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WHAT WE SEEK
Our camp brochure states that "staff members are carefully chosen for their positive interest in and caring for young people, as well as for their ability to act as counselors in the truest sense of the word." As such, we feel that the most important factor in a counselor's success is his or her genuine interest in children. Unless you can enjoy living and working with youngsters, your summer will not be a success - for you, for us, and most importantly, for to the children under your supervision. While our week-long pre-camp staff conference and orientation can help provide you with skills and insights in dealing with children, it cannot supply you with "the Spark".
Camp counselors play a pivotal role in the development of children at our camp. Many of the campers seek out role models, "big brothers and sisters", to guide them through their camping experiences. Staff qualities that we search for are: good verbal communication, neat appearance, enthusiasm, dependability, integrity, cooperative spirit, thoughtfulness, compassion, sportsmanship, a sense of fairness, etc.
Although camp can be a special place filled with a lifetime of memories for counselors, we exist for the campers. It is our goal and should be your goal as well, to ensure that each camper has a wonderful experience of confidence building, growth and fun times while at camp.
As is true in any employment setting, not every staff member will completely agree with all aspects of our policies, philosophies, and requirements. However, anyone who applies to Camp Regis-Applejack and is accepted for employment should be aware that our staff will be expected to accept and actively support the policies, philosophies, and requirements of the camp.
"Give so that you shall receive". It is long and hard work being a care-giver but the rewards continue even after camp has ended.
To know that you have helped to bring joy - to know that you have helped to increase a campers confidence and self-esteem - to know that you have been able to moderate differences and teach the values of kindness and patience, these rewards often come back to you many times over.
The friendships that grow in this camp environment contribute to a counselors' love and devotion to Camp Regis - Applejack whether they are a 21 year old student or a mature educator. Experience in making decisions - formulating plans - thinking of the welfare of the camp, the group and the individual contributes to this development.
This is one reason that so many of our staff keep in touch - (some for over 50 years). The loyalty of some of our campers and staff often transcends devotion to fraternity or alma mater. We become an "extended family".
Also not to be forgotten is the counselors own enrichment through participating in various recreational activities. Staff members who have been at Regis - Applejack for a few summers often comment on how much they have learned to enjoy leisure activities such as sailing, canoeing, hiking, tennis, etc. They have also developed a deeper appreciation and respect for the natural environment including our evergreen forests, our blue waters, and the sunsets seen over St. Regis Mountain.
Although there are many benefits to being a part of our camp community, these benefits do not come to all staff equally. The adage "You get back what you put in" is true at a resident camp probably more than in any other setting. The desire to work hard and make a positive impact upon the lives of those in the community makes the difference between the counselor position being a vital life experience or merely a summer job.
We are in the middle of the beautiful lake and mountain country of the Adirondack Park, only minutes from the Olympic Village of Lake Placid, New York. The actual campsite is located in Paul Smith's, and encompasses some 70 acres with our own ¾ mile of shoreline. The water in the lake is warm and brilliantly clear, with tall stately evergreens surrounding it. Upper St. Regis Lake is considered to be one of the most beautiful and unspoiled lakes in our country.
The enrollment of Camp Regis-Applejack is limited to 280 campers. There is an equal division between boys and girls. The Regis section accommodates approximately 140 campers 6 through 12 years of age. The Applejack section is for teen campers 13 through 16 years of age.
Our campers (as well as our staff) come from all over the United States as well as from many parts of the world. Since we do only limited advertising, most campers are referred by parents and other children who know the camps. Whenever it is geographically possible, each child is visited by the directors of the camp prior to attendance. This helps to insure not only that we have a good group of children to work with, but also gives security to the camper who may be venturing away for the first time.
We purposely design our program at camp to be flexible in relation to the particular interests of the campers. Our daily program provides a mixture between structured and free choice activities. During the mornings each group and their counselors attend workshops where the campers improve their skills and develop new interests. The groups change activities every few days and, by the end of the summer, the campers have had a good exposure in all areas. We believe at Camp Regis-Applejack that all our campers should have available to them this kind of opportunity. (Exemplifying our philosophy, we feel that even the youngest campers should be able to experience the feeling of sailing, and although they may not be strong enough or skilled enough to handle a boat on their own, we do make this activity available in large boats accompanied by our skilled boating staff.) The afternoons are mainly devoted to individual free-choice activities. This is a time for each camper to choose an area in which he/she wants to have an increased involvement. This time can also be used for a group of campers and their counselors to get together for a walk, perhaps play guitars, talk about how things are going, or work on that original production for the Saturday evening show. Our evening activities are different every night of the week and range from campfires to parties or club and hobby nights. Apart from our regular daily activities, there are many unexpected events that come as surprises and break up any possible tendency towards too much routine.
Camp Regis-Applejack, formerly a private estate, was founded as a children's camp in 1946 by Pauline and Earl Humes and is considered to be one of the most highly regarded and reputable camps in the country.
The camps have always welcomed children and staff from various religious, ethnic, and racial backgrounds. The camps do not have any formal religious services. Provisions are made only for Catholics to attend weekly Mass.
Camp Regis-Applejack has been operating for 61 years and has always prided itself on keeping current
with the best facilities that camping has to offer.
Camp directors and educators of youth should have a goal or dream of what they would like their facility to do for children. At Camp Regis-Applejack, out of the many things for which we strive, we have set four major goals:
- We hope to be able to help young people gain confidence in themselves and in their unique abilities as individuals. Only if the individual feels respected and secure can he or she be able to care for and relate happily to others while living successfully in a group situation.
