Shabbat-O-Gram 07-31-2026

Dear Kingswood families and friends,

After six summers of taking campers to Funtown Splashdown (FTST), this week, I finally went on Dragon’s Descent and Excalibur – the two scariest rides at the park!

It happened accidentally, because Dylan (Head of A&C) and I were both too cold for our FTST tradition of going down my favorite slide in the park – The Tornado. The tradition evolved out of both of us being scared of The Tornado and trying it together. Once we both admitted neither of us wanted to get any wetter, he suggested we try something else in the park that neither of us had done before. He reluctantly offered Dragon’s Descent, and my heart skipped a beat. The ride that takes you slowly up and up and up and then just drops you down suddenly?! Yea, not for me. No way.

For the last nine FTST trips, I had come up with every excuse in the book when kids asked me to ride it with them. I was too busy checking on groups…I had to monitor the candy shop…I was already soaking from the slides. The reality was I was terrified! I wasn’t just scared – I am NOT a rides person.

But he asked in front of a couple of girls from G19 and G14. They were shocked to learn that I had never been on the ride. After talking me through my fears of big rides, hanging upside down, and feeling like I’m going to go off the edge of a cliff, they convinced me to give Dragon’s Descent a try.

In the 20 minutes between when we came to the decision and when we made it to the front of the line, I changed my mind 10 times. But word had spread that Dylan and I were scared newbies, so by that point we had a green-shirted cheering section and a crew of others going on it with us.

Dylan and I reassured each other that nobody would judge us if we bailed. We reminded each other that even though we just spent the last ten minutes repeating that we can do hard things, maybe this hard thing didn’t need to be done today.

But we stayed in line. Eventually, the gate opened, we found open seats, and we buckled in. We started lifting slowly, higher and higher, until we were above the roller coasters, the trees, and any semblance of sanity. When all of a sudden we dropped, I let out a scream, but it wasn’t out of fear, it was out of exhilaration. I loved it!

It was so fun that we kept up the momentum, literally running across the park like 10-year-olds toward Excalibur – the biggest wooden roller coaster in Maine, and the other ride I would have NEVER gone on before this week. Because I am so NOT a rides person.

That expression, that I’m ‘not a rides person.’ What is that about? When did I decide that? Why do we do that to ourselves? How many fun rides have I missed out on over the years because I decided at some point that I’m not a rides person?

Kids learn this from us. I hear it all the time at camp.

“I’m not sporty.”

“I’m not a theater kid.”

“I’m not outdoorsy.”

“I’m not artistic.”

“I’m not a team sports person.”

“I’m not a singer.”

“I’m not…”

What strikes me is that those statements almost never describe who a camper actually is. More often than not, they’re describing one moment.

One game where they struck out.

One audition that didn’t go the way they hoped.

One soccer team where they didn’t have a buddy.

One embarrassing moment in front of ‘cooler’ classmates.

Somewhere along the way, one experience quietly became an identity. They have a hard moment, don’t want to feel that again, and so they eliminate the risk completely. But we don’t grow from staying in what’s easy and known.

One of the reasons I believe overnight camp to be so powerful is that at camp those stories can be more easily interrupted.

A camper who has decided they’re “not a team sports kid” finds themselves on an Intercamp volleyball team because some of their bunkmates are playing and they need one more player. A camper who swears they’ll never get on stage somehow ends up in the play because their counselor is helping at auditions.  A camper who’s ‘not a heights person’ tries the zip line by the end of the session because a ropes specialist they trust sleeps next to them in the bunk.

Campers take these leaps not because anyone forced them, but because someone they trust and like believes they can, and they’re comfortable enough at camp to take a risk that is so scary that they’ve let it define them.

We spend so much time talking about the dangers of peer pressure that we sometimes forget about its incredible power for good. Add to that the quiet superpower of overnight camp, that when kids connect with their counselors, they care deeply what they think.

As parents, I know that has the potential to sting a little. You can spend years telling your child they can do something, only to have a counselor say exactly the same thing, and suddenly it’s received as indisputable fact.

It’s not that counselors are more important than parents, but counselors live in this unusual space somewhere between older sibling, best friend, favorite babysitter, and coach. They’re close enough to be admired, but far away enough to feel aspirational. When a counselor says, “Come on, I’ll do it with you,” kids want to.

That’s one of the reasons this weekend’s Shabbat theme, L’dor Vador – from generation to generation – feels so perfect for Big/Little Shabbat. This weekend, Chalutzim, our oldest campers, are leading Shabbat together with their Olim buddies, our youngest campers.

At first glance, it looks like a sweet buddy program, but I think something much more important is happening.

The younger campers are borrowing courage.

They’re watching how the older campers stand in front of the community, how they speak, how they lead, how they include others, and how they carry themselves.

Chalutzim campers don’t see themselves as teachers, but they are. Every interaction quietly says, “You can do this too.”

That’s what L’dor Vador has come to mean to me.

We’re not just simply passing traditions from one generation to the next. We’re passing confidence, courage, and kindness. We’re passing the belief that the story you’ve been telling yourself about who you are isn’t finished yet.

This week it took Dylan and some very determined campers to convince me that maybe I could be a “rides person.” It makes me wonder how many other stories we tell ourselves are simply waiting to be rewritten.

Just a few minutes ago, as I was writing this, a group of eighth grade girls stopped by my office, fresh off the bus from their camping trip. They couldn’t wait to tell me how much they loved it.

“I guess we’re trip people now,” one of them laughed.

I smiled because I knew exactly what she meant. Not that every camper suddenly loves camping trips, theater, tennis, or roller coasters. But that every summer they discover something about themselves that they didn’t know before.

Maybe they like the feeling of having teammates. Maybe they’re someone who loves sleeping under the stars in a tent.

Maybe they’re an overnight camp kid after all.

If that’s what can happen in one summer, imagine what can happen over five…or six…or seven.

Campers here aren’t just growing up, they’re growing into themselves.

Wishing you and your family a peaceful Shabbat,

P.S. Tomorrow we open early registration for Summer 2027! You are guaranteed a spot in your child’s current session until September 1. After that, registration opens to new families. This year nearly 90% of our 2025 campers came back, and we anticipate waitlists again in many of our grades and sessions. While it’s crazy to think about registering now for next summer, you’ll save $1000 by registering before Sept 1. Once you register, you’ll be in the loop for all 2027 events and news!