Our first “Peanut Night” of the summer…

Tradition is important at Bryn Mawr all summer long, but especially so during the opening and closing days of camp. In the first days of the summer, returning campers are overflowing with spirit, and new campers are eager to learn more about their new summer home. From the first cheer in the dining hall to the first singing of the Alma Mater, every day brings moments that celebrate the arrival of summer.

But it really feels like camp after Tuesday night — when we celebrated our first Peanut Night of the summer.

Every year, senior campers through Bunk Two are paired with junior campers. Each senior Peanut Mother is there to help her Peanut Daughter navigate life at camp by providing support and care, being a good role model, and helping pass down camp traditions. In return, the relationship with her Peanut Daughter helps each Peanut Mother develop leadership skills like empathy and communication.

If you could be on camp for the first Peanut Night of the summer, you’d be able to sense the excitement in the air as campers eagerly awaited their pairings. Junior campers stayed at their bunks on Tuesday, while Jane and Dan gathered Senior Camp to talk about what it means to be a good Peanut Mother. Then seniors received their Peanut Daughters’ names and bunk numbers and took off down Cabin Row to find their pairs!

Junior campers waited anxiously on their porches, as their Peanut Mothers came to find them.  Everyone had some time to get to know each other on Main Campus.  The night ended with Ice Cream Night and the Olympics Break.

Throughout the summer, there will be all-camp Peanut Nights when Peanut Mothers and Peanut Daughters have opportunities to participate in special activities together. But it’s heartwarming to see how many peanuts seek one another out at other times — during Campus Time, in the dining hall, during all-camp activities — to say hello, share a smile, or give a hug.

Why peanuts?

Traditionally, Peanut Mothers would learn the identities of their Peanut Daughters by cracking open a peanut shell to find a name inside (placed there by the magic of camp!). As camp has changed to accommodate food allergies, the peanut shell has been retired. The name, however, has stuck — and although Peanut Daughters no longer come from peanuts, we’ve found the excitement of Peanut Night is just as great as ever.

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