What's Happening at Camp: Last Week of Summer 2015!

Can you believe it? We say it all the time because it’s always true. Where did the summer go? How can we possibly be in the last week of camp? The animals all sense it. You could see the woodchucks and the great Blue Heron becoming bolder this past weekend. When the tents come down, the canoes are put away, the docks are stacked, and that last bus drives down the driveway, nature’s own will have free run of the place. The sounds of “I’ve got a tribe that’s red hot…” will be replaced by the twitter of swallows and the call of ducks. And the campgrounds will become strangely, almost eerily, quiet.

The strains of “Green Alligators” will have to play in our minds over the winter like the strains of Peter Quince’s Clavier in Wallace Stevens’s famous poem of the same name, reminding us of the joys we shared this summer at Sewataro. At the end of our normal Overday, when Fitz leads us in our closing song, Kumbaya, he always asks us to think of all the kids around the world who are less fortunate than we are. It’s a worthy reflection, for we are fortunate indeed, fortunate to spend a summer together in play, making new friends, exploring the outdoors, challenging ourselves, building a real community of shared experiences, and having the time and support needed to process those experiences.

School and camp are complimentary phases of our development. Both involve learning, but the learning is of a different kind. In school, the learning comes from lessons, study, reading, and experiment; in camp, it comes from play. Camp is a reminder that life is not just about preparation for the future but also about living in the present. It’s about that feeling when your arrow zips into the yellow bullseye or when you ring the bell on top of the climbing tower. It’s about the swell of pride and satisfaction when your tribe gets the Spirit Award or when your goofy skit makes the whole camp laugh at Closing Exercises. It’s about that moment when the bass strikes your line like a bandit and you reel him in, or not. It’s about putting that final brilliant dab of color on your ceramic bowl at Arts and Crafts. Not everyone’s peak moments at camp are the same as those of others. You may have finally managed to hit that backhand over the net in a perfect arc. Someone else may have finally mastered the art of rhythmic breathing or the front crawl in the water or kicked the ball into the net just over the outstretched hands of the goalie. Whatever you enjoyed doing, we hope you will come back again next year, and find old friends and new friends, old joys and new joys at Sewataro.

We wish you all a wonderful school year with its own accomplishments and growth. Before you know it, it will be time for another terrific summer at Sewataro. Since many of you have requested us to open up our 2016 enrollment immediately, we have done just that. Next summer’s information and registration are all available online at our website, www.Sewataro.com. Our dates will be from June 27 – August 19. Fox and Bear Overdays: July 19 and August 16. Eagle and Senior Camp Overnights: July 7 and August 11. Register before November 1 and you will receive our early bird discount.

We’re sorry we had to cut the Overday short on Tuesday, but prudence, as they say, is the better part of valor. The sky and radar looked just too threatening to continue, and camper safety is always uppermost in our thoughts.

Thank you for joining us this summer. You have shown true Sewataro spirit, and we and all the counselors who have taken such good care of you will miss your smiling faces.