LYNNWOOD — Ana Maria Beall and Alaina Haig had some relevant experience for their summer jobs this year.
Beall, 17, and Haig, 18, are counselors at Lynnwood’s Kamp Kookamunga, a day camp for kids. Both young women once were campers themselves, and then volunteered for years as junior counselors.
“They really still embrace the fun-ness of camp,” said Kelly Schudde, a city recreation supervisor. “They aren’t afraid to be silly, and yet they’re both very responsible, organized girls.”
Beall, whose camp name is “Swish,” is working all 10 weeks of camp this summer. Then she’s headed to the University of Washington, planning to major in neurobiology.
Haig, who goes by “Luna” at camp, is debating between education and developmental psychology as her intended major at Lewis &Clark College in Portland.
The two became friends as young campers and fondly remember all the different activities and games, Beall said.
“I consider it still today a special place mainly because of the memories,” she said, “and the little day-to-day interactions with other campers, junior counselors and counselors.”
Both girls say being junior counselors helped them develop leadership skills and inspired them to work with children someday. Their favorite groups of campers are those between 8 and 10 years old, they said, because that age group shows the most personal growth over the summer.
“They’re really, really sassy and they love to joke around and they’ll play along with you and they’ll make fun of you, but it’s in a really lighthearted way,” Haig said.
At school, Beall was quiet. Camp is different, she said. She likes singing the songs “about random animals and random happenings,” she said. “It’s the ability to relax and just enjoy my time and the opportunity to goof around like a kid again.”
The camp runs in one-week sessions, with the last starting Aug. 24. Each week has a theme such as sports, pirates or the zoo. Junior counselors still are needed for the last two weeks.
As a kid, Haig looked up to her junior counselors and counselors and wanted to be just like them, she said. The silliness is infectious, with jokes, dancing, costumes and crafts.
“It makes the campers feel welcome and it makes us laugh and it’s really fun,” Haig said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
Volunteer
Students going into eighth through 12th grades this fall can volunteer as junior counselors at Kamp Kookamunga, which is run by the city of Lynnwood. Volunteers are needed for camps in August.
More info: www.ci.lynnwood.wa.us, 425-670-5732
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