- We feel that a parent should be able to discern obvious tangible results from a summer's experience. This is in addition to the intrinsic values gained. Much time and effort is expended in the development of skill-oriented activities, and we would be concerned if a camper returned home not having acquired and developed skills in our different activity areas. At camp, we believe one of the best ways to instill confidence is by promoting competence. We make sure that through skill-building there is unlimited opportunity for every camper to gain status, recognition and most of all a sense of accomplishment. We feel that camp is a wonderful place to learn.
- Too often we fail to include "Having Fun" as one of our goals because, from our viewpoint, it goes without saying. However, it is important to mention because a happy and a complete camping experience could hardly exist without it. We feel that our camp and program must provide a setting where campers can have a truly enjoyable and happy experience. From our standpoint and knowledge of children, fun really consists of having made a good adjustment to the camp situation, feeling part of one's group, developing warm emotional ties, sharing experiences, and having continuous feelings of success - to which is added the excitement and thrill of embracing new experiences.
- Good camping can help foster the ideals of simplicity, respect, and an appreciation and knowledge of nature. Also, in our modern and rapidly changing world it is important that all of us develop an understanding of and a feeling and respect for our fellow man, as well as for the complex and expendable environment of our small earth where distances no longer act as a barrier. A goal of "Good Camping" therefore, should be to broaden the horizons of all who live in the community by bringing together people of varying backgrounds in an unspoiled and natural setting.
The Regis-Applejack staff is made up of college students, graduate students, and teachers. The camp requires that all applicants will have completed at least one year of college by the time employment begins. At camp, we have two different types of staff members. The specialty counselors teach in one of our six activity areas. This includes: boating (all types), swimming (Red Cross Open Water Certificate required), athletics (with large sports fields and 6 tennis courts), pioneering-camp craft (Red Cross First Aid Certificate required), arts and crafts, and dramatics. Specialty counselors have occasional group responsibility. The other type of staff member is our group counselor. Every group has two group counselors who live in the cabin with their group. These counselors are mainly responsible for the smooth functioning of their cabin, but also are expected to assist in the specialty areas at certain times. We also have job openings for nurses (R.N.), secretaries, maintenance men, and kitchen workers.
Campers and the counselors for their group live in beautiful chalet-style wooden cabins - some built along the lake front and others decentralized in the woods nearby. These warm and home-like cabins have 3 or 4 bedrooms for approximately 12 to 18 boys or girls of one age group (generally speaking, the younger groups are smaller and the older groups are larger). The group's two counselors share a private room within the cabin. All of the campers' cabins have their own rustic living-recreation room with a large wood burning fireplace, electricity, and toilet and wash facilities.
Specialty counselors either share rooms in separate cabins, or share a private room within a children's cabin. Individual cottages are available for married staff and we are able to accept a limited number of staff children at no cost.
General purpose buildings include a large recreation hall, a theater, a well equipped arts and crafts studio, a pavilion with fireplace, three boat houses, and a dining room that accommodates the entire camp at one seating.
Camp Regis-Applejack operates for 8 weeks starting in late June and ending in the latter part of August. Staff come to the camp seven days prior to the arrival of the campers so that they can participate in our orientation and conference. It is during this time that we go into our philosophy of camping, program, daily schedule, and expectations. We will expend quite a bit of time dealing with successful ways of working with children. There will also be ample time set aside during this seven day period for the staff to work together getting the activity areas open and preparing the cabins and campus for the campers' arrival.
During the summer, the administration is always available to give guidance, additional training, and will cooperate to help in any way possible to make the summer successful for both campers and staff. At the close of the camp, staff help to pack the campers' belongings and close down the cabins and activity areas.
We have a ratio of about one staff to every three campers. We do this so that you will not be worn out by the twenty-four hour resident camping day. Even with a large staff, the hours are long. To help compensate for this, there are periods set aside during the camp day for counselors' rest and relaxation. Along with this, there is free time within the camp between 9:30 and 11:55 PM, except for those evenings (about twice a week) when, during this time, you will have night duty in a camper cabin. Once a week (with the exception of the first week of camp), each staff member will have a continuous 34 hour extended "day off". This allows enough time to go on a camping trip, see a performance at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, or go up to the wonderful bi-cultural, bi-lingual city of Montreal (90 miles north of camp).
We like to arrive at a fair salary and we feel that our salary schedules are competitive with other camps in the country. Salaries are commensurate with age, education, experience, annual increments, etc. However, we want you to come to Camp Regis-Applejack because you are comfortable with the camp and our philosophy and not because we offer you a larger salary than another camp.
Keep in mind that your salary is in addition to room, board, laundry privileges, and a $200.00 travel and outfitting allowance.
Many of our staff are eligible to receive college credit for their camp work. Check carefully with your departments of recreation, education, or health education, to see whether a "Camping for Credit" course is available at your college or university. This will allow you to not only reap the benefits of a good camping experience but will also allow you to pick up two or three credits towards your degree.
SUMMARY
CAMP REGIS-APPLEJACK IS A FULLY ACCREDITED
MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN CAMPING ASSOCIATION
Camp Regis-Applejack
Paul Smith's, NY 12970
Summer: (518) 327-3117
Winter: (609) 688-0368
E-mail: campregis@aol.com