Our 90th anniversary summer has begun in fine form. All campers have arrived safely. More than that, they’re thrilled to be here. The energy in Gatehouse Circle, where the campers being dropped off by their parents arrived, and on Greenie Hill, as the boats arrived in Four Winds Bay, was absolutely electric. Each new batch of arrivals elicited a cheer from the growing crowd. Old friendships were renewed, and new campers were welcomed. It was a scene of young people excited to embark on a great adventure.
The staff have been training since the 15th at the latest, and some since the 5th. They were as ready as any for Camp to begin. We use every minute of staff training intentionally, and we sometimes feel the need to squeeze in one more thing, but Camp feels incomplete without campers, and after so long training, all the staff was thrilled to get started on what we all came here to do. I’ve been so impressed with this staff so far. They are truly committed to giving these campers an extraordinary experience, and I know they have the skill to make it happen.
Tonight was all about settling in and getting comfortable. Once everyone was gathered on Greenie Hill, cabin and tent groups went back to cabins to get a sense of their new homes, and of each other. Counselors led games and introductions, and helped everyone with the things a person needs to know at the start of a new experience. Each cabin introduced itself with a skit at flags, and we had a great first dinner of chicken, corn, and potato salad (plus a vegetarian option of veggie and tofu kabobs). We all met on the stairs to learn a few songs, and celebrate our newly formed community. We have campers and staff here in their first summer, and staff here in their 14th. We represent 20 states and 11 countries. We’ve joined together on this beautiful corner of Orcas Island to create an extraordinary community where people can be comfortable sharing their true selves, and be accepted and loved no matter what, where we can try new things, and get better at the things we already know, where we value relationships over things, and take things just a little bit slower.
Tomorrow, we’ll have Rotation Day, which all about getting oriented to camp and taking care of some business. We’ll sign up for classes (adding three to the three you signed up for using pre camp forms), take the swim test, visit the nurse, take cabin photos, exchange uniforms that don’t fit, learn lots of things about how camp works, and get a tour. For Evening Activity, we’ll play a great game called Biffer Medic. In Biffer Medic, about two thirds of the counselors sit around the edge of the Sports Field. Campers attempt to match clues from a list to the counselors sitting around the edge, all while avoiding Biffers, counselors armed with a sock full of flour. If they do get tagged, still a third category of counselors, the Medics, can unfreeze them by giving them a silly task. It’s a fantastic game to end the first full day of Camp. We’ll end the same way we end every Evening Activity, singing songs, and end our first day together. On Monday, we’ll start with classes, and Camp will be in full swing!
I’m sure you’re wondering about how you can check in on your children while they’re here. The first (and best) way is the good old fashioned letter. All the campers wrote postcards at dinner tonight which you will receive in the next couple of days, and we will do our best to encourage campers to write home. If your camper hasn’t written in a while, feel free to call or email Mariah, and we’ll give them a nudge. And, of course, letter writing from your end is encouraged as well. The second is this blog, which I’ll write once a week on Sundays (given that it’s nearly Sunday now, I’ll write again on the 2nd of July). Third, I’ll tweet once a day from @fourwindscamp. You don’t need to join twitter to get the updates, you can just go to twitter.com/fourwindscamp, or, from the United States, text the phrase ‘follow fourwindscamp’ to the number 40404, and you’ll get the updates by SMS. Lastly, feel free to call Mariah in the office. She’s happy to check in on your camper and get back to you with a real time report.
Thank you for sharing your children with us. It’s a privilege to spend our 90th Anniversary summer with them. These next four weeks will be filled with adventure, song, and friendship. I can’t wait.