CAMPER NEWSLETTERS

Camp Scatico 11/21/24 Camp Scatico 11/21/24

Fall 2024, Edition 104, Issue #1

News From Elizaville

At camp, we always look to embrace the moment. From the obviously spectacular—180-degree double rainbows to impeccably-timed fly-overs by the resident bald eagle; from last-second game winners (fill in the sport) to spot-on Divisional Sing performances that equally elevate the group and the audience. If you look carefully, there can be magic at any time in any day.

Hopefully, there’s another kind of wonder revealed in the behind-the-scenes tours of camp I take bunks on each summer. What’s beneath that mysterious mound to the right of the front gate? An 1800s ice house (when ice was harvested from the lake in the winter to use as refrigeration year-round). The bricked up fireplace in the basement of the Admin Building? That’s where the farmhouse kitchen was located in the 1800s (pre-plumbing days and with an outhouse out back). Those ruins atop the ridge on the path to the girls campfire site (the highest point in camp)? Remnants of a water tower that supplied water to camp pre-1960. Can anyone explain why a tree has grown fully around the vestiges of an upright piano in the woods behind the Cove tennis court? Probably not, but we can always make something up.

The tours also take a peak at the camp infrastructure. What does a treatment and well system look like that can provide thousands of gallons of water every 24 hours? (Two thousand gallon holding tanks are pretty big and surprisingly cold to the touch on a hot day.) How do you store 4 to 5 days of food to serve close to 500 people daily? (Start with 4 walk-in refrigerators, 6 freezers, and several rooms for storing dry goods.)

Clearly, if you take the time to look, there’s magic and wonder to see at so many times and in so many places. And maybe the most magical and wonderful moments are those that surround us every day. And are the simplest. Walking with bunkmates to a meal and debating whether the tree-lined road or lake path is more scenic. Playing cards at a picnic table outside your cabin during the free time before dinner. Queueing up outside the HC bunk with campers of all ages for chocolate milk and cookies at 9PM taps....

As the summer of 2025 approaches, we will look to celebrate both the once-in-a-generation and the everyday routine. And I’m already plotting some new locales for the behind-the-scenes explorations. Does that stone wall running randomly through the woods really date to the 1700s?

Summer of 2024: Memorable Moments:

August 9. A torrential downpour during the middle of Color War leads to an epic mudslide on boys campus.

Opening Campfire. Led by the Graduating Soopers, returning campers light the candles of first-time campers. Everyone will make a wish for the summer and then blow candles out simultaneously.

Staying In Touch

Our first “Staying In Touch” column of the 2024-25 off-season and, as always, we’ll start with Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes)—unplanned sightings of members of the community outside of the 12523....

The deep playoff runs for the Mets and Yankees provided a few RSS opportunities. Watching the Mets at Citifield: Boys head counselor Mark Gretenstein and Charlie Oren; former head counselor Cory Schwartz with Noah Stiefel and his dad Marc (a camp doctor); and Counselor Emmett Miller and 2024 Upper Senior Spencer Hellman.

In the Bronx for the Yankees: Mark (no NY favoritism from this Miami native) and assistant director Audrey Fleischner with 2025 Upper Senior Jonah Cooper and his dad Jon. If you’re keeping score at home, the dads Marc and Jon were divisionmates, counselors, and group leaders together in the 1980s-90s....

Jonah scores a double-RSS for this issue after discovering Liav Klein on the opposing team for a September AAU basketball tournament in New York City. (A spe- cial shoutout to Liav for the green-and-white attire.)....

Sam, Tyler, Michael, Kerri, Amy and Lainey

This month’s exotic RSS locale? The Journey Behind the Falls tour at Niagara Falls. Girls head counselor Kerri Winderman and her husband Michael (Scatico’s top flag football referee!) were on a pre-college drop-off road trip with their son Tyler (on their way to the University of Michigan) when they spotted campers Lainey and Sam Tunick and their mom Amy. Kerri and Amy overlapped as campers and counselors in the 1980s-90s.

Other camp news.... At UMich, Kerri and Tyler connected with fellow Scaticonians Noalee Rubin, Scarlett Hartstein, Ethan Rotko, and Emma Rotko (visiting her older brother). By our count, there are 11 current and former staff and campers currently attending the University....Heading west, former counselors and campers Isaac Greenblatt, Charlie Bochner, and siblings Lara, Brooke, and Michael Tostoi held a Scatico get-together at the University of Colorado in Boulder.... Thirteen of 16 divisionmates made the trip to Pittsburgh, PA, for the Bat Mitzvah of Rosie Marcus. Most impressive was Georgia Riccio making the trip north from Texas.... Greetings from San Francisco—where Carson Beer and Alex Callahan are classmates (and sent in this photo as they headed off on a school trip).... And lots of divisional bowling reunions: the 2024 Frosh, Sub Junior, and Junior boys and Junior girls (all at the same alley on the same day)....

Send news, non-news, and photos for the Winter issue of the Newsletter to info@scatico.com.

Tyler, Kerri, Noa, Scarlett, Ethan and Emma

Isaac, Charlie, Michael, Lara and Brooke

On the Horizon

In the Winter Issue of the Camper Newsletter: More results from the 2024 Camper Survey (last chance to send back your forms) as well as updates on program and capital plans for next season.
For Families: The Camper Portal with paperwork like the packing list and medical forms will go live in January.... Campers (and parents) love visiting Scatico in the off-season. The fall foliage season may have come and gone, but winter looms on the horizon. Sledding on the golf course hills. Taking in the ice-fishing on the lake. Walking across the lake from the Clubhouse to the Woodshop. Obligatory stop(s) for pizza at Sal’s and/or ice cream at Holy Cow. Just email in advance so we can provide a weather up-date (and confirm snow cover or if the lake is frozen).

Home Sweet Home

(at least when not in Elizaville)

Totals include 2024 enrollments and 2025 first-time Scaticonians.

Campers represent 14 states, 1 district, 8 countries, 5 continents, and 1 world.

Westchester 25.2%
NYC 16.5%
New Jersey 14.6%
Connecticut 9.1%
Long Island 6.1%
Other* 6.1%
California 5.8%
International** 5.8%
Metro DC 3.2%
Upstate, NY 2.6%
Massachusetts 2.3%
Florida 2.3%

*Other includes Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Colorado, Texas, Vermont, and Illinois.

**International includes Spain, France, Hong Kong, Austria, Ghana, Kenya, and Ecuador.

The Pie Tins and Cotton Balls Mystery

Lucy and Abby at work in Outdoor Adventure

One annual fall task is to read through the program evaluations, inventories, and next-season recommendations as completed by Scatico’s program directors. One 2025 supply request by Will Bussert, the head of Outdoor Adventure, generated a little head-scratching. Thirty pie tins and 300 cotton balls. One text to Will later and the mystery was solved: “It’s a less messy and safer way to practice starting a fire with flint and steel.” He even attached a photo to his response. Can a first Scatico appearance on “Survivor” be far off?

Survey Says Early voting before the polls close...

Favorite activity? Cooking will defend its 2023 championship. Favorite special event? Divisional Sing. In the interest of full disclosure (and to prevent a landslide in the results), we didn’t include Color War as a full-camp Special Event (limited to activities taking place in a single day). The 4th of July (BBQ, talent show and Fireworks) and the Carnival finished just behind the Divisional Sing in 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

Subs as pirates sailing the “Suben Seas”.

Frosh go with the barefoot, swim-trunk, and clean-white-T look.

Chefs Ally and Alejandro. Homemade tortillas?

Let’s play....Guess the theme day/activity!

Every now and then a division needs a bit of a pivot from the regular schedule. This is when their group leader and staff put on their super hero capes and invent (concoct) a day/activity program around a certain theme. If playing at home—Good Luck!

Camp Scatico 6/5/24 Camp Scatico 6/5/24

Spring 2024, Edition 103, Issue #3

2023 Graduating Upper Seniors are all returning as Junior Counselors in 2024. Maybe ready to reprise their poetry recitation at the 4th of July Talent Show?

As might come as no surprise… When I was a camper in the late 1960s and early 70s, springtime was filled with excitement and anticipation for the approaching summer—probably beginning from the moment in May when my parents lined up the four hard trunks (no duffels then!) for me and my three siblings on the living room floor (and the chaos began). On a recent drive to Elizaville, I channeled my school-aged self to remember those specific things that I looked forward to most. Long languid afternoons playing Rec Hoops on the A Court during afternoon optional periods. Cookout dinners at the campsite behind the ballfields, that indescribable sense of remoteness, the swirl of smoke ascending to a darkening sky. Endless games of Hearts with bunkmates huddled on three beds pushed close together, made even better with the sound of rain on the roof or a counselor soon to tell us to please put the cards away because the mess call bugle sounded 5 minutes ago. As much as I loved (and still love) the energy of full-camp special events, it was (and is) those moments of routine, when time slows comfortingly to a creep, that has me still thinking ahead about what’s to come. All of the above, speaks to the rhythm of camp life and time spent with friends.

So, what’s on the springtime minds of the current generation of campers and staff? What “firsts” are people looking forward to the most? Who better to ask than the 21 graduating Upper Seniors and Soopers from 2023, who will all return as Junior Counselors (first-year staff members) in 2024? So, we asked—and they answered. A few responses:

• Excited to be in the dining hall doing cheers;

• Evenings on girls side at the Campitheater, when a division is running the activity;

• My bunk all unpacked and decorated, and for the first dinner when we all get to do
“We’re All Together Again”;

• Activit[ies] at my specialty area;

• Watching everyone walk in the bunk on Opening Day and not knowing the amazing
summer they’re about to have—and so many memories to be made;

• Seeing all my friends again on the first day—that feeling is one of the best.

As the final countdown winds down, I imagine some nervousness mingling with the excitement, especially for the 50-plus first-time campers getting ready for their first Opening Days, their first group activities, their first general swims, their first… As I often like to share that first time the entire camp sits together around a campfire: “Look around the circle. Everyone you see, from the youngest first-year camper to members of senior staff who began their Scatico careers more than 30 years ago—everyone had a first Opening Day.”

We’ve all been there. We can imagine how you feel. And probably quite a few of us are jealous of the journeys about to begin.

