Hiring Exceptional Counselors

We enjoyed a great 2012 camp season and hope you did, too! Now that camp is over for the summer, you might wonder what we do in the “off” season. We search all winter to assemble the finest and most capable group of 55 future counselors in the country. These exceptional young adults will serve as teachers, role models, big brothers, and heroes for our most precious treasure—the campers of Camp Skylemar. Who are these young men to whom we have entrusted our world? They are guys like Warren, whose basketball mentor said that that he is “the finest young man I have coached in the past 30 years.” And Danny H, whose collegiate baseball coach told us that “Danny is a first-rate young man. He has a positive and infectious personality. I would hire him as fast as you can.” Or Will J, whose lacrosse coach said “I can genuinely say that Will is one of the hardest working and most dedicated men I have ever coached. He is a man of unquestionable character and integrity.” Or Tucker, whose athletic director said, “Tucker is without a doubt the perfect definition of what we all want our student athletes to be.” Once hired, yet before the campers arrive, counselors attend a week of staff orientation. That’s when we try to turn them into parents, without the advantage of the many years of “warm up” each of us has had with our own children. During this intense seven day period, we instill them with messages of safety; put them in situations to make them remember how a boy feels; introduce them to the viewpoints of a lawyer, insurance person, and a real-world parent. They are made to understand all that they are responsible for during this orientation. In exchange for their dedication and sacrifice, they will be a part of something magical at camp, which impacts people forever. Why do they undertake this awesome responsibility, relinquishing their privacy and independence, and instead devote themselves to your son? Because they “get it.” The counselors of Skylemar are the ones who understand what matters most in life. They buy into the concept of making a difference in the world, one kid at a time. Our counselors each desire to be a wonderful coach and mentor, like the one they once had. They understand that although you may not necessarily remember what a teacher taught you forever, you always remember how the teacher made you feel. Lee Horowitz, who, along with Herb Blumenfeld, began Camp Skylemar, said to the counselors annually, “Skylemar is great if you are great. The kids have fun if you have fun.” Such words of wisdom. When you hear a counselor laughing with his bunk at night, see him catching a pass from a nine year old who never played much football before, or watch him get a haircut by a young “barber” who won the honor, you know that happiness is contagious. Without a doubt, the counselors of Skylemar will make a positive difference in the world, one kid at a time.