Learning Learning
Tonight’s Friday Night Service focused on a theme that runs through every corner of camp life: Growth Mindset. The willingness to try new things, to make mistakes, and to learn from them is essential to the experience we aim to provide at North Star. Here, growth isn’t just encouraged. It’s expected. There is so much pressure on kids to be good at things the first time, so much shame cast at people for not being naturally good at something. At camp, we want the opposite. We give praise for trying. We want kids to find their limits and push past them, and that requires a willingness to fail and learn. Growth shows up in small steps and big leaps, in quiet acts of courage and loud bursts of confidence. It’s how we build resilience, character, and community.
Tonight at the Council Ring, Blake Mellman gave a sermonette that struck a cord for so many and was so inspiring to our campers. He talked about the winding road to finding his “thing.” He tried sports, clubs, and plenty else in search of a place or community that allowed him to flourish as himself. That all changed when he discovered theater. There he not only found something he loved, but he found a challenge that would stretch him.
Blake became the first student to direct a play at his high school. It was a big opportunity. He prepared with the help of his Theater Advisor and leaned on his peers. But then, right before opening night, his advisor got sick. The job of leading the production, with so many details and decisions, fell on Blake.
He didn’t claim he did it all perfectly. He admitted how overwhelmed he felt. But he kept showing up, kept listening to the friends around him, and learned on the fly what it really means to lead. “The most important part of being the director,” he said, “was learning from the people around me.”
That spirit showed up again tonight with the Camper Chorus. One of our campers had wanted to play guitar with the Camper Chorus last week, but nerves got the better of him. We told him the story of Oli, our band leader, who as a camper was once too nervous to play in front of others. He now leads music here with ease and confidence, and is an incredibly talented guitarist. Oli offered to jam with him, no pressure, and let him know that the door was always open. Just a week later, he walked up to the front of the Council Ring with his guitar and played beautifully with the Camper Chorus as they played Tom Petty’s Learning to Fly. Talk about a growth mindset!
Blake’s story, like this camper’s, reminds us that camp offers these moments of challenge, risk, and support. We try things. We mess up. We lean on each other. We try again. Whether we’re learning to paddle a canoe, speak up in the cabin, or make a new friend, the lesson is the same. Growing isn’t about getting it right the first time. It’s about being willing to keep learning, especially from those around us.
Speaking of growth, the campers of Pine Manor returned tonight from their 10-day Canadian camping trip. They stood proud and tall as they got off the bus cheering tonight. They’re enjoying their first nights back in a bed tonight, and we’ll report more on the trip tomorrow!
