Guest Author: Maren Frey MPS’23

Hi! My name is Maren, and I am one of the upcoming directors of Summer in Farmington’s Sarah Porter Leadership Institute (SPLI) for summer 2025! I was a camper once, and now I come back to Farmington each summer to lead a program that is so near and dear to my heart. While you may be nervous about the week (or two or three) you spend away from home, I can assure you that this time will be filled with fun, personal growth, and furthering your skills to be a strong female leader! 

We start the week off with exciting icebreaker activities all around the Miss Porter’s School campus so you can get to know your other campers. Then, we get right into developing your leadership skills! We set our goals and intentions for the week by dividing up into our counselor groups, which serve as your core community for the next week. In the evening, you will go to your dorms and meet your new roommates in a dorm meeting! 

After a restful night of sleep in your room with your roommate, we often start our first full day on campus with a scavenger hunt around campus where you set the foundations for your problem solving skills and get to explore the beautiful Porter’s campus! Then, we head to our sessions to learn about topics like gender representation in leadership, self-care and mindfulness, and creative activism! Every day, we have programming focused on topics like these all around campus, where you learn about the power of your voice and leadership. 

Throughout the week, you will foster connections with your fellow campers and explore both the Porter’s campus and surrounding areas. Each week, we embark on a variety of field trips, which include activities like service learning at local farms, ropes courses, and whitewater rafting trips! Our field trips often have “challenge by choice” opportunities, where you can put the skills you have learned at camp into action. 

Each night, we have fun activities like kickball, movie night, and Color Wars, a fun competition between campers to level up the camp spirit. One of our traditions is the Talent Show evening activity, which happens every Friday night. Campers have the opportunity to take the stage to showcase their talents in singing, acting, dancing, comedy skits, and more! At the end of the week, on Saturday morning, we host a closing ceremony for campers to celebrate their learning and friendships before departing (or staying for another week)! This celebration is a culmination of the community fostered through joy and positivity here at Summer in Farmington! 

I can’t wait to welcome the new 2025 campers, and I hope to see you there! To learn more about SPLI and additional Summer in Farmington sessions, click here.