Oneida Speaks

Yesterday marked the first day of CSL 2011! Rachel, Mike, and I were ecstatic to welcome in our 16 Oneidans, 15 who were here last summer and one who is brand new to CSL! Everyone arrived by lunch time, and after lunch we began our traditional first day routine of taking a swim test, having a waterfront orientation, taking bunk photos and getting head checks by the nurses for lice. The afternoon concluded by the Oneidans picking their tents, moving in, and playing get to know you games so the new campers and us staff could get acquainted with our new LIT’s. After dinner, there were opening ceremonies at the fire circle where the staff of each specialty area and village introduced themselves to the campers in the form of an entertaining skit or dance. The ceremony culminated in a campfire where all of CSL sang camp songs together – getting us all very excited for a new summer here at the place we love so dearly.  In the late evening, we took the Oneidans to a campfire in the woods where we got more serious and discussed our hopes and dreams for this summer, as well as fears we would like to overcome; both individually and as a group. The LIT program is the first step in shaping these campers into not only future leaders at camp, but in other areas of their life. The LIT program has so much to offer and the campers, as well as Rachel, Mike, and I are extremely excited for the summer to unfold! - Jamie Pearson