“The BAT” – Is a long-running tradition in which two or more counselors (dressed in BAT costumes) are chosen by former BATs to spend the summer making surprise appearances to campers. The legend is that if a camper catches and unmasks the BAT, he gets a free summer at camp. The BAT has the longest winning streak in the world…he’s never been caught!
“TOTEMS” – Are pieces of wood that one camper team shows the other camper squadrons. In each unit the rules are slightly different, but the competition is just as exciting. Junior has a “stick”, Intermediate has the “Oscar” (a polar bear), and Senior makes a new totem each year. The counselors also partake in the fun by showing a totem to the campers. The tradition attached to the counselor totems is that campers in the unit get an extra piece of candy if they capture the counselor totem. The Junior staff make a new totem each year, Intermediate has a bell, and Senior has a lantern (or flashlight).
“WIGGY” – The unit building where the camper’s and staff trunks are stored, where unit meetings are held and where the counselor room is located.
“MOUNTAIN HOUSE” – The bathroom farthest from the Wiggy.
“COUNTY SEAT” – The bathroom closest to or located in the Wiggy.
“LODGE” – Candy given to campers on Sunday night and for capturing the counselor totem.
“CHIPMUNK, BEAVER & EAGLE” – Levels of achievement in Junior and Intermediate. Each activity incorporates these three levels increasing the difficulty of the activity through the levels.
“FULL CHIPMUNK, FULL BEAVER & FULL EAGLE” – When a camper achieves a designated number of activity levels in a number of different activities, he is awarded a Full Chipmunk, then Full Beaver, then Full Eagle pin presented in the Dining Hall after a meal.
“MERIT, DISTINCTION, EXCELLENCE & FULL MERIT, FULL DISTINCTION, FULL EXCELLENCE” – Levels of achievement and awards in Senior. These are similar to Chipmunk, Beaver and Eagle.
“ACTIVITY CHARTS” – Each activity in each unit has a chart tacked up on the Wiggy wall, created by that unit’s activity staff, with every camper’s name on it. These record each camper’s progress in that activity throughout the summer.
“MASTER CHART” – Compiles all the activity chart achievements to determine Full Chipmunk, Beaver, Eagles or Full Merit, Distinctions, and Excellence.
“BANNERS” – Each unit has a banner each year. The banner is a piece of fabric upon which campers’ names are printed to recognize achievement from the previous year.
“RED/GRAY TEAMS” – Every camper is a member of a color team and remains on that team throughout his years at Winona. The two teams compete in intracamp competitions throughout the summer. The winner of the highest point total by the end of the summer determines the color of that year’s banner. The last few days of each session involves a large number of Red/Gray events, so the outcome of the competition is unknown until Awards Night.
“SQUADRONS” – New in 2021, each Winona camper will be a member of one of the four squadrons: Dirigo Ravens, Mountain Hawks, Ocean Osprey, Swift Falcons. Similar to Red/Gray teams, a Winona camper remains a member of the same squadron throughout his years at Winona.
“CITs” – Counselors-in-Training – This is a select group of 16 and 17 year-old former campers who go through a rigorous program of Lifeguard and First Aid training, rotations through the three units, and education to better prepare themselves for a counseling position the following summer.
“UNCLE” or “AUNT” – All staff in Junior, and most in the other units, are “uncles” or “aunts” to the campers, i.e. Uncle Erik or Aunt Sara.
“MEMORIAL BUILDING” – The theater building between the Senior and Intermediate Wiggys in which many Winona ceremonies are held, as well as the weekly movie and Senior Circus. Also known as the “Cobb”.
“STAUNCH and TRUE” – This is Winona’s defacto motto we use to convey our culture of courage, integrity and friendships. It comes from the lyrics of one of our most beloved camp songs, “The Pines of Winona”.
