Who wouldn’t want to come back for another summer in the heart of a wooded mountain as a Rockbrook Counselor? It’s the place to be. Here is the next installment of familiar staff faces for summer 2011. Stay tuned for even more staff information in the coming weeks!

Amalia Engelberger-The University of the South: SewaneeJackie Hancock-University of South FloridaAshley Lankford-Appalachian State UniversityEliza Chamberlain-Florida State UniversityCoco Street-The Lovett SchoolGabby Esposito-Georgia TechEva Jorgensen-Graham-Elon University (alumna)Margaret Morgan-Charlotte Country Day SchoolGrayson Randall-Appalachian State UniversityJane Pierce-The Corcoran College of Art and DesignGrace Wallace-University of MichiganSarah Seaton-Todd-Mentor High SchoolPaige Salsman-Appalachian State University

We are currently gearing up for another fun-filled summer at Rockbrook led by so many wonderful people! Some folks think that our staff is simply comprised of our cabin counselors and activity instructors. However, the Rockbrook ship needs a variety of crew members to keep it afloat and continue its fun summer traditions. Here is a glimpse of the wonderful non-cabin positions we hire for every summer.

Kitchen Staff: These folks work closely with our Kitchen Manager Rick Hastings to prepare all of our meals and snacks each day from scratch. From sprinkle muffins in the morning to cookout food on the hill, the kitchen staff keeps us energized and happy!

Nurses: Our nurses are usually moms of campers who keep us healthy. They live in our health hut, pass out routine medications, evaluate any injuries, coordinate doctor appointments, and keep track of our campers during their time at camp.

Adventure Staff: This group is comprised of some experts in their respective fields who typically live off camp and come in most days to lead a variety of trips. They are specially trained to lead backpacking day and overnight trips, whitewater kayaking trips, rock climbing trips, and a few others. Most are trained to drive busses and get our campers to and from camp safely.

Maintenance Staff: Led by our year-round caretakers Mr. Richie and Mrs. Connie, our extra maintenance staff who join us during the summer keep our facilities in tip top shape. They routinely clean the bathrooms and dining hall. In addition, they help us move the heavy stuff around camp, paint and any other miscellaneous tasks to keep camp beautiful!

Office Staff: In addition to our camp directors, we bring in a fantastic office team for the summer so that our directors can move about camp and work with our campers more easily. They handle camper forms, luggage, the camper photos that go up daily, parent communication, and really anything that arises.

We sure appreciate all of these folks and what they do to keep us going!

We are so excited to announce we have a new member on the year-round team! Sofie Ehlinger is our new Staff Director. After working as a counselor the past few summers and leading our lifeguards at the lake, Sofie has made the transition to director upon graduation from UNC-Asheville. We could not be more thrilled to have her as part of the team. So far, she has jumped right in with interviewing and hiring staff members, helping parents in need of camp information and bringing lots of energy to the office. She cannot wait to see you all in just a few short months!

Charlotte and Sofie got the opportunity to visit Appalachian State University recently for a job fair. We love visiting colleges where we have long-time counselors. In addition to interviewing some new ladies to be Rockbrook counselors this summer, they got to catch up with some familiar faces!

Junior Linehead, riflery instructor and lifeguard Paige Salsman let them know that she was in for some more Rockbrook fun this summer. And because she has so many skills and RBC experience, we couldn’t be more thrilled! She recently switched her major to Psychology and loves visiting nearby Asheville on the weekends.

Junior counselor Nicole Lankford will be back for another summer of hanging out with our youngest campers. She loves the 6 and 7 year olds and cannot wait to be back on the Junior Line and teaching something crafty!

Last, but not least, Grayson Randall, a Senior Line counselor brought some enthusiasm to the day. Throughout the year she has been chatting with and visiting her camp friends. She seems to really be building even stronger RBC relationships during the off-season.

This spring many Rockbrook ladies are spreading their wings and spending time around the world before returning to the heart of a wooded mountain this summer. They are experiencing some amazing adventures, and we are sure they will share all the details this summer!

Middler linehead Grace Wallace who attends the University of Michigan is spending this semester in Italy. She seems to really be enjoying art museums and the historical ruins the most. On the weekends and breaks, Grace has been doing a lot of small trips all over western Europe.

Junior linehead Christine Alexander who attends George Washington University is studying in France. She is loving the food and breaks for tea. Later in the spring before returning home, Christine is planning to visit the Pyranees Mountains for a little outdoor adventure. No wonder she has played such a large role in our water trips the last few years at Rockbrook.

New counselor Lyndsay Odgen who attends the University of South Carolina is on the other side of the globe in Brisbane, Australia. In addition to studies at Queensland University, she spent the first part of her trip doing a lot of adventure trips. Even though this will be Lyndsay’s first year on staff, she spent many years as a camper at Rockbrook. Her sister McKenzie will also be a counselor, and her younger sister Abigail will be a CA camper.

Throughout the year, we love hearing from our counselors who keep up during the off season. Working together at camp forms bonds that our counselors work hard at keeping up with visits, emails and phone calls. We often hear “Camp friends are the best friends!”

Recently we received a card and picture from some longtime counselors who met up in Nashville for a little mini-reunion. Gillian Scruggs and Lexi Sears made the drive to visit Mary Allen, Elise Hudson and Emily West who are from Nashville. We hope everyone else is having a wonderful year and we cannot wait to see folks back at camp in just a few months!