Section 1: Introduction to Sanibel Sea School
Our Values
You are entering a program about leadership where we adhere all our activities to our values. Watch the video below to learn about our one rule & three goals:
We hear ourselves saying “no” far too often, and it isn’t fun for the campers or us. So, we realized that everything tends to fall into place if we are all kind. Be kind to others, yourself, and the environment. It’s simple, and it works.
Uku Pau
You’ll soon find that operating Sanibel Sea School is a team effort. To succeed, we must function as a team. Although we will always have different job demands, we must continually be ready to pitch in and help one another accomplish tasks. We follow the Hawaiian concept of Uku Pau – “We all work until all the work is done.” If you find yourself without something to do, help someone else who is still working and help them. Then the two of you find someone still working and help them finish. This way, we will all finish the last job together.
Expectations and Conduct
You are an integral part of Sanibel Sea School’s camp. You have a lot of wisdom and experience to share with young kids – the campers look up to you. Being a Sanibel Sea School educator is a leadership experience. Please realize that, and be the best role model you can be.
Being an educator is a fun and meaningful experience, but you must work hard to improve camp through your leadership. If you can’t follow these work guidelines and we repeatedly need to manage your behavior, we will be forced to ask you to go home. We are looking forward to working with you. We believe it may be the best camp ever at Sanibel Sea School.
Dos and Don’ts
Please Do…
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Put safety first at all times. If there are any injuries, you must report them to a counselor immediately.
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Come to work on time. On Mondays, we arrive at 7:30 AM. Tuesday through Friday, we arrive at 8:00 AM. We work until 5:00 PM (3:00 PM for Sea Squirts weeks).
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Wear your Sanibel Sea School camp shirt (we will issue you one upon arrival) and have water shoes, a towel, and a reusable water bottle.
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Bring a lunch that does not need to be refrigerated or heated daily.
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Prioritize sun safety and hydration. Put on sunscreen before you come to work and reapply throughout the day. Campers look up to you as role models; if they see you practicing sun safety, they will too.
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Engage with the campers. Ask them about themselves – what grade they are in, their favorite subjects, what they like the most about the ocean, etc. Please get to know them. Learn their names and become their friends.
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Share your love and experience of the ocean with the campers. Be excited and enthusiastic about everything we do at Sanibel Sea School. There’s no reason not to be!
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During camp, put tools and materials back exactly where they came from.
Please Do Not…
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Use any electronics while you are working. If there is an emergency, you can use the phone on campus. We will collect cell phones at the beginning of the day for safekeeping.
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Socialize excessively with your peers. If conversing with several educators, you probably need to do your job better. This is not a time to hang with friends – this is a job.
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Leave early. We do everything as a team, which includes cleaning up.
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Be afraid to ask what needs to be done – find the Director, a full-time staff member, or any other counselor and ask them how you can help.
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Bring excessive disposable packaging. We pride ourselves on limiting the amount of garbage we produce. Again, we are setting examples for our campers.
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Use Sanibel Sea School towels excessively.
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Have conversations (or use language) that are not appropriate for young children.
Meet the Team
Our team is made up of silly, smart, fun-loving nature nerds. We are so excited to have you onboard to make it the best summer camp yet. Our full time staff will be rotating through camp and you can read more about them here. We’ll also have fantastic Summer Camp Counselors coming from all over the country to share ocean love with you and the campers. Read more about them here.