JULY 2015

Mike and Erica’s Engagementby Zoe Swift

As many Danbee campers know, there has been an update on the

newest couple here at Danbee. Our favor-ite Lakefront Director, Mike Snodgrass, and Dance Director, Erica McFarlane, got engaged!

It was quite the shocker when we all found out, and ever since they’ve been getting tons of questions about the wedding date, where it will be, how Mike proposed, etc.

They started dating in the summer of 2012 at Danbee, but because they live halfway around the world from each other – New Zealand and British Colum-bia – their relationship fizzled out. For the next two years, Erica tried to find someone like Mike in Vancouver, her home town, but she couldn’t, because “there’s only one Mikey.” So, in the spring 2014 Erica phoned Mike and told him she was willing to try again if they both would really com-mit to the relationship. They have been dating ever since.

But they hid it very well. None of us, except for a select few, knew about their relationship. They both have different rea-sons for keeping it secret. Mike thinks “it’s a lot easier to do your job” when nobody’s asking you questions and preventing you from doing the things you need to do. And while Erica knew she came back to camp for the kids, she didn’t want “any question about whether she came back for the love

for the kids” or for Mike. But then again, it’s always a bonus to see the man or woman you’re dating every day of summer.

But summer is basically the only time they get to see each other, given the places they live and the airfare it takes to get from their place to the other. So how do they see and talk to each other during the rest of the year? Well, as Erica says, “Skype became our best friend.” Still it was hard to find a time that was conve-nient for both of them, given the 13-hour time difference between the two places they live. Back at camp, before the en-gagement, they had to act like they were just friends, knowing that they couldn’t hint to the campers that they were any-thing more than friends.

Mike though, aware that Erica is an amazing person, already knew what he wanted and whom he wanted to share it with – Erica. So, with this in mind, three months before he proposed, Mike already had the ring and was planning how he would propose.

It was a gorgeous, hot New Zealand summer day and Mike and Erica were climbing Mount Maunganui, an extinct volcano. And every time a good place for a picture came along, Mike would set his GoPro Camera to take a picture in five seconds, giving them time to pose for the camera. They kept doing this the whole way to the top, which was all part of Mike’s plan so that Erica would suspect nothing about what would happen next.

When they reached the top, there was “a beautiful 360 degree view.” So, of course they had to take a picture there and Mike set up the GoPro. Erica noticed it was arranged a little differently from before, but thought nothing of it. Five seconds later, Erica saw Mike get down on one knee – the camera recording the moment – and he asked that one question that made Erica’s heart pound. But while Mike was saying why he was doing this, Erica couldn’t hear any of it over the sound of one thought circling her brain – “Yay, it’s happening!”

What’s Inside

Jerry NelsonJerry has been coaching at Danbee for eight years. He has an amazing and ad-vanced gym at camp and Jerry and the kids at Danbee know they are fortunate to have such nice gym facilities.

Page 3

Issue 1

Mike proposes to Erica at the summit of Mount Maunganui in New Zealand.

Reader NoteWelcome to the first issue of the second

year of The Danbee Beeline. It worked out that the theme of this issue is camp staff.

All the stories were conceived, researched and written by campers in the Journalism and Media program. The campers are reporters for the Beeline who interviewed all the people written about in this issue. The Beeline has 35 reporters producing stories for the newspaper and for the Danbee Beeline Website and that is a staff larger than many medium size community newspapers.

All the reporters develop interview, note taking and writing skills.

The big news in this issue is an article about the engagement of Erica McFarlane and Mike Snodgrass that was artfully written by Zoe Swift. Alexis Ellman and Paige Schactel provide insight into how other camp couples met. Two reporters – Avery Dermer and Stella Fox – combined their interest in photography and love of writing to take the pictures that accompany their articles. Samantha Port interviewed Jay and Mark to get a sense of what their jobs as camp directors entail.

