Lanalog
fall 2023
Dear Lanakila, Wow! It feels like yesterday we were all together walking up to Final Council Fire. I miss you all and find myself longing for the noise of the dining hall, the joy of “Rattlin’ Bog” in the barn and watching one of the greatest hockey tournaments of all time. After you all left, we welcomed 400 alumni to camp for our 100th year reunion. It was an incredible weekend reconnecting with old friends, while also packing in a summer of fun into two days. We had an assembly, Council Fire, a Sunday Gathering, a talent night,
campfire games, and so much laughter. The alums felt proud of the place that Lanakila continues to be and that is a testament to who you all are and how you preserve the values and beliefs that make Lanakila special. I can’t stop thinking about the power of our community, wondering how the fabric and significance of this place is created each and every summer. What is it that makes this place so special? Why is it that we feel such a bond with those around us, genuinely caring about each other? I think part of it begins with the reality that Lanakila asks us the question: Who do you want to be? continued on page 2
IN THIS ISSUE Director Letter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Did You Choose Curiosity?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Superpowers & Speculations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Lanakila Time Capsule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Rainbow Facts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Important Dates for Camp, 2024 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
We ask it in all sorts of places and it is woven into the ways we communicate and set up our programming. We ask you to clean up your tents every morning after breakfast. You get to ask yourself the question of who you want to be when you are tired, feeling lazy, or are frustrated with the way your tentmate didn’t take out the trash when you asked them to. When we play a game of baseball, we ask you who you want to be if you win, as well as who you want to be if you lose? Asking this question can be hard. It can be inconvenient because what we want doesn’t always match up with our feelings in the moment. At its core, I believe that we all want to represent ourselves as a good person. We want to be a great friend. We want to listen fully. We want to be happy. We want to feel good about the person we see in the mirror staring back at us. And if we are being honest, that is not an easy place to be until you start to get who you want to be lined up with who you are and what you do. When you do that though, you start to love three things: yourself, other people, and Lanakila. You start to see the ways in which these things can be taken home with you, can be incorporated into your lives, and can be acted upon. Lanakila changes us. It gives us a framework for going home, for taking on challenges, for re-entering the hallways of our schools, for how we interact with technology. I truly hope each of you will take what you learned at camp this summer and work towards incorporating it into your home lives. And I hope that when you find yourself forgetting some of the things you learned here, you will ask yourself the question, “Who do I want to be in this situation?” I hope to see you all during my travels this fall! Skol,
BRYAN PARTRIDGE Director of Lanakila 2
The Aloha Foundation
Lanakila-Cloud!
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Well, what about YOU? If you were to write a letter about your experience at Lanakila, what might you say? We asked you for FOUR words to describe camp and you gave us your best adjectives. Some we expected (we’re glad you had so much FUN) and some were a little bit surprising (juicy???). You sure had lots to say! In this word cloud, the biggest words are the ones we heard from you most!
how did you choose curiosity? At camp this year you were challenged in all sorts of ways — to be your best self, to try your hardest always, and to choose curiosity throughout. We asked you to tell us some of the ways you chose curiosity this summer. Here’s what you had to say... “ I’ve gotten into new activities that I really find joy in. I didn’t know if I would like them but I tried them because why not?” HENRY HOLLERAN, LAKESIDE
“ When my tent mate said Boating was going to be fun and it was.” WILL STEINHAUS, BROOKSIDE
“ I learned how to be a better person and friend.”
“ I stepped out of my comfort zone and went to a lot of departments and trips. I learned a lot from those trips.”
OWEN CATHCART, BROOKSIDE
NICHOLAS “MEEP” GOODWIN, LAKESIDE
“ I did archery even though I’m really bad at it.”
“ This summer I went on my first ever white-water canoeing trip. At first I was nervous but curious so I tried it and it ended up being the best trip I have ever been on.”
ROWAN UNGER, WOODSIDE
“ This year I was curious about choir and the Morey Marathon, so I tried both and they were really fun.”
LEO GREENBERG, HILLSIDE
TOBY STANKO, HILLSIDE
“ Asking questions and doing things that scared me. And learning how to front flip.”
“I tried new things like the ropes course.”
ANASTASIA MARNOCH, WOODSIDE
ANDREW OLDER, HILLSIDE
“ I finally went to Archery for the first time in 3 years.” BROOKS MARSHALL, LAKESIDE
“ I looked inside the counselor tent on the hill (it was not pretty).” GAGE DEMATTEO, BROOKSIDE
“ I thought I would not do Drama/Music this summer but I did and had fun!”
“ This summer I showed curiosity by trying the Exploring department for the first time.”