Staying In Touch

The final Staying In Touch column of the 2023-24 off-season. When next we “meet” it won’t be through the Newsletter, but in the 12523 (a certain zip code). Nothing makes us happier than reports of Random Scatico Sightings (RSS)…. Siblings Luke and Spencer Zuckerman clearly have tapped into the Rangers’ Sloan, Luke, Hockey RSS magic. Luke connected with bunkmate Sam, and Sandy Sam Tunick recently at Madison Square Garden in New York (with Luke’s dad Sloan and Sam’s Uncle Sandy Paul—both Scatico alumni—joining in the photo). 2024 Sooper-to-be Spencer spotted counselor Mason Lava at the Rangers-Islanders outdoor game at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in January…. Another 2024 Sooper, Jess Hochberg, ran into the Shapiro sisters (Quinn and Sidney) while shopping in Manhattan…. Asher Kazi, playing in a road basketball game for his Ardsley, NY, middle school team, was thrilled to find a bunkmate cheering the opposing home team (and him)—Mason Florin. Talk about conflicting loyalties…. On the beach in the Cayman Islands in February, it was a joyous scream that announced a divisionmate RSS between Zoey Koretsky and Parker Percival…. Some of last year’s graduating campers (now in 11th grade) were on the road during winter vacation touring colleges. Bunkmates Rob Orseck (from Washington, D.C.) and Dylan Schmeidler (from New York City) found themselves together on a tour at Haverford College (with Dylan’s twin sister Kayla, who didn’t make the photo).

On to some non-RSS news…. Congratulations… to Scatico mom Jessica Saunders (daughters Frankie and Sylvie Eichel) on the publication of her first novel, “Love, Me.” Current campers and their parents joined the celebration at a January Q&A at a Manhattan Barnes & Noble;…. To 2024 Sub Maddy Klein, who starred as Karen in her middle school’s production of “Mean Girls”;…. And to second-year street hockey counselor Nick Mozga, upon finishing a long and successful junior hockey career. In the photo with Nick are his parents Pavel (from the Czech Republic) and Maggie from (Poland), who first met at Scatico as members of support staff in the 1990s. Nick and his older sister Natalie, returning as counselors this year, will attend college at Prague University in September.

Top row (L to R) Barcelona reunion; Dylan and Rob; Book Launch

Middle row (L to R) Mason and Asher; Sidney, Quinn, and Jess; Jonah and Nat

Bottom row (L to R) Nick; Zoey and Parker; Maddie in Mean Girls

Traveling to Boston to play in a basketball tournament, 2024 Senior Jonah Cooper visited the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA, sending in a photo from an exhibit featuring Scatico founder Nat Holman. Uncle Nat was inducted into the HoF as a player and coach in 1964…. Scatico reunion in Barcelona: sisters Kate and Emma Miller met up with Andie Perez (Emma studying abroad for the semester). Andi returns for her 4th summer on staff this year (maybe a record for a counselor from Spain!) and as the division leader for the Soopers. Her brother Marco is back for his third summer as a lifeguard and teaching sailing.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to Staying In Touch this year. Next stop, Elizaville!

New in the 12523

It’s been a busy off-season in Elizaville—with a range of projects completed and new equipment/supplies ordered. Some highlights:

Buildings

A 700-foot extension on Cove C;
Air conditioning in the Canteen;
New decks built on to the Clinic and the Girls Art Studio;
A new porch on the Clubhouse;
New showers and/or glassboarding in multiple camper cabins;
A rebuilt quarry stone floor in the dining room kitchen.

Program Areas

New equipment for the Boys Weight Room;
A repaneled Girls Music and Media room;
A new pitching machine at Girls Athletics;
New dugouts for the main baseball field on the Boys Ballfields;
Newly resurfaced A Basketball Court—with baskets that will now adjust to accommodate Hoops Leagues for younger campers;
Lights on the B Basketball and main Girls Volleyball courts.

March Madness

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s March Madness contest: Jamie Segal, Ford Watson, Carly Hodes, and Daphne and Ellis Zuckerman (joint sibling entry). The 2024 there was “Scatico Senses”—and Best Touch (jumping in the lake) defeated Best Sight (sunset on the lake) in the finals. The other “senses” to reach the Final Four were Best Sound (campfire singing) and Best Taste/Smell (Holy Cow ice cream after a tournament or hike).

Welcome to Scatico—Class of 2024

As of this writing, we will have 55 first-time campers at Scatico this summer. They’ll be traveling to Elizaville from 9 states and 2 countries. We are so excited to welcome them and their families. They will account for nearly 20 percent of the entire camper population.

For Parents

As a reminder, we need all luggage to arrive at camp no later than June 21. You can drop off duffels and trunks anytime between June 1 and June 21 at the main office;
Or… Send using Ship Camps (www.shipcamps.com), an independent service supporting camps throughout the United States.
Or… ship luggage by UPS or FedEx Ground to: Camp Scatico, 1558 County Route 19, Elizaville, NY, 12523.
Camper forms due on the Camper Portal on June 1.

From the 12523 to the World

Each summer we aim to embody From the 12523 to the World (one of the 4 core Scatico values), to extend the camp experience and philosophy beyond our front gates. As part of this goal, we're excitedly planning for Scatico's third annual Service Day where campers will have the opportunity to participate in various service projects that give back to the local community.

As part of Service Day activities, Scatico is once again partnering with SCOPE, a nonprofit organization that helps send children from low-income families to summer camp. For the SCOPE Service Day project, campers will create “Dream Boxes” for SCOPE campers at Ramapo for the 2024-2025 school year. Each “Dream Box” will contain new school supplies and be personally decorated to reflect each recipient kid! Rampao is Scatico's neighbor, located in Rhinebeck, and serves campers with learning differences.

This is where we need your help! On Opening Day, families will have the opportunity to donate new educational supplies for the “Dream Boxes.” We’ll have a bin where you can drop off donations by camp's entrance. The list of supplies needed includes but is not limited to: Pencils; Pens; Notebooks; Pencil Cases; Crayons; Highlighters; Stickers; Pencil Sharpeners; Sharpie Pens; Glue Sticks; Folders; Index Cards; Tape; and Rulers.

We’re also looking to expand camp’s ever-growing libraries! Reading in downtime (and swapping books with bunkmates) is always a cherished part of camp culture. We’re looking for a range of age-appropriate books to round out our boys’ side and girls’ side collections.

Service Day Fun Fact: Last summer, a local television news station featured the Freshmen and counselor **Eli Tannenbaum’s** work on DREAM boxes. That’s Eli to the right of **Charlie Bochner,** former bunkmates both returning as staff members in 2024.

Soon to be seen at a camp near you: New Big Sisters. Left—younger campers select the name of their Big Sister from the bowl held by Head Counselor Kerri Winderman. Right—embracing your “Sister” for the first time.

Full focus at the Woodshop with Daniel, who is back again to teach woodworking.

Camp Scatico 6/5/24 Camp Scatico 6/5/24

Winter 2023/24, Edition 103, Issue #2

News From Elizaville

January 19, 2024 8:00 AM Checking the weather in the 1-2-5-2-3. Snow! A quick call to caretaker **Teddy Lydon** for photos for the Newsletter. We especially love the one above. That’s the lake in the foreground (snow-covered and starting to fully freeze) and the boys’ lower hill cabins and social hall (far right) in the background. During the summer, the bare trees along the rise grow so thickly that you can’t see the cabins from this perspective.

A new year. Always a good time to acknowledge habits proving difficult to break. Nearly every off-season day begins with a quick visit to weather.com to check on conditions at camp. For years I’ve type in 1-2-5-2-3— and what come’s up? Livingston, NY (the village of Elizaville is in the Town of Livingston); Koptevo, Russia; Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi, South Korea; and Guaratingueta, Sao Paulo, Brazil. It’s always a little perplexing, but I embrace the randomness and world “coverage” (two locations in each hemisphere; impressive global coverage in all compass directions...).

While at camp during the summer, we often reflect on and embrace our connections with the world around us, meaning the physical world of sunsets, star-filled night skies, mud puddles (awaiting mudslides), bald eagles soaring overhead… But there are also those connections with the geo-political world, campers and staff who travel from around the globe to share their life perspectives and enrich the Scatico community. Though we are excited to have more than 65 former campers returning as counselors and program staff (over two-thirds of the total), we’re equally grateful to have so many staff (and about 15 campers) traveling to Scatico from across the globe, connecting us to the “world” in a different way. Most are returning to camp for second, third, fourth,… and twenty-third summers (unabashed shout-out for boys’ tennis director Vinod Dogra from India).

At last count, we have staff returning to camp from (in no particular order) Argentina, Mexico, India, the Dominican Republic, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hungary, Spain, Colombia, Ecuador, Sweden, and Hong Kong. And returning campers from Austria, Spain, France, Hong Kong, Kenya, Ecuador, Israel, and Ghana. Plus, first-time Scaticonians from South Africa and Poland (in addition to other “rookies” from countries previously listed). If you’re scoring at home, that’s 18 countries and five continents.

At the end of each camp season, we can reflect not only on how campers and counselors bring a little bit of the 12523 to their homes throughout the United States, but to communities more distant. As summer approaches, let’s all look forward to connections with the world and the world. With nature and people.

Now to check the weather in Elizaville… and in Koptevo, Yangpyeong, and Guaratingueta….

SCATINEWS

As always, we’ll start with RSSes (Random Scatico Sightings)…. We’re checking the record books, but perhaps the greatest distance ever covered in a single RSS! Head counselor Mark Gretenstein was home in Brooklyn watching a Boston Celtics versus Detroit Pistons game on television, when he spotted Charlie Curreri a few rows behind the Boston bench (just over Jayson Tatum’s shoulder in the photo)…. Staying on a basketball theme, four reported RSSes on NY/NJ-area courts, with campers thrilled to find a fellow Scaticonian on the team they were playing: Asher Kazi and Miles Senior; Eden Lederman and Annabelle Noe; Dylan Truman and Jesse Gorin; and Ezra Elkin and Leo Krakowsky; …. Also a baseball rec league RSS for Ezra (with Mason Florin and joined by Asher Kazi living near the field in Ardsley, NY, and running over to the game when he heard that his bunkmate Mason was nearby)…. Heading south for a few warm weather RSSes…. 2023 Inters Ryan Thaler, Sylvie Eichel, and cousins Eva and Rosie Marcus planned a get-together in Florida when they learned that they’d all be there visiting grandparents during winter break, and then spotted 2023 Junior Charley Ecker…. 2023 Sub-Senior Jed Greer and former head counselor Cory Schwartz met poolside in the Bahamas… 2023 Sub-Senior Henry Berlach and 2023 Inter Jacob Hirschl on a ski slope in Vermont…. And, finally (and you’ll need to focus just a bit), camp nurse Marie Serina was on vacation in Aruba (with her sons Anthony and Ray— both former campers and counselors), when she met Greg and Jamie Radwan, the parents of first-year camper Logan. It seems that they’re related to good friends of Anthony and Ray, and so when talk turned (naturally) to summer camp…. You know where this conversation ended….

