By Maddy Gold
While I don’t remember who my bunk mate was during my Sharon summer in 2010 or what Chugim rotation I did in Chavurah, I can still remember each lyric to each unit cheer I sang at the top of my lungs on Friday nights. Unit cheers are unique song parody’s, written by that unit’s staff, that describes the unit and inside camp jokes. This year, I was given the task of writing Carmel’s unit cheer, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had as a staff member.
As I began writing the cheer during staff week, a few of the other staff in Carmel and I made a list of what makes Carmel unique. This is my second year as a staff member in Carmel and I love this age group and all that came along with it. However, it wasn’t until we wrote this list that I realized how lucky I am to be surrounded by 14 eight-year-old’s each day. One line from the unit cheer, “When the sun comes up, we are awake. We wake our staff, so we can play,” is more than just a joke about how our kids wake up early. It is really talking about how our kids wake up every day with a smile on their faces, ready to have the best day ever. Another line, “yeah, I forget my stuff everywhere I go” could be taken as Carmel kids are forgetful, but I take it as, Carmel kids are so excited for what is about to come and they are ready to take on any challenge.
Throughout the summer, there are many times that I teach my campers things, such as how to clean the showers, which water station is the best, which salad bar has better food and so on. But writing this song has shown me that my campers teach me much more then I can ever teach them. I am so lucky to be a Carmel Cabin counselor and can’t wait for the rest of the summer.
The 2019 Carmel Cheer:
(Tune: “That’s What Makes You Beautiful”- One Direction)
We are Carmel
You hear us yell
9pm bed time got us sleeping so well
With Aaron, and Emily
We’re making friends that become family
ETB every Friday night
No rak dan but that’s alright
Carmel is the cutest unit in Kunkletown
Hanging with our ‘rah buddies got us feeling swell
But the best unit in camp is not hard to tell
You know- oh oh
We are the carmelians
(Tune: “Glad you came” -The Wanted)
When sun comes up, we are awake
We wake our staff, so we can play
Camp Harlam will never be the same
You’re glad we came, you’re glad we came
We don’t do high ropes, high ropes
But we can still climb the tower, the tower
And dark blue looks well on me, well on me
Galil, please don’t copy me, copy me
It’s Dorney Day now
The original camp trip
Swimming in beltzville
Hope we don’t get sick
Can we get some plain pasta?
And some pb and J
Spilling at every meal
Say it with me cause we’re great
You are glad we came.
(Tune of “old town road” by lil nas x)
Yeah I forget my stuff everywhere i go
Go to the mir till I can’t no more
Got the greatest staff in all of camp
AC up high so were hot no more
I got the chickens in farm
What are diving boards
We play all of the sports
A and E on board
Big juice no more
No mountain bikes of course
Our staff is always saying
“Please get on the porch”
Carmel is the best unit
Maddy Gold is a second year staff memeber. This will be her 9th summer at camp! She is a student at Binghamton University where she is in the School of Management studying business administration with concentrations in marketing and leadership & consulting. When she is not in a class, you can find her in the Hillel office/lounge!