North Star Summer of 2018!

North Star’s 74th summer is officially underway! The buses from both Chicago and Minneapolis timed a perfect arrival at 4:00 and each camper passed through a tunnel of excited counselors to see a beautiful 80-degree sunny afternoon. It was a picture perfect start to summer. The energy showed through as we gathered around the flagpole to announce the cabins, and then the boys headed toward their bunks to unpack. The cabin list is attached.

The boys are now unpacking and new campers are receiving a tour of camp. As they walk around camp, they will see many of the improvements from the off-season, including the new baseball batting cage and pitching machine, some remodeled cabins, a new splashmat and water log at swim point, and much more fun to come. By the time they go to sleep tonight, they’ll have played games with their cabins and met some of the other guys their age as well.

Dinner this evening will be burgers, fries and jello, plus the ever present salad bar and Sun Butter and jelly. There will be vegetarian burgers available for those that prefer, and Gluten free options for those that need it. And of course brownies for dessert. Immediately following dinner, the campers will choose their first week’s activities.

The evening activities will be followed by the candlelight ceremonies, where each cabin will have a meeting led by their counselors. They will share their goals and expectations for the summer, while continuing to get to know one another. This will be the first of many cabin discussions that are an important part of the team-building goals that we have for each cabin group, and helps develop the strong sense of community that we strive for at camp.

In addition to developing the community, we are working to develop each boy as an individual as well. One of the goals we are working towards this summer is called “the meaningful check in.” Each day, each boy at camp should receive a receive a check in with one of their counselors giving them an opportunity to reflect on their day. While so many boys consider sufficient dialog to be “What’s Up?”, “Nothing, you?”, “Nothing really,” we strive for more than that. Tru relationships and opportunities to grow require more depth than that. Friday Night Services offer the whole camp a time to reflect on our camp values. Sunday Night Campfires offer each cabin the chance to reflect on their growth as a cabin. And the Meaningful Check-Ins will offer each camper a daily opportunity to reflect on their personal goals and development. Our staff have taken this idea to heart, and I look forward to seeing this in action this summer.

Tomorrow the kids will have a busy day as our amazing medical team checks in the boys. The campers will take a swim test and find time to play several games of dodgeball. Evening program tomorrow will be our first game of All-Camp Capture the Flag. First thing on Wednesday morning the boys will begin their first week of regular activities. Wednesday morning our oldest campers will leave for their Canadian adventure, where they will spend 10 days in the Canadian wilderness in Quetico Provincial Park. Some of our 8th graders (we use the grade they just completed) will leave that day for five days on the Superior Hiking Trail, while other campers will depart straight away on the Brule River or the Flambeau River. Wednesday evening will be the staff show, where our very talented group will be on display.

Thank you for trusting us with your boys!