In non-RSS news (and non news)…. Positively the first offseason visit in 2024! Cousins Charley and Brooke Ecker and Max and Josh Rappaport (dressed in everything from winter coats to shorts) and moms Caryn and Alison (bunkmates in the 1980s-90s) …. From the Scatico docks in December to a beach in Ecuador— Ben Bochner worked this fall at a school run by Waterfront Director Ishai Eshed and Art Director Laura Gold in the town of Olon. Ben’s siblings Emma and Charlie visited over winter break (all three Bochners were on staff last summer!) and spent time on the sand with Bar and Eden Eshed…. Eight one-week SITs from 2023 got together to celebrate Lainey Tunick’s December birthday. (Maybe their first-ever off-season reunion as division mates?)…. When Performing Arts Director (and ukulele instructor supreme) Jamie Segal visited her former bunkmate (and 2023 SIT counselor) Maggie Brown at the University of Michigan (where she’s in law school), they connected with 2023 staff members and former campers who are now UMich undergraduates: Lainie Greissman, Kate Metzendorf, Chloe Cardello, and Mason Lava. Other Scatico staff also attending UMich as undergraduates are Josue Lora and former bunkmates Tyler Winderman, Jordan Klein, and Ethan Rotko.

You can send all news (and non-news) for the Spring Issue of the Newsletter to info@scatico.com.

Camp Scatico 11/15/23 Camp Scatico 11/15/23

Fall 2023, Edition 103, Issue #1

About 25 years ago, we started including in each newsletter reports of Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes). That moment, away from the 12523, when you randomly connect with a fellow Scaticonian.

News From Elizaville

About 25 years ago, we started including in each newsletter reports of Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes). That moment, away from the 12523, when you randomly connect with a fellow Scaticonian. Through the years we’ve had RSSes on six continents (still waiting for one from Antarctica) and across generations spanning more than 50 years (keep wearing those Scatico shirts). From sports fields to theaters; subway cars to mountaintops; from the deli on the corner to in front of the Taj Mahal in India and the Trevi Fountain in Rome. (Maybe thoughts of camp when they tossed those coins over their shoulders into the water and made a wish?)

When news of an RSS reaches us, we can palpably feel the warm sense of community and see the smiles. Even when the RSS involves former campers and staff who never shared an actual summer in Elizaville, the brotherhood and sisterhood still emanates.... And every once in a while, the RSS feels so incredibly in the moment and magical. Maybe like this one, sent in just this past August. First, some scene-setting and background....

Each summer when our graduating campers head off on a weeklong Service Trip (in 2023, a return to Cabarete, Dominican Republic, to run a day camp in partnership with the DREAM Project), we use their now-empty cabins to offer a 1-week Scatico-in-Training program for first-time overnight campers. In conjunction, what’s nicely evolved in recent years, is the opportunity for recent college graduates who were former campers and staff to take time away from the “real” world (usually jobs and/or graduate school) to return to camp, work for a week, and positively impact the next generation . This year’s eight staff (Matt Stuttman, Jack Heineman, Ben Bochner, Mack Madorsky, Emma Bochner, Francesca Rubinson, Maggie Brown, and Samantha Wilner) have now spent more than 100 total summers at Scatico (an average of 12.5 years each, if you’re doing the math at home), more than 25 of these summers as counselors.

The weekend after their week as SIT counselors, Matt, Jack, Ben, and Mack (who also all happened to have been former bunkmates), decided to celebrate the 1-week session by attending a concert at Madison Square Garden. Backdrop in place, now for the RSS... They recognized (could it really be?) Yon Zloof, who spent one summer at Scatico as a counselor back in 2009—their counselor when they were nine years old. And, of course, Yon not only remembered them, but recalled specific camp stories and moments.

At camp, we often speak of how life moves in circles—circles that create community and connect us generation to generation. We sit in circles around campfires. We watch in silent meditation as the concentric circles fill the crib on boys’ side after a graduating Upper Senior throws a rock in the lake on the final Friday night of summer. We listen as graduating Soopers lead the girls’ camp in singing Joni Mitchell’s “The Circle Game.”

There seems something wondrously circular about an RSS with four staff just returned from providing a first camp experience for 7- and 8-year olds, recognizing a counselor from when they were 9 years old (14 years ago); a counselor who shared time with them at Scatico for only a single summer. It also speaks to the power of the camper-counselor relationship. As my father used to say to staff during orientation each summer, “No matter what job you have for the rest of your life, no matter what success or adventures, you’ll never have a job more important than being a camp counselor, because you’ll have the chance to make a difference in the life of a child.”

Staying In Touch

Our first “Staying In Touch” column of the 2023-24 off-season and, as always, we’ll start with Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes)—unplanned sightings of members of the community outside of the 12523.... A triple RSS for 2024 Upper Senior Sam Ryan. First, while attending the U.S. Open he ran into Ben Bochner and Jack Heineman (longtime campers and counselors—see story in the previous section). Sam then spotted 2023 Upper Senior Jahbari Chiddick. And then, a few weeks later, another RSS for Sam when he met Harry Klein and his dad Ben (Harry en route to a Sophomore bunk reunion)

... As the Soopers and Upper Seniors got set to board their NYC to Dominican Republic flight for their Service Trip in July (to organize and run a day camp) they were spotted by Scatico alumnus and current staff parent Beth Metzendorf (photo with trip leader Jane Rosenfeld). Jane added the following note (and we love this type of Scatico minutia): “My first summer as a division leader in 2013 was for Kate Metzendorf's group [Beth’s oldest daughter] when she and her bunkmates were Inters—and then 8 years later, her first summer as a counselor, she was on my staff when I was the Jinter DL in 2021!”....

In non-RSS news, congratulations to Zach Brody, who went from camp counselor to ESPN2 Major League Baseball broadcaster on August 20, covering a Washington Nationals—Philadelphia Phillies game. Previously attending a 2-week broadcast camp, Zach had been selected from among more than 100 high school students for this honor.... On a postcamp trip to California, Argentinian counselors Mayco Garcia, Julieta Martos, Jesica Pedrocca, and Tomas Molinolo made sure to visit former Argentinian counselor Gaston Brouet and his husband Markario. Julieta, Jesica, and Tomas joined Mayco and Gaston on the Scatico Honor Society this year (as staff members who have spent at least three years at Scatico)....

Audrey Fleischner and Piper Davis sent in the photo to the right from the Houston wedding of Rebecca Schwartz (Audrey’s former bunkmate and Piper’s aunt).... At Wake Forest University in North Carolina to give Grand Rounds Lectures, current camp doctor Eric Strauss visited with current WFU sophomores (and Scatico counselors) Aidan Rogers and Ethan Rosenberg....

When 2024 Sub Demi Yarkon heard Scatico head nurse Patti Press was in her school running a flu clinic for teachers, she made sure to stop by the health center for a visit (and a newsletter photo).... Ben Bochner (from RSS fame at the U.S. Open— see above) is teaching for the academic year in Olon, Ecuador, at the school run (and founded) by Ishai Eshed (boys’ waterfront director) and Laura Gold (girls’ art director). Ben’s in the photo to the right with two of their three daughters—Eden and Stav....

Congratulations to Ari Cuevas, who was a featured speaker at an NYC fundraiser for DREAM (the non-profit Scatico partners with in the DR.) Ari, who has spent the past two summers as a Scatico staff member, shared how she started in DREAM’s first-ever Montessori class as a 3-year-old and last year was certified through their Montessori teacher training program....

Photos from October divisional reunions (everyone invited—not all could attend): 2023 Sub-Juniors headed south to Florida for Oliver Mark’s Bar Mitzvah (and bunk sleepover) and the 2024 Upper-Seniors-to-be got together at the home of Dylan Senior....

From Campus (in the 12523) to Campus

We often hear from alumni who share how their Scatico experiences (as campers and staff) prepared them for some seminal moment in life—first jobs, parenthood, college... Not just in terms of how the experiences of group living provide specific soft skills (empathy, resilience, optimism, learning how to compromise and set communal goals...), but how their camp friends are there to provide support and understanding (and fun) in the right ways and at the right times.

Maybe taking this to the extreme, head counselor Kerri Winderman sent in the photo with five former campers at the University of Michigan (four were counselors last summer). From left to right, Laine Greissman, Mason Lava, Kerri, Leah Zerwitz, Tyler Winderman, and Jordan Klein. (Kerri was there to drop Tyler off at school—and also to seize any opportunity possible to visit her alma mater.)

Although Logan Cooper (a Freshman at the University of Richmond) couldn’t claim four Scatico peers as classmates, one of his co-counselors from 2023, Jacob Schumer (also a former camper), is a year ahead at school and was there to provide a welcome. Also there at drop-off were Scatico alumni Jon and Andrea Baron Cooper (Logan’s parents) and Stacy Lipton Schumer, Matt Schumer, and Ally Lipton MacArthur (respectively Jacob’s mom, brother, and aunt).

On the Horizon

In the Winter Issue of the Camper Newsletter: Results from the 2023 Camper Survey (last chance to send back your forms) as well as updates on program and capital plans for next season.
For Staff: We have already heard from many of our counselor and support staff about returning for the summer of 2023. As a reminder to eligible counselors, please contact us about your interest in applying for a job in 2024.
For Families: Campers (and parents) love visiting Scatico in the off-season. The fall foliage season may have come and gone, but winter looms on the horizon. Sledding on the golf course hills. Taking in the ice-fishing on the lake. Walking across the lake from the Clubhouse to the Woodshop. Obligatory stop(s) for pizza at Sal’s or ice cream at Holy Cow. Just email in advance so we can provide a weather update (and confirm snow cover or if the lake is frozen.)

Break Out the Drone

That first crisp, sunny Fall day after the leaves have started to change color? You got it! Time to break out the drone for some photos and different camp perspectives.

First: View (kind of) from the Sunset Trail. That’s the boys’ ballfields at the bottom. The overnight site is in the woods to the left of the ballfields. The brown swath in the mid-ground is the cornfield seen during the summer from the Sunset Trail viewing area. In the background, Hunter Mountain (about 30 miles distant).

Second: Girls’ Back Campus (bottom left); Canteen, Admin, and Driving Range (center); and Girls’ tennis courts (bottom right).

One thing about aerial photos—no sense as to the hills on the ground (the 100 -foot elevation difference from the lake to the courts).

Home Sweet Home (at least when not in Elizaville)

For the analytically and statistically inclined, the percentages include 2023 enrollments and first-time campers already registered for 2024. Campers represent 12 states, 1 district, 9 countries, 5 continents, and 1 world.

Westchester 24.7%
NYC 18.2%
New Jersey 13.8%
Connecticut 8.8%
Long Island 7.8%
California 5.6%
International* 5.0%
Metro DC 3.8%
Other** 3.4%
Massachusetts 2.6%
Upstate, NY 2.3%
Florida 2.0%
Pennsylvania 2.0%

*International includes Spain, France, Hong Kong, Austria, Ghana, Kenya, the United Kingdom, and Ecuador.

