A successful summer at Pinemere depends on the performance of our counselors. Our counselors can make the difference in a child’s experience because they fulfill the most important role at camp – in loco parentis. This Latin term, meaning “in place of parents,” represents the counselor’s greatest responsibility in the bunk. Parents turn over the care of their children to our counselors, and we expect them to perform accordingly. In today’s age of technology and media, our counselors have become even more vital. The children at camp can truly benefit from a strong role model, especially within camp’s unusual living experience. At home, a child may not have an older person to look up to and respect who can connect with their needs on a more personal level. Unlike parents, our counselors are usually only a few years removed from their own adolescent experiences, making them uniquely qualified to help the campers through their own emotional, physical, and social development.
Our counselors are divided into three different categories – Junior Counselors, General Counselors, and Specialty Counselors. Junior counselors are entering 12th graders who have completed two years of leadership training at Pinemere. The primary difference between specialty counselors and general counselors is that specialty counselors have additional responsibilities during daytime activities that include instructing and supervising program areas (such as basketball, waterfront, adventure, ceramics, etc.). In their roles as specialty counselors, these staff members are supervised by program supervisors (in addition to their main supervisor, who is their Unit Leader).
