That’s The Way It Is
Wednesday, July 15th, 2026
TIPI CIRCLE circa 7:27pm—The setting sun slices across downtown Camp. Looking to the east, people are brightly lit, casting long shadows that project neatly on the tipi canvases. Looking west, people appear as dark silhouettes, the reflecting sunlight anointing them with glittering outlines. I gather a group of campers for a dramatically side-lit photo before letting them return to their volleyball circle. Tonight I’m gathering reviews of last night’s Teacher Talent Night.
“The dance act was cool,” says Shya, 14. “I’m looking forward to taking dance with Karma now. The poetry was good for hearing other people’s perspectives. I also liked SIlver’s ‘Heart Rock Spiral’ song.”
“I thought it was nice, but a little long,” says Ava, 14. “My favorite act was juggling; I loved the colors and how many people were in the act. I especially liked how Riley juggled three balls. He messed with them somehow, catching them in different places and moving them around as he juggled.”
“It was really inspiring,” says Dune, 14. “It was cool to see my counselors and other staff doing their stuff on stage. One act that stood out was Experimento where they had kid volunteers come up, and then they taught them a new song right there on stage. It’s cool how the teachers can hold your hand, so that you actually get to experience the skill as you learn it.”
“It was super cool to watch the teachers display their talents,” says Falcon, 14. “I liked in the unicycle act when Dinklefritz rode the tiny unicycle under the stilters legs—pretty good gag!”
“I liked the juggling act; the light-up pins were cool,” says Xicome, 14. “It just seems so complicated, as complicated as doing your taxes, but like doing three of them at once. The unicycle act was cool too. As a whole it was vibey.”
The conch blows and children begin gathering at the Fire Circle.
“Welcome to the Fire Circle everybody!” announces Restorative Justice Coordinator Silver Morningstar. “Let’s begin by honoring the fire tender, Bodhi.”
The crowd claps and cheers.
“Now I wanna try something new, and by new I mean old-school,” continues Silver. “You see, years ago Robert Greygrass would run this fire circle. He taught us to not clap at the end of a performance, but to offer something else, like ‘Good one!’ or ‘Mmmm’, or to send aura light. C’mon, let’s send aura light to Bodhi!”
The crowd imitates Silver, outstretching their arms and wiggling their fingers in the direction of the lanky 19-year-old arranging a pile of split logs. Not wanting to interrupt the circle, I stroll over to the nearby Loo-Loo station where I find Head of Acro G. Charron supervising the area from a camping chair, blowing streams of medium-large bubbles from a plastic wand. Here behind the tipis, there is enough sonic division to conduct the rest of my interviews. As I wait for subjects, the sound of the Fire Circle talent acts fills the background: a song, a poem, an announcement.
“Teacher Talent Night was dope,” says Simon, 14. “My favorite act was unicycling, though I’m kind of biased because unicycling is my favorite thing to do here. Besides that, I thought acro was cool with all of its flips and tricks. It made me feel inspired. The continuous flips over and over was really impressive. It’s like, ‘Wow! How do you control yourself?’ Overall, 75% on Rotten Tomatoes.”
“All the songs were really powerful,” says Teen Staff Jade. “The one about how BART wouldn’t go to Marin County because they didn’t want poor people to come, that gave me chills. It was a softer song on the sad side, but with a message of equality. It’s cool to see all the different personalities shining through.”
The bathroom traffic has slowed so I stroll back to the Tipi Circle, now noticeably cooler and darker. A small fire curls around a tripod of logs.
“I have a friendly public service announcement!” chimes Silver to the audience. “If you need to go from one side of the circle to the other, please go around,” he says, modelling the behavior. “It may take a little longer, but you get there just the same. Now if for some reason you have to cross the circle—and you shouldn’t—you need to pretend like you’re in an episode of M*A*S*H, crossing the helicopter fields.” He demonstrates, quickly striding while doubled over to avoid the imaginary helicopter blades, arms outstretched for balance. The children giggle at the antics, while the adults giggle at the dated TV reference.
“I want to appreciate you all for trying out not clapping tonight,” continues Silver. “I know it can be hard to remember; it’s part of our culture, and that’s valid. Robert wanted to share something from a different culture, so I’d like to keep trying it out. Here’s another good response to give at the end of an act: ‘That’s the way it is.’”
“That’s the way it is,” echo the campers.
“And now please make welcome to the Fire Circle, Abby!”
A young girl enters the circle, and asks the crowd for a volunteer. Dozens of hands shoot up, and she considers her options carefully. She finally picks a volunteer, another young girl.
“I want you to count to sixty,” says Abby to the volunteer, who obliges, quickly counting upward. The crowd listens intently to this unremarkable yet mysterious feat. Soon the volunteer has reached sixty. Abby pauses for a moment.
“Now you have just wasted sixty seconds of your life!” she exclaims. The crowd erupts in a chorus of laughter and “That’s the way it is!”
Stay hydrated,
—J. Payseno, Editor