** Other includes North Carolina, Colorado, Texas, Vermont, and Illinois.

Things we love about camp.... The games we play. Some are very familiar.

Some were made up one hour before the activity.

From Across the Pond to the 12523

Left—In Sheffield, England, in October, a group of 12 counselors, who first met at camp during the summer of 2022.... From left to right (sort of): Kara Howe, Kristin Howe, Andrea Perez, George Richardson, Hannah MacArthur, Ben Sargeant, Rachel Bird, Michael Oscher, Amber McGovern, Ross MacPherson, and Josh Thompson. Seven of the 11 were back on staff in 2023. Kara, Kristen, and Michael are already planning to return in 2024 (after skipping this past year), along with George, Ross, and Rachel (who will receive Scatico jackets and join the Honor Society this summer as 3-year counselors).

Right—After meeting as 1-week Scatico-in-Training bunk- mates in July, Isla Tatom (from Chicago) and Eliza Stothard (from England) connected for an August playdate in London while Isla’s family was on vacation.

Camp Scatico 10/30/23 Camp Scatico 10/30/23

Spring 2023, Edition 102, Issue #3

In Greek Mythology, Antaeus, the son of Poseidon (god of the sea) and Gaea (the earth goddess), gained strength when he remained connected to the ground. It was only when Antaeus lost this connection that Hercules was able to defeat him. (Scatico connection coming....)

Staying Grounded and Gaining Strength

For our 100th anniversary celebration, we asked current campers, staff, and alumni to complete a #Scatico100 survey, with questions ranging from favorite camp sounds and meals to go-to activities during free time and Holy Cow orders. Several hundred responded.

One question asked: “What is your favorite place in camp?” Answers varied widely both in terms of physical location and general theme (for example, a place to play or somewhere to inhale deeply and relax). Yet, whatever the vote, all spoke to community and the lifting of spirit and energy, of keeping your feet on the “ground.”

And interestingly, for every vote for the Social Hall, A Court, Field 4, Pavilion, or Waterfront during General Swim (think activities), there were also votes for the Clubhouse Porch, Sunset Trail, Back Campus, Tree-Lined Road, Campfire Site, and Rocking Chairs at the Admin. And many “Sunsets as viewed from....” All these locations creating their pull less through activity and specific memory and more through emotional connection —spaces for reflection and bonding with friends, for storytelling and conversation.

Favorite Place in Camp? #Scatico100 survey results included many votes for favorite locations for sunset viewing. Two popular choices... Left—at the lake (the golden moment seconds after the sun falls below the horizon).

Right—from the Sunset Trail (looking down from a ridge at the edge of camp property; cornfields and a lone farmhouse in the foreground; and the faint peak of Hunter Mountain 30 miles distant).

As summer approaches, I think not only of the many activities and memorable moments to come—the sustaining energy of everyday camp—but also the times when life will slow down to a crawl. And, by staying grounded to place and community, we will continue to grow and gain strength.

Meet the Leadership Team

We're excited to introduce our Senior Leadership and Program team in a new blog post on the Scatico website! We're very lucky to have lots of returnees in our Scatico community heading key program areas from Art to Cooking to the Waterfront to Outdoor Adventure! We figured it was about time to share a little more about them. Who wants to do the math on how many combined Scatico summers they represent?

As we say often at camp, life should never be about the things and the stuff, but about the people. When we think ahead to the summer of 2023, we are so grateful for all of the staff returning to camp year after year. At last count, we will have more than 50 staff at camp this year who have spent 10 or more summers in the 12523. They comprise nearly one-third of the entire staff.

Staying In Touch

The final Staying In Touch column of the 2022-23 off-season. When next we “meet” it won’t be through the Newsletter, but in the 12523 (a certain zip code).... Nothing makes us happier than a report of a Random Scatico Sighting (RSS)....

The streets of Manhattan always provide a few RSSes each issue. Divisionmates Ben Strauss and Roy Goldstein as well as two Janes (Greeley and Rosenfeld) shared photos. For Jane Rosenfeld, 2023 will mark her 16th Scatico summer—and she’ll return as the Program Director on girls’ side. Her younger sister Anna has been away from camp since 2019, but will also return to camp this year (summer number 12, if you’re counting at home) as a division leader....

Bunkmates Jonah Cooper and Jack Weinberg discovered that their rec basketball teams were playing each other in a season finale (which led to a jersey swap at game’s end... On vacation, Eloise Berlach met one of her 2022 bunk counselors, Chloe Cardello, poolside in Miami....Siblings Liza, Matty, and Jacob Strauss spotted siblings Benny and Lexi Katz in Costa Rica....

In non-RSS news (and non-news).... While we speak often of the bonding and lifelong friendships formed by bunkmates, the same holds true for the meaningful connections formed by staff members. Aoife Rigney (from Ireland—art counselor) and Amber McGovern (from England—photography counselor) met at camp last summer. They shared the photo to the right from their recent trip to Thailand.... Assistant head counselors Quinn Croland and Matty Carroll began their friendship as counselors way back in 2008. Quinn traveled from New Jersey to Northern Ireland recently to visit Matty and they sent in a photo from the Giants Causeway....

Matt Gross (a co-Division Leader for the Frosh in 2022) is currently the Director of Basketball Operations for the Women’s Basketball Team at Monmouth College. After a surprise conference championship, they reached the NCAA tournament (and ESPN-2) with Matt sitting on the bench and wearing a Scatico shirt under his suit for good luck....When soon-to-be Junior Counselors Nile Cather and Isaac Greenblatt toured The University of Colorado they naturally met up with divisionmate (and Boulder native) Austin Moscou. While there, they visited their 2022 Upper Senior division leader (now a U.of C. Senior) Michael Tolstoi.... When Nick Mozga played in a coed street hockey tournament at his high school in Hawley, PA, he represented camp in a red Scatico college bowl t-shirt.....

Thanks to everyone who contributed to Staying In Touch throughout the school year. Next stop Elizaville!

New in the 12523

The buildout of the Health Center is almost completed, adding not only 600 square feet of space but also fully renovating existing patient areas (adding private rooms, bathrooms, and a lounge area).

Elsewhere around camp, the resurfacing of 16 outdoor courts (11 tennis, 4 basketball, and 1 volleyball, if you’re keeping score at home), will include adding lines to create space for additional courts for pickleball (from two in 2022 to six in 2023) and volleyball (from two in 2022 to four in 2023). Older campers and staff will now be able to play both sports at night under the lights.

The new Tumbl Trak has been assembled and installed in the gymnastics building and already put to use by Braelyn Lydon (daughter of Sca- tico’s caretaker, Teddy). Her review? Two thumbs up!

Welcome to Scatico—Class of 2023

As of this writing, we will have 56 first-time campers at Scatico this summer . They’ll be traveling to camp from 7 states and 5 countries. We are so excited to welcome them and their families. They will account for more than 20 percent of the entire camper population.

Survey Says....

In the last issue of the Camper Newsletter we shared 2022 Camper Survey results with regards to “Favorite Special Events” (start with the Carnival, DJ Pure, and Divisional Sing—Color War exempted from the voting) and “Favorite Meals” (Chicken Nuggets with Mac & Cheese just nudging out Chicken Patties and Pizza for a second consecutive year).

Now we take a look at the top ten Favorite Activities, combining totals from both sides of camp and across all program areas. The activity “scored a point” if it finished among a camper’s favorite top three choices. More than 40 activities received votes, including such distinctly Scatico games as downhill tennis baseball and Human Stratego.

Cooking
Baseball and softball *
Art/ Ceramics
Lake
Tennis/ Pickleball
Basketball
Slapball**
Woodshop
Soccer
Football, BBK and Hockey (3-way tie

*Includes a lot of votes for Twilight League.

**A sport perhaps played at only one summer camp on Earth!

2022 Opening Campfires. Left—Graduating Soopers begin their summers as camp leaders.

A “Moment of Silence” to close on boys’ side.

March Madness

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s March Madness contest—2023 Sooper Maya Lederman (defending her 2022 title) and Junior Counselor Lexi Katz. (Scatico gear as prizes!) In the finals, the Opening Campfire defeated Full-Camp BBQs.

Camp Scatico 1/30/23 Camp Scatico 1/30/23

Winter 2022/23, Edition 102, Issue #2

A Different Perspective

Last summer, I joined the Debs and division leader Emma Rosh for an afternoon hike to the “second lake”—the 90 wooded acres of Scatico property located across Route 19 and north of the entrance to camp. It’s a nice afternoon trek of a few miles round trip, highlights including a “climb” to the highest point on Scatico property (420 feet, if you’re keeping score at home); seeing traces of three long-ago used overnight sites (one from the 1990s, one from the 1960s-70s, and one from before 1960); building a campfire and making s’mores at one of the sites; and even spotting vestiges of the pre-1970 camp dump (garbage disposal just a little different 50+ years ago)

.... On the hike back, rather than re-entering camp through the main gate (like always!), I wondered if we might try bushwacking through the woods (a 1/2 mile north of the entrance to camp) to reach the rise directly above the girls campfire site just off the “first” lake.... It’s something I had never done in my camp career and was a little cloudy in my orientation. I put it to the group—who had been absolute troopers throughout the hot, early August afternoon.

There was a moment of group hesitation, a certain amount of eye contact around the impromptu huddle, no one quite wanting to make the decision for all.... On one hand: the known, the easier.... On the other: the unknown, the harder.... I remember a few, soft “front gates” and then the pendulum tilted. “Let’s go for it. Let’s do it.”

Former boys head counselor and all-time Scatico photographer Cory Schwartz took the above picture in October. Step back 100 yards, gain 50 feet in elevation, and transport back to an August afternoon, and you’ll have the view the 2022 Debs discovered when they crested the hill.

Across the road and up the hill and then, just at the top, unfolding below, through the trees, unexpected and different, a view down towards the campfire site and to the lake beyond....The contrast between the intimacy of the campfire site and the expanse of the deep-blue lake on a sun-drenched afternoon—and all from a new vantage point, from high ground.... It felt like the cherry on a “hike” sundae.

The start of a new calendar year (welcome, 2023) always feels like a time to commit to seeing things from new perspectives. A time to open up to trying to do things differently, even if there’s uncertainty in the outcome and the journey may require a little extra effort. Like the optimism felt at the start of a new year, each day at camp, each summer, can provide moments to choose between idling in a comfort zone or seeking the new—a new activity, a new friend, a new perspective from which to look at the sights and things you love most—and maybe appreciate just a little bit more.

Who knows, maybe 10 years from now, I’ll be at the end of a hike to the second lake and will turn to a group and ask, “Who wants to try something different and go through the front gate?...”

Holiday greetings from Ireland....

