newsletter fall 2011 - fleur de lis camp€¦ · fleur de lis spent time encouraging early...

Laurel Leaves Fall 2011Fall 2011Fall 2011Fall 2011

T HANK YOU to all our campers, staff, parents, and alums for sharing a summer at Fleur de Lis Camp

with me! It was a great experience, and I am so grateful for all our returning staff for taking additional

leadership responsibilities at camp to ensure that the FdL experience continued.

I think one of the things I will always remember about Fleur de Lis is the call of the bugle. I have to admit that at

first I thought the bugle only sounded for reveille and taps, but I was soon corrected and began to appreciate this

sound that is unique to Fleur de Lis.

Coronation, Cathedral, and Galilean were all a treat, and I, too, wanted to shout at the people at the public beach

to “PLEASE BE QUIET” so we could hear better in the Hemlock Grove. There was one noise, however, that

drifted in at one point and made us all laugh; I cannot remember the words, but I do remember the all-camp

chuckle! Special days like Goldrush, Carnival, Harry Potter Day, and Apache Relay, as well as air bands, plays,

a new EP involving werewolves, and water balloons, made the 2011 season fun and unique.

We are very blessed with a great community, and I am thankful to all of you for sharing what you love so much

with me. It was with your help in articulating what camp means to you and your family, as well as information

from our Corporation and support from our summer staff and

campers, that enabled us to create a Fleur de Lis recruitment DVD.

Lady Marisa Ramos took oodles of summer video footage to help

capture camp’s essence. It will be our pleasure to share the DVD

with all our 2011 campers and staff during the holiday season and

use it as a recruiting tool at Camp Fairs in 2012.

Another great accomplishment was 2012 registration before the end

of 2011! With constant e-mail communication during the summer

and the support of the staff, we have had 50 campers register for

2012 before 2011 ended! THANK YOU & congratulations! We are

looking to retain at least 74% of our 2011 campers for the 2012

season. We’re well on our way, and we hope to have our retention

numbers increase by 10/31/11 when the early registration discount

ends.

Thank you to all of our families and friends for a GREAT 2011

season. We’re excited for 2012 and getting started already for a

spectacular 2012 season!

Thanks,

Lady Carrie Kashawlic, Director

President

Jane E. Lawson

Vice President

Diane Foster

Treasurer

Chris Creelman

Secretary

Ruth White Keogh

Members-at-Large

Lauren Carney

Julie Cannistraro Carson

Christine Cressey

Nancy White

Camp Director

Carrie Kashawlic

Fleur de LisFleur de LisFleur de LisFleur de Lis

Core ValuesCore ValuesCore ValuesCore Values

IntegrityIntegrityIntegrityIntegrity

LoyaltyLoyaltyLoyaltyLoyalty

Service to OthersService to OthersService to OthersService to Others

Caring CommunityCaring CommunityCaring CommunityCaring Community

Est. 1929Est. 1929Est. 1929Est. 1929

Fleur de Lis Fleur de Lis Fleur de Lis Fleur de Lis CampCampCampCamp T

hank you to everyone who helped right the Fleur de Lis dock this

summer! It was a BIG success, and we were able to replace several

sections at the end of our dock.

Although we cannot control Mother Nature, we believe that the new dock will

withstand the winter weather elements. The new dock allowed us to offer a

wonderful waterfront program again this past summer, and campers enjoyed the

new platform area at the end of the dock by the diving board.

Thank you again for all your help and assistance in maintaining our property.

Your continued financial support helps us maintain our facilities. This year, our

main capital project will be new tennis courts. This is a large expense but will

allow us to improve our tennis program and keep FDL competitive. Your

continued generosity is important and keeps our camp not only beautiful, but

strong. We greatly appreciate your support!

by Chris Creelman

...and After!

Before...

W hat do a group of FDL Ladies do to break up the monotony of winter in the Northeast and Idaho? Plan a

Spirit Sister Month! April 2011 was declared SS month by a loyal group of FDL friends. Over the

winter, Christine (Hassig) Cressey, Lexy Heatley, Sarah (Farragher) Massari, Shauna (Moynihan)

Simpson, Jenn Maynard, Becca Newhall, Hannah (Newhall) Sanger, Julie (Cannistraro) Carson and Kate Kelly were

randomly assigned Spirit Sisters from the group and the planning began (Kate's computer scientist husband did the

random assignments by computer so that nobody would have to know who her SS was).

