The Hardest Day at HPP
Five years ago, at the time I started writing this (7:30am), I was waiting for the morning meeting of Specialists before getting out there to direct traffic and walk campers to their groups. Bob walked down from the office and met us near the tennis courts. He told us he had very grave news, and then preceeded to tell us about an accident that happened after work the previous day. Christina Poggoli was driving home from work with his brother in the passenger seat, when they were sideswiped. And even though she was wearing her seat belt, she was flung from the car via the open sunroof. Both she and her brother were airlifted to Stony Brook. She was pronounced dead at 6am. We were collectively a wreck.
We were the first of the staff to find out about it and were told that the Counselors were going to have a huge meeting about it during morning arrival, although they already knew. Bob assigned a portion of Specialists to go onto the tennis court to watch the children when they arrived. Bob assignmed me to watch Tuscarora B (8 and 9 year olds going into 4th grade), Christina's group. I'm really glad I chose to wear sunglasses that day, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do it. So, I walked onto the tennis court with a huge smile on my face and watched and played with them as if nothing had happened. A few of them asked what the meeting was about, so I told them "Cups, and how the counselors have to make sure everyone throws out their cups." I couldn't tell them what it was really about, I wasn't allowed to...no one was.
After the counselors had their debriefing, a large portion of them couldn't handle the news and went home. Others came back on the tennis courts and went to their groups. I was asked by a few of the campers why the other counselors were crying. This killed me. Keeping with the cup story, I said that it was also because they were told they could never have water fights. I knew they didn't believe me, but they laughed along with me anyway.
When it was time for the groups to go to their first activities, I walked with Tusc B to theirs and stayed a while until Bob came by to tell me to go set up my Music area. After I did that, I didn't have a group for a while, so I went into the Rinx and found a corner where no child could see me, and just bawled. It was awful.
Toward the end of the day, Tuscarora B was brought to a location nearby Go Carts, where they could all sit together. They were then joined by their parents. Rich (the director), Bob, the Junior Girls division head, and a Grief counselor met with them and talked about the passing of their counselor Christina and how she wasn't going to be coming back.
It was the hardest day I ever had while working at Hidden Pond Day Camp. Now those girls are CITs and I wonder if they remember that day. There is never a day that goes by that I don't think about that day, or you Christina. My last memory of you alive was the day before. It was Hawaiian Day, and your group had Music. One of your campers took a picture of me that day and you are in the background. I still have that picture.
Christina Marie Poggoli "Live, Love, Laugh" - 3/7/88 - 7/27/05
~*::Meow::*~
We were the first of the staff to find out about it and were told that the Counselors were going to have a huge meeting about it during morning arrival, although they already knew. Bob assigned a portion of Specialists to go onto the tennis court to watch the children when they arrived. Bob assignmed me to watch Tuscarora B (8 and 9 year olds going into 4th grade), Christina's group. I'm really glad I chose to wear sunglasses that day, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do it. So, I walked onto the tennis court with a huge smile on my face and watched and played with them as if nothing had happened. A few of them asked what the meeting was about, so I told them "Cups, and how the counselors have to make sure everyone throws out their cups." I couldn't tell them what it was really about, I wasn't allowed to...no one was.
After the counselors had their debriefing, a large portion of them couldn't handle the news and went home. Others came back on the tennis courts and went to their groups. I was asked by a few of the campers why the other counselors were crying. This killed me. Keeping with the cup story, I said that it was also because they were told they could never have water fights. I knew they didn't believe me, but they laughed along with me anyway.
When it was time for the groups to go to their first activities, I walked with Tusc B to theirs and stayed a while until Bob came by to tell me to go set up my Music area. After I did that, I didn't have a group for a while, so I went into the Rinx and found a corner where no child could see me, and just bawled. It was awful.
Toward the end of the day, Tuscarora B was brought to a location nearby Go Carts, where they could all sit together. They were then joined by their parents. Rich (the director), Bob, the Junior Girls division head, and a Grief counselor met with them and talked about the passing of their counselor Christina and how she wasn't going to be coming back.
It was the hardest day I ever had while working at Hidden Pond Day Camp. Now those girls are CITs and I wonder if they remember that day. There is never a day that goes by that I don't think about that day, or you Christina. My last memory of you alive was the day before. It was Hawaiian Day, and your group had Music. One of your campers took a picture of me that day and you are in the background. I still have that picture.
Christina Marie Poggoli "Live, Love, Laugh" - 3/7/88 - 7/27/05
~*::Meow::*~