Greetings from SeaTac Airport. It has been a smooth travel day so far. All the campers being picked up by their parents are already with them, and those flying are either in the air or behind security with our staff. I’m taking a quiet moment on the unsecure side of the airport to share a few thoughts and to thank you for allowing us to provide your children with this wonderful experience over the past month.
The last week of camp was absolutely fantastic. Seniors returned from their trips on Wednesday, always one of the highlights of the session. When the seniors leave, they are often a little nervous—about the trips themselves, the groups they are with, and the change in routine. That challenge is part of the design. For many of them, especially those who have been coming to Four Winds for years, senior trips provide the fresh challenge that in-camp life no longer does.
The flip side of that nervousness is the energy when they return. They are proud of what they have accomplished, excited to reunite with friends from other trips, and full of inside jokes and stories. The energy is infectious.
After the seniors came back, we moved straight into our final four evening activities: Talent/No Talent, the camp talent show; Pins and Slides, when we award activity pins and enjoy a slideshow of the session; the CT Dance; and our final Evening Fire. These evening activities are opportunities for both celebration and reflection, and they focus everyone’s attention on the fact that our time together is short. When that realization settles in, it makes the remaining time even more valuable, and camp feels truly extraordinary.
Last night at Evening Fire, I thanked the campers for a wonderful session. They came here to make friends, try new things, give and receive as members of a community, participate in traditions, and have the time of their lives. They did all of that and more.
Now, after some cleanup and a little celebration with the summer staff, it will be time for rest. Soon after, we’ll turn our focus to planning for summer 2026.
Thank you, as always, for sharing your children with us. We know it is a sacrifice in many ways to commit to a month-long summer camp, and we are so grateful that families are willing to make it. We hope you see the rewards of that commitment in your campers as they return home, and we hope to see them back with us next summer.