New Friends & New Routines
Today marked the first full day of our 80th summer! While the weather forecast had looked bleak, we ended up with an 82-degree day with sunshine and a strong breeze. It was a perfect day for getting to know each other and to know camp.
Each village had a blast playing continuous dodgeball out on the athletic fields. Continuous dodgeball is an every man for himself dodgeball game played on a big field. We play with the traditional dodgeball rules, so if you get hit, you are out, and if you catch a ball, the person who threw it at you is out. If the person who threw you out gets out themselves, you are back in. We play with large groups, so there is never a winner. The twist is that if you get somebody out, you have to introduce yourself. (You are in a “safety zone” while you are in the process of the introduction). With the help of the candlelight ceremony and some other games yesterday, the campers learned the names of everybody in their cabin. Today, with the help of this village activity, they start to learn the names of all the campers and staff in their village. Additionally, continuous dodgeball is a great introduction to our competitive philosophy. While no one wins continuous dodgeball, it is still important to give a full effort and have a great time while playing.
Your children’s safety is of the utmost importance to us. One way we manage our campers’ safety is the swim test, which each camper took today. Swimming in a lake presents a new challenge for many of our boys, but they did great. We were so proud of all our campers today as they navigated this obstacle with positive attitudes, cheering each other on all the while. And our amazing counselors were the first into the water, supporting the campers at their side. The kids also made their first visits to the Health Center for our entry physicals, met our wonderful health team and learned about to receive the care they needed at camp.
We ended the day with our opening banquet, where the campers are spun through a tunnel of counselors dressed up in wacky costumes on their way into the lodge for a delicious pasta meal dinner. The sun then fell beautifully on the horizon over Spider Lake as Mike Hall exploded with laughter and cheer for our opening Staff Show. After our final skit concluded, our counselors took the campers back to their cabin to draft a cabin charter––an agreement to norms and expectations that allows every member of the cabin to feel the way they want to feel. They agreed to behave in ways that leave everyone feeling safe, supported, challenged, proud and loved. The campers and staff worked together to create these agreements, sign them, and post them in their cabin, giving each other accountability for their actions and setting the tone for the rest of the summer.
To see pictures of all of the action, you can login to CampInTouch or Campanion and click “Photos.”
After referencing both Jonathan Haidt’s new book and the Surgeon General’s new warning, I wanted to share Jonathan Haidt’s newsletter today talking about the new warning. In a world where technology is everywhere, North Star presents a unique opportunity for our campers to disconnect and experience the world without their phones. In a few days, most will have completely forgotten about their screens.
