The State of the Kingswood Union is Strong.
What a terrific summer we just had in 2018! We have so many good things going at Kingswood for which we are grateful. I’d like to share some of them.
We are so thankful for our wonderful community — our campers, our staff, and you parents. When all three groups work together to provide an environment which is safe, welcoming, and supportive- happy summers are quite certain to occur.
Campers
Both generosity of spirit around camp and sportsmanship on the playing fields continued to be outstanding as Kingswood has always enjoyed a terrific “tradition of expectation”. While we don’t like to get preachy with the boys, we seldom miss opportunities to insert discussions about values whenever we can. Events like the football tournament, PGB basketball, the 4th of July, and Bow and Arrow Week all work tremendously well because our camp community buys in to our collective agreement that sportsmanship will be the foundation of the fun and inclusiveness of the occasion.
Last summer, as always, our older campers led by example and helped set a welcoming tone for our younger and first-time campers. As a new twist for the summer of 2018, Guides (the 15 year olds) volunteered to be “big brother” mentors of younger campers, and did things such as sat with their charges at council fires and cookouts, buddied with them at free-swim, and taught them the camp Frisbee golf course. We look forward to growing this program in future summers.
Now, about those new campers in 2018- what a rookie class! We had 109 first-timers last summer who injected fresh enthusiasm into every camp event. A substantial percentage of these boys are already re-enrolled for 2019 and we know they will be a strong nucleus moving forward. Why? They have made the “buy-in” to that camp ethos we are stressing in this commentary.
We are fortunate to have a tremendous living history at camp. The anecdotes that Mr. Wiff, myself, and others tell at our weekly council fires are excellent examples: while the primary goal of storytelling is to spin an entertaining tale, these accounts also work to give the community a shared sense of history and to elaborate on the values we cherish as a camp. When I talk of the five-day flood of rain we encountered on a long hike years ago, boys catch on to the need for endurance. And when dad, Mr. Wiff, speaks of homesickness at camp in the 1950’s or losing the championship softball tournament finale in 1961, his sharp recollections check some of those boxes of lessons to be learned at camp. Each summer the boys help add to our collection.
Staff
A great deal of the credit for our happy summers can be attributed to our strongest asset- our staff. To a person, the Kingswood staff shares the camp’s values and supports an environment where people feel part of something bigger than themselves. Very simply, they want to give back to a place that has given so much to them. Having accrued well over 900 summers of collective Kingswood experience on the staff, with 16 school teachers leading the way, we know that our treatment of your children is professional and caring. 
This past summer, Becky and I made it a priority to focus on improving the staff mentoring and feedback programs for our newer counselors. Long-time staffers spent many hours observing activities, providing younger counselors with feedback, and simply listening to their concerns. Having seasoned veterans like Drew Vanasse and Mac Kelly leading CIT program gives us all confidence that Kingswood will continue to “grow our own staff” for many years to come.
I just returned from a camp conference where I sat in on a number of veteran director roundtables. The consensus among many other camp leaders is that it is becoming harder and harder to staff camps with caring, capable, and motivated individuals. Not so at Kingswood- our staff retention rates are outstanding!
Parents
I can’t tell you how much we appreciate the buy-in we get from you parents. Your partnership with us makes what we do on a daily basis at camp possible. Again, from the same roundtable discussion: the camp directors all agreed that parental endorsement is essential when it comes to addressing challenging camp issues such as homesickness or discipline. I got the sense that some camps are finding that cultivating this all-important relationship to be evermore challenging. Again, not so at Kingswood where the parents are a lifeline to us.
When Kingswood has a homesick camper, for instance, we feel that including the parents in our discussions is a hugely important part of the process-not only to provide transparency and communication, but also to draw on parental input to help guide us in resolving the issue. Before camp even starts, we value getting to know you during home visits or video calls. The information you provide and the work you do with us to prepare your son for camp are invaluable in shaping his experience. During the summer, we love seeing you at drop-off and visiting days, and welcoming your input via email or phone calls while camp is ongoing.
In time, “getting to know you” evolves into “treasuring you as friends.” Moreover, once you reciprocate the relationship, communication becomes easy, as compatriots always make for great teammates. We’ll go so far as to contend that the Kingswood directors can get to the bottom of almost anything so long as we are working in harmony with our camp parents.
What’s Next: The Dining Hall
All of this being said, we never want to become complacent. One of the keys to maintaining a healthy culture is to never rest on our laurels. Not only are we taking steps to nurture our community, but we are pushing ahead with several new projects on campus, one of which we are delighted to tell you about now:
Surely anyone who was on campus this summer noticed the substantial improvements to the foundation and ground floor of the dining hall. It was a massive project that took all of last “off-season”, and which has now enabled us move on to the kitchen dining room. Boy do we have plans for those two spaces! First of all, the kitchen- which already puts out the best camp food anywhere- will be getting all new equipment and a new floor plan which will aid in the food prep process.
The dining room will feel roomier as some of the kitchen storage space will be moved downstairs and that space reclaimed for the eating area. The dishwasher will also be moved back into the kitchen, which will both be aesthetically pleasing and quieter. We are adding large windows to the back wall- thus allowing in lots more natural light as well as fresh air.
Speaking of light- you can say goodbye to the old institutional style fluorescent lights! We are upgrading to recessed LED lights, on dimmers, which will be able to light the room to any mood. We have some fun ideas for the ceiling as well. The wood floor will also be sanded and refinished. Suffice to say, an already great space will be made much more cozy and inviting. All of these changes make great sense given that the entire camp community spends upwards of three hours each day in this space.
As in the actual presidential State of the Union address, pauses for applause are expected throughout its rendering. I hope you, too, are clapping for Kingswood and all positive aspects of our very upbeat annual report. I’m very grateful for the wonderful community you all have helped us to create, and I’m excited by the new changes we have coming up, which will make Kingswood Camp an even better place to spend the summer!
Sincerely,
Rob Wipfler