too crazy. I’m just wondering if I’ll be able to get them to bed or get them to listen at all. Will they even like me? All these questions are swarming around in my mind. I guess I will see for myself soon. First Day: Today November 1st, is the first day of camp. We met at Thomas Oleta at 7:15 this morning, then we loaded luggage and now we’re on our way. I’ve never been to Camp Green Meadows so I’m not sure what to expect when I get there. The kids are really loud and excited though. They say a big ‘woah’ together as they see cool things outside of the via bus windows. |
We finally made it to camp after many winding roads and a few minutes of traffic. Its pretty cold, I’d say around 30 degrees and it’s sprinkling. The ground is wet but we took all the luggage off the bus and moved it to the luggage shelter. After that we had a bathroom break. Then the kids went to an orientation while cabin leaders went to a separate one. We talked about things like discipline and schedules and fun things like that. Afterward we met the kids from our cabins. I was in charge of Willow cabin, which was composed of 16 girls. As the day went on we had classes, more meetings, mealtimes and night classes. The night time was the first time for us to really get to know the kids in our cabin. We played a few games and got to know each other for about two hours, then we had dinner. The night class was the next time for us to be together. The girls were noisy and disrespectful towards the teacher. My co-cabin leader and I figured referrals were needed.
Later that night it was time to get in pj’s and get to bed. It was crazy, lights out was at 9:45 but we couldn’t get the girls in bed until around 10:45. They were noisy and took forever to change into pajamas. The whole cabin didn’t get to sleep until after 11:00pm. Throughout the course of the night I was woken up six times to get out of the warm cozy bed to take students to the nurse or bathroom.
Second Day:
Wednesday morning they took forever to get ready too. We did make it to breakfast on time though. Wednesday included lots of cabin leader meetings and it also included a class hike. I was in charge of keeping students on trail and paying attention to the lead naturalist. Some kids were wild, but I was able to keep them in check. At the end of the day we always had cabin leader meetings. They were the best, we (cabin leaders) could kind of let our guards down and relax and joke around with the naturalist and each other. Wednesday night was the first night for showers. Shower time was 10 minutes. Five minutes to shower and five minutes to change. Now keep in mind there are 16 sixth grade girls that are reluctant to change in front of each other. Showers took so long and were so stressful. By the end of shower time my converse were soaked from handing girls towels because all the water from the showers pooled into one spot. We also practiced skits for the final campfire and that was a lot of fun. After giving two referrals out to girls in our cabin, they all calmed down a great deal realizing that we were in charge and that being rowdy had consequences. We got them to bed on time and we even got cleanest cabin in the morning.
Third Day:
Thursday, the day we’ve been waiting for. Right….. By this time in the week I was very tired, but Thursday wasn’t just any ordinary day. It was the day of the 7 hour hike. Uphill, down steep hills, on bumpy trails. With no bathrooms, but instead “utili-trees” or what you might call nature’s bathroom. The hike was very tiring, but we saw some cool things. We saw grinding stones left by miwok native americans, and many other ‘naturey’ things. At breaks we played games and ate cookies. At the end we had a celebration and we decorated the kids’ faces with dampened coal. That night, showers and bedtime was a much easier process. Thursday was also the day for the last campfire. We had it outside the last day. Songs were sung, chants were chanted, and skits were performed. It was loads of fun. After the campfire we were able to get everyone to sleep on time.
Later that night it was time to get in pj’s and get to bed. It was crazy, lights out was at 9:45 but we couldn’t get the girls in bed until around 10:45. They were noisy and took forever to change into pajamas. The whole cabin didn’t get to sleep until after 11:00pm. Throughout the course of the night I was woken up six times to get out of the warm cozy bed to take students to the nurse or bathroom.
Second Day:
Wednesday morning they took forever to get ready too. We did make it to breakfast on time though. Wednesday included lots of cabin leader meetings and it also included a class hike. I was in charge of keeping students on trail and paying attention to the lead naturalist. Some kids were wild, but I was able to keep them in check. At the end of the day we always had cabin leader meetings. They were the best, we (cabin leaders) could kind of let our guards down and relax and joke around with the naturalist and each other. Wednesday night was the first night for showers. Shower time was 10 minutes. Five minutes to shower and five minutes to change. Now keep in mind there are 16 sixth grade girls that are reluctant to change in front of each other. Showers took so long and were so stressful. By the end of shower time my converse were soaked from handing girls towels because all the water from the showers pooled into one spot. We also practiced skits for the final campfire and that was a lot of fun. After giving two referrals out to girls in our cabin, they all calmed down a great deal realizing that we were in charge and that being rowdy had consequences. We got them to bed on time and we even got cleanest cabin in the morning.
Third Day:
Thursday, the day we’ve been waiting for. Right….. By this time in the week I was very tired, but Thursday wasn’t just any ordinary day. It was the day of the 7 hour hike. Uphill, down steep hills, on bumpy trails. With no bathrooms, but instead “utili-trees” or what you might call nature’s bathroom. The hike was very tiring, but we saw some cool things. We saw grinding stones left by miwok native americans, and many other ‘naturey’ things. At breaks we played games and ate cookies. At the end we had a celebration and we decorated the kids’ faces with dampened coal. That night, showers and bedtime was a much easier process. Thursday was also the day for the last campfire. We had it outside the last day. Songs were sung, chants were chanted, and skits were performed. It was loads of fun. After the campfire we were able to get everyone to sleep on time.
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Last Day:
Friday was the last day. Although I had been looking forward to it, it made me sad knowing that I would never see the kids at my table, or the girls in my cabin again. Over the past few days we had grown close. The last day we packed up and got our stuff on the bus. The kids went on a memory hike, while the cabin leaders got our final evaluations. After we had an award ceremony. Both kids and cabin leaders were recognized. After the ceremony it was time to say our goodbyes. I was met outside with tons of hugs and I’ll miss you’s. We then got on the bus and made our way home. Reflection: So to answer all the questions I had in the beginning. Were they well behaved? Yeah, for the most part they were behaved. They had their moments of hyperness and craziness, but other than that they were surprisingly well behaved. Was I able to get them to bed, and get them to listen? Totally the first night was crazy, but after that I had no problems. They listened well after that and I was able to get them to bed on time. Will they like me? Yes! They loved us. They all gave us a hug at the end and say they’d miss us. In their evaluations they said we were perfect and that we were the best cabin leaders. I felt like I was able to make a positive impact on their lives teaching them manners, and right from wrong. By the end of the trip I felt very appreciated. I’m definitely going next time, and I recommend being a cabin leader to anyone who’s up for the challenge. |
Our cabin: Willow Cabin, with cleanest cabin award
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