Matty and Kael Au-Carroll and son Rory celebrated the season with Josh Thompson and Minuet Barragan Olan (the latter traveling from Mexico). Assistant head counselor Matty and Kael first met at Scatico as staff members in 1988. Josh and Minuet are both returning to camp as counselors in 2023, Josh to head the boys’ music program and Minuet to work in the cooking program.

SCATINEWS

As always, we’ll start with RSSes (Random Scatico Sightings).... Maybe some kind of RSS record? At an New York Islanders’ hockey game in December, a nine-person RSS with the Strauss and Fass families covered two Scatico generations with representatives from every camp decade from the 1970s to the 2020s (dad Todd Fass; dad and mom Eric and Stacey Koretsky Strauss; and current campers and/or staff Eliza, Jacob, and Matt Strauss and Marly and Jenna Fass—00s, 10s, and/or 20s)....

The Bochner family (Charlie, Ben, and Emma) had two Miami RSSes over winter vacation, the first with Laine and Ben Greissman (on South Beach) and the second with program director Audrey Fleischner and head counselor Mark Gretenstein (at the Perez Art Museum)...

Scatico nurse Carly Messitte was just settling into a nurse position at Saddle Rock Elementary School in Great Neck, NY, in September, when she received a welcome email from Scatico alumnus Beth Herbstman Weinberg (also to let her know that her daughter Lily, a 2023 Jinter, was a 4th-grader in her care)....

Ben and Aaron Taubenfeld spotted divisionmate Charlie Wachalter at an NYC airport (all bound for Florida—alas, no photo). They did take a picture a few days later when they connected with another 2023 Junior, Noah Thaler....

Not quite an RSS opportunity, but if you are ever in Florida and want to see a friendly Scatico face (or two), make a trip to Two Fat Cookies (a bakery in Delray Beach) owned by Jim Wexler and his family. New Head Chef Ricardo Turnbull (taking over from Jimmy in 2023!) is also a regular onsite (working alongside Jimmy as they have at camp). Visitors this winter have included Alexa Tannenbaum, Irwin Schwartz, and Avery Lesser....

When campers Oliver Justus, Charlotte East, and Jordan Goldberg learned they all had tickets for the 2022 Jingle Ball Concert at Madison Square Garden, they made plans for a Scatico meetup and photo op. At the designated time and place, Jacob Lawson (one of the performers—of “Golden Hour” fame) was walking past and stopped to join the picture.... Video footage of Parker Caldara in hockey gear was included in a recent television ad campaign promoting the NHL.... Scatico in the Rockies: when 12th-grader Ella Simons toured the University of Colorado in the fall, she joined Lara, Brooke, and Michael Tolstoi (Michael is a CU senior) in visiting Boulder natives Leah and Austin Moscou...

Coast to coast: When Alex Callahan traveled from San Francisco to New York to see East Coast family for Thanksgiving, he met with bunkmate Julien Freedman at the American Museum of Natural History.... Cousins and Pittsburgh natives Eva and Rosie Marcus usually have to travel a bit farther than most to connect with divisionmates during the school year. So when in Florida during school break, they took the opportunity to meet up with Sylvie Eichel and Ryan Thaler (all visiting grandparents )....

You can send all news (and non-news) for the Spring Issue of the Newsletter to info@scatico.com.

Coming to Scatico in 2023....

Health Center: The most visible physical change at camp this summer will be a major capital improvement to the Health Center, which will include a 600-foot addition and extensive interior renovations to the existing patient rooms. When completed, there will be 9 private/ semi-private rooms; two additional full bathrooms; and expanded common space.
Gymnastics: Get ready to flip, jump, handspring, and round off... a Tumbl Trak (essentially a long, runway trampoline) is coming to the Gymnastics building! Good for helping develop and practice more complicated floor skills and, we can only imagine, a powerful asset in Gymnastics Dodgeball, which became a popular Boys Side activity last summer.
CampMinder: Camp Families—this one's for you! Camper forms, billing, and paperwork is migrating to CampMinder this year. Keep an eye out for an email with instructions on how to login to the new new CampMinder access portal, called CampInTouch.
Dining Room: Scatico has hired a registered dietician as a consultant as we look to add new options to the Scatico Dining Hall (and Canteen and snack times). From more protein at the salad bar, to different cuisines, to options for campers/staff with dietary restrictions and allergies, we're very excited to offer a wider, more nutritious variety. Don't worry, staples and favorites (see survey results below) like Mac n Cheese with Chicken Nuggets, aren't going anywhere.

Other plans/changes are also in the works, from the mundane (more shelving in camper cabins and two rebuilt bunk porches) to the mysterious (new special events and activities). Most importantly, we are thrilled to have so many returning staff in all areas of camp—leadership, program, cabin counselors, dining room, maintenance, health center, office.... You get the idea. Once again, we expect that more than 70 percent of all staff will have previously spent a summer at Scatico.

2022 Sub Juniors hit the alleys. Are those Scatico green bowling balls?

2022 Inters’ sleepover party (did not include too much sleep—as reported by a hosting parent).

Survey Says....

The results are in from our annual camper survey. More to follow (favorite activities) in the Spring issue of the camper newsletter....

Favorite Special Events

(not including Color War, which would swamp the ballot box):

Carnival
DJ Pure
Divisional Sing
College Bowl/Teams
4th of July BBQ, Talent Show, and Fireworks
Art Show and Open Mic Night
Legends
Green Globes/Film Festival

Favorite Meals

Mac n Cheese with Chicken Nuggets (#1 for second consecutive year)
Chicken Patties
Pizza
Tacos
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Paninis
Caesar Salad (with grilled chicken)

Donut eating contest at The Carnival

Inflatable obstacle course at The Carnival

Division Leader Jamie Segal leads the Sub girls medley (a first-place finish with a “Stranger Things” theme).

Division Leader Manny Jacobson celebrates a Sing victory with the Sub Juniors.

Win a free Scatico tuition.... And support SCOPE!

Once again, Scatico is participating in the #Raffle4SCOPE, an annual fundraiser hosted by SCOPE, a nonprofit that provides summer camp opportunities to children from disadvantages socioeconomic backgrounds. To date, SCOPE has granted 26,000 “camperships” (and counting) to kids throughout the United States.

So how does the Raffle4SCOPE work? Scatico families can purchase $100 raffle tickets, with all proceeds from raffle ticket sales going towards SCOPE for camperships. Raffle winners are pulled LIVE at SCOPE’s annual benefit on March 30th—and win one full tuition to their OWN summer camp for the upcoming season.

More than 25 overnight camps in the northeast participated last year. A Scatico camp family (the Danys) won the raffle—and as a camp we came in second place for number of raffle tickets sold! Can we do even better this year?

You can learn more and buy raffle tickets HERE!

Camp Scatico 11/22/22 Camp Scatico 11/22/22

Fall 2022, Edition 102, Issue #1

News From Elizaville

When more than 1,000 current and former campers and staff (and their families) made the pilgrimage to Elizaville on September 10th for the twice-postponed 100th anniversary reunion, expectations and emotions ran high. It was a day filled with reminiscing and nostalgia, play and laughter, sparkling sunshine and blue skies.... Campers from the 1930s to 1960s marveled at the energy and passion of the current generation. Current campers sensed the deep roots and connections emanating from alumni whose first summers were more than 60 years ago. (In one case, a shoutout to Margie Holman Sunshine, 88 years ago!)

In the days to follow, alumni and current families reached out to connect/debrief/acknowledge (and maybe just to will the day to last a little longer). In these conversations and email exchanges, I always concluded with the question: What was your favorite sighting or moment?

For sightings.... many pre-2000 alumni struggled to describe the emotions of seeing a bunkmate or counselor for the first time in 20 (or 30 or 40 or 50 or more years). How the memories of specific eventsmremained so vivid. A particular fan favorite was Lenny Messitte, grandfather of current camp nurse Carly Messitte, and a boys head counselor and girls athletics director in the late 1970s and 1980s. For most,it was the first time seeing Lenny since Ronald Regan was president.

2022 Soopers (left) lead campfire singing at the 100th reunion.

For moments.... attendees enjoyed a timeless camp BBQ (burgers, hot dogs, mac & cheese...); exploring the Scatico Museum set up in the girls social hall (special thanks to current head of the film program John Hickey); a “full-camp” jumprope in the Pavilion; batting practice (BP) on the ballfields; relaxing at the lake; adding a signed rock to the “meditation” garden created at the former stables (the vision of current Art Director Ken Vallario); and a sing-along (decade by decade) at the girls campfire site. This last event, an hour long, attended by more than 200, arms linked, voices clear and true, particularly got the hearts pounding and a quite a few tears flowing.

A particularly favorite, favorite moment? At the final ceremony at the amphitheater, like a final day at camp, we burned the “years”—1921 and 2022. To help, we invited up alumni who began their Scatico journeys prior to 1960 (60-plus years ago) and campers who began their journeys in 2022 or are ready for first summers in 2023. (You can guess which group burned which year.) Jon Braunstein (a camper and counselor from 1987 to 2000) described the incredible feeling of watching his mother Lynda Malkin Braunstein (camp career started in 1952) burn 1921, while his daughter Maya (camp career to begin in 2023) burned 2022. Which seems to capture just what we had in mind: Honoring the past and, just as importantly, excitement for the future and the next generation of campers.

Staying In Touch

Our first “Staying In Touch” column of the 2022-23 off-season and, as always, we’ll start with Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes)—unplanned sightings of members of the community outside of the 12523....

On postcamp/pre-start-of-school travels: siblings Emma and Ethan Rotko and siblings Abby and Robert Orseck ran into each other on Martha’s Vineyard; and Eden Lederman spotted girls athletics director Katie Hecker in Delray Beach (respectively visiting grandparents and in-laws-to-be)....

RSSes on Fall baseball fields: Double dips for both Matty Strauss (first with Ezra Elkin and then a few weeks later with Silas Henry) and Mason Florin (first with and Sam Berk—Mason leading off the top of the first and Sam catching—and then with Tyler Korsten at a Westchester County baseball center)....

Not to be completely outpaced by her brother, Charlotte Florin had her own RSS while out for dinner, spotting the Windermans (girls head counselor Kerri and son Tyler, a junior counselor last summer) in August. (Mason joined at pickup for the photo op)... The Scatico RSS G.O.A.T. (averaging more than one per Newsletter for his 4-year camper career)?

Spencer Hellman. And for this issue, while traveling to the University of Michigan to celebrate his mom’s 50th birthday (she’s an alumnus), Spencer and his sister Isabelle ran into climbing instructor Josue Lora (a current Junior at the school)....

