This day of the year is always the best day and the worst day, all rolled into one. It’s the best day because we get to make the phone calls to four very deserving teenagers, asking them to be Deerhorn Leaders for the following summer. But it’s the worst day because we know we are also doling out disappointment to many more who are also incredibly deserving. Every year is hard, but we swear it gets harder every year. And this year feels like the hardest yet. This class of 15 year olds was all the adjectives…amazing, incredible, awesome, kind, funny, wonderful. They are the kind of kids you enjoy spending time with, the kind who make Deerhorn better just by being there. So to them we say, “Please come back.” They have a choice at this juncture how to respond to this news. They will be disappointed, yes. But we hope they will also be proud of their friends, and they will remember that no matter what, there will always be a place for them at Deerhorn. And we hope that they will remember that many of our best  staff members were never leaders, but they chose to come back for years to the place they call home.

And without further ado, we introduce to you the Deerhorn Leaders for the summer of 2018! Henry McQueen returns to Deerhorn for his 7th summer to lead the Apache. He lives in Toledo, OH.

George Landsberg returns for his 9th summer from Chicago, IL, to lead the 2018 Chippewa.

Nick Charlton is returning to Deerhorn, also for his 9th summer, to lead the Iroquois. He lives in Westmont, IL.

And finally, there’s Philip Meyers. He hails from Bronxville, NY and will be leading the 2018 Navajo for his 9th year at Deerhorn.

These four, they are amazing. For true embodiments of the Deerhorn Creed, one needs look no further. They live the Creed on a daily basis, but the line of the Creed that most represents them is “To be kind, because manliness requires kindness.” These four are endlessly kind to everyone they meet, they are always willing to lend a helping hand, and they are “boosters rather than knockers.” We can’t wait to spend the summer of 2018 with them!