The rules were set: one SS note or gift per week during the month of April to culminate in the traditional SS

party. Creativity abounded. Emails from YourSpiritSister, postcards with "Love, your SS" from all over the world,

and gifts sent from post offices outside of hometowns all helped to avoid detection. (Of course, everyone agreed not

to look at postmarks and some asked significant others retrieve the mail when possible.) Frequent updates on a FB

group noted gift arrivals. "Thanks SS. I got the lobster bottle opener in the mail today. Looking forward to a beer and

lobsta roll at your place this summer." "Dear SS: Have you been visiting my hood?? These cards with photos of the

North Shore have been making my day (I want to take the sunfish out for a sail, and love the funny poem) ... but I

hope I haven't missed you in passing???" Perhaps the funniest message was from Shauna, who found herself in the

line of an

argumentative post office worker. While she stood

with her package and two small children, the post

office worker bellowed at her for not including a

return address. Despite her efforts to explain that the

package was part of a game and that it was expected

not to have a return address the worker insisted

(loudly) that legally she must put a return address on

the package.

The fun month of cheerful notes and

packages ended in an SS party at Shauna's home in

Worcester - complete with Hannah Newhall being

Skyped in from Idaho for the festivities! Poems,

songs, crossword puzzles, gifts that began with the

Spirit Sister's first name, and creatively decorated

notes provided the traditional clues to the identity of

each SS. Fun was had by all!

by Kate Kelly

Lady Kate, Abby, Lady Becca, Lady Jenn, Lady Sara, Lady

Lexy, Lady Julie, & Lady Shauna Skyping with Lady Hannah

“Out of need and out of custom, we have gathered here to say good bye. We have come together as a very unique and

special community of women who have spent not only our summers together but our lives. To this gathering we are

bringing love and laughter, grief and pain. We have gathered together to celebrate with thanksgiving the life of a loving

wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. We gather to remember a simply wonderful human being --- Diane Fiske

Haessler. We gather to comfort and support one another in our loss. We gather to commend to God one of our own.”

These words were spoken by Lady Mary Conant to the Fleur de Lis community who gathered to celebrate the life and

service of Lady Diane “Nurse” Fiske Haessler on Saturday, June 11, 2011. The celebration included memories of Lady

Nurse, camp songs, visiting friends and service to camp. The day, despite the tears from heaven, was filled with the

warmth of love and friendship as alumnae, campers, and families reconnected with Fleur de Lis. As Lady Mary

remarked, “The pictures on Facebook do not do

justice to the level of emotion that was in that

Barn and later on the porch of the Infirmary as

the family buried some of the ashes. When I

looked out over the gathered alumnae at any

time during the service whether in song or

prayer, it was always a mixture of smiles and

tears, leaning forward to hear and leaning into

each other for comfort and support.” Thank

you to everyone who attended and made the

day special.

T hank you to all our volunteers and seasonal camp

staff who made the 2011 Big & Little program a

success. Lady Jazmin Belcoure directed the event

with 19 Big & Little pairs.

The best of Big & Little is that a good number of the

participants who attend end up registering for camp! Of

the 19 pairs, one camper signed up for 2012 on site, and

others are anticipating on attending B&L 2012 so they

can sign up for 2013!

Fleur de Lis spent time encouraging early registration for

2012 before the 2011 season was even over. There were

50 campers who registered before camp ended, and of

those, 15 attended Fleur de Lis for the first time in 2011!

What is even more remarkable is that one-third of these

new retained campers attended B&L! What a wonderful

tribute with numbers to a successful event that welcomes

families into the Fleur de Lis circle.

We welcome your support in sharing the Big & Little

weekend experience with your friends. Look online soon

to see the 2012 brochure designed by Lady Pam Fricke.

F un was had by all at the Fall Family Day at camp on October 1st, 2011! A little rain never stops an FdL girl from enjoying

herself! Alumnae, campers, family and friends participated in pumpkin painting, crafts, archery, and riflery while enjoying

the beautiful autumn scenery around camp.

Lunch in the dining hall was spent catching up with friends and singing songs lead by the Jenkins sisters. Next, it was time to warm

by the fire as we retreated to the Barn to play silly games led by Lady Di Foster. Lady Carrie provided donuts to go with warm

cider, and, as the day came to a close, more songs were sung and memories shared from this summer and summers past.

As families departed for the day, alumnae kept the fire roaring and laughed into the night playing games such as "Fax Machine" and

"Celebrity." Lady Bridget Scollan played Taps, and alumnae retired to the Farmhouse, Health Center, and Junior Field for a good

nights sleep surrounded by friends.

