Greetings from Hilltop, and the end of a great Junior Session. The end of Camp tends to sneak up on a person, whether they’re a first time Junior Session camper who has been here for a week, or a Camp Director that’s been doing this since the beginning of June. Camp is quiet now, with counselors getting some jobs done before they can be on their way. Some campers are already with their parents. For those on their way to Woodland Park or the airport, our travel team reports that things are going smoothly so far.
At Evening Fire last night, I told the Junior Session campers that I was proud of them. They did something this week that most children their age never do, strike out on their own. For those that experienced a bit of homesickness this week, I told them I was extra proud. They now know that they can do things that they’re unsure they can. That is a powerful lesson, and one that will serve them well. A camper came up to me afterwards, as proud as punch, and said how he’d never had a sleepover before, and was a bit homesick the first night, but he did it, and wants to come back next year. Moments like that are why Camp is important, and speaking personally, why this work is so rewarding.
Speaking of next year, you may be interested to know that registration for summer 2018 is already available. We reserve spots for returning campers until November 30, so there’s no real rush, but many families like to take care of it when Camp is at the front of mind. We will send out reminders and so forth, but we do encourage you to mind that November 30 deadline. This year, all three of our sessions filled on December 1, and we have no reason to believe it will be different next year. You can find that registration form by logging into your parent account at fourwindscamp.org/login, clicking on “Registration Form,” selecting the 2018 season, and filling out the form. Please keep in mind that because Junior Session is intended to be an introduction to Camp for families that hope to have their children attend our four-week session, there is a two year limit on Junior Session attendance. New families may also register now (at fourwindscamp.org/register), and we will enroll them, or place them on the waitlist, once the returning camper guarantee expires on December 1.
Thank you for sharing your children with us this week. They got a great introduction to all that Four Winds has to offer, and it was a pleasure to have them here. We hope to see them all back next summer.