Interviews with the Camp Counselors
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Photographer & Communications Assistant Elly Craig
At Smirkus Camp, counselors do so much more than lead games and supervise the dorms—they help shape a creative, goofy, and growth-filled environment where kids can truly thrive. We sat down with two of our summer counselors, Alevia and Judy, to hear about their favorite moments, funniest surprises, and what makes being part of the Smirkus staff so meaningful. From competitive no-foot-gazing games to rainless rain adventures, their stories offer a joyful peek into the heart of camp life.
Alevia – Head Counselor:
Q: What is the highlight of being a head counselor?
A: Watching the kids grow not only as circus artists but as people. Helping the counselors grow professionally, and providing not only emotional but professional support. Making sure everyone is having a good time and creating a safe, open environment—something kids might not always have in their regular lives.
Q: What is a surprising thing you’ve learned?
A: Not necessarily surprising, but knowing how important communication is in a team and understanding what effective management looks like—not only for kids but for grown adults too.
Another surprising thing is that the counselors have created a very competitive game with each other about who can go the longest without looking at their feet. That’s a new thing I was not expecting.
Q: Funny stories from this summer?
A: One of the campers proudly remarked that her dad knows the founder of Smirkus—“Bob Marley.”
A touching moment was when a kid’s talent show act was just handing out compliments to everyone, which inspired a staff member to do the same in the staff show. Very memorable dinner dress-up themes—one of which was the theme “B,” where we dressed up as “The Beatle, Beefeater, and Bobby” and sang very proudly in front of the campers. Lots of them asked, “Why would you willingly embarrass yourselves like that?” So it was a great lesson to them about being goofy with friends.
Q: What else do you want to share?
A: BE SPUNKY—embrace your spunk. Have fun. Stay groovy. “If anyone can tell me how much a woodchuck can chuck, I’ve been dying to know.”
Judy – 2nd Year Counselor:
Q: What is your favorite part of your daily routine?
A: I really love getting to be in the tents with the kids and seeing the cool things they’re working on—especially during choice time, when they get to self-select into exactly what they’re most excited about. The choices tend to be funny, wacky classes like “Business, Business, Business” or “Sonnets.” It’s cool to see everything they’re excited about and getting up to.
I also love dinner dress-up, when all of my campers work together to make group costumes and are so dedicated to fulfilling the theme in the most creative ways.
Q: Favorite icebreaker?
A: I like to ask, “What is your favorite number? What’s the reason?” or “What is your favorite fruit—and give a scientific reason for why it is the best.” The answers can result in some funny personal anecdotes, and you get insight into how the person thinks.
Q: Memorable camper memory from this summer?
A: Two kids in the same room naturally losing wiggly teeth within a minute of each other.
Going on a ‘rain adventure’ while it wasn’t raining, but still getting to explore campus and connect with nature. At the end of the adventure, we poured cups of water over our heads to make up for the lack of rain.
Q: What else do you want to share?
A: Something that’s really cool about it being my second year as a counselor is seeing kids return from last year and noticing their growth—how they’ve changed as people, as circus artists, and as dynamic individuals. It’s nice to see these snippets of who they are as they grow year to year.
