Meet Alice Day, Smirkus Camp Nurse
Alice Day rides around camp on her Cambulance, that has a basket in the back to transport the first aid kit, the medications and the cold packs from the farmhouse to the tents to the dorms.
If you’ve never been to Smirkus Camp, it might surprise you to know that along with individual tents for aerials, juggling, clowning and acrobatics, there’s also a special red and white Nurse’s Tent and First Aid Station. This is where you’ll find camp nurse Alice Day most of the camp day.
Except, maybe, when she’s doing her rounds on her bicycle.
Alice has been a constant at Smirkus Camp for 11 summers.
Like many staff, she first got hooked after seeing a Smirkus show when her kids were small. Her then 10 year old twin daughters and 8 year old son loved the show so much that began asking to attend Circus Smirkus camp. So their mom decided to look into it.
While signing them up on the Smirkus website, Alice saw an ad for a camp nurse and decided to apply, hoping to help defray costs for three kids. As an experienced school nurse at Twinfield Union School in Plainfield, VT she figured she had a shot. She got the job, and her kids came with her.
11 years later, Alice is still on the job, and her kids are still involved with Smirkus.
Daughters Abby and Lucy Jermyn
Over the years her daughters Abby and Lucy Jermyn have been campers and camp counselors, and will be Smirkus Camp acrobatics coaches this summer before retuning to college in the fall.
Her son Ivan Jermyn was a camper, became a Big Top Tour trouper for three seasons (2014-2016), and will be representing Circus Smirkus in a performance with Rob Mermin and others at the Smithsonian in July. He’s also is now touring and performing with another circus, CirqueUs! and will begin his sophomore year of college this fall.
Son Ivan Jermyn, former Smirko, camper and counselor.
Alice says she’s seen first-hand how life-changing the Smirkus Camp has been both for her own kids and the campers she’s cared for over the years; she has seen them gain self-esteem, become more body positive, and show an emotional growth that she says been nurtured by the larger Smirkus experience.
“I can’t imagine a life that doesn’t include Smirkus. It feels like a lifetime commitment. You give a lot, but you get something intangible and invaluable in return. For me and my kids – this is our way to give back,” she said.
THE NURSE’S TENT
The Smirkus Camp Nurse’s tent is quite a bit different from the usual nursing station, she says. “You need to create a space for all ages, where people will come to you for various needs.” The tent shares a space with the camper cubbies, where they keep their extra shoes or sweatshirts or even props, and also hosts the camp’s water jugs, where campers refill their water bottles.
All of this gives Alice real insight into the health of each of the campers. She can keep an eye on whether they are staying hydrated, or she notices if the same camper tends to spend too much time avoiding a class, and she can share that information with the coaches, letting them know that maybe this camper might need some extra help or figure out if they should be redirected to learn a new skill.
“It’s really important to keep clear communication in order to meet the needs of all the campers.”
SAFETY
Some might think injuries are a common occurrence at Smirkus Camp, but Alice says that’s just not the case.
“I don’t worry about injuries any more than anywhere else – there’s so much supervision at camp that injuries are rare. Kids learn skills sequentially with coaches that spot them and before they are allowed to move on to the next step of practicing their skills independently, they need sign off from coaches,” she said. There are strict rules on apparatus and they are supervised all the time.
Alice Day with her daughters and a juggling coach all dressed up for a Smirkus camp dress up dinner.
“Rules makes sense if you explain the reasons for them. Kids get it and returning campers teach the new kids, too.
Everywhere you are at camp, people are safety conscious,” she said, adding that it’s the simplest things that make the biggest difference in safety.
Making sure everyone wears sunscreen, drinks water and gets enough sleep, for example. These things seem small but they have a cumulative impact on health.
“Parents, send the night light, send the teddy bear if that’s going to make the difference for your child to get a good night’s sleep,” she says. On hot days, she makes the rounds on her bicycle, and when kids see her coming, they open up their palms for sunscreen.
“If you get a sunburn, that’s not going to feel good if you’re training on trapeze or silks.” She also makes sure everyone washes their hands frequently, especially since there is so much hand-to-hand contact in circus group activities.
Often she’ll sit in on classes, especially if she notices a child that needs extra help getting out of their shell and becoming comfortable with a group. Emotional and physical safety are related, she says. “You play mom, dad and grandma, as well as nurse – along with the rest of the staff – we’re the whole home support system.”
So does Alice have any circus skills herself?
“I learned to juggle my 3rd year at camp, but I haven’t progressed because I’m too busy taking care of campers! I also tried the unicycle but that didn’t stick either.”
We think Alice prefers to juggle the needs of the campers, and we’re grateful to have her on the job.
Camp Nurse Alice Day