It sure was a wonderful morning to welcome in all our July campers! I really enjoy visiting with parents and catching up with new and reutnring campers.
As the arrivals trickled down to just a few remaining campers who were flying, it was time to get up to lunch. The first meal was a solid staple of chicken fingers, fruit, and several salad bar items. A good simple meal to keep it safe on opening day. While it was a little warm this morning, our expected afternoon thunder shower brought the temperature back down to a wonder 75 degrees. We still got in all of our prcesses and details.
We are so excited for all our Mini I boys who have just joined the High Rocks family! I know many of you are here for the first time. What a great session to step into for your first year! The four-week boys will be a big part of your son’s experience and they will certainly help show them the way. While the Mini I guys will move about in their own way during the evening program, they will be part of the same experience that the four-week boys are also experiencing. My hope is that these minis will also be month-long campers someday.
Just as I had hoped and experienced many times in the past, these boys picked up right where they left off just 48 weeks ago. It was like camp just let out yesterday. All the joys, wonders, and friendships were re-kindled just like a campfire. As I grow older in this world of High Rocks it has become one of my favorite experiences. Boys are funny, though. While many of these guys have come back year after year, you can still tell there is a nervous and excitable moment for them every opening day. Many, but not all, are not completely in touch with these feelings. I hear it all the time how worm out these boys are by lunchtime. I must remind them that opening day morning is always a big deal. And whether they realize it or not, they have burned a lot of nervous energy by lunch. The beauty is that the nervousness fades and the fun begins. The activities begin, the cool cards go out the door, and a new summer at High Rocks has begun!
After lunch, we moved right into some fun activities including field games, swim tests, and even some age group meetings. The big deal this afternoon was selecting our activity schedules for the session. While the activities they sign up for are a ton of fun, we also want them to “work” through a progression. It’s a learning process that has been around since our inception. New for this year is a specific level progression for every activity. These “Levels” will be recorded in the database so that they carry-over from year to year. We also have some really cool patches that will be a big part of the experience. The biggest focus is the work/reward balance. Enjoying the success and even being invited on cool trips where we can test our new skills. We will get into some more of that later.
We will send out an email to you about your sons’ schedules around lunchtime tomorrow. You can also find his up-to-date schedule on my.higrocks.com along with trips he has taken during the session. We ask the boys to choose five different activities. They can change on Wednesdays and Sundays, and they always get into the activities they want. Again, look for an email and update around lunchtime tomorrow.
After some great evening activity field games, we all headed back to the cabins for some showers and a wrap-up to the day. Each cabin had a small cabin meeting to go over some ground rules and highlights to finish up the day just as the lights out bell was ringing.
IMAGES AND GALLERIES
Option 1: High Rocks Photo Gallery (Free)
The High Rocks Photo Gallery is completely free to log in and browse through the daily photos. For new families, login information was sent this afternoon! For returning families, your login from last year will work. You can use the “forgot password” link if you need a new one. Send me a quick email if you need assistance.
Like in previous summers, each nightly blog will link to the daily photos posted on the High Rocks Photo Gallery!
Option 2: Waldo Photos (Paid – Facial Recognition & Downloads)
Waldo Photos uses facial recognition technology to automatically find photos of your son in our daily uploads and text them straight to your phone. Cost is $39.99 per camper for the session. You can see all the same daily photos found in the free gallery, just on Waldo site with their automated features and high-resolution download access. Sign up here!
When Will Photos Be Uploaded? Around 9:00 pm each night, we will post the blog and photos to the free High Rocks gallery. By 11:00am the next morning, we will upload the same photos to Waldo for facial tagging.
For a full breakdown of both services, you can visit our updated Blog & Photos Page.
It is an honor and a privilege to host your son here at High Rocks. We will do our best to give him the best possible experience summer camp has to offer. If you ever need anything, please reach out. It is going to be an amazing two and four weeks!
-Don Gentle
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