The Staff are made up of youth entering the 7th grade and older, and adults into their 90s! They are the heart and soul of this model of VBS. The campers are assigned to groups based on the grade in school they are entering this fall. There is one teen assigned as “The Backpack.” S/he literally carries a backpack whose color matches the name tag color of their group The backpack is full of supplies like wipes, games, first-aid kit, and group game toys for the campers. The backpack is the lead tent counselor for the color group of campers: yellow, green, blue and red. We usually have a ratio 1 to 5 campers to tent counselor staff in each of the groups. It is the tent counselors that make the “magic” of VBS happen and they are thrilled to be entrusted with the responsibility for caring for their campers during each day of VBS.
Below are the general expectations of ALL staff when in areas of the campus set aside for staff only and areas where we interact with the campers.