The Eagles, our Leaders-In-Training

The 2018 “Eagles” were the first to participate in the Fair Acres Leaders-in-Training program. It was such a pleasure to see them in action and to have them as part of our team!

Our 2018 Eagles completed an application process, and were selected based on their outstanding leadership potential. All of this summer’s Eagles were once campers, but we welcome all 12-13-year-olds to apply to the program in 2019. Our goal is to form a group of young leaders who, over the course of six weeks, will hone practical leadership skills, such as teamwork, communication, commitment, imagination and responsibility. These are many of the skills we seek in our camp counselors, thus the Eagles program is a perfect stepping stone for a child who may aspire to become a counselor in the future.

Throughout the duration of the program, the Eagles engage in team-building, socially-inspired initiatives, environmentally-conscious projects and many other explorative activities, all of which are designed to foster their growth as individuals and development as leaders. The Eagles follow a weekly schedule which is tailored around a theme. Our themes this summer included: collaboration, selflessness, commitment and motivation. During “Selflessness Week,” the Eagles designed and painted kindness rocks that they placed at the Kindness Garden at Sandy Neck beach in Sandwich, as part of a national movement to help lift humanity up by spreading positivity.

Kylie, our Eagles counselor, facilitates dialogues (“squawk talks”) to encourage the Eagles to reflect on the days’ activities and to help them fully-recognize the meaning and intention behind the activities. Through this thoughtful reflection, the Eagles are able to embrace the opportunity to communicate with their peers, gaining an understanding and appreciation for each other’s perspectives.

Here’s what some of our 2018 Eagles are saying about their experience in the program…

Jenna Schmidt

“The Eagles summer program at Fair Acres has helped me become a better role model, a leader, and most importantly a better person. As an Eagle, I experienced new things such as working with younger groups. We also became closer as a group during team building activities and squawk talks. During a squawk talk we share our opinions on things such as how to be a better friend or how to work with someone you don’t like, which helped me have a different perspective on many of our discussed topics. We also had a lot of fun, we went canoeing, we took a trip to the beach, we had a sleepover at Fair Acres, and played some classic camp games. Overall this experience has helped me grow as a person and will be something I will never forget.” ~ Jenna Schmidt

Ashley Walantis

“This year, 2018, Fair Acres added a new program named the Eagles. The Eagles have been such an amazing group to be a part of in my experience of over 10 years at Fair Acres. I got the chance to make new friends, create stronger relationships with old friends, and even learn more about myself – my strengths, weaknesses, what things are easy for me, and areas I can still grow. In the Eagles, we focused on future goals and how to achieve them along with other goals of a counselor. We had a phenomenal experience working with the younger groups, getting to know the campers, learning their daily schedules, and even holding camper’s hands while crossing the street (a highlight for me). Lastly, we had the opportunity to have a mock-interview with Mr. Larson and to share with him our experiences as an Eagle and things we look for in a future job. Overall the summer Eagles program was amazing and such a fun ride and I would recommend it to anyone, I want to do it all over again!” ~ Ashley Walantis

Taylor Bodurtha

“This summer I was invited to be in the new Eagles program at Fair Acres, and I had so much fun. This program has made me a better leader. Every morning we would work through a new team building activity, and these activities helped me to learn how to work well with others in tough situations, when we have so many different opinions and ideas. Also, being able to work with other groups at camp helped me to learn more about what it takes and what it means to be a leader and role model. We also had squawk talks everyday which was when we would discuss and contribute our ideas about a new question or topic every day. We all got the chance to share our opinion and it was great to hear other Eagles perspectives. Some of the questions were about being a leader and others were about learning how to be a good friend. Overall, I had an amazing summer in the Eagles program at Fair Acres.” ~ Taylor Bodurtha

Olivia Lambert

“As an Eagle, I have experienced what it would feel like to be a counselor. I really enjoyed being an Eagle, but the best part of the whole summer was getting to work in groups and with the campers. Every Eagle got to pick an age group to work with, and I chose the Black Bears, the youngest group at camp.   I loved having the opportunity to work with the young campers.   Looking back, what made this summer so special to me was realizing what I would like to be when I am older, and that is a maternity nurse. Working with the little campers made me think about how responsible and caring I am and I would love to make this into part of my future career. I loved this year at Fair Acres and can’t wait to come back next year!” ~ Olivia Lambert