As a counselor and former camper, optionals have always been one of my favorite parts of camp! Optionals are counselor-led activities that happen after classes each evening. Ranging from ultimate frisbee to arts and crafts, campers get to explore their interests and find new ones. Occasionally, a counselor will run a small optional directed toward their field of study. As a neuroscience major, I had the opportunity to run an optional about cranial nerves, one of my favorite topics. This was one of my favorite optionals to run for many reasons. It brings me joy to see students get excited about the topics I also love, and it provides an opportunity for me as a counselor to get to know our campers better. An optional like this also allows campers to explore different topics that they may not have been introduced to before.
In my cranial nerve optional, or as we called it, “Cranial Optional”, campers who were interested got a crash course about the 12 pairs of cranial nerves. After a short lecture on what each one does and how it functions, campers got to pair up and test each other’s cranial nerve functions through a series of exams. I was impressed with the questions, insight, and interest from the campers. Returning camper, Ben Fulkerson, continues to ask me questions about the brain and how it functions. I love to see bright young minds driven to learn more about what I got to introduce them too.
A few other optionals that have covered specific topics of interest include meteorology, calculus, speech and debate, and poetry. There is always something new for our campers to learn from and experience. 