February 2012
3 posts
Meet The Ernst Family: Adam Breen
1. What Is Your Name? Sir Adam Breen
2. How long you’ve been at Camp Ernst?: This will be my 5th year working at Camp Ernst
3. What have you done here at camp? I first started in 2008 as the red unit color leader, and I came back again in 2009 in the same role. In 2010 I moved up to Lakeview as a counselor for the youngest kids at camp (5-6 year olds) ,before I moved back to my home...
Meet The Ernst Family: Megan Gierhart
What is your name? Megan Gierhart How long have you been coming to Camp Ernst? This will be my 13th year at Camp Ernst.
What have you done in your time at Camp Ernst? I spent my first three years at camp as a camper, followed by a year on crew. On E-team, I mainly worked on the ropes course. I was a counselor and a color leader. For the past three years, I was the Lakeview Unit Leader. ...
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Meet The Ernst Family: Cara Hawkins
What is your name? Cara Hawkins How long have you been coming to Camp Ernst? 8 summers.
What have you done in your time at Camp Ernst? I was a camper for two summers and returned to join staff a few years later. I haven’t spent a summer away since! What do you like most about Camp Ernst? I love spending time getting to know my campers. What do you do when you’re not at Camp Ernst? I...
January 2012
2 posts
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Meet The Ernst Family: Michael Lindley
What is your name? Michael Lindley How long have you been coming to Camp Ernst? I have been coming to camp since I was in 2nd grade. This will be my 16th summer.
What have you done in your time at Camp Ernst? I as a camper for 8 years, worked on crew, was a lifeguard on e-team, counselor mostly in Lakeview, Lakeview color leader for two summers, and E-team Unit leader last summer. I work...
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Meet The Ernst Family!
One of the most amazing things about YMCA Camp Ernst is the amazing staff that comes through each and every summer. We are lucky enough to have staff come back year after year who help to make this the best experience for your campers as possible. Over the next few months leading up to summer camp we’ll be highlighting some of the staff members that work here so you can get familiar with...
December 2011
1 post
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Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas for all of the YMCA Camp Ernst family! We hope that you had an amazing Christmas and have a truly amazing New Year!! We’ll see you in 2012!
October 2011
2 posts
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Taking time to say thanks
Fall is the time of year when we plan our budgets, start marketing, continue recruiting, and begin fundraising for the following year… and occasionally, like last week, I get to work the top of the zipline for a few afternoons!
The last few weeks I’ve been especially thinking about our awesome scholarship fund donors and what a HUGE impact they make in kids’ lives. We raise...
August 2011
1 post
Another summer slips away...
We enjoyed a fantastic summer here at YMCA Camp Ernst. As we clean up and begin preparing for 2012 I wanted to share with you some of the comments from some of our 2011 campers…
“I LOVE THE BANANA BOAT!”
“This camp rocks!”
“I love the Giant Swing and counselors!” “I made new friends!”
“I loved archery and the giant swing!”
...
May 2011
1 post
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Counselors as (extremely nice) referees!
My daughter Kara just played her first YMCA soccer game this week! Have you ever seen a 4-5 year old soccer game?
Have you ever noticed that the kids just really don’t get the point of kicking the ball into their own goal? They go to the goal which is closer, or not…but they frequently go the wrong way on the field!
Well, this past week at Kara’s game, I enjoyed watching the patient young...
March 2011
2 posts
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Feed 'em the Good Stuff
It’s Eli again…I’m looking out my kitchen window at one of the camp horse pastures, where four horses have been greedily feasting on the spring grass for days now. They never seem to stop eating.
I was thinking today about how blessed they are to have an entire field full of yummy grass to eat. And somehow, this reminded me of camp. (Well, perhaps most things remind me of...
10 tags
The Social Animal
We have been busy with getting ready for summer, and thus neglecting our camp blog! I’m (Eli) taking a break tonight to share with you some of my thoughts on youth development and camp, prompted by an interview I just heard on NPR with author David Brooks (http://www.npr.org/2011/03/07/134329412/david-brooks-defines-the-new-social-animal).
Brooks wrote the new book The Social Animal. In the...
February 2011
1 post
4 tags
Friendship is EVERYWHERE!
It seems that the staff at Camp Ernst are always finding awesome adventures outside of the camp world relate back to the people they met and the lessons they learned while spending their summers with us. This is a guest post from Hannah Kelly, one of our staffers who is experiencing camp during her study abroad program this semester.
Hi! This is Hannah Kelly, some of you may know me from working...
January 2011
2 posts
9 tags
Camp counselors: real life superheroes
Last week I attended a conference of about 100 YMCA Camping professionals from the Southeast region. One of the keynote presenters, the fun and crazy “Connecticut Camp Guys,” did a session comparing camp counselors to superheroes.
“SO TRUE!” I thought! I remember when I was a camper, it was a rainy week and we did an indoor program called “Dutch Auction” (we...
So Proud of our YMCA Camp Ernst Counselors!
Every winter, we hold “Camping Academy,” a sit-down with some of the college-age staff to brainstorm how to improve Camp Ernst. The ideas roll for hours the first night and continue on into the following afternoon.
