Perry County Day One Report

Perry County Reading Camp
Sunday Night Camp Setup
We arrived at Buckhorn State Park after a busy Fourth of July weekend to set up for Reading Camp and get ready for the kids. We lugged the boxes and bins of supplies down the steps to the beautiful conference center. We planned to go light and lean on the decorating—there are floor to ceiling windows overlooking beautiful Buckhorn Lake, so we didn’t want to compete with the view. Still, once we hung up our solar system and stars, the space looked a little…barren. Especially compared to the stellar decorating job the Domain Reading Camp staff pulled off. After hearing Judy Moore explain that current education theory favors a simple uncluttered space for learning so that children aren’t distracted by decorations, I decide to pretend that we didn’t decorate much on purpose. We shut the doors of the conference center and took our kids swimming. Later, I sat on the porch of my hotel room and watched the bats swooping around and the moonlight glistening on the water. This is a beautiful place and we’re blessed to have camp here.

Day One
The day started auspiciously when we spy two deer right under our hotel window. The bus picked up the sixteen kids (by Wednesday we’ll have 18)right on schedule, and when they pulled in, we were ready to roll. After a brief introduction to the One Rule of Reading Camp (Respect—respect each other, the staff, the place, the earth, and ourselves), the kids went to Centers and Reading Camp officially started. Unfortunately, when it was time to switch centers, I completely screwed things up and sent the kids to the wrong centers. Luckily, my wonderful JROTC counselors stepped in and took over, and ably managed to keep time and send the kids to the correct centers for the remainder of the morning. I spent a lot of time doing nothing. This is how leadership should work: surround yourself with wonderful people, wind them up, and let them go. The JROTC kids who help me each year, and their incredible instructor, Major Tim Cory, are amazing. I can’t say enough good things about Major Cory and his kids. They see something that needs to be done and just…do it. With Dwight Vires at the helm, the Perry County Reading Camp is a well-oiled machine. I don’t have to lift a finger once the planning is done. Really, those kids are magical. Jordan Chandler, the Battalion Commander, can even charm animals.



After a delicious lunch in the Buckhorn Lodge Dining Room, we returned to the conference center and played games for a little while. Then it was time to go hiking with Jane and John Dubois of the Division of Forestry. We hiked up a beautiful trail while John and Jane showed us how to identify trees and explained the various uses for timber. We decided that the best use is to adorn these marvelous mountains—this is such an amazingly lovely place. After our hike, we ran down the mountain to the beach for a refreshing swim under a bright blue sky.



Then it was time to decorate journals and eat the cupcakes that our good Reading Camp friend Debra sent as a surprise for my 43rd birthday! Debra was co-director for several years here at the Perry County camp. She’s wonderful and we miss having her around. Finally, and too soon, it was time to go. Glenn, the world’s best bus driver, fired up the bus and we headed down the mountain towards home. All the kids, counselors, and staff were looking forward to tomorrow!

-Jenny Williams, Camp Director and Reading Camp Steering Committee member