And for some non-RSS news.... Congratulations to Maddie Rothschild who biked 30 miles around Manhattan and raise more than $2,300 as part of an MS bikeathon in October (that’s the Brooklyn Bridge in the background of the photo).... Chase Madorsky and Roy Goldstein sent in a photo from Yankee Stadium in September (meetup planned when discovered they were both attending; they did not see an Aaron Judge homerun).... Send news, non-news, and photos for the Winter issue of the Newsletter to info@scatico.com.

From Across the Pond to the 12523

One of the true treats from the 2022 summer was the return of staff from Europe after a 2-year hiatus because of COVID-related visa and travel restrictions. In late August, a group of counselors from the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland traveled to D.C. for some postcamp sight-seeing. From left to right, Michael Ochser, Kristen Howe, Ross Macpherson, Rachel Bird, Ben Sargeant, Cara Howe, Aoife Rigney, George Richardson, and Amber McGovern. Clearly, they enjoy spending time together as all reunited for an October reunion in what looks like a chilly Norwich, England. For this later event, they were also joined by Hannah MacArthur (who traveled south from Glasgow) and Andrea Perez (who traveled north from Barcelona). The best news? We have already heard from several of the counselors in the pictures about returning to camp in 2023.

On the Horizon

In the Winter Issue of the Camper Newsletter: Results from the 2022 Camper Survey (last chance to send back your forms) as well as updates on completed fall maintenance projects and capital plans for next season.
For Staff: We have already heard from many of our counselor and support staff about returning for the summer of 2023. As a reminder to eligible counselors, please contact us about your interest in applying for a job in 2023.
For Families: The 2023 Camper Portal will be up and running by March with forms and other information to get you and your children ready for camp. Exciting news on the forms front—all paperwork will now be done through CampMinder, a popular software company for the camping industry. Lots more CampMinder information to come.
An orientation for first-year campers is scheduled for June 10th at camp (from 12:30PM to 3:30PM).

The Perfect Camp Day

Cory Schwartz has taken over the Scatico Instagram! As the new poster-in-chief, Cory has lots of fun, interactive content planned. Last month, we solicited input on what makes the "Perfect Camp Day," and had campers, staff and alum fill out a form with the activities and meals they would slot in to make their ideal 24 hours in Elizaville. Some recurring themes? T-League, waterfront cookouts, bagel Sunday, Divisional Sing, and Lane Swim/ GS! Let's take a look at two submissions from 2022 DLs (and longtime Scaticonians) Kate Metzendorf and Henry Lilienfeld. Want to be sure to get in on the next Instagram interactive? Be sure to follow us at @campscatico_official.

Henry’s 3rd Activity in the afternoon: Lake Battleship.

Kate’s Evening Activity: Divisional Sing

Home Sweet Home (at least when not in Elizaville)

With 2023 enrollment almost 95 percent completed, here’s our annual look at camper geographic demographics (for the analytically and statistically inclined). If we opened today, campers would represent 12 States and 5 countries.

Westchester- 27.7%
NYC- 17.8%
New Jersey- 15.1%
Long Island- 8.3%
Connecticut- 6.3%
California- 6.0%
Metro DC- 4.4%
Other*- 4.0%
Florida- 3.2%
Pennsylvania- 2.4%
Massachusetts- 2.4%
International**- 2.4%

* Other includes Vermont, Upstate New York, North Carolina, Colorado, and Illinois.

**International includes Spain, France, Hong Kong, Israel, and Ecuador.

2022 Inters on an overnight campout

Sub-Juniors hike to the top of Inspiration Point in the Catskill Preserve

Camp Scatico 10/28/22 Camp Scatico 10/28/22

Spring 2022, Edition 101, Issue #3

What makes a great camp photo? This question came to mind as I sorted through pictures from last summer to use in this final Camper Newsletter issue of the 2021-22 school year…

The Final Countdown

What makes a great camp photo? This question came to mind as I sorted through pictures from last summer to use in this final Camper Newsletter issue of the 2021-22 school year. Some answers surfaced immediately. Spectacular connections with nature: a radiant sunset sparkling the lake; the resident bald eagle perched on a limb overlooking the dining room; or a double rainbow embracing the sky above the driving range. Pivotal moments at an activity: a drive for a game-winning basket; a singer at the 4th of July Talent Show taking the high note even higher; or a neck-and-neck finish at a full-camp Track Meet.

But another, more subtle, category of “great camp photo” emerged. I put these under the heading of: “there’s a story being told here, but if I didn’t go to camp I might not have any clue what it is.” To explain....

I found photo after of photo of campers exhibiting pure joy or intense concentration (or both). There’s an action taking place and fellow campers in the background watching transfixed. There’s a story to tell, but probably one that most people away from camp would need footnotes to decipher. There’s the moment just before graduating campers find out which Color War team they’re on. There’s Greasy Watermelon and Hungry Hippo. There’s an epic mudslide on campus. (Well, maybe that last one requires no explanation.) Memorable moments in any summer come in all shapes and sizes. It’s the wonder of the natural world. It’s the exuberance of a camper competing in sports or creating an art project. It’s an annual tradition honoring personal growth and the passage of time over the course of a season. And it’s also something that’s invented. Or spontaneous. That’s simple, scaled down, and embraced by the community.

The summer of 2022 will bring it’s own magic both large and small, built on foundations set in years passed and in invention still to be imagined.

Mud Sliding

Hungry Hippos

Greasy Watermelon

Color War Break

Graduating Campers: Green or Grey?

Welcome to Scatico—Class of 2022

As of this writing, we have 63 new campers this summer (including SITs) traveling to camp from everywhere from New York to California, Connecticut to Colorado, Spain and Ecuador to (a first for Scatico) Kenya! We are so excited to welcome these first-time Scaticonians and their families. They will account for more than 20 percent of the entire camper population.

Staying In Touch

The final Staying In Touch column of the 2021-22 off-season. When next we “meet” it won’t be through the Newsletter, but in the 12523 (a certain zip code)....

Nothing makes us happier than a report of a Random Scatico Sighting (RSS).... A first ever RSS while competing in a High School track meet? Bunkmates Denali Cather and Alex Rose found themselves lined up next to each other when competing in a hurdles race at Randall’s Island in New York City.... Continuing the bunkmate-RSS-sports theme—Jonah Cooper and George Max at a basketball tournament in New Jersey; and Teddy Gourevitch and Marlon Reitzes at a Larchmont/ Mamaroneck Little League game....

RSSes on vacation: Divisionmates Lucas Nestler and Ezra Elkin in the Dominican Republic; and current and former staff (and two sets of siblings) Katie and Danny Corren and Ethan and Jeffrey Rosenberg at a Dave Matthews concert in Mexico. Katie, a counselor and yoga instructor at Scatico in 2018 and 2019, returns this year as a division leader; Ethan is back for a second year on staff in 2022....

In non-RSS news.... Chef Alert! Chef Ally (Lipton MacArthur) visited Chef Jimmy (Wexler) at his family’s bakery, Two Fat Cookies, in February. A former camper (1989 Sooper), Ally will run the Culinary Program for an 8th summer in 2022. For Jimmy, this year will mark his 16th season as the camp’s Executive Chef. The Wexler Delray Beach, FL, food empire will grow this summer to include a nearby storefront location for Death by Pizza (previously housed within the bakery), which specializes in Detroit Style Pizza (think pizza with all of the ingredients added in reverse order)....

Scatico’s two Pittsburgh campers, cousins Eva and Rosie Marcus, met divisionmate Sylvie Eichel at Hersheypark (about midway between the Steel City and New York) for a spring weekend....

Thanks to the 2022 Senior Boys and graduating Soopers and Upper Seniors for sending in photos of recent divisional get-togethers....

Thanks also to everyone who contributed to Staying In Touch throughout the school year. Next stop Elizaville!

Seniors

Soopers

Upper Seniors

Above: Graduating Soopers and Upper Seniors at a Brooklyn reunion. Preparing to become Junior Counselors in 2023, they will participate in a weeklong service project in New Orleans in partnership with Westcoast Connection and SBP (a non-profit founded in 2006 to support the community after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina). Jane Rosenfeld, who began her Scatico career as a camper in 2004, returns for her 17th summer and will serve as a trip leader. Danny Schiff will be the trip leader for Westcoast Connection. Danny previously headed Scatico CIT trips run by Westcoast Connection in the early 2000s.

News from Elizaville

Tower cracked the Top Ten list at #10. Steve Lewanick returns to head the program along with climbing assistants Josue Lora, Ashley Mazarin, and Mason Lava. The program adds a new high element with three challenge activities: Flying Squirrel, Nitro Swing, and Bean Pole.

As we say often at camp, life should never be about the things and the stuff, but about the people. When we think ahead to the summer of 2022, we are so grateful for all of the staff returning to camp year after year to help create the magic. At last count, we will have 48 staff at camp this year who have spent 10 or more summers in the 12523. They represent more than 25 percent of the entire staff and include 10 who began their Scatico careers in the 1900s (not to make anyone feel too old!). (Editor’s note: the 4 Camp Doctors who started their camper careers in the 1980s are not included in the count.)

For Parents

As a reminder, we need all luggage to arrive at camp no later than June 18. You can drop off duffels and trunks anytime between June 1 and June 18 at the main office.
If you haven’t already, upload your vaccine cards on the Camper Portal.
On Opening Day, parents will not be going up to the cabins with their campers, so don’t bring anything more than they are able to carry themselves. You can also ship luggage by UPS or FedEx to: Camp Scatico, 1558 County Route 19, Elizaville, NY, 12523.

Survey Says....

In the last issue of the Camper Newsletter we shared 2021 Camper Survey results with regards “Favorite Special Events” (start with Color War, Divisional Sing, and the 4th of July) and “Favorite Meals” (Chicken Nuggets with Mac & Cheese just nudging out Chicken Patties and Pizza). Now we take a look at the top ten Favorite Activities, combining totals from both sides camp and across all program areas. The activity “scored a point” if it finished among a camper’s favorite top three choices.

# 1: Baseball

#2: Cooking

#3: Lake

#4: Basketball

#5: Art

Baseball and softball*
Cooking
Lake
Basketball
Art
Soccer
Slapball**
Tennis
Ceramics
Tower

*Includes a lot of votes for Twilight League.

**A sport perhaps played at only one summer camp in the entire world!

Who’s not ready for the July 4th BBQ, Talent Show, and Fireworks?

Camp Scatico 2/20/22 Camp Scatico 2/20/22

Winter 2021-22, Edition 101, Issue #2

In a recent conversation with my older brother Ben, he shared how he was taking our baseball card collection (basically a complete run of Topps cards from 1962 to 1969—almost all purchased one pack at a time at the local toy store in our hometown of New Rochelle) out of storage to reorganize. Twenty minutes later there was a follow-up email....