This past week’s Camping Academy stood out from the past eight I have moderated. Over and over again, the counselors thought of more ideas to help campers have a...
December 2010
3 posts
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How camp can help you in law school...
Remember Kyle, the LIT counselor from last summer? (A fun, gregarious guy always decked out in Hawaiian shirts (no, not Jon Perry!) and flip flops?)
Well, he’s in law school now. I got an email from him recently saying that in his Torts class, the professor asked if anyone knew about Mrs O’Leary’s famous fire in Chicago. Kyle was the ONLY student in the class familiar with...
November 2010
4 posts
Getting ready for summer camp, 2011!
We are receiving staff applications, camper registration forms, reviewing budgets, and deciding what cool stuff to buy for next SUMMER!
I came across these camper evaluations from last summer and wanted to share a few comments:
“I love Camp, it means so much to me. It’s a great place to be!”
“My counselors were so nice and very caring! I loved them.”
“I...
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LUMBERJACK!
We just had our second Lumberjack Camp weekend! Camp in the fall is a little different from the summer — but in a very good way! Here are some of my favorite things we did this weekend that you just can’t do during the summer!
-We all huddled around the campfire on Friday night to stay warm. We sipped hot chocolate and ate s’mores while getting to know each other.
-I saw...
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What I learned at camp...from a Valley Girl (part...
After a recent job search near the college I attend, the University of Kentucky, I found myself at the YMCA of Central Kentucky interviewing for a position working with children. I spoke about my first hand experience with children at Camp Ernst. I even used my knowledge of the four character qualities—honesty, caring, respect, and responsibility—when talking to my interviewer. The tools that I...
October 2010
7 posts
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Good Times on the Fall Adventure Trip
Hey all!
This is Molly Staley an L.I.T. counselor. This fall I was one of the three leaders on the Adventure Bike Trip. I was really excited and did not know what to expect before the trip because I am not an avid bike rider, but was ready for anything! Let me just say, it was an AWESOME experience!
Bill and Frank, the Adventure Trip coordinators, were helpful, friendly, and...
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Thoughts from a YMCA Camp Ernst Valley Girl, part...
Camp changed me in countless ways. Like the girls who stood behind the row of lanterns and share about camp, I found a connection to each event. Camp is a great place to meet friends! Not only have I made so many new friends at Camp Ernst, who are now scattered all over the world, I have developed skills to help myself and to help others make lasting friendships. I would even call my friends at...
Thoughts from a YMCA Camp Ernst Valley Girl part 1
From guest blogger Cara Hawkins, Camp Ernst summer staffer
Every Wednesday night, sometime after roasting mallows and before climbing into bed, the Valley girls experience a special ceremony named “Vespers.” During this moment, unbeknownst to the rest of the campers at Camp Ernst, the little women from cabins 7-16 gather at the top of the memorial to talk about camp and listen to...
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Special Thanks to Clark Montessori
Hey Everyone! This is Bill, the Adventure Trip Coordinator. I had the opportunity to work this week with the 9th graders from Clark Montessori School. The group was here for some Outdoor Education programs and they also volunteered their time to help us do some trail maintenance on our Power Line Mountain Bike Trails. Students removed brush, rocks and debris including the ever present...
It pays to be a camp counselor!
Hey it’s Michael the Valley Boys Color Leader! Remember how last semester I was traveling the world visiting my camp friends while studying abroad? Well I’m back at school this year using my camp resources through my RA job. We coming up with floor programs it is usually difficult to entertain college guys so I did what I knew works for me, Fort Building!
Taking a break from...
September 2010
1 post
FALL ADVENTURES
I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough of this weather! I know it’s not officially FALL yet, but we are in planning mode for some great fall events you’ll want to have on your radar.
FIRST: LUMBERJACK WEEKEND…I have no idea why it’s called “Lumberjack,” but as with so many things we do at camp, it’s just always been that way. ...
August 2010
4 posts
Goodbye summer, Hellooooo family camp!
One of my favorite YMCA programs acts as the “bookend” to our summer camp season…FAMILY CAMP! We host Family Camp here at YMCA Camp Ernst on Memorial Day and Labor Day Weekends. Jon Perry, Camp Director, refers to Family Camp as a “YES!” weekend, when we try to accommodate all participants’ wishes for activities at camp.
I love to see families spend time...
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Feels Like Home
It’s Becki, the Red Unit Leader. As a unit leader, I have the opportunity to sit and chat with many of the 10-12 year olds that come to camp each week. One particular Friday night I was sitting at the Temple of the Trees waiting for the Red Unit to arrive to our awards ceremony. As cabins arrived and filled in the benches I began talking to some of the Red Unit Boy campers.
We chatted...
DODGEBALL!
Wednesday nights at camp are one of the counselors’ and campers’ favorites because Wednesday night is known as Dodgeball Night. The day starts off great with Grilled Cheese lunch and after their afternoon activities everyone heads to their cookout/cooking. Red Unit Girls and Yellow Unit Girls do cookouts in the Valley to start their night of “Girls Night Outside” while up...
