The Power of the Camp Experience
At High Rocks, we believe in fun and learning, challenge and adventure, and creating an environment geared to a camper’s needs and interests.
We believe a well-trained staff can have an enormous impact on a young boy, teaching and inspiring lasting skills and values. Our campers are looking for examples to follow, for mentors, and for a sense of belonging.
We believe in ongoing opportunities for success. Our sessions allow the time necessary to try new things, to experience setbacks, and to try again, taking the incremental steps essential to gaining life skills.
We believe in freedom from imposed and inhibiting competitive pressure. Boys focus on their personal best and the challenges inherent in an activity. Competition certainly exists but against one’s limitations. We believe this promotes a mindset open to new experiences.
Camp High Rocks is a community where boys connect with the outdoors, each other, and most importantly themselves.
The connections made here at camp stem from the adherence to and inspiration of our core values: Community, Adventure, Leadership, and Independence.
Community is the result of our campers living, working, and playing together in a supportive, nurturing environment. Our unplugged policy connects boys by removing distractions present in their daily lives at home. Our emphasis on personal growth and development instead of inter-camper competition fosters an environment where each individual is encouraged to be the best camper that he can be. A testament to the strength of our community is the number of former campers who return as staff to provide for the next generation of campers the same quality experience they enjoyed as children.
Adventure is found woven throughout the camp experience. It is in seeking out new people, new places, and new experiences. It can be hiking to the top of Rich Mountain or trying new foods in the dining hall. We create a physically and emotionally safe place where boys want to step beyond their comfort zones and revel in the joy of discovery. “What is around the next bend in the river? What kind of critters live under that rock?” are the questions we seek. And, where appropriate and safe, campers answer those questions themselves. By building this spirit of exploration, we prepare boys to embrace the infinite unknowns they will encounter throughout their lives.
Leadership is found in making brave choices and influencing your surroundings. It is choosing to help a new camper find the way to his next activity. It is motivating peers for cabin cleanup in the morning. And for our oldest campers, it can be assisting the staff in teaching an activity. Leadership is expected and not suggested. Boys learn that leadership is not simply giving orders from the head of a pack but is found in the way that they carry themselves. By positively leading himself, each boy creates a community that draws campers and staff back year after year.
Independence grows from exercising personal responsibility. We teach campers that all their actions affect those around them regardless of intent. By instilling this notion, we move beyond simple benchmarks of independence like tying shoes or making a bed. Through our program we offer challenges that build confidence and competence; we place campers in situations where they recognize what they are truly capable of, whether that be climbing a rock face or navigating the Tuckasegee River. When boys realize that they hold great power within themselves, they are prepared to grow into the men they will become.
