It’s amazing how quickly the summer goes at Farrington each year. Just yesterday, we were having our staff training, and now there is only 2 weeks left of the program! As a way of celebrating the efforts our staff put in day in and day out, we took a mid-season trip to Peddocks Island, thanks to Save the Harbor, Save the Bay. Our staff enjoyed the boat ride over to the island, basking in the sun, and then went for a very cold swim in Boston Harbor. After that, we enjoyed a picnic lunch, and shared in a group reflection on the summer and our impact on each other before taking the boat back to Boston. This year’s staff has been incredible; a mix of seasoned and new staff who’ve melded together to bring energy, experience, and joy to our visiting campers. Each week, the staff vote for another staff member of the week who’s made a positive difference for themselves or the program. Reading what they all write about each other is one of our Program Director’s favorite things about her job. Passing along the notes they’ve written to the staff member of the week is another way to recognize the unique skills and efforts, each member of our staff contribute.

One staff member selected by her peers as Staff of the Week, was Samuelle. New to Farrington this year, she has quickly become a talented counselor, easily leading art activities, hikes, and in the garden. In addition, she brings enthusiasm and is always mentioning new ideas and activities to her peers.

Another, Maya, has a new found love for frogs. She picked up her first frog in the Farrington pond two weeks ago, when our veteran staff member Anthony helped show her how. Now, she seeks them out, and has even found toads and spring peepers in the grass along different trails. Maya says that her favorite part about being at Farrington is the feeling that she is making a difference. At the end of the day, when a camper comes up to her and says, “I can’t wait to come back next year,” she knows she is part of the reason they want to come back. On those days, Maya says “Wow, I did good today.”

This year, in her second year at Farrington, Rebeca stepped up to the role of Senior Counselor. Last year, she came to be an excellent counselor, confident leading activities, and even comfortable acting silly, reading books with children (or perhaps to chickens). This year as a SC, she also has taken on the role of acting as a peer leader for the new Junior Counselors. She said, “I’m beginning to realize now that my role as a Senior Counselor is more than just leading the activities, but also to help support the Junior Counselors in becoming comfortable and confident leading themselves.”

Meanwhile, our new Lead Counselor Emily has put together a beautiful garden. Despite the chicken’s best efforts to eat all her vegetables, the zucchini and cucumbers keep growing. The green beans and mint have fed many a child, and now that the tomatoes are ripening, campers are experiencing their first tastes of the ever-sweet Sungold cherry tomatoes.

We are lucky to have eleven wonderful staff members this year, and our visiting directors often comment on what a wonderful job they do. “[The staff] were great and [the trip was] very rewarding, I heard from parents that they were so pumped that they got to actually hold a chicken. It was one of the best experience our group has had a such a nature focused trip. There were a lot of first time experiences and a lot of fears faced it was a great way for team building and trying new things.”