We asked our chiefs and co-chiefs to tell us what they’ve been up to since camp has ended for the summer and give us a little insight on what its like to be in such an important leadership position as chiefs of their tribe.
Here’s what we’ve heard so far:

Chiefs and Co-chiefs of June 2009

My summer was great! After leaving TAW I went to northern Michigan with friends for three weeks, and then right after that I went to Wyoming to visit my sister who is working on a ranch. I then spent the remains of my summer conditioning for volleyball season (which has now taken over my life haha). What I most miss about taw would have to be a three way tie between all the people, the rock wall, and tribe stuff. It’s really sad thinking about how I can’t come back to be chief because I will be a CIT. Being chief for three years has been so much fun. It has taught me so much about how to be a role model for the little girls and how to be a leader. I cant wait to be back next summer! I am already counting down!
Sallie Hutson (Mohawk Chief of June 2009)

School has been going great! I miss Ton-a-Wandah a lot though, especially all my friends. Being co-chief was so much fun, leading cheers and planning out for tribe day. I would definitely want to return and be chief!Chandler Byrd (Mohawk Co-Chief of June 2009)

Hey TAW!!! I’m going to miss Ton-A-Wandah a ton! I only have one more year and I keep trying to picture what I’ll do with my summer when I’m not a Ton-A-Wandah girl! lol This year I know I’m going to cry 10 times more at candle light and I’m usually the person that starts crying during the opening prayer. School’s been great, I’m at Edgewater High in Orlando and I love it! I’m on my schools varsity cheerleading team and it’s just been a blast! Every time I do a cheer I think of cheering on the Navajos this summer at camp. Being co-chief was amazing. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, like ever since my very first summer in cedar, and it was soo cool to finally live that dream. But, it’s definitely way harder than it looks.  Keeping the tribe in line can sometimes be really difficult, but super rewarding. I’m counting down the days till summer ’10. Happy am I at Tonawandah!
<3 Steele Sutphen (Navajo Co-chief of June 2009)

The thing I miss the most about TAW is all the girls who were there with me. I’m doing well in all of my classes and am in the Chorus at Plant High School.
Reghan Rivas (Cherokee Co-chief of June 2009)

Sofi Arazoza and Anna Lee Ware Mohawk Chiefs of July

 Hey Camp TAW! My summer after camp hasn’t been very exciting. One of my summer highlights was seeing a fellow camper and chief, Rachel Parks. It was totally unexpected and made me miss camp even more!  Being co-Chief this year was really excited and fun. I hope next summer I can be chief now that I have learned the ropes of the position. Next year I will be in Laurel cabin which is more than exciting. I had been waiting for this year ever since I was a Cedar baby. I miss camp so much and I can’t wait to see everyone next summer!
Anna Lee Ware (Mohawk Co-Chief of July 2009)

Navajo Co-chief Vic Sabater and Chief Rachel Parks

There is so much to miss about Ton-A-Wandah!  I have been going to camp for seven years and I can not imagine life without it.  If i had to make a choice about what I miss the most, it would probably be the people.  I miss my friends!  I love all of the girls who were in my cabin.  We laughed all of the time!  It was so hard to leave them at the end of the session.  
School starting this year was like getting hit by a freight train!  This year i am playing basketball, running track, helping out with volleyball, and playing a little tennis on the side.  I am the sophomore class president at my school and I am doing a few clubs.  I am also doing a lot of community service and when I turn 16, I am going to be a volunteer firefighter. 
Being chief was AMAZING!!!  My co-chief, Vic, and I had so much fun!  When I became chief, suddenly everyone knew me!  I got to meet a ton of knew people.  My tribe was awesome and I love everyone in it!  I also got really close with the other chiefs, especially, Sophie, the Mohawk chief.  I would not trade the experience for the world! Being chief not only made me want to come back and be a CIT, it made me want to come back and be the next Weezie!
Rachel Parks (Navajo Chief of July 2009) 

Being chief made me love camp even more than i had before.  It made me feel like part of the Ton-A-Wandah tradition.
The rest of my summer was awesome. I went to New York City with my family and spent a couple of weekends at my house in the Bahamas. Even though the rest of my summer was great, nothing compared to how much fun I had at camp. Laurel year was everything that I expected and more! Banquet was awesome and leading my NAVAJO tribe with Rachel to victory for the first time in several years for the July session was definitely the highlight of my camp experience. I was soo happy I even cried a little. I couldn’t have asked for a better tribe and chief! I am definitely going to return next year. I can’t even imagine a summer without TAW. I’m counting down the days until I’m a CIT:)
Hope the rest of your summer was great! I will see you next year!
Victoria Sabater =) (Navajo Co-chief of July 2009)

Chief Lise Courtney D'Amico and Co-chief Grace Garde of August

Being chief at TAW this year was such an amazing experience! I loved being able to lead the Cherokees (to victory!!!!) and get to know all the campers even better! I miss everyone from camp so much! My Laurel year was a lot of fun because of everyone I got to share it with! My counselors were especially amazing this year too! When I was chief it made me realize how much I love Ton-A-Wandah and I would really like to try to come back as a CIT! It would be another step of leading campers which was a difficult task but it was also fun! I haven’t started school yet because I start on September 8, but I have had my field hockey preseason for the past two weeks which has definitely been a challenge! I hope I am able to see everyone at camp again next year!
Lise Courtney D’Amico (Cherokee Chief of August 2009)

Camp Ton-A-Wandah has been what I look forward to every summer for the past 6 years. I’ll miss everything about it, but mostly the friendships I made there that I know are going to be friendships I have for the rest of my life. Being a co-chief was a really stressful but great experience, and definitely worth it when me and Lise Courtney had the plaque in our hands. School starting back means the beginning of football and competition season for cheerleaders, so my focus is completely on cheerleading. I am definitely interested in coming back as a C.I.T. next summer. WE’RE DOING IT AGAIN IN 2010. GO CHEROKEES!
Grace Garde (Cherokee Co-Chief of August 2009)

Chief and Co-chief of the August Mohawks Celia Jeffords and Sarah Spencer

The thing I will miss the most about camp is definitely my friends. So far I have been practicing with my tennis team and we have won two matches already! I loved being co-chief and leading the Mohawks. We had a great tribe this year. i hope I can come back as a CIT next year!
Sarah Spencer (Mohawk Co-Chief of August 2009)

CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN IN 2010!!
Leave a comment and let us know what you will miss the most…