Hermann Sons Life Camp is a hectic place to work at this time. And that’s a great thing! We are gearing up for a fantastic summer of fun for our junior members.
The Boerne ISD is currently utilizing our Hilltop facility for its BOA programs. And we love having them here! I was walking to the Dining Hall one day and simply hearing the joyous noise of campers playing at the Gaga pits was awesome! Anyone who has worked in Camp will tell you how great that sound is - especially in February.
The Boerne students also are using the river and the canoes and kayaks. We cannot wait for our campers to enjoy a lazy morning or afternoon at the river.
We are gearing up for a very busy spring. The camps look great. Gary, who joined us in October, is really outdoing himself. The Hilltop pool looks great! The Riverside pool will be resurfaced this summer.
Staffing is going great! It’s looking like we will be able to run a full Camp on both the Hilltop and Riverside campuses.
While we’re still looking for a few nurses, I’m excited with the process of filling up our staff lists. We have a few Zoom training sessions on the calendar to help our staff better prepare for the campers’ arrival.
ENROLLMENT OPENING SOON!
Yay! All age eligible campers (aged 9-14) will be emailed and mailed when we open enrollment for our camper sessions.
Based on last summer’s scores, I expect enrollment to be brisk with one or two sessions having a waiting list. Don’t delay!
MINI-CAMP ENROLLMENT (July 28 - 31) will be for our first-time campers ages 8 and 9. This is a coed camp run on Hilltop and includes a lot of our camper favorites. We look forward to serving our younger junior members.
We will again allow for campers to enroll for a second session. The eligible weeks will be announced in May.
OPEN HOUSE – JUNE 11
Our open house is set for June 11. We are excited to welcome everyone to check out the many improvements we’ve made over the past three years.
Just to give you some idea of the work we have been doing to provide a better camp experience for campers, here’s a list of just some of the changes we’ve made to the camps since 2018.
CAMPER IMPROVEMENTS
• Added NEW activities to both camps
- Rocketry to Riverside
- Yoga to Riverside
- GaGa to both camps
- Giant swing
- Drama to Hilltop
- Kayaking to both camps
• International counselors
• Food service changed to cafeteria-style
• Added warming cases and steam tables to the food service at both camps
• Campers now sit with their dorm and dorm counselors
• Added popular Game Night
• Bought a bus
• Improved counselor-in-training program
• Added water stations throughout both camps
• Tracking campers’ enjoyment through weekly surveys
• Added a second week option for campers
• Added 6th year (14-year-olds)
• Added Mini-Camp (8- and 9-year-olds)
• Water bottles given to all campers and staff
• More activity choices in 2022 (half-day elective program)
PARENTAL IMPROVEMENTS
• Streamlined arrival days
• Adding Camp line dance videos to the YouTube Channel
• Survey parents immediately after their child’s week through Survey Monkey
• Added Camp App for parents – Increased parental engagement
• Parent Handbook – better informed parents!
• Zoom informational sessions every spring.
• Online health forms in 2022!
• Online Camp Store
STAFFING IMPROVEMENTS
• Added multiple certification trainings (18 lifeguards trained in 2021)
• Improved staff lounges (added Wi-Fi) - need more furniture!
• Added Camp tours on the YouTube Channel
• Overseas staff – kitchen and maintenance staff.
• Improved Staff Manuals
• Allowed junior staff to work full summer
FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS
• Improved Riverside courtyard
• Improved ranges
• 20 picnic tables added
• Group rentals
- More income=more money to improve the facility.
- Increased usage of the facility decreases the damage dormancy creates.
- Getting our name “out there”
• Converted Rattlesnake to arts pavilion.
• Fans for the dance pavilion
• Two permanent sun shelters at the Challenge Course
• Annual Volunteer Work Day
• Added curtains to all dorms on Hilltop
• Added bulletin boards to all dorms
• Improved annual processes to maintain quality facilities.
And so much more!