We are immensely proud of the articles the Beeline staff of camp reporters wrote. Not all the articles made it into this issue, but they will be in the next issue. And there are many articles being developed that include off campus subjects, such as Crane Paper Company that is famous both for its high quality stationary and for making all the paper used to print U.S. currency.

We hope you enjoy the terrific writing in the pages of this issue.Happy reading!Gary HookJournalism and Media Program DirectorKatie da CruzJournalism and Media Program Instructor

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The BeeLine Page 2July 2015

Once the excitement of the moment settled down and they had made their way down the mountain, the next step was to tell everyone about the engage-ment. Most of Mike and Erica’s friends found out through the Facebook post that Mike joked “broke the internet.” Even some of Erica’s America’s Camp girls messaged her and said, “We need to talk, NOW!” They told their close family and friends personally before, though. Erica’s family was ecstatic about the engagement because they knew how Erica is around Mike and how he makes her feel. Mike’s family felt the same way and they were very happy and excited.

Still, they had to talk with Jay and Mark, thinking that it would affect camp this year. We all know how that went.

Afterward, they started planning. As Jay frequently says in the mess hall, “Our favorite February wedding is coming up!” The wedding will be on February 20, 2016, in New Zealand. Mike lives on a beautiful farm and the wedding will be in his backyard. But what about everyone’s favorite part after the wedding – the hon-eymoon? So far, they don’t know where they will be going, but their top two choices are Fiji, or the Southern Island of New Zealand.

Once camp is over this year, the cou-

ple will spend a week in Vancouver to see Erica’s family, and then spend the rest of the year in New Zealand for the wed-ding. After the wedding they’ll go on their honeymoon, and then before we know it, they’ll be back at camp!

After Danbee season 2016, Mike and Erica will spend the rest of the year in Vancouver until camp again, and they will keep on switching off until they know where they want to live. But thinking even more into the future, the couple would definitely want to expand their family - and of course, if they were to have a girl, what camp would she go to other than Danbee?

Adam and KimHow met: At a gym at Penn State University. Kim worked there and Adam went there.Year Married: 1991 Kids: Emme. She

started Danbee as a Bumble Bee when Kim and Adam started working here. She ended as a WBY in ’10, and was a counselor in ’11 ’12 ’13 and ’14.Quote: “We have a sense of humor.”

Josh and AlishaHow met: In Troy Christian High school Government class.Year Married: 2009Kids: noneQuote: “We love to

travel together!” Fun Fact: Josh and Alisha have been to Nicaragua, all over the US, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England.

Gary and Abby How Met: Blind Date – Abby was in college in Evanston, IL. and Gary was in the Navy at the Great Lakes.Year Married: 1969

Kids: Douglas, Age 42; Melissa, Age 38. Nathaniel (grandson)Quote: “We love to take unscripted road trips.”

Ross and BeckaHow Met: Ross worked at Mah-kee-nac, where as Becka worked at Danbee. Ross met Becka by friends introducing them to

each other.Year Married: 2009Kids: Lauren and AdamQuote: “We like going to movies and hockey games together.”Fun Fact: On July 4th, Ross and Becka had their first date. Ross was 3 hours late, but Becka still waited for him.

Jerry and JoanneHow Met: Joanne owned a gym school were Jerry worked and there friend named Terry introduced them.Year Married: 1975

Kids: Brittany, Danielle. Ryan (grandson)Quote: “We love to share our family life.”Fun Fact: They both competed in national level gymnastics.

Jay and DebbieHow Met: Jay and Debbi met working at a college together.Year Married: 1983Kids: Josh, Jill, Eric, and Kim

Quote: “We like to visit with our grandchildren”Fun Fact: Jay and Debbi met working at Grad School.

Mark and AmyHow Met: At Camp Frank-A-DayYear Married: 1991Kids: Rebecca and JakeQuote: We like to work together at camp and

we like watching the Red Sox.

Jack and ChrisHow Met: Jack was a Vista volunteer who spoke at Chris’s school and she was a student.Year Married: 1973Kids: Jeremy

Quote: We love to travel and experience new horizons.

