Fridays with Franky: “Get Your Head in the [camp] Game!”

Have you ever seen Disney’s High School Musical? I don’t think it has any dogs or UPS trucks in it, so I’m not really interested, but it seems like everyone here can’t stop singing the songs. And there are a lot of people here singing songs, High School Musical and camp songs alike! Over 30 WeHaKee staff members arrived this Tuesday for training, and there is no shortage of attention for me, or things for these talented young women to learn about WeHaKee. Our staff live in cabins just like campers, eat at the same times as campers would, and even try out one of our themed “special event nights” that the campers experience. High School Musical is the theme for both training and that fun upcoming night for staff! Someone told me it was about high schoolers with lots of different interests learning to try new things and work together despite differences… what a fun theme to have, because here at WeHaKee, we really are “All in This Together!”

So far, staff have learned what kinds of activity planning make camp fabulous, how our camp values can get our heads in the game, and even where the campers can go if they want to bet on getting a great snack! And even if you haven’t seen High School Musical, you know that doesn’t take a theme to make training fun and thorough at WeHaKee. My Mom and Dad (editor’s note: our Camp Directors, Bob and Maggie) and their fun friend Kathy (our Assistant Director) work really hard every year to make sure that we learn not only where to find everything on camp, but exactly what the campers need to feel safe and have fun.

Training is a time of excitement and learning—in more ways than one! Our staff come from all over the United States and beyond! From Arizona, New York, Illinois, to Mexico, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Australia, and more… but despite being from vastly different places, I see a lot of friendships forming very quickly! I know it’s great to have a staff that are all in it together, because that means they have formed valuable lines of communication and support that they can use to support the campers in all that they do.

Over the next couple weeks, I’ll expect to see lots more training and planning in preparation for Session 2A and all the sessions to come. I’ll also expect more attention for me, and more singing! See you at camp!