The Merrie-Woode Values: Friendship

Friendship: We believe in the lifelong friendships formed at Camp, built through shared adventures and traditions that stay with campers for years to come. 

We wanted to begin our values blog with one of the most cherished things we gain at Camp: friendship. Above all the adventures, traditions, and activities that campers experience at Merrie-Woode, it is the deep connections formed here that keep them coming back year after year. From campers to staff, these meaningful connections grow stronger each summer, creating a sense of belonging that feels like home.

Our Summer 2026 staff has started arriving for Pre-Orientation this past week! Seeing new and returning staff connect and foster an atmosphere of warmth and excitement is a meaningful reminder of what makes Camp so special. On Opening Day, we frequently see campers shouting with joy as they hug their friends again after a year apart—and we see that same excitement when counselors arrive for Orientation and reunite with one another.

From the moment a girl arrives at Merrie-Woode, so much of what we do centers on connecting with others and forming friendships. Each morning at the end of Castle, as the campers are heading to their activities, we sing: 

Make new friends, but keep the old,  

One is silver, and the other’s gold.  

A circle is round, it never ends,  

That’s how long I want to be your friend.  

With these familiar words, we remind ourselves each day of the importance of friendship, both new and old. At Camp, we encourage sustaining old friendships while welcoming opportunities to make new ones. 

There are endless opportunities to make new friends at Camp. For the younger girls, small cabin groups provide a chance to get to know others through daily interactions, such as cleaning the cabin for inspection, playing tetherball on the Front Line, or taking part in a card game during Rest Hour. During the first few days of Camp, cabinmates participate in Evening Program activities designed to build relationships, like Deck the Counselor and The Great Race. In our larger Hill Cabins, older campers expand friend groups to include girls they may not have gotten to know as well during their younger years. They connect over their dedication to the skills progression programs or bond when taking an out-of-camp trip together.

Friendships formed over multiple summers, living in close quarters, while engaging in challenging outdoor adventures, become tremendously strong. Some lifelong Merrie-Woode friends have held reunions at Camp every year for decades. From the “Silver Haired Jocks” to the “Ladies of the Lake,” these groups of Merrie-Woode alumnae prove that Camp friendships stand the test of time.