Camp Couplesby Alexis Ellman and Paige Schachtel

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The BeeLine Page 3July 2015

Jerry Nelson: director of Camp Danbee gymnastics, coach

of Southern Connecticut University women’s gymnastics, former head of many organizations and an overall fun guy.

Jerry has been coaching at Danbee for eight years. He has an amazing and advanced gym at camp and Jerry and the kids at Danbee know they are fortunate to have such nice gym facilities.

Jerry has a passion for teaching kids and it shows. As someone who goes to the gym a lot, every time I’m there I see Jerry’s passion and humor as he makes kids feel good about themselves.

Jerry has a ton of experience in gymnastics. He was a serious gymnast up until the age of 30; he competed in multiple events and was very successful. Jerry was on two men’s National Championship gymnastics teams at Southern Connecticut University. Once his athletic career was over he started is own gymnastics school with his wife, Joanne, who also was a gymnast and had won nationals twice on the balance beam beating out Olympic medalist Cathy Rigby each time. Joanne teaches jewelry at Danbee. Eventually, they sold their gymnastics business and Jerry went on to become a college coach. He has coached members of the U.S. Olympic team at camps and worked with the USA gymnastics organization. Jerry ran the

venue for the Olympic trials in 2001, the world championships and the Americas cup. Jerry also was president of the NCAA Division II gymnastics coaches association. Jerry handled all the logistics of these events that appeared on T.V. Jerry volunteered his time for these events.

Jerry’s coming to Danbee began when Mark sent him an email looking for a gymnastics director. As a college coach, Jerry’s summers were open and he was looking for something to fill that time. After receiving Mark’s email, Jerry went to the Danbee website and 15 minutes later he emailed Mark saying he wanted to work at Danbee. Now Jerry loves his summer job and he can still be a college coach.

Jerry spends his days at Danbee in the gym, all day everyday. He sees all ages and all levels. Danbee is so lucky to have such an experienced teacher who enjoys what he does. Jerry’s goal is to help every instructor who works with him to be a better coach and to help all the kids learn gymnastics properly. He always is ready with a compliment.

He begins each class with a warm up where one teacher works on stretches with the kids and then they split up into groups. Depending upon the size of the class Jerry will either have his own group, or will walk around to every group and determine whether a teacher needs help spotting for a kid, complimenting kids, or correcting their form.

During fun and fitness and rest hour Jerry has private sessions with some of the most advanced kids. He takes teaching kids seriously, but still likes to have fun. He challenges kids, but still keeps them comfortable.

At the end of every class he does his traditional saying, “one clap for you, one clap for your coaches, and get out of my gym,”

When everyone gets their shoes on and gets ready to leave, Jerry goes to all the kids and asks them, “how was class today? Did you have fun? Great job today!” He does this because he likes to get feedback and the feedback is what helps him to know what to do different next time and what people like and don’t like.

Jerry always is having fun in the gym and it’s a place where you can be yourself and know that Jerry is there to help. He is a spectacular gym director and a great friend to many campers. A day in the life of Jerry Nelson is a day where you get to teach kids and help them grow in an activity many kids love, gymnastics.

Jerry Nelson: a supportive, advanced and successful Danbee gymnastics director. And an overall fun guy.

Jerry Nelson - Day in the lifeby Stella Fox

Photos by Stella Fox

The BeeLine Page 4July 2015

Neal Gerhart is a man who loves to teach. At Danbee he is

known as a tennis instructor. At home in Birmingham, Alabama he is known for teaching literature and writing to 7th graders

He became interested in literature when he was little because his mom took him and his sister to the library a lot. He got interested in tennis also when he was little because there were tennis courts near his house and he played there a lot.

His passion for tennis and literature is very evident. So much so, that he is known to combine the two. For instance, Neal used to host a book club at Danbee, but now, he often speaks about literature with campers during his tennis classes. When asked about his favorite books, he said, “I have a lot of favorite books, so it is hard to choose.”