The Power of Camp Memories

The almost lost 1963 Topps Mickey Mantle

First, to set the scene.... Back in the 1960s, campers would “flip” baseball cards with bunkmates, actually losing (or winning) cards. There were matching games (color of cards or teams), games when you’d toss a card for distance, and games when you’d toss for distance and try to land on another competitor’s cards. But probably the most popular game took place when a card was “leaned” against a wall and you took turns trying to knock it down with another card thrown from a distance of about 10 feet. Turns alternated, and if you knocked the card down you would collect the entire “pot” of cards that were unsuccessful in flattening the leaner. One final note—my brother and I were obsessed Yankees (read—Mickey Mantle) fans....And now, back to the story and my brother’s email:

“I remember once when I was in Bunk 4, we were doing leaners against the bunk door during Rest Hour. I was down to my last card. Mantle. I flipped it.... It hit the pile and nothing for a second, and then they all fell. I never flipped Mantle again. I still have that card.”

Fifty-nine years ago.

Every summer there are a multitude of events that you are certain will bring a smile to your face for years to come. A young camper belts out a song in a 4th of July Talent Show act that amazes the audience, a standing ovation erupting at the moment of the last note. A back-and-forth basketball game comes down to a final second 3-point shot. The resident heron lands on the dock in the middle of a chaotic full-camp event and calmly watches the proceedings. The two fires of the Color War Rope Burn climb higher and higher in mirror image. The epic summer storm that’s followed by an epic rainbow and then an epic mudslide.

Yet year after year we hear from alumni who are just as likely to share a story about a tiny in-between moment. Sitting at the waterfront with divisionmates and watching a sunset. Figuring out the final clue in a treasure hunt. A spontaneous bunk dance party when just the right song played at just the right time. An activity when they caught the perfect wind when sailing or got a project centered on a pottery wheel or started fully extending a backswing at tennis—when something clicked into place.

Some alumni fondly recall not specific moments but the comfort of daily routines. Chocolate milk and cookies at Taps. Birthday announcements at morning lineup. Endless card games on bunk floors or at picnic tables outside cabins. A unique way a division leader had for assembling the group and counting off. Afternoon general swims. A counselor’s daily trivia contests at the end of mealtimes.

As the summer of 2022 looms (number 101 if you’re counting from home), we know it will be filled with memorable moments large and small as well as comforting routines. And maybe a few life lessons. Like don’t flip the Mantle.

One Memorable Moment from 2021: celebrating a 100th birthday . Up to light one set of candles—staff with more than 20-plus Scatico summers: (from left to right,) camp doctor Marc Stiefel, Cory, Kerri, Dusty, Audrey, and Nicki.

SCATINEWS

As always, we’ll start with RSSes (Random Scatico Sightings). And it’s an impressive list....

Girls head counselor Kerri Winderman was flying to Florida with her son Tyler, when they spotted Leia Pinals in the airport. Tyler will join Leia on staff this summer... A repeat RSS in back-to-back issues! In the fall, we reported how cousins Ben Strauss and Max Pisnoy met divisionmate Spencer Hellman outside an ice cream store in Maine. Fast-forward three months, the three reconnected at a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike (all heading south to Maryland for Jake Finkel’s Bar Mitzvah)....

When Noah Thaler went ice skating with bunkmate Caleb Sanchez in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, his sister Ryan tagged along—and then had her RSS moment when she ran into bunkmate (and Brooklyn native) Eloise Berlach....Divisionmates Teddy Gourevitch and Ezra Elkin met on the basketball court in January. Ezra seems to be working his way through the sports calendar. In the previous issue we reported on a baseball RSS....

Maybe a first ever Hawaii RSS? Siblings Reed, Denali, and Nile Cather ran into siblings Ben and Simone Strauss in the 50th State....

In non-RSS news, Massachusetts campers Naya Bodner and Hayley Kahn got together for an ice skating playdate outside Boston...“Mozga Stars on the Ice with the Junior Penguins” proclaimed a January headline in the Tri-County Independent (a newspaper covering Wayne, Pike, and Lackawanna Counties in Pennsylvania). A 2022 graduating camper, team captain Nick Mozga led his 16U hockey squad in scoring through the first 24 games of the Delaware Valley hockey league season....

Nine of eleven 2021 Centers got together over Thanksgiving for a New York City dinner....

Top Scatico book for 2021? Our nomination, My First Year at Sleepaway Camp by Reed Cather.... The image below? Not a treasure map for the ballfields! It’s Ken Vallario’s rough outline for a board game based on Legends (a now-beloved camp event Ken spearheaded in 2016). Each corner of the playing surface provides a home base for a Legends team: Alchemists; Guardians; Harbingers; and Seers. Pretty certain this is a fluid creation with ever-evolving rules, so send along any ideas. Ken has worn many hats during his 9 Scatico summers on staff (division leader; ceramics director; art director; and resident philosopher) but it now looks like he’ll get one more hat to wear (game designer) along with his 10-year fleece....

You can send all news (and non-news) for the Spring Issue of the Camper Newsletter to info@scatico.com.

Survey Says....

The results are in from our annual camper survey. More to follow in the Spring issue of the camper newsletter....

Favorite Special Events

Color War
Divisional Sing
4th of July BBQ, Talent Show and Fireworks
College Bowl and Teams
DJ Pure
Carnival
Art Show and Open Mic Night

Favorite Meals

Chicken Nuggets with Mac & Cheese, unseating longtime #1 choice...
...Chicken Patties
Pizza
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Taco Tuesday
Chicken Caesar Wraps
Spaghetti and Meatballs

New For 2022

‘Tis the season for planning program purchases and identifying capital projects. Already in the works for 2022 (with more still to come):

Adding a high element to the climbing program that will include three different challenge activities: Flying Squirrel; Nitro Swing; and Bean Pole. “Tower Steve” Lewanick returns to oversee construction and head the activity.
A new scoreboard for the “A” court.
Installation of a 250 square foot fishing dock.

Parent Portal

A link to the Portal will be sent to parents by the end of February. With the following timeline for forms/information:

February—Summer Forms: Packing List, Health Histories, and Camper Confidentials.

April—Parents’ Handbook: Information to get you ready for the summer of 2022

Copy of JesicaPedroccaScatico - Copy.JPG

Coming soon to a camp near you....

Going through the slides above: Chess games on the HC Porch (including one fan-heavy tournament directed by Ken to determine the team story-telling order at the Legends campfire); S’Mores (Sylvie showing great form); Relaxing during General Swim (Noa and Carson sharing a paddleboard); Fishing (bass beware, Charlie returns); and Yoga in the dance studio (Mountain Posing with fully-focused Juniors).

100th Reunion

Are YOU attending Scatico’s 100th Reunion Celebration on September 10, 2022? It promises to be a day of all things camp, including a BBQ, time to play and hang at the lake, and lots of bonding with Scaticonians from across generations. Even if this summer will be your first at Scatico... this event is for you! Tickets are free, but we ask everyone to register (and learn more) at Scatico100.com. The website also features an Artifacts Timeline, and the Ultimate Scatico Playlists (sorted by decade and downloadable). You can make your own additions to the Timeline and Playlists.

Camp Scatico 11/23/21 Camp Scatico 11/23/21

Fall 2021, Edition 101, Issue #1

News From Elizaville

The recent news that boys head counselor Cory Schwartz (whose Scatico career began as a 10-year-old in 1988) would transition his role at camp to a part-time summer position, brought an outpouring of love and support from the camp community past and present. Memories of Cory’s many summers were shared from divisionmates and his former campers from the 1980s and 1990s as well as from parents of current campers. The latter recalled pre-camp home visits to get their sons excited (and feeling more confident) about approaching summers and nights and in-between moments at camp when Cory talked and listened to their children (perhaps supporting them through a bout of homesickness or lamenting the state of the Mets’ roster and sharing comic recommendations). Families also expressed excitement for Mark Gretenstein, who after working as an assistant for Cory beginning in 2018 (first as a basketball coach and CIT counselor and then as a program director) will become boys side’s fourth head counselor in the past 40 years.

This Scatico community never ceases to amaze—the ability to celebrate the past and embrace the future: generations overlapping and sharing, torches being endlessly passed. But what creates community at camp? Culture and values. An ethos as to how people are welcomed and included. The rhythms of day-to-day life in group living. Shared experiences—both mundane routines and moments when someone does something remarkable. Appreciation of the outdoors—a rainbow, a star-filled night, a flyover by Roger (the resident heron)....

As per Dunbar’s Number—counting just a little over 150 at the Opening Campfire (above) and Color War lineup (below).

Reflecting on the magic of Community (capital “C”) at camp brought to mind an article shared several years ago by an alumnus from the 1970s about Dunbar’s Number. First proposed by British anthropologist Robin Dunbar in the 1990s, it suggests that an optimal size for a community is approximately 150 for “individuals... to meet their own requirements, as well as coordinate their behavior with other individuals in the group.” Camper and staff totals? Okay, a little bit over 150 on each side. And I’m thinking there is something about being big enough, but not too large. Knowing everyone and feeling part of something substantial.

As for overlapping generations adding to this sense of Community.... In the 1920s, a short story introduced the concept of Six Degrees of Separation. Briefly explained, this idea postulates that everyone in the world is connected by six degrees of separation; that you know someone, who knows, someone, who knows someone.... I would speculate that every camper and staff member back to Scatico’s first summer in 1921 is connected by no more than three or four degrees....So when Mark (or any current staff member or camper) looks back on their lessons learned from Cory (and on girls side from head counselor Kerri Winderman) and you start moving those lessons learned back in time to previous generations....

Maybe just fodder for Art Director Ken Vallario’s Philosophy Board on the boys HC porch? Or maybe a moment to pause and appreciate the blessings and connections (day to day and generation to generation) that camp provides. Two Cory lessons? Never underestimate the Community value of a rainbow or a campus mud puddle. Explanations to follow this summer!

Staying In Touch

As a leading life indicator (LLI) that a post-Pandemic world looms, we can turn to an uptick in Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes)— spotting a member of the community outside of the 12523. Clearly, people are more out and about....

A regular RSS reporter, camper Spencer Hellman and his sister Isabelle were on a postcamp vacation in Maine when they ran into (siblings and cousins) Ben and Simone Strauss and Lily and Max Pisnoy.... A few weeks later, the Hellmans were eating outdoors in a restaurant when sisters Jessica and Emma Hochberg passed by in a car (no photo, but waves were exchanged, making it an official RSS)....

Freshman Ezra Elkin can also claim two RSSes. He spotted girls Head Counselor Kerri Winderman at a Wegmans in Westchester County (where Kerri learned that her husband Michael and Ezra’s dad Josh attended sleepaway camp together growing up—although not Scatico) .... A few weeks later, Ezra and 2021 Junior Jonah Cooper found themselves playing fall league baseball games on adjoining fields....

2021 Junior Emma Fabian and Justin Mazzola (co-head of the culinary program) had an RSS in Connecticut celebrating all things fall....

