I treasure the time I spent at CMS. Camp affected my life in such a positive manner. The friendships I formed at camp have been long lasting and profoundly important to me. I am proud to have my daughter, Mary, carry on the fine traditions of CMS with another generation.

J.M.F., former camper, junior counselor and counselor, current camp parent

Returning to camp was one of the best things I have ever done. I was a little more than hesitant to leave home for a total of seven weeks but it turned out to be a great summer. I had the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and make new ones…thank you both so much. Camp looks great and is run so efficiently. I LOVED THIS SUMMER and that’s just all I can think to say.

C.F., former camper and counselor

In all sincerity Camp Mont Shenandoah is the absolutely best thing that has ever happened to my daughter – self esteem wise! For someone like her who struggles throughout the academic year, Camp Mont Shenandoah has been a place where she has been able to shine and excel…We will forever be grateful and indebted to Camp Mont Shenandoah for what it has given our daughter.

L.G., camp parent

Wow! This summer was so wonderful! I cannot begin to explain how much this summer helped me and did for me. I look back on things I’ve written about camp over the years and it’s so cool to see how much closer she becomes to me every summer. Thanks for everything you both have done because I don’t know if you know how wonderful of an opportunity you have given me these past four years.

E.L., former camper and counselor

I want you to know how much CMS has influenced my life and how special the whole CMS family has become to me over the years. In fact, on the SAT II, there was a writing section where one question was asked and I had to reply to it in a well thought out essay. The question was, “My life has been greatly influenced by…?” This was the easiest question anyone could have asked me. Right away, I began to write about CMS. I felt as though I could have written for hours, though the essay was only 20 minutes. The amount of influence and presence that CMS has created in my life is immeasurable.

J.G.I., former camper and counselor

Now that summer is coming to an end, I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of my daughter during her first CMS experience. I know that she had a great time and learned valuable lessons (although she does not consider cleaning the toilet as a valuable lesson, I certainly do!). She puts her napkin in her lap and keeps her elbows off of the table and reminds everyone else to do so. Wish you both well until next summer!

L.S., camp parent

We were thrilled and relieved to get our daughter’s first letter home from camp, and you must know that each succeeding letter was better than the one before it. Our daughter was terribly happy at CMS this summer and we owe you a huge debt of gratitude for all of your meaningful hard work. I had heard good things about CMS for years and I am glad that our daughter was able to become a part of all that is CMS. She is excited about returning next summer. CMS is a special place and I thank you ever so much for providing such a fun, interesting and spiritual experience for our daughter. We have never seen her so well in every way after her three weeks with you, your campers and dedicated staff.

A.R., camp parent

…I wanted to write to say thank you for another wonderful summer for our girls. Both of them came home beaming once again and are truly changed a little each summer they spend at camp…What a gift to have the girls love CMS as much as I did!…Never underestimate the impact you are making in many young lives!

M.R., former camper, junior counselor and counselor, current camp parent

I told you last summer that you do great work at CMS, and I meant it. I’m grateful that our daughter has a safe, nurturing and wholesome environment where she can develop her independence and leadership skills and explore her physical and creative capabilities. You are helping to inoculate young women against some of the more pernicious negative aspects of our popular culture. I hope you just LOVE what you do, because I want you to keep doing it for a loooong time!

L.H., camp parent

I cannot begin to tell you how much our daughter loved CMS this summer. It was a wonderful experience from beginning to end. We are so impressed with all that your camp stands for – she certainly left camp a better person. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving our daughter this fun, rewarding, positive first camping experience. She can’t wait until next summer!

L.P., camp parent

Upon returning home and for many weeks since my girls have been filled with many exciting adventures, memorable moments, delightful stories and above all – numerous happy songs! My girls seemed to have made a successful adjustment to their first time away at camp. Roots & Shoots is a great idea and I’m glad we were able to take part in it. I commend you all on your efforts, your camp’s appearance, friendliness of staff, safety, and most of all the planning and execution of a successful summer at camp. As out of the mouths of my two campers, “Camp was awesome! Can we go again?” You bet! See you next year.