When prodded to name some, he said, “I like Blood Meridian, The Power of One and Meditations and Peace in Every Step these books give him a good way to look at the world.

Neal said what he liked most about

Danbee is teaching campers because he likes to see them improve.

This is Neal’s 25th year at Danbee and he arrived at the same time as Jay and Mark Toporoff. In his early years at Danbee, he and Mark shared a bunk.

Now he shares a bunk with his dog, Sam, who is 6 human years old. Neal said that he does not know how old Sam is in dog years because he is a rescue dog and he is a Mutt. In his free time, Neal enjoys running in the woods with Sam on a trail.

A fun fact about Neal is that when his hair gets long enough he has it cut and donates it to charity to be made in

to wigs for cancer patients that have lost their hair.

Neal also has the nickname “Thor”, which was given to him by a counselor named Kendra a long time ago and the counselor thought he looked like Thor.

Neal Gerhart - Loves literature and tennisby Veronique Mintz

It was the first sunny day in a while. I sat on the Hive porch waiting

for Wendy to arrive. My excitement of spending the day with her for an inside look at her daily schedule, couldn’t be contained. At Danbee, Wendy is head of Campus. However, there is more to what she does than meets the eye. She has a fabulous talent for scheduling, setting Campus OD charts, multi-tasking, making the campers feel loved, and most importantly, being a dedicated mom and wife.

For Wendy, a normal day on camp begins with campus assembly. Most mornings, she has the honor of ringing the bell to let everyone know it’s time to wake up. She informs every age group of their evening activity that night, letting kids know about any up-coming phone calls they might have and, for counselors, letting them know who should be on duty for that night.

Each morning she usually plays the Pledge of Allegiance as the campers join in as the flag is raised. Wendy always asks if there are any additional questions so that nobody is confused. Once Wendy says her signature “Goooooooo to breakfast,” all the girls start heading up the hill to the dining hall.

At the top of the hill, campers wait anxiously outside for Jay to play the morning music, which signals the

start of breakfast. While everyone is inside the mess hall eating, Wendy is checking her mail, responding to missed calls and emails, and getting Charlie, her 19-month-old baby girl, ready for the day. This is just the beginning of her task-hopping itinerary. She never is seen sitting around because she constantly is traveling through camp addressing issues that might occur. For instance, the day I was with her she had to hold a

Wendy - Day in the lifeby Avery Dermer

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The BeeLine Page 5July 2015

bunk back after breakfast because they did not get a good report from their OD. This problem comes around many times

throughout the summer. As everyone heads down the

hill going to first period, Wendy still is doing her work in the office. She checks in with everyone in the office and makes sure that all major stuff around camp is in the proper condition. That day, there was a soccer tournament, so Wendy was making sure all the visiting campers knew where the bathroom is and where they will be playing. Wendy likes to make sure everything is in—place.

Throughout all of this, Wendy always likes to catch a glimpse of her baby, Charlie. I was very interested in how she can maintain being a devoted

mother and have a busy schedule for 49 days straight, she said that every night she tries to tuck Charlie in and put her to sleep. During the day Charlie has a babysitter that takes her around camp.

Her favorite part of the day is snack because she gets to hand out snack, chat with campers a little and gets to know them a bit better.

Overall, Wendy is an amazing person and her day is very brutal, but throughout she tends to know everyone’s name, drops in on their activities to see what everyone is doing, and, lastly, says hello to everyone she sees.

Rebecca Stavis - Will always love actingby Larissa Zomitzer

Rebecca Stavis loves Camp Dan-bee! And she loves theater and

performing. As Danbee’s theater director, she is able to combine those two loves.

The love of Danbee began in 1993 when she was a Queen Bee. She re-turned as a camper each year and was a Wel-B-Yon in 1997. Rebecca was theater director at Danbee from 2005 to 2007.

The love of theater started in fifth grade when her teacher told her class they had to make a project on what they want to be when they grow up.

“When I grow up I want to be an actress,” she said.

