Let Us Commence!

By Adam Kaplan

We are squarely in the throes of pre-camp right now. These special two weeks set the table for the summer. The pre-camp crew puts in all of the camp docks, cleans all of the cabins, rakes every inch of this place, paints buildings, and a variety of other tasks so that when the kids arrive in just 18 days, their new home is just that…. a home.

Every summer, all of this work is executed by our pre-camp crew. Given the fact that this work begins just after Memorial Day, our pre-camp crew is usually made up largely of college students. This year, several of the crew are recent graduates. It is a really special couple of weeks here at camp as our numbers are smaller and while we still eat in the Rec Hall the smaller group results in a bit more of a family meal feel to things…. with less arguing of course! Given the fact that some of the crews are fresh from their graduations, and I will be heading in just a couple of days to watch my first child graduate from college (Yeah…little Joshua is graduating from Carleton College. And in a flash, I graduated too…. with a degree in OLD DUDE.), it is not surprising that a good deal of conversation has centered around the idea of graduation.

This is graduation season. In late May and early June, graduations are ubiquitous. From full-blown pomp and circumstance affairs like high school and college graduations to less grand middle school graduations, the traditional graduations abound. In recent years, the graduation circuit has become even more clogged with elementary school graduations and even pre-school graduations! (I can only imagine how hard it is to find a cap and gown in a 4T.) Throw on top of those ceremonies the after school pottery class graduations, the Tadpoles swim class graduations which mark the auspicious and life changing rite of passage into the Minnow class, and the graduation ceremonies marking the change from bottles to solid foods that are a hallmark of so many Mommy, Daddy and Me classes every spring (considered to be the absolute pinnacle of prestige for anyone on the commencement address circuit). Yes, there can be little doubt that this is the season of graduations.

While it is certainly fun to give a little grief to the pervasiveness of all of this graduating that is a part of the modern world, I actually am a firm believer in marking the comings and goings of different chapters of our lives. To be clear, while I don’t truly believe that a graduation from elementary school is that gigantic of an accomplishment, I really do believe in the value of marking the end of something. By doing so, we are gifted with the opportunity to look back at the forest, when so much of the hustle and bustle of our lives requires us to pay attention to just the trees. Graduation encourages us to look back and take stock….a very healthy endeavor.

But there is more to it than that….

It has been noted, I am sure many times, that graduation ceremonies are commonly referred to as “Commencement” ceremonies. Isn’t it fascinating that a ceremony that is all about celebrating past activities and previous accomplishments should be called “Commencement?” In my mind, this is a beautiful choice of words, for captured in that very small semantic decision is a very powerful statement. We are encouraged to look back with pride at our accomplishments, but also to understand that the end of one period of time leads to the beginning of another. Whether that new stage be entering the workforce, going to college, matriculation into middle school, or just moving into the revered Minnow swim lesson group, graduation does not signal solely an end….rather the end of one stage and the beginning of another.

I love that the graduation time of year juxtaposes so perfectly with the beginning of camp. Campers and staff alike will likely be looking back with pride at all they have accomplished throughout the school year. And while they are enjoying that sense of achievement, they will also be looking ahead. At this graduation time of year, with docks freshly erected at the waterfront, cabins cleaned and waiting for their summer occupants, the project board perfectly clear with only possibilities ahead, and a brand-new summer at Nebagamon about to begin, this is truly a COMMENCEMENT. It is all ahead of us. We will run hard, learn hard, play hard, laugh hard, and camp hard…until that last Council Fire on August 11th. That Council Fire is written and performed by our 9th and 10th grade campers on their very last night as campers at Nebagamon…ever. It is their graduation night…Their commencement ceremony.

Can’t wait for our commencement ceremonies to begin on June 19!