L.C., camp parent

I have spent the past 11 summers at a small, all-girls camp in the mountains of western Virginia. Few people understand the impact that camp has had on me, and it was only recently that I began to realize what a truly unique experience I have had. I first entered the gates of Camp Mont Shenandoah in July of 1987, and since then, my life has never been the same. When I was younger, I looked forward to returning to camp each summer because of the fun that I had there. Each year, I listened to my friends at school describe their summer plans of trips to the beach and days at the pool, and I weighed them against my own visions of camp-wide games of "capture the flag" and late-night, whispered conversations with my friends. In my mind, there was no comparison; camp was where I wanted to be. As I grew up, however, it became harder to justify my attachment to camp with the simple phrase "it's fun." I started to search for a deeper meaning hidden beneath all the games and laughter, and each year, I have left camp with a clearer understanding of why is is so important to me.

Camp Mont Shenandoah was founded with the goal of teaching young girls the five virtues of love, loyalty, friendship, sportsmanship, and spiritual awareness. As I look back on my eleven summers at camp, I am struck by how completely these principles have shaped my life. For example, I will never forget standing at the wedding reception of one of my closest friends from camp and joining with the rest of the "CMS girls" to sing a camp song for the rest of the guests. My eyes filled with tears as I scanned the group; the ties of camp had never been so clear to me, and I was overcome with love for my friends and gratitude to camp for having brought us all together. Among those friends who surronded me that night were the same people with whom I used to share those late-night conversations and the counselors whom I once idolized -- now some of the most important people in my life.

The values of sportsmanship and spiritual awareness are more difficult to illustrate with specific examples, but they have been just as apparent to me as I have grown up at camp. When I arrived at camp, I was put on one of the two teams, and the following weekends were filled with innumerable team competitions, during which I did my best to make the rest of the team proud and earn points to add to our total. I soon learned, however, that the points were only a minor concern; more important was the bond which developed between the two teams. These teams are referred to as "sisters" and as such, share an atypical relationship. From the moment that they are assigned to a team, campers are taught that the members of the other team are not merely opponents, but friends. Team competitions are not simply contests of athleticism, but opportunities to showcase talents and encourage others to do so, regardless of their team affiliation. Thus, competitions against the other team pushed me to excel physically while still demonstrating good sportsmanship; this was the best gift I could have received from my competitors.

Spiritual awareness is a concept which I struggled to understand for many years. "Spiritual" in this sense does not imply a religious connection; rather, camp seeks to instill in each girl an increased insight into her own spirit and unique indentity. I have recently come to the conclusion that this is less of a solitary principle than a synthesis of the other four virtues. As I have gained a deeper understanding of the meanings of love, loyalty, friendship, and sportsmanship, I have achieved self-awareness. At camp, my best traits have been nurtured. There, I have learned to appreciate the ideas of others while continuing to stand up for my own beliefs, to be less critical of both others and of myself, to accept without question the legitimacy of the qualities which my friends possess and the emotions which they show, and to strive to become the best person I can be.

Over the 11 summers that I have spent at camp, very few things have changed; the exceptional amount of personal growth which I have experienced has taken place in a fairly stable atmosphere. Although names and faces of campers and counselors participating in them change slightly every year, the traditions of camp endure. Each summer at the annual "wishing boats" ceremony, for example, I have watched my boat float down the river, hoping that its small candle will stay lit until it reaches the rapids downstream, signifying that my wish for another summer at camp will come true. For 11 years, camp and its traditions have been a constant in my life, and few things upset me more than the realization that soon I must move on. I am confident, however, that camp has prepared me for the rest of my life in ways that nothing else could have. I know that I am fortunate to have had this opportunity, and I will always be grateful for the time that I have spent in the mountains of western Virginia, at the most wonderful place I have ever known.

May, 1998
used by permission

"My Summer Home"
Sarah Lindner

The faster our big, bumpy suburban moved toward the massive Camp Mont Shenandoah sign, the more excited I grew. On the way to camp, I don’t feel anything but nervousness and excitement to see all of my friends, but it wasn’t always that way. I remember the long quiet drive up to CMS my first summer.

