Local Students Bring Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah’s History to the National Stage
At Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center, we are overflowing with pride for two longtime campers and young historians, Sydney Huffman and Adalyn Sheaffer, whose award‑winning documentary From One Pool to a Revolution: Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah and the Ripple of Inclusion continues to gain remarkable recognition across Virginia and the nation. Their project, which tells the story of the 1961 integration of the CKBY pools, has already earned top honors at the Virginia History Day state competition, where more than 400 students from across the Commonwealth competed after advancing from local contests that involved 1,200 students statewide. Virginia History Day is the state affiliate of National History Day, a program founded in 1974 that now involves over half a million students worldwide each year .
As part of their research, Sydney and Adalyn interviewed Randy Nelson, former Lynchburg City Council member, former CKBY camper and counselor, and current CKBY board member. Randy was just 10 years old in the summer of 1961 when, at Bev Cosby’s invitation, the first members of the African‑American community arrived at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah to swim in the pools. While many white families left the water in protest, Randy and his family remained in the pool, enduring jeers and harassment that day and in the years that followed. His firsthand account became a powerful centerpiece of the girls’ documentary and a living link between past and present.
Their work has drawn attention not only from historians and educators but also from civic leaders. The Lynchburg City School Board recognized Sydney and Adalyn at its May 19 meeting, celebrating their achievements and the importance of the story they chose to tell. As their teacher, Ms. Tristin Burke, wrote in an email to the CKBY team: “Sydney and Adalyn's documentary on Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah has been selected out of nearly 300 documentaries that were submitted to be showcased in the Oprah Winfrey Theater at the National Museum of African American History and Culture June 17th!” . This showcase selection, separate from the national competition, is an extraordinary honor and places their film on one of the most significant cultural stages in the country.
Sydney and Adalyn will also compete at the National History Day National Contest this summer, joining students from across the United States who advanced through local, regional, and state competitions.
To celebrate their achievements and the historic moment their film brings to life, Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah Nature Center will host a special community event:
The Ripple of Inclusion: 65 Years, 75 Summers, 100 Years of Bev Cosby
Stories of Courage, Community, and Camp
Saturday, August 29, 2026 • 2:00–4:00 PMThe Joy & Lynch Christian Warehouse Theatre, Academy Center of the Arts
Free admission • Registration required
The program will feature:
A public screening of Sydney and Adalyn’s award‑winning documentary
Reflections from Randy Nelson
Additional community speakers who will help illuminate the legacy of that historic summer
From all of us at Camp Kum‑Ba‑Yah: Congratulations, Sydney and Adalyn. Your friends at camp are cheering you on, and we are honored that your work is helping share this vital piece of Lynchburg’s history with the world.
