What happens at camp?
Students "home base" at any level of camp will be their "council." Councils are comprised of students of the same level of camp, and are led by a member of the senior staff (professional leadership educators) and junior staff (highly trained college students). Throughout the week, students will go through a variety of lessons, projects, activities, and initiatives--all processed and discussed within this home base of participants. Students from the same school will not be placed in the same council, allowing students to expand their networking base and create a safe environment to share feelings about camp activities.
By nature, MASC/MAHS is a busy time for busy students! Activities will occur any time during the day between 8:00am and 11:00pm! Students will have an opportunity to "recharge" in their gender separated dorm areas each afternoon, in a supervised fashion--but many will choose to use time to build and interact in the new friendships that they have made over the course of the week. We encourage students to work out a plan in advance about contacting parents throughout the week--as cellular phones are not permitted for use during MASC/MAHS camp activities. Students may feel free to carry their phones for emergency contact, but we also want them to take advantage of the opportunities that they have at hand.
Do advisers/adults have to attend?
MASC/MAHS Leadership Camp is staffed by the best student leadership professionals in the state, and school advisers and parents will NOT need to attend with their students. We proudly boast a gender appropriate 6:1 ratio of staff members to student participants--one of the best in the state. If you are a MASC/MAHS adviser and would like to visit camp to see certain activities--feel free to contact Todd Burlingham, Camp Director at todd@mascmahs.org.
What if there are medical issues?
We do our best each to have on staff at least one certified EMT/Paramedic or nurse each summer. These individuals are with us 24/7 and their only responsibility is our camp. They are visible at all general activities and have a specified location during quiet times so students can access them as needed. Jackson has various urgent care centers and a reputable hospital that we use when necessary. Students are transported by ambulance in case of emergency; for non-emergencies, the medical staff or one of our adult staff members (with your approval) will transport and stay with the student. Parents/Guardians are contacted immediately if their child has repeated issues or medical concerns. We do not keep sick/ill students at camp. We are not equipped to do so and must look out for the general health and wellness of the rest of the staff and students. If a medical issue does arise that requires a student to leave, we are unable to refund registration fees.
How are students housed and fed?
We reside right in Albion's dorms. Males are placed in one building, females in another. Male staff is assigned to every floor with male students. Female staff is assigned to every floor with female students. Some housing has community bathrooms; other housing is setup with a shared bathroom between two rooms. Each dorm room will have two students from the same school (unless an uneven amount of students attends from a specific school). Only at the Middle Level are roommate requests granted; absolutely NO room requests are taken for the High School Camp due to the large numbers. Regardless, we always do our best to assign students to a roommate from their school, or at least in an adjoining or nearby room. Students are RARELY in their rooms (just to sleep!) anyhow.
Albion has a wide selection of food items at each meal. Both hot and cold options as well as healthy choices are available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Students with severe dietary restrictions should arrange with MASC/MAHS to bring their own food and keep it refrigerated if needed. While there are healthy options, we do not police what the students choose to eat at each meal. Our staff members do their best to make sure each student eats enough and drinks plenty of fluids; these students are leaders and we expect they will make responsible choices at mealtime.
What is the affiliation with Albion College?
We have operated our Leadership Camps out of Albion College since about 2002. We have no affiliation with them. Some parents have inquired about this due to the fact that Albion College is a faith-based college. Our organizations, MASC/MAHS and MASSP, are not faith-based. We contract space out at Albion College to use for our camp programs.
MORE QUESTIONS? SEND AN EMAIL TO Todd Burlingham, MASC/MAHS Coordinator:
todd@mymassp.com
