Honor Council at Work

On Sunday mornings after church, members of the Honor Council gather with Owner and Director Yates Pharr on the benches in the far end of the Campfire area.

Halfway through the session, they began their meeting by choosing the quote that will represent this year’s Main Camp. After some discussion, the group voted for words attributed to Maya Angelou:

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

The quote chosen this summer will eventually join the Honor Council boards from past years that hang along the walls of the Lodge. Campers see them during fitness classes and other activities, making the council’s influence part of the space long after each summer has ended.

A Voice for Camp

The Honor Council is a group of campers and staff members elected by their peers for consistently demonstrating the values of the Falling Creek Code. New members are tapped each Sunday during Main Camp at Campfire, but membership does not end with the session. Once someone joins, they remain part of the Honor Council whenever they returns to Falling Creek, including if they come back on staff.

That creates a group with all ages and levels of experience sitting together. A newly tapped camper may share the same meeting with someone who has served for years.

Madden M. from Winter Haven, Florida, is in his fourth year on the Honor Council. He said one of the best parts is hearing from people throughout camp.

It’s amazing to hear all the ages and their views of what could be better and what’s going well.

Whit Flickinger is in his eighth year on the Honor Council and has now experienced it as both a camper and staff member. Eleanor has served all three of her Honor Council summers as a staff member. Their years of experience do not make their voices more important than the youngest camper in the group. Everyone has a place in the conversation.

This summer’s Honor Council brings together campers and staff from across camp. Before Sunday night’s tapping, the group included 24 members, from younger campers serving for the first time to staff members who joined years ago as campers.

Together, they listen to the people around them, carry ideas to Yates, count weekly votes, recognize what is working, and suggest practical ways camp can improve.

As Yates explained, “Honor Council members represent the campers through the way they live the Code. It shows up in their daily choices, and those choices help shape the kind of community we are.”

What Is Going Well, and What Could Be Better?

Each week, Yates Pharr asks the Honor Council what is going well around camp and what could be better. Members bring their own observations, but they also listen to the campers and counselors around them and carry those ideas into the meeting.

During the Sunday meeting, the group shared positive feedback about All Camp Games. They also talked honestly about how difficult it can be to keep campers and counselors engaged in activities and games throughout a full month of camp.

Other suggestions were more practical. Members recommended adding trash cans to the Dining Hall porch after Sunday Sundaes so there would be less trash and mess. They also proposed a longer term project such as adding a wall behind the Warrior Ball pit and a small barrier near the ping-pong tables to keep balls from bouncing into the lake during Free Choice.

Madden said it is rewarding to see the directors take their ideas seriously.

You can tell Yates and the leadership really listen to the ideas. It’s cool to see your ideas being used.

The Honor Council also helps administer Camper of the Week and Counselor of the Week, counting the votes from the Cabin Lines before the honorees are announced during Sunday lunch.

Held to a Higher Standard

The Honor Council gives campers a voice, but being chosen also comes with responsibility.

Responsibility is the theme around camp this week, and the Honor Council offers a clear picture of what it can look like. Members are trusted to speak honestly, listen to others, and think beyond their own experience.

As the group talked about keeping campers and counselors engaged throughout the session, Yates reminded them why their example matters.

You are the models and mentors of the camp. Everybody has eyes on you.

Whit understands that feeling after eight years in the group.

You’re under a microscope. It is hard. You’re held to a higher standard.

Being tapped into the Honor Council does not mean someone has already figured everything out. Whit described it less as a finish line and more as an opportunity to grow into greater leadership. Members are asked to notice the small things, from picking up something left behind to helping bring energy back into an activity.

Eleanor said the influence of the group may be greater than younger campers realize.

The boys in Honor Council really do uphold the Code and the values. They really do have an impact.

They are not expected to be perfect, but they know their choices are being watched. When an Honor Council member stays involved, includes someone, or takes care of camp without being asked, other boys notice that too.

Tapped at Campfire

On Sunday night, 24 Honor Council members stood together in front of the camp community at Campfire.

Yates introduced the group and shared what had happened during their meeting earlier.

“Honor Council met today, and they shared with me things they see that are going well and things that could be better. The Honor Council is important to camp, and I am thankful to all of you for trusting them and giving them your input.”

At lunch, the Honor Council had collected and counted the week’s votes. That evening, Andrew H., Wyman W., Hudson H., and Zion W. were called forward and tapped into the group, bringing the Honor Council to 28 members.

With each name, small cheers rose from around Campfire. There were fist pumps and a quiet exclamations of “Oh yeah!” from boys happy to see their friends recognized.

The reactions lasted only a moment, but the actions that led to them had happened throughout the session. Their peers had watched these boys live the Code in the choices they made each day.

Now their voices join a council that stretches from younger campers to longtime staff members. They inherit the same responsibility to speak honestly, listen carefully, and help make camp better.