For many high school students, summer is a time to try new things, such as internships or travel. But for junior Harrison Leibsker who attends Camp Chi, a Jewish camp in Lake Delton, Wisconsin, summer means returning to a place that has a comforting familiarity: sleepaway camp.
Harrison, like dozens of U-High students, grew up attending sleepaway camp. This year, though, he is returning as a counselor, a role he has always wanted.
“It’s a mix of I always knew, and it’s my last summer and I wouldn’t be able to see a lot of these people again if I didn’t come back,” Harrison said.
U-High students have returned to their childhood sleepaway camps as counselors because they want to give back to a place that has shaped their lives, as well as serve as a role model for younger campers. The role also teaches counselors important life lessons like patience and leadership.
For junior Samara Grossman, not returning as a counselor was never an option. Being a camper was her favorite experience and she wants to share her passion for camp with younger campers. Samara has attended Hidden Valley Camp, an arts and outdoors camp in Freedom, Maine, for eight years. Both Samara and Harrison appreciate how camp teaches adaptability and composure.
“Nothing requires more patience than working with kids, and that’s definitely a skill that will help in other aspects of life,” Samara said. “For me, personally, I want to be an elementary school teacher, so the experience working with kids is obviously great for that. I think the biggest skill being a camp counselor gives you is learning to go with the flow and adapt to a lot of different situations.”
Senior Delaney Connell returned as a counselor last summer at Camp Edwards, a YMCA camp in East Troy, Wisconsin, after being a camper for nine years. Delaney appreciates how camp taught her to embrace stepping out of her comfort zone and being a leader.
“From being a camp counselor, there’s a lot of different types of leaders, which is what I learned,” Delaney said. “It’s not just being this loud person who everyone listens to and a loud personality that takes up the room. There’s a lot of different kinds of leaders, and I think that was sort of something that was hard for me to learn because I’m not that loud kind of leader.”
As a camper, Delaney always looked up to her counselors, which inspired her to return to camp as a mentor for younger campers and share with them her love of camp.
“I always looked up to my counselors as a kid, and I think it’s a way to give back to this community that has given me so much,” Delaney said. “I’ve learned a lot going to camp, and it was a home away from home for me, so going back as a counselor, I was kind of able to be that role model that I saw in my counselors for other kids.”
