When I used to work in the West Haven Community House summer program we would go on field trips five days per week. These trips kept the staff engaged, and while sometimes repetitive (like Indian Wells and Wadsworth Falls State Parks at least 4 times over the summer), everyone enjoyed their time with one another and the children we served. The one key part of the end of summer were the awards our Director gave each staff…each staff.

Over the course of the summer, they would take note of conversations, projects they did well, things the children called them for nicknames, right down to their favorite color. These little things mattered when it came time for the closing ceremony of the summer, when staff and children got their awards. I would lead the hiking club and have 3-4 willing staff and about 10-12 campers come with us into the wilderness of Connecticut. 

You would hear the “awes” and “eews” coming down the trail behind us. One time, we found a six or seven foot black snake hanging lazily from a tree just off the trail. Through this I was able to share my love of hiking and being in the woods with children who for some, had never been anyplace but the town park. We told them to not pick up or throw things into the woods, and of course one of them tossed a rock and hit a hornets nest near the creek we were crossing. 

A sudden cacophony of chaos erupted into the woods with kids screaming and running, staff helping to calm them down and get them out of the area, and me assessing the situation to get everyone to safety. I ran into the crowd and helped carry a few kids up the hill, getting stung myself multiple times in and out with a few more. In about 10 minutes, many of us were aching with bee stings, kids were crying on the side of the trail, and one staff member needed immediate medical attention due to a bee allergy. 

In thinking back, there was no finger pointing, no blaming anyone for anything. We had each other’s backs at that moment. To work together as a team. I credit the composure of the team and the way we had a pre-existing bond through the team building, intentionality of the director helping us to get to know one another, and creating the climate for retention. That summer I got the “Bee Keeper Award” and still have it in my attic. Many of the staff that were there with me that summer still work for the agency, working alongside the next generation of staff and campers.