Greetings from Chewonki and happy new year!
This is the quietest and darkest time of year on Chewonki Neck, just a few days past the winter solstice. For those of you from the “lower latitudes,” our planetary tilt has a remarkable effect on the environment here in Wiscasset, granting us only eight and a half hours of sunlight each day.
The farm is tucked under a blanket of snow, Montsweag Brook is littered with ice floes, and much of the campus is dark, with many staff away visiting family and friends for the holidays. Those that remain during the winter break have dotted the long twilight hours with a few warm lights from their windows and long curls of woodsmoke from their stoves.
I enjoy this quiet time in the heart of winter, as it gives me a chance to reflect on the past year, catch up on correspondence, and lay plans for the return of the sun and the long, busy spring and summer months ahead.
One thing I enjoy most is looking back through comments we’ve received from parents, teachers, and chaperones, and it makes me feel grateful for all the hard work our staff and volunteers contributed to make these nature-based educational experiences possible. Here are a few voices from the past year:
We are so grateful our daughter had this amazing experience--it was exactly what she needed to stay challenged academically, explore her passions, connect with peers and nature, be creative and exactly who she is.
Honestly it is just fantastic. No devices or connections with the news for kids for a few weeks is just what they need.
This was a life-changing experience for our daughter. She came home with renewed passion for learning, greater self-confidence, and a new curiosity about the world around her. We are so grateful that she had this opportunity and for the care, compassion, dedication, and teaching excellence she experienced from the entire faculty team.
I am overwhelmed with gratitude for what this experience has offered our students (and myself!). The lessons students learn while attending this week are invaluable - I wish every student in Maine could experience this!
Both of our sons have attended and have had incredibly personal experiences in each semester. I passionately believe in all of the things you do with the students you work with - building relationships, learning outdoors, developing life skills, having accountability for all of their learning and actions, and so much more.
...what I am always most happy about are the values and community-building qualities of the program. All staff are truly so kind, supportive and attentive. My son always returns from Chewonki a little taller, a little more mature, and a little more confident!
It was truly a wonderful trip. The Chewonki staff were fierce supporters of the students and helped support them through their toughest moments. They were constantly positive yet willing to remind students when they were sliding off course. I feel so lucky to have been able to be on this trip with them. I learned so much and would LOVE to do a trip with them again. Thank you, thank you!!!
My campers would like more s’mores!
Each year also brings its fair share of bumps, bruises, and learning moments (the staff like to call this “type II fun”), and through everything, I’m proud of the work Chewonki has accomplished this past year. I’m already looking forward to the next group of students arriving in two weeks for our spring term of Maine Coast Semester.
We’ve had several additions and promotions on the Chewonki team this year: we welcomed Ben King as the director of Camp Chewonki and introduced Kerianne Gwinnel to a new role as director of the Center for Environmental Education, accompanied by a suite of expanded program options. Katrina Light joined us as our new residential Farm Manager, Troy Mains has stepped up into the role of Director of Food Services, and Kaylan Scott has joined the camp team as Associate Director of Trips. And of course, I must say thank you to the dozens and dozens of new and returning camp counselors, trip leaders, teaching fellows, and back-of-house support staff who make the Chewonki campus alive and thriving day in and day out.
The other group of people I must share my thanks with is you, our fantastic network of alumni, parents, and friends. During my time here at Chewonki, it has become clear to me that “life-changing learning in nature” means very little without the friends we made along the way. Our alumni group is amazingly supportive, referring new families to our programs and contributing to our fundraising efforts. As a non-profit organization, we are only as strong as we are strong together! So thank you for being so strong.
In the year ahead, I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at one of our regional meet-ups (including an all-Chewonki gathering in NYC on February 7th!) at our next homecoming weekend in August 2026, in Chewonki People News, or perhaps at one of the many workshops or adult programs here on Chewonki Neck.
It gives me great joy that we can intentionally create caring learning spaces in nature that connect us and the beautiful world around us. We all have that gift, if we choose to use it. The darkest moment of winter is exactly when we start turning back toward the summer sun.
Happy New Year!
Nancy Kennedy
President, Chewonki Foundation
“And I remember every word of every voice I ever heard,
Every frog and every bird, yes, this is where it starts.
My brother’s laugh, the sighing wind, this is where my life begins.
This is where I learned to use my hands and hear my heart.”
I Knew This Place
-David Mallet