She has spent a lot of time with acting and she would like to do acting as a side job. While Rebecca wasn’t on Broadway, she was in an Off Broad-way play Pinkalicious and she toured around China in Sound of Music where she played Sister Margareta. She was in China the same years as the Olympics in Beijing. Before going there she was told not eat uncooked fruits and vegetables. She also has performed in Fiddler on the Roof at the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield.

Acting in New York seems big, but Rebecca reveals that acting at Danbee is way more fun.

Rebecca’s good friend Taylor was Danbee theater director in 2013 and when she decided to come back to Dan-bee as theater director, she asked what plays she should consider. Then at the new camper luncheon she asked WBY what they thought the plays should be, and settled on Legally Blonde for Acres.

When asked what her favorite play is, Rebecca had a hard time deciding, but finally said The Sound of Music. After the 50th anniversary came out, Rebecca would sit and watch it all the time. She would sing along and learn the dances. Rebecca says she acted in the play more than 100 times.

You would think that her favorite thing is acting, but it is really singing and music. She studied music in NYU and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music. Acting and singing are a big part in Rebecca’s life.

Have you ever thought about what you like better, being in shows or watch-ing them? To you it might be easy to decide. But to an actress it is really hard. Rebecca decided it was way too hard to answer!

When Rebecca, who grew up in Demarest, New Jersey, isn’t acting she is a special education teacher in the Bronx, New York. She went to City College of New York as a New York City Teaching Fellow where she received a master’s degree in secondary special education.

But the one thing Rebecca will never let go of is acting.

Photos by Avery Dermer

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The BeeLine Page 6July 2015

Everyone knows Mike Snodgrass as the fun, nice lake guy who

returns to Danbee every year. This year is his 20th and his thoughts about Danbee are one of a kind.

Mike found Danbee while traveling in Miami in 1996 with a friend. They were staying at another friends house, Deb, who worked at Danbee. After listening to what Deb had to say about Danbee, Mike knew he wanted to come. Since Danbee is an all-girls camp, he wouldn’t have to take care of kids. They were also look-ing for a boat driver, which is a job Mike knew he could do.

After his first summer, he was in love with Danbee and he couldn’t wait to come back. Mike loves his job at camp and thinks it is the best job at Danbee. Mike has great friends, young and old, that he enjoys hanging out with.

Mike worked as a boat driver for eight years and also was assistant direc-tor for three years. When he became lake front director in 2004/2005, there already had been three directors before him.

Mike has a lot of favorite things about camp, including how much we all love being here and how much everyone can’t wait to get back to camp and see each other. The biggest thing that Mike has gained from camp are his friends that he’ll have forever.

Mike lives in Hamilton, New Zea-land, which is fourth biggest city in New Zealand, but very small compared to the U.S, and always is the first one to get to camp and the last one to leave. He helps set up all the activities at the lake, as well as other things that needed to be done. This year he arrived at Danbee on May 7 and was the only one at camp. He says it’s quiet and lonely, but it’s also exciting because he knows everyone is coming. He also is here 3 weeks after camp help-ing to take down the activity equipment, remove the docks from the lake and put the boats in storage.

He says after all the buses leave at the end of camp it’s like a “deflation.”

“It’s sad seeing everyone leave on the buses,” Mike said. “When everyone goes all of a sudden it gets quiet.”

Danbee has become his home for the summer and he can’t imagine not coming back.

“I would have this awful feeling about not coming back,” he said. “I would miss all my fun little jobs.”

Mike says he loves seeing all the girls grow up and he would miss that.

“I can’t imagine working anyone else,” he said.

When Mike is home in New Zea-land, he thinks about Danbee every day. Sometimes, he says, he texts his friends about ideas for the next summer. He always is looking forward to the summer and getting back to Danbee and he feels so lucky that his office is our amazing Lake Ashmere. Danbee, you see, feels like home to Mike Snodgrass.

It is the weird little traditions Mike has with campers that make Danbee special. For example, my friends and I go to the lake at shower hour where Mike and Sean live and sing funny songs while Sean plays the ukulele. Other campers help him set up the torches for when wish boats are set afloat on the lake.