There were no feelings of eagerness or excitement rushing through my body. What I was feeling most, was fear. Nothing was comforting or familiar about the tall, pointy mountains or the long, curvy dirt roads that I saw looking out the back seat window.

“Are you excited, Sarah?” mom asked me as we rounded a curve.

“Yes, I guess so” I replied, but what I was thinking was more along the lines of:

“Excited!? Are you crazy!? Taking me to an unfamiliar place for three whole weeks with out you and dad!?!?!?!!??!” but I refrained because I didn’t want to get in a fight with mom just before I left.

“I’m sure you and Molly will meet some great new people!” replied mom.

“Mm Hmm.” Was my answer, because my mind was distracted on other things.

I was thinking about the food. Would it be good? I hoped so, because if it wasn’t I didn’t know exactly how I was going to survive, especially because we weren’t allowed to have candy in our cabin. About the people, especially our cabin mates.  Would they like us? Would we like them? What team would I be on? Emily and Lindsey said you were put onto a team your first year, either the Buffs or the Greens. They were Buffs, so that’s what I decided I wanted to be. A shiver ran down my body as I thought about mom and dad. I hoped they would write me. Mom kept on telling me how much she would miss me and how I’d better write them, but would they write me back? They’d better! I didn’t have time to worry about anything else, because we had just pulled up to the CMS sign for the first time in my life.

Dirt was flying everywhere mom and I drove down the long road through the middle of camp. We passed the lusciously green soccer fields to my left and a down a little further the tiny “feed bag” on my right. I was wondering how we would all fit in there for our meals, it didn’t look like it would fit 120 people! We passed an athletics field and a couple tennis courts before we finally got to my cabin. There were two cabins around mine, and I wondered if the girls in those cabins were my age also. One of my counselors ran out of the cabin to come meet Molly and me.

“She seems nice!” mom said after Leslie had left to go help Molly set up her bunk.

“She seems awesome, mom!” I said truthfully, because she really did seem pretty cool.

Molly yelled from the cabin “Hurry and come get a bunk Sarah, before they are all gone!”

As I stepped out of the suburban to go explore my cabin I was over whelmed by the smell of fresh air, it just doesn’t smell like that in High Point! Molly and I chose two bottom bunks beside each other so that we could talk at night. After making sure we were ok, our parents and Lindsey left while Emily showed us around. She introduced Molly and me to the other cabin’s counselors and took us down to the river. She explained that since the “cow pasture” was so cold, we’re not even allowed to call it cold!

“If we can’t call it cold, then what do we call it?” asking because I thought this was the most ridiculous rule in the world.

“We call it brisk!” Emily said back to me laughing.

The dinner bell rang shortly after Molly and I got back from hanging out with Emily. To get to dinner you had to walk through poison ivy! (Luckily enough I didn’t get it and never have!) Surprisingly enough the food was good, and I found out all of us could fit into the feed bag for meals! We had lasagna the first night, and why I remember that, I have no idea!

Finally after dinner Molly and I got to hang out and meet our cabin mates! They were so cool! I made a best friend that night who is still one of my best friends to this day! Leslie had us gather round on the middle of the cabin and explained all of the rules and answered any questions that we had, and told us that we could always, always talk to her if something was wrong. And for the first time all day, I felt welcome. I felt like I had friends and I felt included in every thing. For some reason, that night is what had made me come back to camp every year, and why this is so important to me, because even though I hardly knew theses girls, I felt like I had known them for a very long time. So that’s why CMS is so important to me, the people. They are all great girls, and each and every one of them is my friend.

When I return to camp, it will be my fifth summer at my favorite place ever. I have made so many life long friends and even love camp so much I go back every summer for 6 weeks instead of 3. Instead of home-sick when I get to camp, I’m camp-sick when I get home. I chant Buff cheers and sing camp songs all through out the winter, because it makes me feel like a part of camp is still alive. I absolutely adore my summer home and can’t wait to go back.