For many, summer stands in contrast to the busy schedule and taxing demands of the school year. Students can take advantage of the warm weather and take time to enjoy the outdoors and other similar endeavors. Younger children will participate in summer camps across a myriad of activities and some teenagers will begin looking for their first job. At Haverford, two students have gone back to their roots and spent some of their time this summer working at summer camps.
“I worked at Malvern Day Camp and the main things were swimming, a waterpark, ball games, and more. There were 420 kids, but on an average day, 200-250 kids would be at the camp. My bunk that I was in charge of had anywhere from 6-18 kids on a certain day. On very small days, we would combine with other bunks,” Fifth Former Nate Mirin said.
Similar to Nate, Fifth Former Joaquin Arias also worked at another summer camp, through ESF, based out of Haverford.
“The kids would do a variety of activities based on what section of camp they were part of. There was a sports camp, day camp, and senior camp. All of these camps would do different activities but all of them would have a designated time for swimming,” Arias stated.
As a lifeguard, Arias’ was not only limited to being on standby in case something happened but also other responsibilities around the pool.
“Even though I was hired as a lifeguard, I spent most of my time as a swim instructor teaching kids how to swim,” Arias said.
Given that it was Mirin’s first job, he experienced firsthand the perils of his paid role.
“I liked my role, but it was frequently tiring and frustrating. Oftentimes, the kids would not listen to me, climb on me, hit me, or on one occasion threw rocks at me or tried to stab me with rocks. Still, I worked incredibly hard at my job and kept me busy throughout the summer, which was nice,” Mirin mentioned.
Mirin was able to appreciate his time off as a camp counselor but the hustle of his occupation showed similarities to the academic year.
“It felt nice to have a feeling of freedom. But honestly, it didn’t differ a lot from school besides not having to go home and do homework and not having to worry about tests,” Mirin said.
“I think the reminder that we all were on the bottom of the food chain bonded us all together. Almost everyone was really nice, friendly, and open.”
Nate Mirin ’23
Both Fifth Formers learned a lot from their first paid jobs and made meaningful bonds with their peers.
“I think the reminder that we all were on the bottom of the food chain bonded us all together. Almost everyone was really nice, friendly, and open,” Mirin said, “While I was working, I still developed bonds with many of my coworkers. I would be sad not to see them again.”
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