He also loves the many other tradi-tions; such as carving the watermelon to show which team won the leagues competition; and driving the rowboat with

the burning numbers of the current year at the last campfire for the end of camp. Traditions are what make Danbee unique, in Mike’s opinion.

Many kids view Mike as their dad for the summer and that makes him very proud. Mike says he has the privilege of watching girls having the time of their life at the lake and being responsible for their safety, something he takes very seriously.

Danbee wouldn’t be the same with-out Mike and Mike wouldn’t be the same without Danbee.

Mike Snodgrass - Danbee’s fun lake guyby Stella Fox

Photos by Stella Fox

The BeeLine Page 7July 2015

Ask Francesca Edwards about her job as assistant lake front head

and she’ll tell you it is both hard and enjoyable.

Francesca has acquired several nick-names during her four years at Danbee, including Franny, Cheesie, Chezzy and Franny the Nanny, but she commonly is called Fran.

She starts the day by waking up and attending acres assembly at 8:30 a.m. Like every other key staff member and camper, she heads up to breakfast. After breakfast she walks to the lake very fast so she can be there to get organized for the morning. She heads to “the office” which is a small building at the lake where all the rosters and schedules are for the day.

Pretty soon the kids start rolling in. Fran sits in the high lifeguard chair and makes sure the kids have their tags to enter the lake. Fran basically is the “head lifeguard” while the kids are at their activities. If there are not enough instructors for the activities, Fran always

is there to help out. Ten minutes before every period ends, she sounds the air horn to signal that everyone should start heading back to shore. She ba-sically repeats the same procedure every period.

Fran, whose home is in Preston, England, said the lake basically is where she spends all of her time. The lake helped her make long lasting bonds with campers and counselors. She mentioned that she has a special relationship with the girls in bunk 2B, some ninth graders and some Hornets.

Sailing is her strong point and her first job at Danbee was as a sailing instructor, which she did for three years until being named assistant head of lake this year. Fran said often that she thinks the lake is a great place for making friends and close bonds with campers

and other staff. Fran recently graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in England where she studied to be a teacher. She recently got a job as a teacher in Italy and will be doing that during the year

Spending the day with Fran Edwards was a great learning expe-rience. Being the assistant head of the lake is a very complicated job and it takes a lot of effort.

Francesca Edwards - Close bonds with campersby Eliza Lakritz

Chris Ogletreeby Amanda Smith

You might think that having a job as a waterskiing instructor is

easy, but after spending a day with Chris-topher Ogletree and you find out it is not as easy as it seems.

Chris, who is 22 years old and from Wayland, MA., graduated from the University of Vermont in May with a degree in computer science. Wayland, Chris says, is a small town just outside of Boston that not many people have ever heard of.

At the lake, Chris has to fill the boats with gas and make sure they have enough to run for the full day. He checks that all the boats are running smoothly and makes sure he has enough boats for the campers that will be waterskiing.

Apart from all of the equipment preparations, Chris also is busy when he is on the boat while campers are wa-terskiing. Chris is very cautious about whether the campers will be going on the boom or the rope. For younger camp-

ers, mostly Campus, Chris lets campers try the boom first. Then, if they are ready, he lets them try the rope.

Chris also needs to figure out the speed to go for a specific camper. If the boat goes too fast, the camper might not be able to get up and if he goes to slow the camper might fall because they won’t feel the force pulling them forward.

Chris interacts with all the campers who waterski. While they are waterskiing, Chris, or his co-instructor, will help out with telling the water skier to bend her knees, or straighten her arms. Although Chris works with campers by giving them pointers, he also makes jokes, high fives, hugs, and talks to campers when they are just walking around.

Beyond just driving the boats and teaching people how to waterski, Chris has many other interests. When he was younger, he competed in gymnastics

events and still is amazing to this day. In college, he also played soccer. In Chris’s free time, he usually is at school, but he says that since he just graduated, he will be looking for full time jobs after camp.

