Imagining Summer 2026: Guest Bloggers Murph & Abbie Rose!

Hello! From your favorite group leaders (ABBIE and MURPH)! We are coming to you from Scotland and the middle of nowhere Missouri to share some tips and tricks to make the most of your summer at Camp Wicosuta.

Our first four summers at camp have gifted us with a selection of skills that have helped us succeed in our day-to-day lives as well as while we are at camp. Every summer we return and we discover that each day provides us with a new lesson to learn. The rainy summer of 2023 taught us how to quickly dry our shoes between each storm. Summer 2024 brought sun filled days where we learnt to appreciate the true value of a Gatorade ice cube. And last summer gifted us with our first season as group leaders, bonding with new campers, and learning so much about ourselves.

So that leaves us to start imagining Summer 2026 and our goals for the sunny days ahead…

Abbie says:

My very first day at Wico was full of new experiences for me. I had taken my first solo flight that morning from London all the way to Boston before getting on the first yellow school bus I had ever seen. I ate my first apple sauce and made my first camp friend by bonding over a love of Taylor Swift. When I got into my bunk that evening, I felt proud of everything I had achieved. I try to end every day with that same feeling of pride.

My dad has always encouraged me to try new things, leading with the motto ‘do something everyday that scares you’. Stepping outside of your comfort zone helps us to grow as friends, students, and members of the camp community. I try to carry his words with me when at camp and motivate you to do the same!

We talk to campers about all kinds of new experiences: trying a new food at dinner, learning a new card game at rest hour, or running up the Ninja wall for the first time with the support of your friends and counselors. Embrace everyone’s different skill sets and learn something new from your bunk mates. Our individuality is our biggest strength. Big or small, every new thing that we try is worth celebrating as a daily win. Camp is a great place to set daily, weekly and whole camp goals, working on building competence in new skills through growing confidence and the support of our Wicosuta community.

This summer I have two goals that I hope to complete: tackle my nerves around heights to complete the camp zipline and make 5 new friends. Setting smaller goals to meet these helps keep them in perspective, for example on staff arrival day I want to talk to 10 new people and learn a fact about each of them. Modelling this behaviour to campers helps us build our supportive community for the coming summer.

In orientation, all staff spend time setting goals for our summer. This purposeful planning sets us up to be successful and to celebrate our wins; setting time aside means we are able to reflect on specific things we hope to get out of our camp experience. Spend some time choosing new things to try this summer before arrival day. I can’t wait to hear all about each new thing campers will try every day during summer 106 at camp!

Murph says:

My first summer at camp was a last-minute decision that turned out to be one of the greatest choices I have ever made. I was hired 6 days before I arrived in New Hampshire, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I remember the first night I texted my mom and told her I didn’t like it, but she said give it a chance and thankfully I did. By the time orientation was over and my first campers arrived, I had been entranced by the Wico magic.

The campers and counselors who have fun at Wico do so because they go “all in”. This looks like learning the camp songs, dressing up for theme dinners, participating in activities (even when you don’t feel like it), and having conversations with people to learn new perspectives. However, going all in does not always mean succeeding; sometimes you try new things and you fail first. I may not know all the hand motions to the song “On the Line” but by golly do I try every summer to learn, and one day I may get it. But I do know crazy sock dinner is my time to shine and show off my sock tan line that I work on all summer long.

Something I have learned from Wico is that the campers and staff who are learning the most are the ones who are willing to have fun no matter what they are doing. This year, I’ve been teaching high school math. For most of my students, it’s not their favorite subject. Nevertheless, I have tried to start every class with a game to encourage community and fun. Building this community within my classroom has enabled us to develop a safe learning environment where students feel comfortable to fail and try again. This idea of creating a safe and then fun classroom is something that I have learned from camp. During staff orientation the Wico directors make sure our number one priority is safety and our number two is fun. The classroom model my students and I practice is very similar to this: first safety, second learning, and then fun. We need all three for a successful school year. As the year wraps up, I know we’ve been successful.

My goal this summer is to go all in everyday; to say yes to the safe, yet a little uncomfortable. To wear my crazy socks and make friends from places near and far. And above all to laugh and love the people around me. Because Wico is as good as you make it, and Summer 106 is looking like one for the books!

We can’t wait to hear all about your goals for this summer! The countdown to camp is truly on and we will be together as a community before we know it.

Wico Love,

Murph & Abbie