ANNIE DAVIS
What years were you at camp?
I started in 2008, I was there as a camper until 2013. I was a CIT in 2014, then a counselor until 2018. I also came back during the summer of 2020 during COVID; we [staff] created a bubble and worked to interact with campers virtually. It allowed all of us to be silly and make videos and upload them to YouTube in hopes that it would brighten some kids’ days!
How did you find out about camp?
We had just moved to Maine the year before and my parents wanted to send us to camp. We [me and my sister] found it through either one of those camp fairs or specifically through our church; I think we got the recommendation through our church (St. Bart’s in Yarmouth) and spoke with Sara at camp fairs.
Did you like camp at first?
No! I was so scared and so nervous to get dropped off. My sister and I went together for one week that first year and I was so anxious the whole week; I definitely had fun times but I remember feeling so homesick. We were so excited to see our parents when they picked us up! They said they could tell we’d had fun and sent us for two weeks the next year; I was so nervous and anxious again. That cycle continued for two or three years until camp became a comfortable place, I started to look forward to going, and then eventually the idea of leaving at the end of the summer there was devastating.
When did you know you wanted to become CIT?
By my last few years there was a close-knit group of people I was always at camp with and we kind of all just saw it as an obvious next thing that everyone was going to do. There wasn’t any other option in my mind; the thought of not going back to camp after my last camper year… yeah, it wasn’t really an option. My parents were supportive, they knew I loved camp, so it was just a question of whether people could still continue to spend all that time in the summer away. My best friend from home was always sad when I left for the whole summer and I was sad to leave her too, but for me there was really no question. I looked up to my CITs and my counselors so much, I wanted to be just like them.
When did you know you wanted to work at camp?
I had such a wonderful experience as a CIT. There were ups and downs to it but what I learned that summer and what I felt like I achieved that summer, made me feel like continuing to come to camp as a counselor was just the way that I wanted to spend as many summers as possible. I loved working with kids and being around so many amazing people, both campers and other counselors. At that point camp really felt like my second home, and that’s just where I went in the summer. To be able to contribute to it in a different way than I did as a camper, to be able to participate and also give, was something that I absolutely wanted to do.
What was a highlight of being a counselor?
Specific highlights are hard to come up with because there are so many… being art barn poobah was so much fun, and getting to work with a group of counselors and organize really fun themes in the art barn and really go rogue every so often was so much fun. It was kind of a little enclave and we just did some very fun, silly, not very art barny activities!
My last year when I was in Laud, we did one of the first overnight hikes in 2018, and we hiked and watched the sunset, and picked blueberries and then woke up the next morning and watched the sun rise on a different mountain and ate oatmeal with strawberries and chocolate chips on it. The kids were angry that we woke them up at 4:30 or something but it was lovely and quiet and we all sat there and watched the sunrise… cabin time outlines, very special cabin time outings, were really fun.
Do you remember an activity you ran that you really enjoyed?
Yes! The first round of what we dubbed ‘bishawoo’ was so fun, it was really just a scavenger hunt. We never really topped that first round of ‘bishawoo’ because it was a great group of kids who were just excited to run around and do different stuff! I also loved the ones where we would do a little craft then walk around and show it off or be silly… like the grandma day where we made visors and glasses and walked around pretending to be old.
Geo to geo was always my favorite, because kids are really funny! When I did one of the weekly activities, that was the art show activity, where it was the same small group who came every day to do painting and we hung them up in the great hall at the end of the week in an art show with little name plates…
Are there any specific programs or traditions that you loved at camp?
Other than the Friday campfire, which is everyone’s favorite, ACGN was always my favorite time of day. It was always so nice to wind down and sit on those gross old carpets in the great hall, and it was usually the first time that day that everyone would just sit and breathe and be together as a group that wasn’t chaotic and running around, and by that time of the day everyone really needed it. Being able to sing together in the great hall… it’s just such a special space, and that last bit of connection of the day was always my favorite.
What did you learn from camp? Does it come up in the work you do now?
I’m currently working in Atlanta at an architecture firm. I think I learned really important working skills from camp, like being able to communicate with people and being able to plan and organize. I’d never thought of myself as much of a leader before being at camp and I don’t think I’d necessarily call myself a leader right off the bat now either, but I feel confident leading and I know I can organize a group of people and delegate… and ask for help! There are so many times when your co-counselor is sick or they’re off for the day, there’s always going to be something that happens and you’ll need help, and being able to ask for that help is so valuable. Camp in general taught me a lot of confidence and knowing yourself really well, and feeling confident in yourself even if you’re unsure.
I chose camp every summer over an internship or otherwise and it has not hurt me at all in a professional sense. Being able to show a potential employer you have consistent experience in a pretty high pace and difficult job setting, and that you’ve learned, at the very least, very basic skills for communicating and working with others that you’ll use for the rest of your life. There are so few job environments and businesses where you’re going to be doing so many things and working with so many different people… most people sit in an office and talk to people who are roughly their age and in their same field, so work-wise camp really taught me so much.
Do you have anything else to add?
Not just working as a counselor but my whole experience at Bishopswood, has had the most impact on my life out of all other life experiences that I’ve had. I definitely would not be where I am today without it, and it’s provided me with lifelong memories and friendships, and certainly lessons and work ethic, but also just a lifelong place… that’s a big thing for me is place, and even though the people change, the place is to me one of the most special things about Bishopswood.
One of the things that I love most about Bishopswood is how economically diverse our camp population is. We do everything we can to make sure that the playing field is as equal as it can be for all campers when they are at camp. Over the past few years, one of the things that has made this harder on the Bishopswood community is the discrepancy in campers who receive and do not receive care packages. This range of economic privilege is noticed and felt across our campers and staff.
