Sophie's Essay

"This is a picture essay about a picture I took at camp."

Camp Ellowi

What strikes me when I get to Camp Ellowi early in the morning is the peacefulness. The aromatic scent of the cedar and the soft sound of the trees swaying in the breeze are soothing. As I round the corner of the rustic stone lodge I catch smiles from familiar faces. Stretch, Star, Banjo, Ecko, Joker, and Pocahontas all wave to me. At camp my name is Sofa, and when I walk in I assume the role of a volunteer.

Soon, the kids trickle in slowly, yawning and stretching and maybe sitting down with others to start a card game. Then the rowdy boys arrive and start up the somewhat ritualistic game of kickball that occurs without fail every morning. As the noise level gradually increases and kids start to wake up, the buses of city kids pull in to top off the crescendo of sound and excitement as a day at camp begins.

I have been going to Camp Ellowi since the summer after fourth grade. Each year after that, the school year only lead to the summer, I could not wait to get back to that outdoor haven. I remember yearning for my thirteenth birthday so that I could be a Counselor In Training (CIT). Before I started helping out at camp instead of just attending, I only went to camp for a few weeks each summer. After I turned thirteen, I spent almost my entire summers there. I helped out with all areas of camp life, including swimming lessons. I really enjoyed teaching the younger kids to swim, that was one of my favorite assignments.

When I reached the age of sixteen, I became an official volunteer. This was an absolute privilege, because I was treated and had almost the same authority as an adult counselor. Some days I helped with archery and canoeing with the older kids. But for most of the summer, my assigned group was the six and seven year olds.They were really fun to work with. One day we went on a hike and built a clubhouse next to Chief Ellowi's "grave." My little troop named it the Tiger Clubhouse. We used strips of bark found on the ground to make walls by hanging them off the trees. We laid rocks for steps and to spell out "Tiger Clubhouse." The clubhouse even had its own snail apartment, where the kids dumped all the snails they found on a few leaves. There were a lot of snails.

Two of the kids I worked with at camp really stood out. They were Forest and Alex. Alex earned the nickname of Caveman, because half the time he was running around without a shirt on. He enjoyed being called Caveman, and it was hard to keep him in shoes and shirts. He spent most of the free time he had building clubhouses. On a few occasions, he allowed me to come in and help put rocks in order. Forest was a special kid. He was sort of shy and quiet, but never complained about any activities.

Being around children was one of the best things about volunteering at camp. When I wasn't hanging out with Forest and Alex, I was playing with Paige or looking at the new bug or lizard Rhia had found and made her pet. That girl would have tamed a tarantula if I had only let her. I have a lot of pictures from camp, but I chose this one because it shows two of the most kind-hearted and fun kids I met there. I know one day they'll be famous, maybe Alex will be an architect and Forest will become a chef. It's just a guess really.