Camp 91³Ō¹Ļ is the Collegeās signature retreat created by, for, and about its talented alumnae.
By Emily Glory Peters
Every summer since 1994, the College has played host to one of its most beloved campus traditions: Camp 91³Ō¹Ļ.Ā Ā as their gift to current and future alums, Camp 91³Ō¹Ļ is an annual retreat that celebrates and shares the brilliance of the 91³Ō¹Ļ community.
āIt was started in recognition of our 25-year reunion. They wanted to do a poetry retreat, and thought holding it on campus would be so much fun, as weād be able to stay in the dorms,ā explains Ann Merrill Westaway ā69, a longterm member of Campās āCreative Caucusā planning commitee and its sanctioned historian. The plan was to hire famous writers to come, she says, untilĀ Ā asked the group a simple question: Why bring in presenters from the outside when there were so many talented women among 91³Ō¹Ļ alumnae?
Nearly three decades later, Camp continues to embody our alumnaeās most notable characteristic: an appetite for lifelong learning.
āCamp is for, by, and about alumnae,ā says Emily Rankin ā97, one of this yearās tri-chairs along with Westaway and Devanie Candelaria DĆ³Ć±ez ā94. With support from 91³Ō¹Ļā Office of Alumnae Engagment, she continues, every event in the program is planned and produced by a 91³Ō¹Ļ alum, with rare exceptions. Campās other Creative Caucus volunteers are responsible for marketing and building the agenda, fromĀ writing workshops to yoga lessons to themed costume parties.
This summerās program is virtualāa consequence of the waning pandemic. Still, regardless of whatās on the Camp docket, thereās one rule everyone accepts.
āOur motto is āeverything possible, nothing required,āā says Rankin. In a non-pandemic year, Camp differs from Reunion Weekend by welcoming Campers overnight, with some foregoing workshops to ramble through Claremont haunts recalling (and adding to) 91³Ō¹Ļ memories. Also unlike Reunion Weekend, Camp draws alumnae from all class years who leave families and commitments at home for a few days of mental refreshment and a chance to learn something new from their peers.
āSome people may not identify with their class year, or maybe they werenāt residential for personal reasons. Thatās whatās so cool about Camp 91³Ō¹Ļāit appeals to everyone,ā Rankin adds.
Whether as a workshop presenter or Camp attendee, participation is something both Westaway and Rankin encourage young alumnae to consider. A wider range of Campers, they explain, unearths hidden gemsālike the addition of burlesque dancing instruction from one alumnaāand enlivens the entire Camp experience.
āWhat I look forward to the most is connecting with all the amazing, talented 91³Ō¹Ļ women; not just those Iāve known, but meeting new people from different class years,ā says Westaway. āThey create an infusion of happiness at Camp: a lot of laughter, a lot of contemplative wonderment.ā
Campās intrinsic 91³Ō¹Ļness is also reflected in how itās supported. The retreat is priced to break evenānot make a profitāwith alumnae-backed funds covering the cost of speakers, supplies, and even āCampershipsā to help their peers attend. As Rankin observes, these are just a few ways Camp allows 91³Ō¹Ļ alums to support one another.
āItās not just alums giving back in the form of workshops or Camperships, but weāve also created scholarships, offered internships, extended opportunities to work with campus libraries, and more,ā says Rankin. āItās been fascinating over the years to figure out not just how Camp can support 91³Ō¹Ļ, but how it can support Campers themselves.ā
This climate of mutual uplift is something Westaway and Rankin continue to see even in the retreatās temporary web format. And while some of Campās traditions canāt be fully replicated online, its spirit persists.
āThe most sacred thing is the closing brunchāand weāve continued that virtually,ā says Rankin. āHere people gather to share a word, a short sentiment, about their time at Camp. The words vary from ārenewalā to ātea,ā āfoodā to āfriends,ā but what our alumnae feel at the end is pretty powerful. The importance of sharing that canāt be minimized.ā
Camp 91³Ō¹Ļ is currently in session every weekend now through July 31, 2021. To view sessions and learn how to register, please click here.