In conclusion, spending a day with Chris was a great learning experience and an interesting experiment.

The BeeLine Page 8July 2015

Jay and Mark Toporoff are the directors of our awesome Camp

Danbee. They make their jobs look so easy! But have you ever wondered how they got to where they are now? The Danbee Beeline interviewed Jay and Mark to get some answers. Let’s have a look!

DB: What do you do to start your day?

Jay: “I get up early, and I go to the office to complete work when it’s silent.”

Mark: “I answer emails, and make sure that the trips are ready. Then I look to see what’s coming up one week ahead.

DB: What do you do after dinner?

Jay: “I look at the Evening Activity Schedule, and I try to get to each one to see how they’re going.”

Mark: “I try to get to the EA’s .”

DB: What do you do during the day?

Jay: “I travel the camp, see the campers, answer questions, and I see Danbee.”

Mark: “Problem solve.”

DB: How do you decide breakouts?

Jay: “We meet during the winter, and think of surprising ideas.”

Mark: “Jay’s usually in charge of it.”

DB: What do you do the rest of the year?

Jay: “I visit new campers, we hire staff, [we] build different buildings on the camp, and [I] do community service.”

Mark: “I take care of all [of] the financ-es and budgets for the camp, hire staff, arrange trips, and organize the operation of camp for the next summer.”

DB: How did you decide who got what job of director?

Jay: “Mark is good at organizing activ-ities, and I like to sing at campfires and play music.”

Mark: “It was natural to our skill sets. Jay’s more of a big picture kind of guy, and I’m more behind the scenes.”

DB: How do you recruit staff? How long does it take?

Jay: “It takes all year to find staff, and many come back. I have to travel a lot!”

Mark: “We start in November by asking who wants to come back. We then de-cide where to go to recruit staff. We use Camp America, and go to universities.”

DB: What do you enjoy most?

Jay: “Watching everyone grow up and seeing people make great friends.”

Mark: “I enjoy the relationships with the people in the camp.”

DB: What is the hardest thing about being camp director?

Jay: “Making sure everyone’s safe.”

Mark: “When things don’t go the way [they’re] planned.”

DB: What’s the best and toughest deci-sion you’ve had to make in your entire camp career?

Jay: “My best decision was to become camp director, and the toughest was to move acres from the other side of the road, and hoping kids would like it.”

Mark: “The best time at camp is when I can spend time with the campers. I think people can tell that I care. The toughest decisions to make are when we have to fire staff, and also deciding rainy day schedules.”

Wow! Does their job seem so easy now? Twenty-five years of experience at a girl’s camp! And within those years were so many changes and more to come! Now you got a glimpse of what it is like to be a camp director!

Behind the Secenes of a Camp Directorby Samantha Port

Leagues breakby Gabriela Melo

How interesting is leagues? Well a lot.

The day leagues broke there was a lot of shouting in the theater! In leagues there are two teams – Americans and Nationals. This is an important tradition that has been going on for75 years, since 1950 at Danbee. After so many years the teams have developed several cheers and the teams have mascots with the Nationals team mascot being a lion and the Americans mascot is a bear. Leagues competition events take place on Mondays.

Every year there always is a fake leagues break. This year it was on Mexican night with the Wel-B-Yon dressed in the league colors of red and green. Mexican night featured a Mariachi band that played throughout dinner. After dinner, as everyone gathered near the front of the dining hall, the Mariachi band started playing “Eye of the Tiger,” the traditional song signaling the start of leagues. People began screaming and cheering. Everybody thought it was Leagues break but then a banner came with “NOT” in big letters.

After the first week of competition the Americans led with 330 points to 310 points for the Nationals. That changed after the second week with Nationals getting 379 points to Americans 285 giving the Nationals a 689 to 615 point lead.

Also in the first week of Wel-B-Yon games Malorie Lipstein broke the record for the rubber boot toss throwing it 57 feet 1 inch. The old record set last year was 52 feet.