As a first-year counselor who attended both SCATS and VAMPY as a camper, I was excited to finally return to WKU. Seeing all of the activities from a counselor’s perspective has been absolutely fascinating. We kicked off our time together with first-day jitters, but after a few icebreakers, everyone was excited for the coming two weeks. On my floor, my co-counselor, Amy M., and I have been conducting daily meetings and asking our kids their favorite part of each day, as well as what they were looking forward to the next day.
Each summer as a camper, I would think about the optionals that I liked and changes I could make. On Monday, I held an optional titled “Pitbull Drawing Party” where we listened to Pitbull songs and colored pictures of pit bulls. The next day we led “Steal the Bacon,” a version of Capture the Flag, which many campers enjoyed (even though the rules were hard to explain at times). The optionals change daily, with different combinations of counselors pairing up to plan activities so campers can meet others who aren’t on their halls or in their classes. After optionals, we all have hall meetings to talk about the day and tackle random questions, such as what is your favorite pasta shape and why? Asking these questions is a fun way for us to get to know our campers and for them to get to know us.
I am excited about our weekend activities. Prep has begun for the SCATS Olympics on Saturday (GO JAPAN!). I can’t wait to see how these campers will have grown as well as the stories that they will have for their parents when they return!
– Addie B., counselor