Greetings from Hilltop. After a few days of rest, we’re back to doing what we do best on our beautiful little corner of Deer Harbor, creating a unique and special community for young people. And it’s a good thing too, as these Second Session campers have clearly come to have the time of their lives. The energy around Camp is electric.
Travel day went very smoothly. All the campers arrived according to plan. The first campers here were those dropped off by their parents. Introductions to counselors were made, and those parents got a bit of a tour of Camp. As the tours ended, we all gathered on Greenie Hill to wait for the boats that would bring the majority of the campers. As the boats pulled into Four Winds Bay, a cheer came up from both Greenie Hill and the boats themselves, and the session was truly under way. Campers ran up the hill to meet their counselors, reunite with old friends, and meet new ones for the first time. As many times as I’ve seen that moment, it never fails to rouse joy at the start of another session, and admiration for what’s about to occur here.
We went back to cabins and tents for a bit of quick settling, then gathered to all introduce ourselves at our first flags circle, and had our first dinner together. After dinner, we met on the Lodge Steps and I was able to greet the campers as a whole group. I told them how happy I was to see them, and that all the staff are here to make sure they stay safe and have a great time. We were able to celebrate the fact that we have 27 states and 13 countries represented in our Second Session Community, and that we have campers and staff celebrating their first summer at Camp all the way up to one staff member who is on her 19th. This diverse group of people will create a community full of depth and understanding.
As I write this, campers are settling into cabins and tents, unpacking, and getting to know each other. Heads and Specialists are circulating through the cabins, collecting medications, electronic devices, and other contraband and generally checking in. Perhaps most importantly, counselors are asking their campers what type of cabin they’d like to be this summer, how they’d like to be known. We’ve always believed that kids should be involved in helping to create the rules, and they usually do a great job. So, for many years, our groups have created cabin and tent constitutions on this night, where they come up with their own rules for those groups. This year, we had a speaker named Dr. Deborah Gilboa come to our staff training, and she suggested that instead of asking young people to come up with a list of rules, we should instead ask them how they want to be known. We thought it was a great idea, because it emphasizes the positive (be respectful, be kind, be genuine, be patient) instead of the negative (don’t hit, don’t steal, don’t swear). I can’t think of a better way to spend our first night together.
Tomorrow, we’ll have Rotation Day. We need to get some things done to start the session off right. We need to get these kids signed up for the second half of their classes (the first half was taken care of by the forms you filled out in the spring), so first thing after breakfast we’ll learn about what’s offered in the activity areas and indicate preferences on forms. As the Activity Area Heads take those forms up to the office to crank out some schedules, the rest of camp will take swim tests, see the nurse, have cabin photos made, exchange uniforms that don’t fit, learn about how things work at camp, have fun, and get to know each other a bit better. We’ll cap it off with a great Evening Activity, Biffer Medic, which involves matching clues to counselors while avoiding Biffers (counselors armed with a sock full of flour). After tomorrow, we’ll be off to the races for a great session.
I’m sure you’re wondering how you can check in on your camper while they’re here. There are several ways. The first and best way is still the good old fashioned US Postal Service. The art of letter writing is alive and well at Four Winds. There’s nothing better than getting a letter at camp. If you’re wondering what to write, a friend of mine wrote a great blog post with some suggestions. The second way is right here. I’ll post here once a week, on Sundays. Thirdly, you can follow us on Twitter. I’ll post there every day the campers are here. You don’t need to join Twitter to get the updates, you can just go to twitter.com/fourwindscamp, or text the phrase ‘follow fourwindscamp’ to the number 40404 in the US, and you’ll receive the updates via text message. Lastly, don’t hesitate to give us a call. We’re happy to check in on your camper and give you and update.
Thank you for sharing your children with us this session. For the 90th summer in a row, young people here at Four Winds will be trying new things, growing up a little bit, making great friends, and having a ball. I can’t wait.