July 2010
4 posts
Survivor: Camp Ernst
On Tuesday night this week the cabins in the Valley assembled as tribes to compete against each other in Survivor: Camp Ernst. We had stations ranging from Endurance to Camp Trivia. My favorite challenge to watch was “wavin’ flag” where the tribes passed a key to their counselor only using spoons in their mouths. Once the counselor had the key, the first to raise their...
Cool things I saw this past week at Camp Ernst...
3 teenage campers teaching Jake, our tall Aussie counselor, how to throw an American football
A pre-bedtime game of GAGA with Lakeview boys, to the accompaniment of 2 counselors playing guitar
A 9 year old dancing like there was no tomorrow at the Camp Ernst Party
The LIT movie club Harry Potter video
4 Red unit girls gathered around the tetherball pole Friday evening, remembering the...
quotes from this summer's campers:
“My counselors were the BEST EVER. They were so encouraging and good role models. I don’t want to go home!” (Cabin N)
“Best counselors I’ve ever had at camp. One of the best camps ever.” (Cabin 5)
“The giant swing and airwalk, banana boat and blob were awesome! Trying new foods!” (Cabin 12)
“Love the music in the dining hall. Had so...
If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting some of this summer’s Camp Ernst counselors, you are missing out. This is an outstanding group of young people COMMITTED to the campers and to the camp community.
This summer, campers have been repeatedly remarking on their evaluations how they had the “best counselors ever” this summer. I had a phone call from a mom last week...
June 2010
6 posts
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"Day is Done...Gone the sun..."
This is Eli, Program Director, feeling a bit sentimental here…
I was a camp counselor when I was in high school and college. These days, I draw on those camp counselor skills not only in my day-to-day work as a camp director, but also in my full-time/life-job of being a mom of 3 kids. I just put those 3 kids to bed tonight singing the same songs I sang to my campers years ago…the...
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Valley Highlights from Week 2
This is Becki, one of the Valley Unit Leaders, and we had an amazing week 2 at camp. The valley was really full this week with fun campers and crazy counselors! It’s hard to remember everything that happened — but here are some highlights!
On Monday night we played Lost Battalion with the LITs. In this game campers ran all over camp in their cabin groups collecting One Measly Camp...
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Circle of Friendship
While on the subject of the Spirit, Mind, and Body ceremony (see previous post), I wanted to share one of my favorite things to talk about: the YMCA Triangle! The Equilateral Triangle as the symbol for the YMCA is a great illustration of what we do at camp: develop kids’ spirits, minds, and bodies.
They’re developing their bodies as they swim, ride horses, climb the rock wall,...
Candlelight Night
Eli, Camp Ernst Program Director here…I just got back from the traditional Sunday night camp activities: opening campfire with crazy songs and skits and introductions of each counselor, then the more solemn Spirit, Mind, and Body ceremony at the Chapel by the Lake. This is a snapshot of camp that we hear sticks in the minds of campers long after they’ve packed up and gone home for the...
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Let Summer Commence!
Summer is officially here! Later today campers will arrive for the “best week ever” and we couldn’t be more excited for it.
Our campfire tonight is Superhero themed - and I can’t wait to see the costumes that will be worn. I’ve been trying to decide which of my beach towels will look the best as a cape for my costume.
I’m so ready for camp to be filled...
Getting pumped for camp!
Some of the many things the outstanding 2010 summer staff is excited for this summer:
-singing songs, especially the new PENGUIN song!
-helping 3000 kids make new friends
-going off the water trampoline/BLOB with their campers
-playing Capture the Flag
-the Camp Ernst Party every Thursday night
-incredible adventure trips including skateboard camp
-being the best staff ever at the greatest...
May 2010
10 posts
Online Talent Show Winner: Kara!
Congratulations to Kara for winning the Online Talent Show with her awesome video of her playing piano and doing water sports! Way to go, Kara! You can check out her video and the other talent show submissions in the Online Talent Show playlist on the Camp Ernst YouTube channel. Thanks to everyone who submitted a video or voted for their favorite!
A Night in Madrid
Hey it’s Valley Boys counselor Michael again here to tell you about another adventure of mine from study abroad!
This past weekend I got to go to the capital of Spain to do some sight seeing and also see a fellow counselor Cecilia. Some of the campers may remember her as an energetic Spanish counselor who loves to play games. The night I got there Cecelia took me to a Mexican restaurant...
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Returning Counselor: Mollie O'Hearn
Mollie O’Hearn started coming to camp back in 1998! Wow! She’ll be returning this summer as one of our outstanding cabin counselors. Mollie’s favorite meal time would be to start dinner off with The Superman Grace and then eat cheese-filled Tortellini! Yum! Working on the Ropes Course as an E-Teamer were some of Mollie’s favorite memories at camp, but she’s excited to make new memories this...
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Introducing Dan Hartman!
Dan Hartman, an Anderson High School graduate, will be joining the Camp Ernst staff this summer. He just finished up his first year at Marietta College where he majors in Advertising/Public Relations with minors in Leadership, Management, Marketing, and Art (WOW!). Dan will be on of the Valley Boy counselors this summer and he is so excited to be back at Ernst. The last time Dan was here was...