The
Summer of 2012 has officially begun! A full year's worth of preparations have
led to today, and it still exceeded expectations. From the time we gathered in
Chicago and the first flights arrived to Minneapolis, you could feel the
excitement. There were a lot of boys running to the buses with big smiles on
their faces, thrilled to meet new friends and old. It was great to see the
returning campers sharing their favorite parts of camp with the new guys, and
making sure they were excited to get to their "home away from home."
We pulled
into camp to see the counselors jumping for joy. The staff have been arriving
since late May and have been working hard to prepare the grounds, get trained
in their specific activities areas, and, most importantly, to learn as much as
possible in order to take great care of each of your sons. And they have done a
great job. We have our highest number of returning staff in many years, and the
new staff is a mature, compassionate and talented group that has fit in
seamlessly. I am very proud of the staff that we have put together, and I know
the boys are going to love them.
We
gathered around the flagpole, and as we announced the cabins, the staff and
campers went crazy. High fives, chest bumps and prepared shenanigans put a smile
on everybody's face. The kids have now unpacked and new campers have been given
a tour of camp. 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, jello, salad and the ever present peanut
butter and jelly. There will be vegetarian burgers available for those that
prefer, and brownies for dessert. The food thus far has been amazing. Chefs
Paddi and Briana, and our whole kitchen staff have quickly become camps most
cheered camp celebrities.
Immediately
following dinner, the campers will choose their first week's activities. Their
counselors will be encouraging them not only to participate in the activities
that they are already familiar with, but also to try out some new ones as well.
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.
Tomorrow
the kids will have a busy day as they get checked out by the medical staff,
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. Wednesday evening will be the staff show, where our very
talented group will be on display.
FOLLOW
CAMP ONLINE
Throughout
the summer, we'll be keeping you up to date by posting on our website at www.northstarcamp.com. The news updates
can be found on "Leb's Ramblings," (same name, new author) at www.northstarcamp.com/blog.
It can also be found in the Media Room, which is in the Current Families
section of the website. We will be utilizing Facebook and Twitter to let
families know when there are new blog entries, summer pictures posted and other
news bits. You can follow North Star on Facebook at facebook.com/northstarcampforboys
and you can follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/northstarcamp..
We post
pictures online on a regular basis, and you can access those directly from your
CampInTouch page. To access your CampInTouch page, go to www.northstarcamp.com
and click "login" in the upper right hand corner. From there you can
click on "Photos" to see those smiling faces. If you'd like to set up
guest accounts for friends or family you can do that from your landing page by
clicking on "Guest Accounts."
It is going to be a great summer!
Thanks,
-Andy
