Home: Parents and Grandparents : Winona Lingo

THE BAT - Is a long-running tradition in which two 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 team(s). In each unit the rules are slightly different, but the competition is just as exciting. Junior has an Indian "medicine 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 every year, Inty has a bell, and Senior has a lantern (or flashlight).

WIGGY - The unit building where the campers and staff trunks are stored; where unit meetings are held; where the counselor room is located.

MOUNTAIN HOUSE - The bathroom farthest from the Wiggy.

COUNTY SEAT - The bathroom closest to or loacted 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 Inty. 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 wards in Senior. These are similar to Chipmunk, Beaver and Eagle.

ACTIVITY CHARTS - Each activity in each unit has a chart, created by that unit's activity staff, with every camper's name on it tacked up on the Wiggy wall. 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, Distinction and Excellence.

BANNERS - Each unit has a banner each year. The banner is a piece of maroon or gray suede upon which campers' names are printed to recognize superior achievement from the previous year. The recognition covers so many activities that most campers eventually find their names on a banner if they return to Winona over a number of years.

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 intercamp 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 ten days (approx.) involves a large number of Red/Gray events, so the outcome of the competition is unknown until Awards Night.

ODD/EVEN TEAMS - In Senior, the campers are also split into two teams based on their tent number. Similar competition continues throughout the summer and the winning team is recorded on the banner. The idea of belonging to two different teams (Red/Gray and Odd/Even) encourages camaradarie and sportsmanship in the unit.

INDIAN TRIBES - In Junior and Intermediate, the campers are divided (by draft) into Indian tribes rather than Odd/Even teams for their second form of intercamp competition. A camper remains on the same tribe throughout his Winona career. The tribes are Mohawks, Delawares, Ojibways and Senecas.

CITs - Counselors-in-Training - These are a select group of 16 and 17 year old former campers who go through a rigorous program of Lifeguard and First Aid training, rotations throug the three units, and education in order to better prepare themselves for a counseling position the following summer.

UNCLE - All staff in Junior, and most in the other units, are "uncles" to the campers, i.e., Uncle Ray, or Aunt Tracey.

MEMORIAL BUILDING - The theater building between Senior and Inty Wiggys in which many Winona ceremonies are held, as well as the weekly movie, and Senior Circus.