• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

304.645.1316

Contact Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Vimeo
Camp Alleghany for Girls

Camp Alleghany for Girls

A Summer Camp for Girls in Lewisburg, WV

  • About Us
    • Empowering Girls
    • Our Directors
    • Camp Videos
    • Testimonials
    • Alumnae Hub
  • Parents
    • General Info for Parents
    • Dates and Rates
    • Parent Resources
    • Request Information
    • Forms and Info
    • Apply for the Lantern Scholarship
    • Camp Store
    • Visiting Alleghany
    • Parent Log In
  • Campers
    • Mother Daughter Weekend
    • Mini Camp
    • Term Camp
    • Leaders-In-Training
    • Family Camp
    • For Campers
      • A Day at ‘Ghany
      • Activities
      • Programs
      • Hear Our Songs
      • Apply for the Lantern Scholarship
  • Staff
  • Blog
Register for Camp

Fall directors retreat 2013

October 11, 2013 By Elizabeth Shreckhise

Most of the Administration team out at Stella's in Lewisburg during our annual Fall retreat weekend. Photo: Camp Alleghany.
Most of the Administration Team out at Stella’s in Lewisburg during our annual Fall retreat weekend. Photo: Camp Alleghany.

We recently headed back to camp for our annual fall weekend retreat. On these retreats, the directors convene to reflect on the past season, share ideas for the future, tie up any loose ends on the facilities, and generally bond as we bask in Ghany one last time for the year.

This year six out of the seven administration team members were there this year. We had Sam, Bonnie, Elizabeth, Taylor, Garrett, and BA. Our new Office Manager, Louise (who I told you about in a recent blog post), technically started work this month and she’ll join us on these retreats going forward.

BBQ and banter

We all arrived at BA’s river cabin in Alderson, West Virginia on a Friday around 6:00 — just in time for a cookout dinner! The weather was gorgeous and her cabin overlooks the Greenbrier River, so it’s a perfect spot for a working weekend where we can get a lot done amidst a beautiful setting.

Our first night was devoted to some professional development. Being the open-minded risk-takers that we are, we had each taken a little personality assessment quiz prior to the weekend. 🙂 We got our results and of course we’re all (thankfully) quite unique! So, we did some activities and discussion about working on a team with people who all work differently and have very different styles of communication, different things they value in a work setting, etc.

It was eye-opening and very productive to learn more about each other even after years of knowing one another. It also helped deepen something we all value which is understanding and respecting one another.

Lots to discuss

Saturday we started off with a two-hour discussion and thoughtful review of the parent and counselor surveys. This spawned lots of discussion and decisions, which you’ll hear more about in a near-future series of blog entries on individual survey issues. (If you don’t already follow us in the RSS feed, just enter your e-mail address into the field on the right hand side of the blog just under the Camp Alleghany video and the blog will be delivered to your e-mail. You can also like us on Facebook to see when blogs are posted.)

Next we moved into Taylor’s reporting of all the departments and programming areas, and then Garrett’s facilities updates and a 5-year facilities plan.

We also discussed overall what I call the two WWWs (what went well, and what went wrong) in 2013, exploring how to continue or change/ and improve those things. For example, we’ve gotten our Opening Day down to a pretty good science, but Closing Day needs some work, and Garrett has an awesome vision for making it a lot better so stay tuned to learn more about that.

Going deep

This weekend retreat and another in the spring really are times to seriously review and analyze everything, to learn and to grow, to plan and to strategize.

We reflect and share our own experiences and combine this with the parent and counselor surveys and any other feedback we’ve gotten during the summer. All of it is in a conscientious effort to always make Alleghany better and better each year while maintaining the integrity of our program and traditions.

The weekend work ended with a discussion of the annual American Camp Association National Conference to be held in Orlando, Florida this coming February. We’re all attending and we can’t wait!

Saturday evening was spent in a celebratory dinner at one of our favorite spots in Lewisburg, Stella’s Tea House restaurant.  After breakfast on Sunday we all headed home filled the joy of one season closed and yet brimming with ideas, excitement and an eager anticipation of the cycle of a new season beginning again!

–Elizabeth Dawson Shreckhise, Assistant Director, Camp Alleghany Blog

Filed Under: Directors Tagged With: American Camp Association, Greenbrier River, planning, professional development, staff training, team work

About Elizabeth Shreckhise

Elizabeth is the Director of Camp Alleghany for Girls, the third generation member in her family to hold this position. But she also spent her childhood (ages 7-16) as 'Ghany camper, then held various counselor positions, and spent a decade here as the Assistant Director. She has a Masters in Education and Human Development and is a former School Counselor. Elizabeth lives in Staunton, Virginia during the "off-season" with her husband Matt and sons Mason, Ellis, and Noah. In addition to staffing, enrollment, program planning, outreach, and camp management duties, she helps keep the website current, writes and updates camp literature, and oversees the blog.

Primary Sidebar

Download Our FREE E-Book

Is your daughter ready for sleepaway summer camp? Our E-book offers insight into this and more!
3 Reasons to Send Your Child to Camp.

Recent Blog Posts

  • Help Wanted: Leadership Program Coordinator
  • New Staff Resource: Haley, our Staff Recruiting Intern
  • Looking to 2021 with Optimism and Excitement

Get Our Blog Updates

Get our latest news. No spam -- Your e-mail is safe with us.

Footer

Contact Us

304.645.1316

304.362.0134 (fax)

Info@campalleghany.com

Winter Postal Mail Address
Camp Alleghany, P.O. Box 2515, Staunton, VA 24402

Main Pages

  • About Us
    • Empowering Girls
    • Our Directors
    • Camp Videos
    • Testimonials
    • Alumnae Hub
  • Parents
    • General Info for Parents
    • Dates and Rates
    • Parent Resources
    • Request Information
    • Forms and Info
    • Apply for the Lantern Scholarship
    • Camp Store
    • Visiting Alleghany
    • Parent Log In
  • Campers
    • Mother Daughter Weekend
    • Mini Camp
    • Term Camp
    • Leaders-In-Training
    • Family Camp
    • For Campers
      • A Day at ‘Ghany
      • Activities
      • Programs
      • Hear Our Songs
      • Apply for the Lantern Scholarship
  • Staff
  • Blog

Other Pages

  • Alumni Hub
  • Request Info
  • Job Openings
  • Families Log In
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Vimeo

Copyright © 2021 Camp Alleghany for Girls. Website by Curren Media Group.