Second Session at Manitou: Renewed Energy & Big Events

First and Second Session have a different feel about them. When campers arrive for first session, they have just finished school, summer is fresh and new, and there are weeks of College League that lie ahead of them. The lake is still warming up from a long Maine winter, staff are still getting to know each other, and we tackle new ideas with nervous anticipation.

First session ends, many say their teary goodbyes, and others head off to exotic changeover locales, like Quebec, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and Six Flags. For 24 hours, camp goes into a camper-free frenzy of travel coordinating, bunk cleaning, unpacking, and bed moving. At the end of it all is a new beginning.

Second Session campers bring with them a sense of renewed energy and excitement. They’ve been waiting for a month since school ended to begin their Manitou summers, and many arrive as nervous first-time campers or eager returning campers to a place that’s already humming with the rhythm of summer. By now, we’re in a groove. Kinks have been worked out, first-year staff are now veterans, and College League teams are tightly bound families waiting to embrace their newest members.

For their first 24 hours on campus, second session campers have the facility, and the attention of our staff, mostly to themselves. They immediately become part of a cabin community, with other second session campers who are sharing the same experience, and soon will be part of a much larger one as full season campers return. The environment here is inclusive an engaging, and it always amazes me how quickly our second session campers feel part of the family.

College League is so close, and so good, right now! It comes to a fun, exciting, and emotional conclusion in a couple of weeks. Shortly after, Color War buzz takes over. Campers and staff have been discussing and plotting strategy, messages, t-shirt designs, and “psych moves” for many months, and sometimes years. The planning of the Color War is already in the works.

Today, second and full season campers are together to begin the first full day of second session as one camp. There is a lot to look forward too; we can’t wait to see how the rest of the story unfolds.