July 30 2025

Parents sometimes want us to change their daughter’s class schedule… and we encourage them to make those suggestions directly to their daughter. We are happy to do that on their behalf with a face-to-face conversation, or they can write an email that we will deliver as regular parent communication, but we will not make them change the schedule. This comes as a surprise to many parents, and we have to explain that part of the experience at Greystone is giving the girls (even very young girls) the choice of what they want to do with their time. For many, it is the first time they have had this power, and they use it in surprising ways.

Some choose to do “silly” classes, some focus on the arts, and others on sports. All take Cooking and Water Park! Their friends and counselors (in that order) strongly influence the choices, and we are usually impressed with the wisdom they intuitively bring to the decision. One surprisingly popular class is Eno Reading. Swinging in a hammock and talking with your friends (and occasionally reading your book) might strike you as a waste, but I think that it is an excellent choice that provides precisely what many of these girls need.

Talking to friends is a very important activity at camp. It is different than talking to friends at home because of the lack of distraction (screens) and the abundance of time (most of the day every day is available). The quality of the interaction leads to strong friendships being formed (these friends can last a lifetime) and impressive social skills (campers learn to be confident in new settings). These are 21st-century skills that are the foundation of what will equip the girls to thrive in our ever-changing world. AI will not help them with their social skills, but Eno Reading might.

Most of you already know this fact, and it is one of the things that you love about camp. Here is where girls gain confidence in being who they are, not anxiety about not being who someone else wants them to be. As a lifelong camp guy, I have become increasingly convinced that the best thing about camp (apart from the powerful influence of the Holy Spirit in a unified Christian community) comes from free time. Structure is essential (we maintain a tight schedule and like our full day of classes and programs), but freedom within the structure is also essential. This is where the girls find the “gifts” that God intends for them to stir up. Given time, they develop impressive capacities and grow in amazing ways.

The counselors are, as you know, essential to guiding this process. They (both cabin and program staff) are heroes to the girls, and their attention is like sunlight in their days. The work is exhausting (all day, every day), and it would be possible that they would have grown tired by this point of the summer. Know that they are not showing ANY signs of exhaustion. They are engaged fully teaching classes, enthusiastically leading and loving in the cabins, celebrating moments in the Dining Hall and Evening Program, and taking time to interact with girls one-on-one when that attention is needed. They are never too busy, never snippy, never aloof… and they deserve a shout-out. Consider sending them an encouraging word… we make it easy with this form. Taking five minutes to say thank you is a very kind thing to do… a very “camp” thing to do… and it would mean a lot (especially at this point of the summer).

Thank you for being the best, kindest, most encouraging, and most generous parents in the world. I can’t imagine a better community anywhere.

Details:

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Hash Browns, Sausage
Breakfast Club: Friends (kindness)
Joke: “A little hoarse”
Weather: 87 degrees, partly cloudy, very low chance of rain for a change.
Morning Assembly: Check out our devotion from this morning; it was really good!
Lunch: Hamburgers
Dinner: Pan Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes
EP: Bungalow and Cabin Lip Sync .