Meet a Director: Sarah

Another month means another director to introduce you to!

Sarah’s official title is Events and Outreach Director, but “what doesn’t she do?” is the better question! Sarah handles all of our communications, brainstorms all of our fun surprises, keeps our team on track, and takes care of our new campers each year. She’s earned the nickname “Dark Talent” around here; she has her hands in just about everything we do!

Watch the video below to hear from Sarah, and then check out her Q+A afterwards. Want to say hi to her?

Get to know Sarah:

• Years at camp: 24 on staff and 11 as camper
• During the year, I…. work on all of our marketing, communications, events, and get to do lots of fun connecting with our new campers!
• Here’s what you can find me doing during the summer now: I really just move a lot of boxes! But beyond that, I get to orgainze and plan many things at camp - events, Opening/Closing Days, communications with parents, and more!
• The most random/wacky thing I’ve done at camp is: ate a whole can of Spam on stage
• Come find me if… you want to brainstorm something fun to do in your activity area or with your cabin - I love that kind of thing!
• These are a few of my favorite things: hiking, reading, running, card games, and college basketball.
• Most used emoji: 😬
• Something I’m loving right now: walking from our house to go out to dinner - we live close enough to walk to downtown Greenville, and it’s delightful!
• One thing you wouldn’t guess about me: I can get really into random events; current obsession is Groundhogs Day. We do it big!
• Something I want you to know about this summer: you’ll laugh more here than you do in your normal life!
• My best advice to counselors is… introduce yourself to other staff on the first day - over and over and over - it can be hard, but just walk up to a someone else on staff and start talking. Everyone is looking to make friends like you!
• Working at Greystone as a counselor is… delightful, joyful, fun, and worth it. You made a good choice!!

Orientation will be here SOON, and we are counting the days until you arrive at camp! May is full-on camp-prep mode for us, and we know you’ll be doing lots of packing and preparing as well over the next couple of weeks.

This Newsletter will be your one-stop-shop for important to-do’s and reminders before you arrive at camp. Have specific questions? Just reach out to us! We want to make sure you feel prepared and confident every step of the way. Here we go!

• Required - Pre-Arrival Health Screening Form: ALL staff will need to fill out this quick online form before you arrive for Orientation! This form will go live in your camp account the week before you arrive and will ask you a few simple questions. We’ll send you a reminder, but mark your calendar now so that you don’t forget!
• Fill out a background check. This will take you 2 minutes! Just make sure you do it by May 15th.
• Shipping your bags to camp ahead of time? Fill out this form! This will help us keep track of your bags and get them to you when you arrive.
• Know your Enneagram Number: We’ll spend some time in Orientation talking about the Enneagram and how it can help you work with those around you. You may already know your number, but if you don’t, we recommend checking out this book or taking a test. If you can’t figure it out before you arrive, don’t worry! We’ll go over the basics during Orientation.
• Read the Staff Manual before you arrive. We’ll go through some of this during Orientation, but reading and understanding this Manual is a requirement, so get a head start!
• Important forms and to-do’s - don’t forget! Here are some important things you need to check off BEFORE you arrive at camp: complete your staff forms (these were due May 1st), order from the Staff Store (this was due April 24th), watch the Ministry Safe Training if you haven’t completed it previously (by May 15th), and fill out a staff profile. If this is your first year at Greystone, make sure to look at the New Staff page. The Newsletter homepage has a checklist to make it easy on you!

Orientation Arrival Times

ALL staff (including Department Heads) will arrive at camp on Monday, May 18th via our front gate entrance.

Don’t forget to pack everything you need for the first few days of Orientation (including bedding or a sleeping bag) in a separate bag. Check out your exact arrival time below! If it looks like you’re going to arrive early, please grab coffee, go on a walk at nearby Tuxedo Park, or call a friend. We’ll see you at your arrival time - not before!

• Returning Staff arrivals (staff who have previously worked on our Full Summer counselor staff): Monday, May 18th at 11:00 a.m.
• First Year Staff arrivals: Monday, May 18th from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Important: if you are flying to camp and need Greystone to pick you up from the airport, make sure you have completed your Staff Travel Form ASAP. If you have any questions about your arrival time or details, please reach out to us as soon as you can. We don’t want there to be any confusion!

Packing tips:

One of the things our first-year staff wonder about the most is packing. What will I need? How much should I bring? What if I under-pack or overpack? What’s normal? We get it, and we want to help! Still wondering about something after reading? Shoot us a quick text - nothing is too small or silly!

• Start with our Staff Packing List for the basics. Make sure to scroll through to the 2nd page for tips and tricks from the people who know best - our former staffers!
• Keep it simple. This is something we’ve been talking about with our camp parents for the last couple of years, and you can help us by practicing it with how you pack. Leave the fancy workout brands and pajamas at home and pack clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.
• Consider what you’ll pack in. You will move all your items yourself multiple times throughout the summer, so portability is key. Many staff like to use plastic tubs or duffels (instead of a bulky camp trunk) for this reason.
• Focus most on the items you’ll use and wear every single day: shorts and t-shirts, good shoes, a fan, a flashlight, and comfy bedding. Yes, it’s nice to have a couple of cuter outfits and a costume for every occasion, but those will sit in your drawer a lot of the time.
• A few necessities you may not have thought about: an alarm clock (no phone in your cabin to wake you up!), a watch (same, for on the go; no Apple watches please!), a head lamp (many of our staff prefer these to flashlights!), and stationery for all the snail mail you’ll send.
• It’s always handy to have your own set of scissors, markers, and duct tape - you’ll be surprised by how much you use them!
• You’ll be glad to have a comfortable set of whites (the all-white outfits we wear on Sundays and for our traditional EP’s. These can be anything you want, as long as they are all-white with no crazy designs or logos). Think white running shorts and a t-shirt - great for pulling on when you’re sweaty and gross!
• Overall, don’t stress too much! If you forget something, there’s always Amazon (and lots of new staffer friends to borrow from!). Camp is simple, and your packing can be as well.