Earthen Vessels: To the TOP!!!

It’s funny how sometimes just a word, a phrase, a song or a scent has the power to prompt an emotional response or elicit a specific memory. The other day driving my car, trying to find a station to listen to, I came across the song Take Me Home, Country Roads. Prior to my experience at camp I probably would not have stopped and begun singing it as I did with a Dolly Parton twang, smiling like a fool. It would have meant nothing to me. But it, along with songs from The Beatles and Cat Stevens, now trigger happy memories for me of camp – of preparing ‘interesting’ meals with kids who’d never used a salad spinner, repairing tents and sleeping bags, and watching dried pine needles spark and crackle in the camp fire.

Every week at tutoring I experience another trigger. At the end of the day, when books and materials have been put away, we sit with chairs side by side facing inwards for Circle Time. After a quick trivia game and sharing our joys and concerns, we hold hands. A couple of us call out “Earthen Vessels!” and then with hands in the air we all respond “To the TOP!” This mantra not only reminds us each day of our goals and where we are heading, but for some of us it also brings back the memory of camp in Vermont – particularly of climbing to the mountain tops. For the kids - and counselors, too – reaching the mountain’s peak was a challenge. Physically, emotionally, and mentally the journey to the top was exhausting for us all. I hope the kids remember how good it felt when after hours of climbing, of thinking they would never make it, of maybe tripping or slipping a few times, no longer caring that their sneakers were dirty or their hair wasn’t ‘fly’, they finally reached the top. I hope they remember how it felt to look down from the sky to the valley below and see just how very far they’d come; how they’d continued striving to keep up despite their fear of heights, despite their trouble breathing, despite whatever weakness. They had determination. They had the support of others. That (and some Gatorade) was enough.

Success is a similar journey and struggle. I’m lucky enough to be witness to this journey for some of our campers throughout the school year. One camper surprised us by announcing that she decided to join the volleyball team in high school after having been introduced to the game at camp. She’s juggling sports and grades very well. Another kid was afraid of swimming but was determined to pass the swim-test by the end of the summer – and he did. This same kid signed up for AP courses even though he was afraid it’d be too challenging and ran for and was elected Student Representative for his freshman class. I know the types of personal challenges our kids faced at camp and was lucky enough to witness how they’ve grown from their experiences.

Sometimes you wonder if you’re getting through to the kids, if they are taking the lessons they learned at camp to heart. Now I know that they do. And when we sit at Circle Time and exclaim, “Earthen Vessels: To the TOP!” I’m reminded of how resilient and brave these kids are. I have no doubt that they’ll reach their peak, their full potential.

Nancy Jimenez, Educational Coordinator

Notes from summer camp

Every day at camp, after breakfast, physical, and spiritual fitness, we would split into groups for workshops. There were two per day. Separated by snack time. Zone bars, carrot sticks, and juice. And a stack of eighteen plastic cups. But I digress. Workshops. Somehow, my experiences in third and fourth grade qualified me to teach volleyball. And so that is what I did. Marc and I, and the occasional Tom/Lucas/ Guillaume, would take five campers down to the field. Volleyball being the main camp sport, we tried to cultivate skills that would allow us to have a “good game” during community game time. With the workshop assignments sorted out for the day, we’d gather our troops. Bug spray, check. Water, check. Raspberry mocha blast hat, check. With three volleyballs in hand, one of which would be getting fished out of the woods ten minutes later, we were ready to go.

We’d start out by practicing basic hits, bumping and setting, and then work on serves. Some people could clear the net easily. For others, it was a big deal when, on their fifth try, standing six feet from the net, the ball finally went over. By the end of the week, we were good enough to get some good rounds of pepper, complete with shrieks of “buuump… set… spiiike!” and the letter game—although I would argue that some illegal hits were used in making it to triple R, or whatever the final record was.

Not every day was AVP quality, as we were occasionally plagued by unidentifiable biting insects, a glaring sun, or the camper who had just not gotten quite enough sleep. Attempts to skip out with a bathroom break were quickly thwarted, and pleads of “Stand up, your team needs you!” were periodically heard. While these episodes were quite frustrating, the good times more than made up for it. For instance:

The tournament at the end of camp, complete with the widest variety of sunglasses styles I have ever seen. Juliette serving five straight points, laughing because she wanted to stop. Rex (and Tom) sending the ball thirty feet into the air, despite their best tries to lightly tap it. Xavier rallying his team even when they were fading. And Kathy, to my surprise, telling me this fall that she had joined the volleyball team at school.

Camp offered many experiences like those with volleyball—each one with its ups and downs. Hiking: the length of the climb, balanced by the serenity at the top. Serious workshops: not an easy experience, but certainly a valuable community opportunity. Services: sometimes a burden, sometimes a prideful act of producing the best tuna casserole ever.

While at camp, it’s difficult to know what type of impact you are having on the kids. But the little comments you’d hear made you realize you were achieving something positive. When we’d do “highs and lows” before bed, the girls would often cite activities as both a high and a low. The things they were doing were new and sometimes difficult, yet they were the best parts of their day.

One evening while doing the dishes, Leah asked me how many years the camp had been running. She was disappointed that she hadn’t come before, and only after being told 27 years was she able to settle for not having attended previously. It’s this desire that reminds me how meaningful our time at camp really was.

Amanda Kolb, Harvard '08

Camp reunion on October 20

We had a great camp reunion over at Harvard on October 20th with a bunch of campers and counselors. It was great to see everyone again, and the weather cooperated with a glorious day.









