2025 Final Keylog
We had an incredible Summer of 2025! All the boys are now at home in your care, but we are so grateful for the opportunity to partner with you in raising great young men. We wrapped it all up last night with a truly special Final Keylog Ceremony. If you thought visiting weekend was lengthy, our Final Keylog Ceremony lasted an hour and fifteen minutes, filled with heartfelt moments of appreciation, stories, reflection of a meaningful summer. Listening to our oldest campers share everything they’ve learned and the ways that they have grown at camp blew us all away.
A beautiful sunset turned into an incredible moonlit night and we moved to the tennis courts in silence for the final events of the evening. One of the most touching parts of the night was the Camper Farewell, beautifully delivered by Sam Solow, whose words perfectly captured the spirit of friendship, growth, and adventure that defined the summer. Alonso Andrade Hernandez gave a heartfelt Counselor Farewell, speaking with warmth and sincerity about the lessons learned and the memories made. Together, their messages left the whole camp inspired and united. Then we watched the closing slideshow and watched the effigy burn that signals that there is no longer “plenty of camping left.” We sang Forest Green and Carry On one last time, shared lots of hugs, shed many tears, and exchanged countless “see you next years.”
While we always work hard to send your boys home happy, healthy, and full of stories, the end of camp can bring both physical and emotional fatigue. If your camper needs some extra rest, patience, or help processing their summer, definitely give it to them. There is also the possibility that they may not feel well, as we’ve been warding off a rolling stomach bug throughout the last few weeks.
Processing the camp experience takes some time, and while we know the parental instinct is to want to know every detail and to pepper them with questions, we want to offer some ideas that may help:
- Encourage your camper to write down a list of stories or memories they want to tell later, but not necessarily right now.
- Take a walk or share a quiet activity together, giving them space to open up at their own pace.
- Look through photos from the summer and let them share any stories those moments bring to mind.
- Revisit the emotion chart we use at camp to help them identify and express their feelings that they experienced at different times throughout the summer in a healthy way.
It is also important to celebrate your camper’s accomplishments from the summer. Recognize the friendships they built and nurtured, the challenges they overcame, the conflicts they worked through, and the new skills they learned. Have them show off some of the basic skills they’ve developed like helping around the house, handling their own hygiene and bedtime routines, or even asking them to lead a Sunday Night Campfire for your family. Celebrating these moments reinforces their growth, builds their confidence, and helps them see the value of their hard work and resilience.
Here at camp tonight, we kicked off the Four Star Fellowship, which brings high school youth from the South and West Sides of Chicago to North Star for a one-week camp experience with their existing school or community-based mentors. 116 participants arrived today, about half of which are returning participants who have grown to love North Star and this program so deeply. It continues to fill our cup to give more young people the opportunity to be their best selves.
Even though the camp session is over, we remain committed to partnering with you in helping our campers continue to grow into the best versions of themselves. Please reach out anytime we can be of service, or just a thought partner in helping with your sons.
We miss those boys already. Give them all a big hug from us at camp. Thank you for trust and partnership.
