Director Jud's Blog

Happy Holidays from to everyone in our Stone Mountain Adventures Summer Camp family. We hope that your holiday has been safe and fun! 

“GRATITUDE IS NOT ONLY THE GREATEST OF VIRTUES, BUT THE PARENT OF ALL OTHERS.”
― CICERO

At SMA Camp, we are inspired by Cicero’s words, and with the holiday season upon, we wanted to take a few moments to pause and express our gratitude for you – our campers, parents, staff, alumni and friends. After all, you are what make Stone Mountain Adventures the magical place that it is.

We are also grateful for the transformative experiences we are able to provide – the opportunity for campers to connect with themselves, others and nature, and also the values and skill sets we are able to help impart in this unique outdoor learning environment.

What is a summer camp?

In most camps, the adult supervisors are called counselors, but another name may be "cabin leader". In many camps, counselors are assigned to small groups of campers, called "bunks", "huts", "cabins", or "units", who participate in activities as a group, such as campfires, hiking, canoeing, swimming, nature lore, arts and crafts. Counselors often share living accommodations with their group.

In the United States counselors for residential camps are typically drawn from older teens and college-aged adults (early 20s) because of the temporary, seasonal aspects of the work. Overall camp supervision is typically done by older camp directors, etc. that have longer term affiliation with the summer camp. Professional camp staff organize preparation of facilities and supplies for the camp season and supervise the maintenance of the camp during the off-season. Camp directors conduct the hiring of seasonal counselors, instructors, and support staff, often during job fairs held on college campuses.

At some camps, all campers stay overnight, and at some camps, so called day camps, the campers go home each night. Some other camps allow both day and overnight campers. In the USA, residential camps that have overnight facilities are sometimes called "sleepaway camps". Summer camp is often the first time that children spend an extended period of time away from home.

The American Camp Association (ACA) reports that there are about 7,000 overnight camps and about 5,000 day camps in the U.S., for a total of more than 12,000 camps. These camps are attended each year by more than 11 million children and adults. Of the 12,000 camps, about 9,500 are operated by nonprofit groups, and 2,500 by for-profit operators, employing more than 1,500,000 adults. Sports camps, like abound, offering single and group instruction in numerous sports and activities, often as prep for collegiate sports and scholarships.