We played some games in front of the Kennedy School, shared camp photos at the Student Center, and sang some favorite camp songs like "Country Roads," "Charlie on the MTA," and "Let it Be." We caught a peek of the Head of the Charles Regatta with some 8,000 rowers from around the world. Our own Amanda was racing the next day with the Radcliffe crew. Go (or row) Amanda!

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Family Camp ends the season in style

We spent a delightful weekend to close the camp season with former counselors and tutors and their children. The weather was ideal and we were able to do a myriad of outdoor activities: various community games like Signal or Sharks and Minnows, swimming in the Mad River, some great volleyball games, archery, walks along the headwaters of the White River just down the hill from camp... Diana and Jaime, with assorted other members of the 'cooking team,' put together a delicious cookout Saturday with tilapia, salmon, burgers and hotdogs, roasted vegetables and corn on the cob, followed by a campfire and the roasting of marshmallows. We also played some inside games like chess, ping-pong, and 'Saint Pete-Saint Paul'—which we learned from campers way back in 1980 and have played ever since—and sang favorite camp songs to the excellent guitar accompaniment of Eric and Dan, longtime counselors. On Sunday we managed to put tents away, pack up equipment, and pretty much put the camp to bed for the winter. It was a wonderful end to an exceptionally good camping season.

Second camp session of fun and personal growth

We have just finished the two-week camp with a great bunch of kids 12-14 years old. We had some wonderful weather which permitted mountain hikes up Mt. Hunger and Camel's Hump, the most beautiful mountain in Vermont. In-camp activities included volleyball, soccer, archery, theatre improv, chess, community games, swimming in a spring-fed pond or—on hike days—the Mad River, "serious workshops" on issues like grief, anger management, conflict resolution, sexuality and relationships, and a lot of singing and sharing in the evening. Though they normally listen to hip-hop, the kids became enthusiastic about singing "Take me Home, Country Roads," "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown," and "Leaving on a Jet Plane," among many others. A terrific group of counselors, several of whom have also been tutors in our Tutoring/Mentoring Program, helped the youngsters on many levels, and we all formed a real family where the kids felt at home, comfortable with one another and with the staff, and able to share even painful events or experiences from their personal life and help one another come to terms with them. As one camper observed, "I learned how to make friends."

First camp session successful

We managed to get things into shape to welcome ten campers for the first session. Despite an oil-pan leak which obliged us to abandon our van only one-third of the way to camp, leading to an extended wait and a 9pm dinner, the kids quickly became acclimated to the intense rhythm of camp activities and had a great time. Workshops and games, swimming, singing every evening, shared chores and a mountain hike on the last day filled the week which went by like a flash.

More work on the barn

Lucas and I managed to get most of the back wall of the barn done, replacing old, worn-out tar paper with modern Tyvek and a layer of tar paper. I'll be able to finish it up during the three days of prep for the first session. We head up tomorrow in two waves: Marie- Claude and Nancy at 7am, the counselors and I at 2pm. During the weekend Marie-Claude finished up the mowing and started getting the house in shape.

More work on the barn

Marie-Claude, Lucas and I are heading back up to camp for the weekend. Lucas and I will be working on two projects: one, to remove all the vertical barn boards on the rear of the barn (in photo), apply new tar paper and/or Tyvek (the original tar paper between the boards has been completely eaten through by sunlight and weather, leaving spaces for hornets' nests and the like); and then, replace an 8"x8" beam holding up one end of the back porch of the house, the center of a lot of camp activity (or occasional inactivity). We'll have to use a car jack to raise the porch while we work on it: should be fun! We'll use pressure-treated materials this time, so it should last another 50 years at least. In the meantime, Marie-Claude will be getting things ready in the house, mowing the grass (again), making sure the tents are in good shape, and so on.

Mission accomplished

Lucas and I managed to build bunkbeds on three sides of a new room in the barn. We enjoyed working together again, and the final product was satisfying to see. I am sure the boys will appreciate it if we get hit with sustained rain during camp. We also had just enough time to mow the grass around the house and out in the field.  In places it was already about 10 inches high, all since Marie-Claude mowed it just 10 days earlier. Marie-Claude and I are heading back up to camp Tuesday and Wednesday next to do some more work. Camp is just two weeks away!

Heading up to Vermont

Lucas Ewing, an 18-year-old who has just finished high school, is heading up to camp with me Tuesday and Wednesday. We'll be building bunk beds in the barn to give the boys and the male counselors a refuge in case of several days of sustained rain, which can make the tents a bit of a trial. Lucas helped me last summer to improve the boys' changing space in the barn with individual cabinets for their affairs. We're looking forward to his being with us this summer as a counselor.

Preparations for Camp

We have begun to prepare for camp this summer on two fronts. Marie-Claude and Nancy have been visiting prospective campers and their families to make sure that everyone is on the same page and that the youngsters know what they are getting into. Camp can be pretty demanding, and it's best for that to be clear at the outset. Marie-Claude and I have also been going up to Vermont, getting the camp itself up and running: mowing the grass, which is very green and luxurious at this point; making some repairs to damage done over the winter (for example, a vent pipe ripped off the barn roof, no doubt by a four-foot snowfall on Valentine's Day); planning for some renovations and improvements to be completed before camp starts. The place is beautiful, with lilacs and apple trees in bloom, birds in abundance, many shades of green all around us as trees burst into leaf. It's a pleasure to be there, and we are looking forward to sharing the space with campers and counselors in another month.

Welcome to Earthen Vessels' blog

We welcome your comments, queries, suggestions for improvements on our website, or your ideas on what else we might cover on the website or this blog. Please join in the conversation! If you would like to help us, we are always in need of financial support—check out our pages on finances or donations—, and we are currently looking for new members of our Board who could help us move the organization forward. Let us know if you share our mission and let's explore how we can work together to further it.

Brian