Accomplishing Personal Goals This Session
Today is the last full day of June Camp - hard to believe how quickly this session flew by! All our trips have returned, and we’ll be enjoying some final activities at camp this morning. In the afternoon we’ll be packing up and recognizing our campers who have achieved the highest progressions in each activity.
Though not every camper will get a physical award during the ceremony, we know that they have all achieved many things during their time here at camp, and we’re proud of each of them. They set big goals for themselves, and accomplished a lot in 3 short weeks. For just one example, four campers in this session decided they wanted to go on at least one trip in all the “outdoor adventure” programs.
Two friends in Cabin 25, Logan and Coleman, set this lofty goal for themselves. So did Logan’s brother Connor, and his friend Jameson in Cabin 16. They planned to go on all the out-of-camp trips mountain biking, climbing, hiking, and paddling, which is tough to do with just three weeks. However, with the exception of paddling, all four boys met their goal. They weren’t able to fit a paddling trip in since they were taking other trips at the same time, but they still got to get in a boat out-of-camp by going on a sailing trip. They’ve previously gone on paddling trips in other summers though, and are hoping to get all four trips in one session next year! (Maybe they’ll return for more time in Main Camp??)
The four boys didn’t waste any time, staying on trips all the way until the last day they were offered. Connor and Coleman just returned from their rock climbing trip yesterday! They went on a 3-day Linville Gorge adventure, and Connor climbed at Gilbert’s Rock earlier in the session as well. I asked him what trip had been the most challenging, and he said Gilbert’s was the hardest. “It’s because I learned how to tie a new knot,” he said proudly.
Jameson said his sailing trip was the biggest challenge. “I’ve never gone sailing before, so that was probably the hardest,” he said. Logan told me they went to Dupont for their mountain biking trip, and went on a day hike for their backpacking trip. They’re planning to return next year, and have their sights set on some paddling trips to tackle in 2022.
Many other boys have been working hard on their own personal goals as well. Three more examples are John Henry, Edward, and Jack, who completed the final tasks to earn Warrior at the F.A.R.M. yesterday! They’ve been working hard all session, often staying for multiple periods and during free choice time to complete their progression. They’re the first campers to achieve this rank since 2018! Yesterday morning they cooked eggs from the chickens with herbs from the garden during the activity periods (to complete the progression task of “cooking a meal with harvested items”). Afterwards, they also tilled a new bed in the garden so the Main Campers have more space to plant.
During free choice period yesterday, the three boys stayed to finish their Warrior rank. They helped gather food waste from the compost bins at the kitchen so we could feed it to the pigs and chickens. We talked about how using old leftovers as animal food/treats can help give a new purpose to the food that isn’t eaten in the Dining Hall, and we also discussed ways to cut down on our food waste, so there isn’t as much created in the first place. The leftovers are only a supplemental treat for the chickens and pigs, but they love getting the snacks. All the other food and paper waste is taken to an industrial composter. Learning about composting, recycling, and repurposing are all parts of the progressions at the F.A.R.M.
I asked John Henry how it felt to have his hard work pay off with the rank of Warrior, and he responded, “Amazing!” We hope that all the campers this session feel amazing about all they have achieved. We can’t wait to celebrate their accomplishments this afternoon, and enjoy reflecting on a great session together during Candlelight Campfire tonight. I’m sure the boys can’t wait to tell you about everything in person tomorrow!