Compiled by Louis Levin
We’re coming off an incredible summer at camp, as I think anyone who spent their summer up north in 2023 would tell you. So, I thought I’d use a few of my Arrowhead columns this winter to share some stories from the most recent summer – stories about successes our campers accomplished, obstacles they overcame, and the things that camp helped campers achieve.
One of my favorite stories from the summer highlights a camper who was away from home for the first time. We have our fair share of adjustment issues in the first few days of each session of camp. It’s a normal and natural part of leaving home and joining a new community, and it tends to follow some familiar beats, but there was one moment from the past summer that really stuck out. On the first night of camp, one camper was missing home so much that he couldn’t gather himself enough to head into the Rec Hall for dinner. His counselors, and then village director, patiently sat with him, walked with him, and talked through the situation straight through dinner. It took a few different people trying some different strategies to best comfort this camper on his first night away from his folks; one thing that really made the difference was finding a peaceful place to sit down and sort out his feelings. The staff talked him through what the next few hours of camp would be like, instead of the next four weeks, helping him focus on the immediate instead of what felt to him like a whole daunting summer. He went from talking about how, no way, no how, is camp right for him, to talking about how, well, let’s just get through the rest of this evening. So, after a long chat with a couple different administrators at the rowing benches overlooking the waterfront, our camper got to the point where he had had enough talking, and begrudgingly, was ready to head up for dinnertime.
Well, dinnertime for him, that is!. At this point, the rest of camp had finished eating, cleaned up their tables, and were listening to announcements. So, when the camper walked into the Rec Hall to get some dinner, they were greeted by some hardworking (and exhausted!) kitchen staff wrapping up their first full meal service of the summer. And of course, those incredible staff knew just how important it was to make the camper feel comfortable, particularly when he wasn’t too excited about camp. They put together a plate of food just for him, set a place for him with the rest of his cabin, and ensured he would enjoy a big helping of spaghetti, just like the rest of camp. Seeing how those staff and his cabin welcomed him into the Rec Hall for dinner put a smile on his face for the first time that day – and he was able to finish off his meal and head off with his cabin for the first night of camp. It was a truly heartwarming moment.
Throughout the next few days, he got increasingly more comfortable, discovered the activities at camp he enjoyed, and really found his place at camp – just like every case of homesickness we encounter at camp. In this particular case though, the support of so many different people and parts of camp came together to help this camper learn to love camp, and that moment with our kitchen staff really solidified in my mind how everyone at camp, regardless of their job, is excited to help kids succeed.
We’re starting up our news of the camp family as well — if you have something to share in the next issue, please reach out to me at [email protected]!
WEDDING CONGRATULATIONS GO TO… Andy Cohen (St. Louis, 2004-’10, ’12-’15, ’17, ’19, ’21) and Julia Katzman, and to Matthew Myer (St. Louis/Denver, 2006-’11, ’13-’16) and Caroline Brown.
IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT… It’s a boy, Daniel Robin Blumenfeld, for Jacob Blumenfeld (St. Louis, 2001-’05, ’08-’11, ’13) and Katie Beth Smith. It’s a boy, Fredric Alexander Wile, for Rob Wile (Chicago/Miami, 1997-2001, ’03-’05) and Stephanie Wile. It’s a boy, Ellis Mendelsohn, for Dan Mendelsohn and Steph Hucker. It’s a boy, Sullivan Gerstell for Daniel Gerstell (DC, 1999-2005) and Chelsea Gerstell.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW… David Palmer (Deerfield/Boston, 2004-’08) received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a part of their Geometric Data Processing Group.