Meet Laura Hall, a seasoned camp professional with 30 years of experience leading Camp St. Charles in Newburg, MD. Embracing a collaborative approach, Laura finds joy in problem-solving, task management, and connecting with campers amid the various activities like Gaga ball and nature exploration. She navigates challenges, relies on tools like Google Calendar and Asana, and emphasizes the importance of teamwork for maintaining the camp's vibrancy and joy.
Name: Laura Hall
Name of Camp: Camp St. Charles
Location: Newburg, MD
Years in the Camp Industry: 30 (gulp)
One word that best describes your approach to camp management: Collaborative (I hope that my team agrees)
Take us through a day at camp under your leadership. What does a typical day look like from start to finish?
I don't think camps really have typical days but I will try to describe my camp life. I usually walk over to the office with my dogs, while most of camp is still asleep. I like to use that peaceful time to refill my hummingbird feeders and have the first of several cups of coffee. Once the day begins, there are many moving parts. I am happiest when my days are a balance of solving problems, marking things off of my ever-growing task list, and spending some time chatting with our campers. I have a wonderful team to share the load and I am grateful for their hard work and the many ways that they are supporting our community, both seen and not.
Describe the heart of your camp. What's the central area or the main hub where activities or gatherings take place?
Our campers cannot get enough Gaga ball but we also enjoy the dock area, visiting with animals at the nature area, cooling off at the pool, and relaxing in a hammock. There are so many places to be and things to do at camp.
What are some essential tools, apps, or equipment you rely on to keep camp operations running smoothly?
I live by my Google calendar for the long term and a paper weekly calendar for the day-to-day. I use Asana to manage and assign tasks for myself and my team. Mostly, I rely on my team. I have learned that I can't exhaust myself trying to handle all the things, I have to lean on my amazing people to seek some balance and keep the camp joy in my life.
What’s a challenge you’ve recently faced at camp, and how are you working to overcome it?
We have had 3 ancient vehicles that we have used at camp for a long time, they are ALL out of commission. I am hopeful that a camp supporter will make a donation to help fill the gaps for us. Just waiting for the blessing to come through for us.
There are plenty of challenges and I like to try to avoid getting bogged down with the negative. We have to look up from the problems to see all the good too.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received about managing a successful and enjoyable camp?
Hire for character and teach skills. You can teach good people who care about your mission but it is not easy to get someone to care more. Don't be afraid to make big changes if the camp culture is going off course, in my experience, it is needed from time to time.
You have to figure out how to make changes to your program to meet the changing needs of campers and their families and keep the traditions strong. It is a delicate balance.
What book, podcast, or resource do you think every camp director should read or listen to, and why?
Radical Candor by Kim Scott, it really focuses on creating a culture of truth-telling so that you can actually address the real issues at your camp. Ask your staff for solutions, they are the ones who are in the mix all day and have some creative ideas for us.
How do you organize and prioritize camp tasks and responsibilities, especially during the busy summer season?
This is always a challenge. Have to focus on the urgent and important and delegate things that another person can do 70% as well as you can. You will get fired if you can't share some decision making and it makes for a happier team and contributes to their growth as well.
What’s the most creative excuse you’ve heard from a camper trying to get out of an activity, and how did you respond?
I once caught a camper who had left her cabin during the night and when I spoke, she quickly said "I wasn't here to meet (insert name of her camp crush). I wanted to read" (in a very dark area of camp with no light and no book. A likely story
If you could invent a new, wildly popular camp activity that perfectly captures the spirit of your camp, what would it be and why?
It is hard to think of one activity to sum up our camp, we have reflective reverent moments, exciting silly times, fast-paced and chilled out... Not sure that we can capture that in one event.
Are there any questions you think we should ask for future profiles?
People tend to enjoy hearing that my husband and I met at camp and we celebrated our wedding at camp, our children have grown up at camp, it's such a huge part of our lives. My newborn son, who is now a high school senior, came home from the hospital to camp and God blessed me with the calmest and happiest baby. While our children were small, our family moved to camp each summer.
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