It has been exactly one month since the last day of camp, and I miss the team back at Glorieta camps. I knew that working in close proximity with a team for an entire summer would make close bonds. However, it also seemed out of all the other programs running at camp, our team was able to stay the most cohesive. For that, I am thankful, because I think without this team this summer would have been much more difficult. I wanted to take a moment to remember and share the individual members that made up our team.
Glorieta Day Camp Summer Staff 2015
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Casey Butler King of the Wild Frontier
A loyal and honest man whom I had the honour of travelling and working with in New Mexico. I've never met anyone more passionate about nature and wilderness and seemed most at home deep in the heart of the mountains.
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Camon
A comical gent who I could always rely on to understand any obscure reference. By his own account, this summer was a time of growing as he had never ventured out on an adventure quite like this. Moments before I took this picture, I promise he was actually making a very pleasant face... but this seemed appropriate; Poetic, even. |
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Garrett
One of the guys in my core group of counselors. Garrett was an honourable and jovial man who always seemed to talk to the kids on a very personable level and held great expectations for his campers. He tried to teach me to throw a pass in rugby - of which I could literally never grasp. |
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Maddie
A beautiful person, in every sense of the word [Urban Dictionary not withstanding]. She was able to connect with the campers with compassion and understanding, and extended that same compassion to staff when we needed it. She truly sought to connect and know nature [pictured here], and was a mean shot at archery tag. |
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Anna
One of the most sincere and sweetest people I have met. When I unexpectedly left for Detroit for my grandmother's funeral, she got everyone to sign a card for me - which also came with bubblegum! Though she felt called to join the understaffed kitchen for the last part of the summer, she was always part of 'Day Cayump!'. |
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Caleb
Awkwardly sticking his hips out, Caleb was an incredibly fun and caring person, and 'one of my favourite people'. We spent a lot of time together on the waterfront judging cannonballs and blob flights while guarding lives and such. Caleb always seemed to fit in best with the youngest aged campers, which makes sense given his natural energy and compassion. |
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Katy
Served on core staff with me, and was the default mother of our group. More than that, Katy was a constant source of encouragement and joy [my picture doesn't even do it justice]. She planned most of our weekend trips to various hiking locations and natural parks, and made sure we all felt at home during our time at camp. |
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AJ
Day Camp staff by marriage [to Katy], AJ did so much for day camp staff by helping run activities and being a generally fun presence in his off-time [and probably some scheduled time] on maintenance. AJ stands out in my mind as a wonderfully cynical, dark-humoured guy who was the first person to make me feel welcome at camp by abducting me into his vehicle. |
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Carrey
[photo provided by Chelsea Cochrane]
The Texan who made me appreciate the finer things of southern culture... and was also a core staffer with me. Carrey was always up for a fun adventure. I remember me, Casey, and Carrey [the three core staff amigos] leaving a staff meeting by yelling "Core Staff.... ROLL OUT!" and then proceeded to somersault through the woodchips. He was one of the best lifeguards I ever worked with, despite his questionable swimshorts. |
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Carson
[photo provided by Chelsea Cochrane]
Most commonly known as "Thor", Carson was a wonderful counselor with a big heart. I mean that in both the figurative and literal sense seeing as he was well over six feet tall and probably had a pretty impressive cardiovascular system. He always had the best smile, and gave some pretty great hugs. Even now that I'm back home, I hope I'll find him sleeping in his hammock just outside the door like at camp. |
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Caitlin
[photo from Facebook]
I'm not sure if she wanted to be remembered for it, but she was definitely one of the more responsible of this crazy bunch. She was able to provide a source of joy while also making sure the campers (and staff) didn't do anything too stupid. Caitlin had an true eye for beauty in her photographs, her sketches, and her general outlook on life. |
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Christa
[photo from Facebook]
It's hard to picture Christa without a smile on her face. She was an encouragement in both her faith and her zest for life. She was a fair and patient counselor, who was always up for a good camp game of capture the flag. |
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David
The other member of my core group, David would always greet me with a warm "Hi, Friend!". David was incredibly kind and fun-loving, and through the summer was able to balance fun and structure with his campers. David was one of the best rock climbers of our group, and was always ready to meet a challenge. |
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Haley
[photo from Facebook (peak of Glorieta baldy)]
Haley is the type of person where, if you weren't paying attention, you might miss out on all she brought to the team. She was a great counselor with a sharp wit, but never drew much attention to herself. She was dependable, honest, and if you listened you could usually hear her make a pretty funny comment during staff meeting... probably about Matt. |
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Marina
[top of picture]
The few times I needed to counsel due to staff shortage, I usually teamed up with Marina. We were able to work well together and I was happy to have her as my co-counselor. Marina stuck through the summer despite illness, health complications, and having times where she had to counsel a cabin by herself. She is tenacious. |
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Kaylen
[photo from Facebook]
A source of unapologetic joy, Kaylen's natural energy and warm personality made her a wonderful addition to our counseling team. Kaylen was always on board with any of the ridiculous activities I facilitated with her cabin, and was willing to be crazy for her campers. |
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Matthew
Every team needs a nuclear reactor: a source of energy that powers the entire team. However, if you only knew Matthew for his enthusiasm and unfiltered sass, you would miss out in knowing a very sincere and thoughtful person with a true heart for God.
I also appreciated our camp-spa days [soaking our feet in epsom salt water tubs]. |
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Mercedes
[bottom of picture]
My last week at camp, I counseled with Mercedes for the youngest age group. When I was worn out by the little ones, Mercedes seemed to excel with them. On the first day of camp, she was helping teary-eyed kids leave their mother's side and join with their cabins. Though she was gone for the middle of the summer due to military training, she was still a present member of our team. |
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Chelsea and Simeon Cochrane
[photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cochrane]
Chelsea and I were both on day camp core staff together, and even counseled together one week when we were short-staffed. Chelsea has an eye for finding beauty in the most unassuming places, and shows wisdom far beyond her years. Chelsea [and her husband Simeon] are some of my favourite people, and I don't think a single picture will ever exist that personifies them more.
...Oh, and they were good at their jobs and stuff. |
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Jake
Jake lived in our closet.
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Even though he worked in an adjacent program, Jake was part of the group. Jake and Christa were both in a long-running program before the summer started and therefore helped the summer staff become acquainted with the camp.
Cool guy. |
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Elizabeth
Elizabeth worked in the kitchen, but was always welcome.
She provided us with baked good almost as sweet as her.
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I am thankful for such a great team, and as we have all returned to our many different corners of the country I hope everyone is doing well. I won't forget this summer and the people that made it as enjoyable as it was.
Glorieta Day
Camp Summer 2015
“You Right”
1 Corinthians 1:30
God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our Benefit God made him to be wisdom
itself. Christ made us right with
God: He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin |
