What Is It Like to Be a Senior-Senior?

Tell us a little bit about your Senior-Senior year!

“My Senior-Senior summer was the best possible summer ever!! It was a summer full of laughter, joy, and the best friends. Being a Senior-Senior means having the younger girls look up to you, and setting an example for them to follow! It’s so different from all the other summers, because we’re the “big girls” now and the leaders!!” - Sophie

“Senior-Senior year outshone every other year. By the time you get there, the group of campers has become so incredibly close. It’s the girls who really love camp and really want to play the camp game. Because of that, we make it the best summer ever for each other and ourselves. Since you’re a little older, the friendships and the personal connections you make are so deep. So much is going on at home during that time, camp is the best rest I could have asked for. It was a much needed break from school stress, phones, and home friends. I grew so much as a person and learned so much.” - Lillian

“Senior-Senior year was a pivotal summer because I got to enjoy all of the fun and silly parts of camp, while also growing in my identity and faith so much through the Honor Council program. It is also so fun to be the oldest because you get to meet so many incredible younger campers who look up to you and become great friends. It truly is the best summer!” - Dakota

“Senior-Senior summer was truly the best summer of my life. From having the best cabin and best counselor, having the sweetest little sister, being a member of the Honor Council, and all the silly camp things in between, this summer was life changing.” - Sallie Barre

“Senior-Senior year was the year that I learned how to lead. Walking into senior year at home, there are so many changes. All the eyes are on you, work piles up, and you are living in a season of exciting and terrifying new things. However, after this summer, I was able to walk into all of that with ease. I had already experienced all of that in my safe place- at camp! It was a summer of me figuring who I am made to be, and how I can use that in a positive way. I was also able to grow extremely close to many girls because we had all been together for so long.” - Eliza

Did you always know you wanted to come back as a Senior-Senior?

“I always knew I wanted to come all the way through because camp truly is my home. It is where I feel the most free to be myself and where my most intentional friendships were made!” - Dakota

“I remember always wanting to keep coming back to camp but it really hit me my first year at main when I interacted with the Senior-Senior group. I truly looked up to them and couldn’t wait for my turn to be a Senior-Senior. And I can now say, being a Senior-Senior is even better than it seems when you’re younger. There is so much that goes on that that all makes it the most perfect summer ever.” - Sallie

“Before Junior-Senior year, I was convinced that it would be my last year. However, on Closing Day I told my parents that I had to go back. There was a lot left unfinished- the chance to be a part of the Honor Council program, the excitement of living with my best friends for five more weeks, and the fact that I yearned for another year at camp. I am beyond glad that I stayed. I got to experience camp in the fullest this year. It has always been a place where I recenter myself, and this year was no different.” - Eliza

When did it really hit you that you were a Senior-Senior?

“I was on the Dining Hall porch right after Team Fires, and looking at the Odds and Evens alongside the coolest Captains and Lieutenant, I realized that all the girls in camp were special. Each one had a unique story, and a unique camp experience, and mine was almost over. It made me realize that growing up at Greystone was the most special gift I could have ever gotten! It dawned upon me that I had been one of those tiny campers, not undertanding the point of Team Fires or the importance of green and gold. And it would be over in a flash!” - Sophie

“It hit me the most when we led our first All-Girls Assembly. All those years as a younger camper I looked up to the girls on the stage anticipating when it would be me. And then suddenly it was me.” - Lillian

“Halfway through the Five-Year speeches, when the counselors came up to sing us a song, I looked out and saw my counselors from my past three summers. It was crazy to see all of the counselors who I grew up with all together singing to us.” - Dakota

“It really hit me the night of Protect your Senior when I was designing t-shirts with Tentalow One. They asked me what year I started coming to Greystone. My answer, 2012, shocked them. One girl said back to me, I was born in 2012, and that was when I really felt old! I then realized that these precious girls have so much more camp life ahead of them and that I was nearing the end. It made me so happy for them, but it was in that moment that it really hit me that my time as a camper was ending.” - Sallie

“It hit me my first week of classes. I had always looked up to the Senior-Seniors, and copied their attitudes. When I realized that it was my turn to set the example, I was slightly terrified, but excited that I had the ability to create a positive tone in everything I undertook.” - Eliza

How did you grow your Senior-Senior year?

“Senior-Senior year really changed my mindset about myself and about a lot of things in life. I came to camp very self- focused and obsessing over my performance in school and sports. Through Morning Assembly, Sandi’s Bible, and Honor Council this theme of identity emerged. Realizing my identity lies in Christ and the fact that he made me, loves me, and cares for me changed everything. I’m free to try new things and fail. I’m free to ask for help when I need it. I’m free to prioritize the right things in my life. A bad grade doesn’t ruin my day anymore. Christ is the most important thing about me. And nothing can change that.” - Lillian

“I grew so much with my identity in Christ. This was definitely through the Honor Council program, but also through each relationship that I got to develop. Every Senior-Senior is so passionate about their walk with Christ and it is so inspiring.” - Dakota

“Obviously, you learn so much while at camp, but this summer I learned more than I ever thought I could. My main takeaway from this summer is that surrounding yourself with friends who are centered in Christ are the best friends you can ever have. I grew so much in my faith and my confidence to talk about my faith, even in front of the whole camp at Morning Assembly and vespers. I learned how to love, how to be a servant leader, and that sometimes the best actions happen when no one notices you doing them.” - Sallie

“I learned that I can be confident in who God made me to be. I am unique, and that is okay! And, with this uniqueness, I can appreciate who God made other girls to be too. I can celebrate their wins along with mine. I also took away that each person I meet has something special to offer. I learned to be aware of others more and how I could serve and love them, instead of how they could serve me. I also continued to discover that pure, simple joy is one of the greatest gifts of this life. The smallest moments can lead to the greatest happiness.” - Eliza

How did your Senior-Senior year prepare you for your Senior year of high school and everything beyond it?

“It was such a good break from the world. I felt like I was drowning in school and college stuff and sports and social things and camp helped me take a minute to breathe. The emphasis on worship at camp is amazing.” - Lillian

“Going to camp the summer before my senior year was the best decision I could have made. I got to go into my school year feeling so refreshed and grounded in who I am!” - Dakota

“After my final summer at camp, I felt very prepared for the start of my final year of high school. I was on an all time high and knew that I could put everything I’ve learned at camp into the real world. Growing friendships and meeting knew people, trying new things, and being a leader are all things I have done since school has begun and I have realized camp has played a big role in my ability to do so.” - Sallie

“Being thrown into a cabin with ten to twelve other girls and living with them for five weeks prepares you for almost any social situation. I used to be extremely shy, but camp helped me to learn how to interact with others well (social growth!). This not only prepared me for my final year of high school, but also for college next year, when I will be thrown onto a college campus and I will need to make new friends. There was also a lot of discussion about servant leadership. This is the idea that if we are to be powerful influences, we need to put others above ourselves. Being a senior in high school is a lot of leading, and this idea has already helped me in my extracurriculars and home life.” - Eliza

What would you tell a younger-camper about coming back for their Senior-Senior Year?

“IT IS SO WORTH IT. STAY FOR YOUR SENIOR-SENIOR YEAR. I promise the few things you might miss at home could never outweigh the rest and growth and friendships and just fun times you will have at camp. Camp is what you make of it. So go hard in your classes. Sing loud at Morning Assembly. Plan theme dinners. Have dance parties. Make the most of an amazing place.” - Lillian

“Senior-Senior year is the best ever! It truly is life changing! There are a lot of pressures as you get older to stay home and do other things, but I promise that you can accomplish all of your goals and still come to camp! You will not regret it.” - Dakota

“Senior-Senior year truly is the best summer of your life. I made lifelong memories and friendships and grew in so many ways I never could of imagined. I am so thankful every day for the chance to come home to Tuxedo every summer and forever grateful for this life changing summer. Coming back as a rising senior in high school might just be the best decision I have ever made.” - Sallie

“It will be an experience you will not regret. What you will regret is not coming back. Come back to camp one final time, laugh the most, make and strengthen friendships, try new things, commit to your favorite activities, and love everyone you meet. It will be the best summer you have had!” - Eliza