Greetings from Hilltop. Second Session has begun, and we are so happy. It is wonderful to have these campers here. The counselors have had a little break, and they are excited to build our community once again with this batch of Second Session campers.
It has been a more interesting travel day than we would have liked, if we’re being honest. In particular, our LAX group flight suffered a very long delay and so is actually still en route, looking like they will arrive at about 9 pm. Thanks to everyone who stayed as patient as possible through that difficult process, and bravo to our staff, in particular our LAX chaperone Katie, for staying flexible and positive.
I have word from the LAX group en route that spirits are high and they are excited to get here. Everyone, aside from LAX and the small handful of parents that have communicated with us about later arrivals, is here and safe, and we have kicked off Second Session in true Four Winds style.
The campers who were dropped off by their parents, along with their counselors, went down to Greenie Hill to greet the boats as they arrived. Campers went back to their cabins and tents to start to get settled and get to know each other and their counselors. We had our first lowering of the flags as a Second Session community. We had a lovely dinner of spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread, and then met on the stairs to celebrate the fact that we have campers and counselors here who’ve been in their first year all the way up to their 14th, and campers and staff from 25 states and 11 countries.
As I write this, the campers are unpacking and getting settled, anxious for the LAX boat to arrive and for the cabins that are missing campers to be made complete. What we have in store here this session for these campers is a fantastic month of fun and growth.
I am fond of saying that an unfortunate reality of being a parent is that most of the things that are good for kids are not the things they love the most. Homework, study, vegetables, fresh air, screen-free time: all of these things are things that we as parents often have to enforce more so than most kids embrace.
Camp is that rare thing that kids love that is also incredibly good for them. Kids will have an extraordinary amount of fun here over the course of these next four weeks, to be sure, but in addition, they will scrape their knees and continue on. They will learn to live in a small cabin with a group of other people, and in so doing, they will both accommodate for others and be accommodated for themselves. When they want to be entertained, they will ride horses, make art, sail a boat, pick up a guitar, or simply be silly with their friends. The modernization of childhood has not, if I’m to make a claim that I wouldn’t call bold, improved it, and it’s good old-fashioned fun that kids will have here over the course of this month.
It is not just fun. It’s the proper work of childhood. Over their time here, kids will become more resilient, more independent. They’ll become better friends. They’ll discover new skills that will edify them throughout their lives. It’s just the best.
Of course, I’m sorry to say all this fun and growth is happening away from the eyes of all the people reading this blog post, the campers’ families. That separation is part of the magic that makes it all work, but it can feel a little bit disconcerting to parents used to a constant stream of information. We can’t fix that problem entirely, but there are plenty of ways for you to keep up to date on what your camper is up to over the course of this month.
First, and most importantly, there is the good old-fashioned letter. We encourage you to write letters to your campers and then ask questions and encourage them to write back. There is nothing better than getting a letter at camp or receiving one from camp, and we will do our best to keep the post office in business. Second, I will post on this blog on Sundays and on the last day of camp, when the campers are on their way home. Third, we will post every day the campers are here on our Instagram stories, short tidbits to give you a sense of what is going on day to day in camp. And finally, please do feel free to call the office if you need an update on how your camper is doing. Daphne and her team are more than happy to check in on your camper and let you know how it’s going for them.
Thank you for sharing your children with us this month. It’s an extraordinary privilege these campers get, and it’s a privilege for us to be a part of it. I know that at the end of the month you will see the growth that I’ve talked about, as well as the glimmer in your child’s eyes from all the fun.