When Sunday morning rolled around, hugs were exchanged and goodbyes were said to our dear Laurel Lake. If you didn't make it

this year, besure to mark it on your calendar for next October 6th - this is a weekend you don't want to miss! Many thanks to

the volunteers, campers, families and alumnae who came out for the weekend!

by Lady Amy Bates & Lady Sarah Heller

And a special thank you to Oliver Loewen for the photos!

A n interesting article came out in the October 2011 National Geographic entitled “The New Science of the

Teenage Brain,” by David Dobbs. The article addresses behaviors that teens exhibit that anger and irritate adults,

but goes on to say that the adaptation of the brain is an important developmental tool. It’s a tool that

“encourages” teens to leave childhood and the comfort of home to explore unfamiliar territories, take risks and

eventually become resilient enough to become contributing members of society.

According to the article, the brain undergoes this development from age 12 to age 25. It goes on to state that teens do

understand consequences and uses an example of a teen who drove his car 113 mph and was pulled over by the police

and forced to call Dad to explain. Of course, this is the behavior that is infuriating to adults; but from the teen’s

perspective, it was well planned. He deliberately choose a dry, empty stretch of interstate in daylight to conduct his

experiment and understood that a blown tire or an animal in the road could have killed him. The development of the

brain that is exhibited in these behaviors is also the necessary development that allows for teens to gain self-confidence,

independence, and the resiliency necessary to become successful adults. It seems you can’t have one without the other.

And so, why, you might be asking, is the Camp Director sharing this information with the Fleur de Lis community?

Good question, she replies. It’s because teens will explore, try, challenge and seek peer recognition no matter what. It

seems it is, literally, hard wired into their brains. And camp is a good location—with peers, counselors and adults who

share similar values—to explore and take the risks that lead to adult competencies.

In another example used in the article, a simulated video driving test was given. The object is to drive across town as fast

as possible. Positive points are given for the risk to “gun” it through a yellow light if you make it through before it turns

red. If it turns red while “gunning” it, additional points are taken off and extra time added to the score. When teens drove

the course alone they took about the same amount of risk as adults did. This changed when a friend was present during

the game; teens then took twice as many risks. The presence of a friend did not change the adults’ behavior.

The reason given in the article for this change is not that teens don’t understand risk, but they place a different value on

the reward of the risk taken—a different value on social acceptance and peer approval than adults do. The willingness

and ability to take risk in this situation is an adaptive edge and is the same reason why teens move from the comfortable

home in which they grew up into a less secure/less familiar environment.

While teens have all of the academic year to

explore, camp is a summer location that can

appeal to their sense of adventure and

exploration with a different set of risks than

the outside world. Teens will still measure

risk vs. reward at camp, but with counselors

leading activities and peers who share the

values of the Fleur de Lis Pledge, the risks

found at camp are very different from a

summer party that might involve drinking,

drugs, sex, driving, and other adventures. Yet

another reason why 120 Howeville is a great

summer address!

by Lady Carrie

National Geographic, “The New Science of the

Teenage Brain,” October 2011. David Dobbs.

Pgs.36-59. To read the full article,

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/featurehub.

Like the photos?

Get one a week

when you "friend"

the FdL fan page

on Facebook!

Fleur de Lis Dates Fleur de Lis Dates Fleur de Lis Dates Fleur de Lis Dates

for 2012for 2012for 2012for 2012

Winter Wonderland Ball: Saturday, February 11

Kimballs Farm Event: Saturday, May 5

Camp Season July Session: June 23-July 21

Aug. Session: July 22-August 12 Big & Little: August 17-19

Fall Family Festival: Saturday, October 6

SAVE THE DATES!

David Pollard Morgan S. is an excellent figure skater and competes in

the nationals each year. She is 14 years old.

Carolyn Bump: (1950s) Loved my 3 years on the waterfront.

In memoriam:In memoriam:In memoriam:In memoriam:

Susan McDonough Lady Grace McD. is out for a month with the Semester at

Sea program. Her ship stops in several locations in South

& Central America. She’ll have some good stories to share

at camp this summer.

Jane Anderson Blake Great pictures (on the FdL FB page), and I am so blessed

to have my 2 granddaughters able to go to such a special

place like FdL...I am able to relive the great times I had

for 11 years when up there visiting them in July....

