When it’s summer, everyone’s got one thought, “IT’S TIME FOR CAMP!!” Students from NWA head out to Camp War Eagle for one or two week sessions as a tradition. However, there was a new tradition in the CWE this summer, Camp War Eagle Day Camp at the Jones Center--an in-town camp, infused with CWE traditions for 7-12 year old students. Day Camp made way for another awesome program to break new ground: JSWAT!
JSWAT, or Junior Servants Working All Together, was a way for High School students (and CWE campers) to serve the Day Camp while earning a paycheck as well. Getting to the Jones Center bright and early at 7:30am, these servants begin their day working behind the scenes making sure the day campers had the perfect experience everyday. From serving and cleaning up the “Chow Hall” to setting up and tearing down the Special Events for the afternoon, the JSWAT workers were not often recognized but always appreciated. Students all had a great love for not only the work they did, but also the relationships they developed with the other student leaders. Cedar, a sophomore from Rogers High School stated, “The job itself is rewarding, but the people are the best part.”
These students have been learning just how many hands it really takes to run a day camp, as well as other valuable lessons. The students have been learning a great deal about what it means to serve. Hannah, a senior at Rogers High School, puts it, “You don’t have to be up front to serve.” She, along with the other 8-10 students working each day, has learned the value of serving behind the scenes. They have also learned the value of living in a close, loving, and encouraging community. The students have all “loved working with each other,” said Elideth, a Springdale High School student.
JSWAT was a difficult yet rewarding experience for High School students wanting to serve and grow as servants in their lives and in their communities. Despite the hard work, and seldom being recognized for that work, these students have all experienced the joy of serving because of how JSWAT has changed their lives and grown them into better leaders.
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