Caring, experienced and knowledgeable.

"A leader is a person with a magnet in his heart and a compass in his head." -Unknown

If (for some strange reason) you could only consider one factor in your choice of camps, you should look at the camp's staff. Their qualifications and experience will dictate the quality of care and instruction a camper will get, as well as the level of safety which can be maintained.

We are fortunate to have a highly experienced group of counselors, many of whom return year after year (the average counselor has been here four to five years). The average age is about 25. The youngest is 18, and through a year of college. Most young counselors will have been campers with us in previous years. The overall camper-to-counselor ratio (not including maintenance, kitchen, secretarial, etc.) is about four to one, which gives us a superb opportunity for individual attention.

Camp is a community of people who live, work and play together, and this is one of its greatest assets.

Most counselors live in a cabin with four to six campers and teach an activity during activity periods. (Some counselors who are out of camp on trips a great deal do not have cabins.) The camp experience is one wherein adults have ample time to spend with youngsters, time to develop meaningful relationships, to talk, to listen, and to teach.

Andrew Bell, age 29, grew up at Camp Mondamin. He now lives back at camp full time year-round. He attended Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO for two years before finishing his B.S. in Biology at Humbolt State University in California. Andrew learned to canoe at Mondamin and then trained with the US Canoe and Kayak team in high school. He has raced slalom C-1 and competed in freestyle C-1 internationally. He has been paddling for over 20 years and teaching canoe and kayak for more than 10 of those years.

James Webb, age 35, currently living in Salt Lake City UT, comes back for his eleventh year on staff as head of mountaineering! He plans to enroll in a Physician’s Assistant program in Utah. James enjoys climbing, backpacking and ping pong.

David Byers, age 32, from Asheville NC was back for his ninth year on staff; he was a camper for six summers! He was the Main Camp Baron Linehead while here at camp and a high school biology teacher when he’s not. David plays guitar, hikes and does some documentary film making. He has done a semester at NOLS and is an alumus of Teach for America.

Willy Kates, age 25, from Kent CT, is back for his fifth year on staff as Main Camp Senior Linehead; he was a camper for four summers. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado and plans to become an educator. Willy enjoys outdoor sports, cooking and crossword puzzles.

We have available, on
request, a short biography of
all camp staff here last year.

Mondamin was founded by Frank Bell, Sr., known as Chief, in 1922. He directed it for 51 years. It is still owned by the Bell family, and has been directed by Frank Bell, Jr. since 1973. His sister Nancy Bell runs our girl's camp, Green Cove.

Frank's background includes about 10 years spent as a camper, and another three as a counselor... mostly at Mondamin, but also at several other camps. In 1966, he graduated from Wesleyan University, in Connecticut, then joined the Marine Corps, went through naval flight training, and spent five years flying military aircraft (including a year in Vietnam). He returned to camp in 1971.

He enjoys most outdoor activities at camp, perhaps especially paddling and backpacking. His wife is an excellent paddler and an avid sailor. (She instructs keelboat sailing during the winter, and they plan a round the world trip by sailboat in the future.) His three children, Margaret, David, and Andrew, are experts in their own chosen areas (one horseback rider and two paddlers), but are all very competent all-round outdoors people. Frank's sister Nancy Bell (same name as his wife!) runs Green Cove, and is an expert horseback rider and instructor.

Mondamin's year-round assistant director is Robert Danos, a Tulane graduate and Louisiana native who first came to North Carolina as a camper in 1980, and has been here all but 3 summers since. Before joining the year-round staff, Robert spent two summers as an intern with Yale's Hospital Child Life Program. He is a very capable sailor, but it is his organizational talents which are currently most in demand. As Program Director, Robert is responsible for the smooth integration of the various activities at camp, ensuring that both 9 year old new campers and 16 year old veterans feel challenged and productive. He shares the responsibility for staff supervision and morale, and helps set the tone for camp in general.

During the off-season, he enjoys running the trails at Green Cove, cooking exotic meals and scuba diving. Robert married his wife, Susan in October, 2001 in Atlanta. She herself spent eight years on staff at our sister camp, Green Cove, and two years as a social worker here in Henderson County. Their first child, Marie, was born in August 2003.

If you yourself have the time, skills, and interest, check out the section: employment opportunities for counselors and support staff.

...."Some personalities are shaped by what they admire; others are disfigured by what they hate. That is why giving a child a model he can look up to is the most important part of his education." .........
- Sydney Harris

Safety | History