Director’s Reports

From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

July 6, 2026

From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

July 6, 2026

Just about every year I title one of my blogs as the above. We can transition from one to the other in a matter of seconds at this joint.

The all-camp meeting yesterday at high noon easily reached the former. Boys were asked to share the best ideas that came out of their cabin meetings. Some examples of the topics:

What are some challenges of living in a cabin with 6-22 other people?

What makes someone a good friend? Specific examples of something a cabinmate did that was kind.

What have veteran campers done to welcome new campers?

I was floored by the sophistication and the articulation that flowed from boys’ lips. One older camper urged the newcomers to hang in there, “since you have not been here long enough to love camp the way we do.” Not bad, eh?

Another stressed the importance of being nice, helpful and considerate. Maybe you don’t know it fully, but this is the main reason you send your sons to Kingswood.

I think ideas “stick” better when they come from one boy to another (others) more than when being preached to by the adults.

Accordingly, my sponsorship after dinner was to tell old camp stories down in the council circle. You can bet that I transitioned immediately into the ridiculous in recounting the craziness of camp in the 1950’s and 60’s.

Then it was off to the Inspection ice cream party where Mr. Pipes (Dusty) prevailed over even more silliness while dispensing with his treats.

By the way, Pipes will be delighted to learn of the description above!