Our latest Head Staff update is to announce that Grace Roeder (BC/AC) has agreed to take on a her latest Schodack adventure by taking a role within the Head Staff team as a Division Head for summer 2019.
Grace is well known across Camp for her wacky line-up announcements with her co-staff and we know that she is going to do a great job taking on her newest challenge as part of the Head Staff team for next summer. She has worked both inside the bunks as a Bunk Counsellor and outside them as an Activity Counsellor leading our popular adventure trips off-camp and we are thrilled that she is returning for 2019.
Here are Grace’s Top 5 memories of this past summer…
Hello Schodack Campers and Families! My name is Grace Roeder and I’m going to be the Middle Girls DH this summer. If you don’t know me, allow me to introduce myself. I am a graduating senior at Monmouth University in NJ. I’ll be graduating in the spring with my bachelor’s in Biology and Secondary Education in hopes of being a Science teacher. I’ve lived all over the country in VA, UT, NJ, and now Western MASS is where I call home. I am extremely excited and thrilled to be back at camp for my 4th year, and this year as a Head Staff member! I didn’t have the opportunity to grow up at camp, but it’s felt like my summer home for the past 3 years. My camp friends have become my summer family. My first year at camp I was a BC for the lovely Lakota girls. My second and third years I was the female Adventure counselor and CAIL for the Toltec and Senior 1 girls. It was awesome getting to see the same group of girls grow up over 3 summers. But this year I’ll be heading back to where it began, middle camp, to give the middle girls a summer full of adventure, fun, and memories that they will never forget. Some of the memories I will never forget from my time Schodack are….
1. Simply participating every day with my girls is a memory I won’t forget…
As the Adventure counselor for two years, when I wasn’t off somewhere “adventuring” I was hanging out with my girls. I’d join them for Softball, Horseback, first period swim, and art and crafts among other things. I loved taking advantage of my time at camp to hang with my girls and try everything!
2. White Water Rafting Announcements!
Making these announcements with my Adventure Co-staff were some of the highlights of my summers. One of the magical things about camp is being able to reach outside your comfort zone by going in front of the whole camp, singing “Row, row, row you’re raft…”, and having a giant trashcan full of water dumped on your head. Being silly at camp isn’t frowned upon. It’s highly encouraged.
3. Triple Crown Events…
These are something unique to Schodack that I try to explain to my “non-camp” friends, but they just don’t get it. I had the pleasure of watching my girls the past 3 years, put on amazing acts, dance their hearts out, and sing BPN songs that made me cry. That feeling of winning a Triple Crown Event is something you can’t describe. If you know, you know.
4. Sitting OD…
Another of my favorite memories was sitting On Duty in my CAIL bunk at night. After a long day on the river, or getting back from a camping trip, it was nice to catch up with my bunk. I would sit and listen to their adventures from the day, what was for dinner, or how so-and-so did this-and-that at campers’ choice. They would ask me for stories or to stay up for just five more minutes. It felt like I was home.
5. Every memory…
My last memory is a culmination of all the laughs, memories, and experiences I’ve shared with all the staff and campers at Schodack. I can list so many funny stories about camping trips or activities, but it all comes down to the people I was with at the time. My friends and campers are my most cherished memories.
Memories are so important. They help us get through the 10 months of the year until we can finally get back to those green grass fields, cheers in the Dining Hall, and Schodack sunsets. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my few years at Schodack is to make every moment count. Our time at Schodack if finite. But what we choose to do with it…. That’s infinite. And I plan to give all of the Middle Girls a summer they will never forget!
Grace is currently completing her Degree at Monmouth University. We are really excited to have Grace on the Head Staff team for this coming summer. We know that she will do a great job.