Shauna Moynihan Simpson Shout Out to Jennifer Maynard, Kate Young, Ruth Ke-

ogh, and Brian Cressey, who ran the Lowell Half

Marathon in Memory of Lady Nurse, Diane Haessler.

Show them some support, and light a candle for Lady

Nurse by donating to Fleur De Lis Camp!

Lady Carney – Deb Carney passed away September 5, 2011, following a short battle with cancer. Deb, who lived in Bangor Maine for year, last visited FdL for Lady Nurse’s service in June and attended the 80th reunion. FdL had a

special place in her heart – knowing that a Carney had been at camp since 1958, was very important to her. (Deb told us

this – so we have to believe it!) Debbie worked at camp in the 70’s, was the sister of Lady Wendy and Lady Nancy, and

was the aunt of senior camper Emma Carney.

Diana Thyssen Finally hiked Monadnock after starting at Fleur De Lis

Camp 15 years ago.

Grace S. Vignone, 93, of Nashua, NH, passed away peacefully on October 24, 2011, at Langdon Place in Nashua, NH. She was a camper at Fleur de Lis, as were her daughters, Jeanne (Vignone) Wentzell, and Nancy (Vignone) Ackermann.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that memorial gifts be made to Fleur de Lis Camp at 13 Hope Street in

Hopedale, MA 01747 or at www.fleurdeliscamp.org.

Elizabeth Hebb Plassmann passed away on May 13, 2011. She is an FdL alum, grew up in Boston, and earned a PhD in physics, going on to share her skills and be of service professionally and to many community organizations. Her

favorite sport was swimming, and she continued to swim daily through her life.

Mary Conant For a whole generation of us, the passing of Debbie Carney was a real shock. When she was at Nurse's gathering she was

so full of life, funny, telling a story of Visitor's Day from I think the summer of 1973 maybe 1972. She loved camp and

the people involved. When you worked for her and you worked hard...she had your back.

One of my favorite memories of her is holding onto buddy tags at lunch for those unfortunate few who had forgotten to

turn them back to gold...then during announcements making them come forward to get them from her in front of every-

one. I do not think there was ever a repeat offender after that "classic" FdL experience. Some I would think might re-

member that more than their part in Mid Birthday.

She made very clear to all who knew her that it was perfectly OK to be your own woman...whatever that meant for

you...and whatever you do...do it with gusto.

I t is with such pride and excitement that I am writing to tell you about a friend of ours who deserves special

recognition for an outstanding professional achievement. Carol Anthony was recently awarded the Distinguished

Service Award from Villanova University in Pennsylvania in recognition of her outstanding service.

The criteria for this award are exceptional performance, consistent excellence and service to the University community.

After an extensive nomination process and with letters of recommendation in support of the candidate, the President of

the University presents this award to the recipient with an impressive plaque. The letters of recommendation written on

Carol’s behalf by her colleagues and former students articulated her profound sense of responsibility and her faithful,

thoughtful and sensitive awareness toward the University’s educational and spiritual mission for peace and justice,

making Carol a deserving recipient of this award.

Carol has been teaching courses in the Philosophy Department at Villanova for thirty years, focusing on women’s

studies, social justice, and race and gender issues. Working in the Center for Peace and Justice Education, Carol has had

the opportunity to share her passion and excitement not only with students, but also with faculty, staff and the

community at large. Her colleagues speak of her generosity, humility, passion, familial kindness and thoughtfulness as

she interacts with and motivates all who know her. I am so proud that Villanova has shown its appreciation for her

many years of selfless and tireless dedication to her job and her community. Congratulations, Carol!

by Ann Miller FdL 1958-1969

Know of any FdL friends

who have made the

news? Anything you

want to share?

To send an update,

visit our camp page

on Facebook,

email your news to

Linda O’Malley at

[email protected],

or fill out the

“news” section on the

donation envelope.

Thanks!

Laurel Leaves Has

Gone Green!

To save paper and to cut down

on printing and mailing costs,

we have decided to publish the

Laurel Leaves newsletter

electronically. In addition, we

are able to include many more

photographs that previously

were too costly to print. If you

are receiving this in a print

format and have an email

address, please update our

records by contacting camp at

[email protected].

Thank you!

Fleur de Lis CampFleur de Lis CampFleur de Lis CampFleur de Lis Camp 13 Hope Street

Hopedale, MA 01747 Address Service Requested

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID Worcester MA Permit No. 254

newsletter fall 2011 - fleur de lis camp€¦ · fleur de lis spent time encouraging early...

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