NOAH SMOLIN, WOODSIDE
HANS HILTON, WOODSIDE
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new Superpowers? Choosing curiosity is one thing, but what if you could choose a secret superpower? We asked you to pick: Super Speed, Super Vision, or Super Strength? Seems like each one has its advantages! “ Super strength if I didn’t have to keep it a secret and I would fold paper 10 times, but if I had to keep it a secret, I would have super vision as it is the easiest to keep secret.” – Kyle Davidson, Lakeside
“Super speed — no gas bills or car loans!” – Colin Helms, Hillside
“ If I had a secret power, it would be super speed because if I could go faster than light I could go back in time.” – Pietro Ruffato, Woodside
“Super speed because I feel like I could save the most lives and it would be fun.” – Benjamin Widing-Robbins, Brookside
“ Super speed because I already have super strength and I don’t know what supervision is.” – Mac Cobb, Lakeside “ Super strength so I would be better at sports and could carry all the groceries in at once.” – Jace Groskopf, Hillside “ Super speed because you can do things so fast that they won’t notice it.” – Benjamin Stuart, Woodside “ Super strength because it also gives you super speed because you get jacked legs.” – Odin Ma, Brookside “ I would choose super strength because I would love to be able to lift/move all of the super heavy things my dad can so I can be more help.” – Kameron Shahid, Hillside “Super vision because I always lose stuff.” – Luke Stewart, Brookside
“ Super vision because I could see in the dark, see really far away and really close without glasses. And it would also be easier to hide.” – Julian Bello, Hillside “Super speed because I play soccer and want to be fast.” – Nate Kofman, Woodside
“ I would have super strength so I could beat the monster in Lake Morey.” – Asher Bergman, Brookside “ Super vision because my vision is terrible, and it would be cool to see for miles.” – Devan Sheth, Hillside “Speed because my name’s Dash and it would be cool!” – Dashiell Partridge, Woodside
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The Aloha Foundation
A SONG FOR LANAKILA HEROES Music traditional English, lyrics by Robbie Pennoyer
We sing for heroes in our past, Who 2 Down for us the way; Who by their gifts, their hopes, their help Still 10 Across our lives today. There are those whose 9 Down we still recall, Whom we’d know by name or face, But 3 Down others set our course Through quiet acts of grace. We sing for 8 Across in our midst, Whose courage can inspire, Whose love for us feels undeserved And seldom seems to tire. There are those whose joy seems 6 Across ;
WHAT DO YOU THINK? We asked you what other jobs you think Ridge would be good at besides Camp Director, and it looks like you think he’s got options! Here were your most popular suggestions...
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS Those who’ll lose but not seek 12 Across And whose silent vict’ries over self Help us 1 Down to do the same. We sing for heroes still to come, Whose day has yet to 5 Down , Who will keep the 7 Down alive and strong, And with faith will pass it on. We can’t predict when they’ll 11 Down , What heroic acts they’ll do; But we’ll live for 4 Down , love, and truth, Just in case we’re heroes too.
“ I feel like he’d be a top player in some obscure sports league.” – Alex Gambera, Lakeside NBA Player Baseball, Football or Tennis Coach Professional Referee Cheerleader Sports Commentator
EDUCATION “ Ridge would be good at teaching because he knows so much. He also always has time for everyone!” – Will Cleborne, Brookside Teacher Principal of a Middle School Professor Kindergarten Teacher
THE ARTS “Author. His stories are TOP TIER.” – Henry Wilcox, Hillside Comedian Singer Writer Professional Rapper Actor
MISCELLANEOUS “Vice President of America.”– Donald Calder, Lakeside Therapist Grave Digger Plumber Chef Mopping Specialist Drill Sergeant Agent of Chaos Solution on page 8
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time capsule After camp this year, Lanakila held a celebration of its 100th anniversary! These shores have been hosting campers just like you for a looong time. As I shared during Carol’s Concert, many former campers and counselors wrote reflections on their experiences at Lanakila, what it meant to them during their time as a camper/counselor, and how that has translated into their lives. Here’s one from Rad Herold, whose time at Lanakila has spanned almost five decades!
In the 80s I was a camper at Lanakila. In the 90s, I returned as a counselor. I adored getting to know everybody, but especially the international staff. They represented so much I didn’t know. In 1996 at the end of the summer, I decided to travel across the USA with a Scottish counselor. I had never left the Northeast before. That trip led me to various jobs across the country, then to various jobs in Europe, then Australia, then back to Europe again. Many trips, many lives. I got married, divorced, met countless people, and learned languages. My world expanded, and my mind and perspective grew beyond a level I had previously known even existed.
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The Aloha Foundation
A Lanakila camper (just like you) sets out to enjoy a sunny day on Lake Morey in the summer of 1937.
In 2021, I returned to camp as a 48-year-old counselor because my nephews would be attending camp and I wanted to see their experience. It’s likely that after seeing all that life has to offer in the world and just growing older, a return back to a place you last worked 25 years before would feel like a step back, like you had not come far in life. Many places would feel that way. Not so at Lanakila. Despite a large difference in age, I came back to a place rooted in the same principles that sent me on a world voyage all those years ago. Kindness, home, support, knowledge and curiosity of the world, and Tyr strokes. I have had a 27-year-long voyage of learning, starting at, and circling back to Lanakila. Priceless. Rad Herold
Rainbow facts
It sure was a wet summer with lots and lots of liquid sunshine! But that didn’t get us down! Sometimes the best memories and stories (and mythology!) come from a little bit of adversity. Like a rainbow in the sky after the downpour. After camp we hit the books and learned a few things about rainbows that are out of this world! • Ancient Japanese belief held that rainbows were the bridges that human ancestors took to descend to Earth. • Earth is the only planet in the solar system where rainbows occur, BUT some astronomers think it’s possible for rainbows to occur on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. Titan has a wet surface and humid clouds. The sun is also visible from Titan, so it has all the ingredients necessary for rainbows to occur. • In ancient times, Greeks and Romans believed that rainbows were paths created by the goddess of the rainbow, Iris. Greek mythology holds that rainbows linked humans to the Gods. • Hindu culture teaches that the god Indra uses his rainbow bow to shoot arrows of lightning!!!
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2968 Lake Morey Road Fairlee, Vermont 05045
Mark your calendars for 2024! ENROLLMENT IS OPEN! FULL SEASON: Friday, June 28–Wednesday, August 14 1ST SESSION: Friday, June 28–Sunday, July 21 2ND SESSION: Tuesday, July 23–Wednesday, August 14 VISITING WEEKEND: Saturday, July 20–Sunday, July 21
A quiet afternoon alongside the lake as campers hang out and unwind before gathering again for the evening meal.
alohafoundation.org Crossword Solution