In non-RSS news.... The Caldara girls are playing rec sports and connecting with Scatico friends at games: Nealie with Jess Hochberg at volleyball and Parker excited to have bunkmate Maya Lederman cheering her on at hockey....

A lot of Scaticonians (campers and staff) crossed paths over the course of a November weekend at the University of Michigan (either someone currently attending the school, an older sibling visiting, or a high school student touring): Jamie and Sydney Segal; Mark and Andrew Perlman; Tyler Winderman (and mom Kerri); Julia and Kate Metzendorf; Ethan Rosenberg; and Sadie Vandercar. Also on campus that weekend were current undergrads (and 2021 Sub Senior co-counselors Shay Rubinson and Josue Lora). Apologies for not having a photo with everyone, but it seems not everyone was all together at any single moment....

We love sharing bunk reunion photos (when the entire group is invited). Recent gatherings included (2021 divisions) Freshman (jointly celebrating birthdays for Jordan Zelkin and Sander Gross and with a special guest appearance from counselor Brett Bockstein); Sophs (15 of 16 attending); Juniors (a beautiful September day at the Bronx Botanical Gardens with Ruby Elkin, Eloise Berlach, Olivia Garber, and Sylvie Eichel); and Sub Juniors (10 of 14 reuniting in November for a laser tag outing)....

2021 Sophs

At the Botanical Gardens

2021 Frosh

2021 Sub-Juniors

....If you ever find yourself in Colorado, feeling a little homesick and needing a Scatico connection, you can visit the Boulder-based “Scatico Out-post” of the Moscous (current campers Austin and Leah and dad Jim, an alumnus from the 1970s-80s). Michael Tolstoi and Chuck Rubin recently stopped by. (Michael and Chuck’s sister Lulu are students at the nearby University of Colorado.)....

John Hickey, head of the Scatico filmmaking program, has opened an art studio in Los Angeles to pursue yet another passion—painting portraits. Recent commissions include recreating family photographs (even of a few pets) to be given as gifts for special occasions. You can see what he’s up to at JohnJamesHickey-artist.com....

Ceramics Director Sara Bussert ran the Wineglass half-marathon in Corning, NY, in October. Her husband Will Bussert (who heads the Outdoor Adventure program and is Scatico’s master fisherman and rock-skipper) has stopped by camp during the fall just to keep the fish in shape (and on notice)....

Journal-making with Laura and the Inters

And, finally, the news we have all been waiting on since the summer: Congratulations to Laura and Ishai Eshed (girls art and boys waterfront directors respectively) on the birth of Stav on November 9. Big sisters Bar and Eden can’t wait to show their new little sister Scatico this summer.

Send news, non-news, and photos for the Winter issue of the Newsletter to info@scatico.com.

On the Horizon

In the Winter Issue of the Camper Newsletter: Results from the 2021 Camper Survey (last chance to send back your forms) as well as updates on completed fall maintenance projects and capital plans for next season.
For Staff: We have already heard from many of our counselor and support staff about returning for the summer of 2021. As a reminder to eligible counselors, please contact us no later than December 31 about your interest in applying for a job in 2022. After that date, we will start locking in positions and may have few positions still available.
For Parents: The 2022 Parent Portal will be up and running in February with forms and other information to get you and your children ready for camp.
An orientation for first-year campers is scheduled for June 11th at camp (from 12:30PM to 3:30PM)....
The 100th Anniversary Reunion (third time’s the charm ) planned for September 10, 2022, is for all current campers and their families as well as for alumni from way back when. For more details, visit Scatico100.com.

Camp is a little bit of everything....Adrenalin and energy at College Bowl Capture the Flag.

Home, Sweet Home (at least when not in Elizaville)

With 2022 enrollment almost 95 percent completed, here’s our annual look at camper geographic demographics (for the analytically and statistically inclined):

Westchester 29.4%
NYC 17.5%
New Jersey 13.4%
Other* 9.3%
Long Island 8.2%
Connecticut 5.9%
California 5.6%
Metro DC 4.1%
Pennsylvania 3.3%
Florida 3.3%

* Other includes: Massachusetts, Vermont, Upstate New York, North Carolina, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Ecuador, Sweden, and Israel.

Subs hit the "ice"

Juniors on their overnight

Camp Scatico 2/16/21 Camp Scatico 2/16/21

Winter 2020-21, Edition 100, Issue #2

In early December I received a call from one of my former counselors, Bob Seebacher (as in my actual counselor in 1969, 1971, and 1973). He was checking in with joyful news…

Dreaming of Elizaville

In early December I received a call from one of my former counselors, Bob Seebacher (as in my actual counselor in 1969, 1971, and 1973). He was checking in with joyful news (a first grandchild) and world lament (what’s a reconnection nowadays without some contemplation of pandemic and political upheaval). What he also wanted to share was how he had been lately dreaming about camp. Really pleasant dreams. Of camp locations, friends, and memories. And upon awakening feeling just a little more energized and optimistic for the day to come.

Camp dreaming! A few days after this phone call, I awoke one morning with a campfire story fully formed in my mind. Magic? Power of persuasion? (Definitely an incredibly deep and restful sleep!) Plus, it has since become the vision for when I know we will truly be back at camp: listening to a story while sitting around a campfire. To “pay it forward” (what’s better than the blessing of a sound night’s sleep) I reached out to senior staff and asked them to dream of camp and to envision a specific moment in the summer that will confirm for them that, yes, they are definitely back in Elizaville. I heard from...

Kerri and Cory: Lowering the flag at lineup the first night. — **Kerri and Cory**: Lowering the flag at lineup the first night.

Head Counselors Kerri and Cory both look forward to the very first flagpole lineup on Opening Night. From Kerri: “The very first dinner lineup and looking out at all the campers and counselors finally back together. That’s when I’ll know it’s real.”

Assistant Head Counselor Dusty Fox concurs: “Looking at the U shaped lineup on girls side, with Kerri welcoming everyone to another summer at camp. Soopers have moved up to their spot at the tip of the U, with the Subs sitting on the bench, the CITs at the top, and our Juniors & Jinters standing opposite the Soopers on the other side of the U. This is the first time all of girls side is together, the first time of the summer that I know it will be another incredible summer, where new faces become family and we are ready to start the best summer yet! Who will be first to the flagpole??!!”

Art (and Philosophy) Director Ken Vallario: “I will know I am back at camp when I'm sitting on boys HC porch watching Randy and Quinn passing out milk and cookies as everybody talks about the day.”

Randy: Hoops on the A-Court — **Randy**: Hoops on the A-Court

Athletics Director Randy (and not surprisingly): “First Rec Hoops on the A Court.”

Athletics Director Audrey: “Opening campfire. That’s when it will sink in.”

Program Director Mark : “The first morning of camp -- the bugle blows and lower hill is already buzzing as upper hill campers slowly gather on the picnic benches outside their bunks. My feet are getting a little wet from the dew on the grass as we all start the march together to the flagpole!”

Head of Filmmaking John: “Walking out of the dining room at lunchtime and seeing a huge group of kids hanging out on the Film Shack porch waiting to watch some classic Scatico films during Rest Hour.”

Head nurse Patti: “When I pull through those gates and hear those first-day giggles and singing.”

Chef Ally (head of the culinary program): “Approaching the gate and seeing the Camp Scatico sign. I can hear voices singing “We Welcome You to Scatico” in my head and instantly burst into song and claps myself (even if I am driving). The butterflies in my belly start to flutter and I know I am back in my summer home.”

Special events coordinator Jane: (as in Rosenfeld, who headed the theater program in her last full summer in 2016 and will return in a new leadership role in 2021—and the title may evolve): “Being at the Carnival and watching the DL horse race to see who comes in last (like I did every year as a division leader).”

Ally and Patti: Driving through the front gate. — **Ally and Patti:** Driving through the front gate.

Jane: DL “Horse” race at the Carnival. This photo is from 2016 and DL Andrew Nathin seems unhappy with the dice roll. — **Jane**: DL “Horse” race at the Carnival. This photo is from 2016 and DL Andrew Nathin seems unhappy with the dice roll.

What’s the moment when you’ll know you’re really back at camp? Start dreaming. And send your “visions” to info@scatico.com or DM to Scatico’s Instagram at @campscatico_official. In less than 5 months the dreams will come true….

A Relection from Cory—Dreaming of Elizaville

Head Counselors Kerri and Cory on a recent DJ Pure Night. Between them, more than 45 Scatico summers (and counting)…. — Head Counselors **Kerri and Cory** on a recent DJ Pure Night. Between them, more than 45 Scatico summers (and counting)….

Cory began his Scatico journey as a 9-year-old camper in 1988. His first Scatico run ended in 2002 as a counselor in the 1-week Scatico-In-Training (SIT) program (after several years as a division leader). He then returned as an SIT counselor in 2011 and as a senior staff member (girls athletics director) in 2013. (Who says, “you can never go home again”?) He has been the boys head counselor since 2016. We asked: “What’s the moment when you’ll know you’re really back at camp?”

He answered: Over a long camp career, I have had the privilege of hearing many people speak at Friday night services which take place at the boy’s waterfront. As a sub junior I sat in the front row and played with the sticks and the sand. I was aware that someone was speaking, and I really can’t recall what I was taking in, but I think I knew enough to know that it was a special time when we were all gathered there. As an upper hill camper, the relationships I had with my peers, and especially with my counselors were the single most impactful relationships in my life, so when someone was up there speaking, I was paying attention and craved the wisdom of the counselors we looked up to each and every summer.

Even now, it is a special thing for me to watch current staff members get up in front of the camp and hold an audience while baring personal experiences that run the gamut of emotions. I don’t take it lightly how much courage it takes to get up there, and no matter who makes that walk up there, I am always wowed by the poise everyone shows.

And what I have thought a lot about lately is that, as far back as I can remember a common theme has echoed at the lake on these Friday nights, “Take advantage of your time here”…In some form or another it is a message that runs through most sermons. A message that we all hear and understand, and we might make a mental note to live the day long, but as we often do, we head back up to the hill, get involved in camp and we live.

Dylan Patterson, Matt Gross, Andrew Kassin in recent summers all bringing a raw emotion in describing all different situations they lived through and how you should take advantage of the time you have, wherever you should find yourself…And we think we do. And then you leave Camp on August 16th 2019, you say your goodbyes, you hug your friends, maybe you cry in the backseat as you wind your way down mosquito hollow and out past the gate. And all the while you’re thinking of the great memories and right there you start to plan for next summer.

And then there is no next summer. And there is also so much more than that, we have all gone through so much.

August 7, 1993—the final night of Color War. Green Captain Cory Schwartz (hand on heart) speaks from the heart to the entire boys camp in the social hall…. Foreshadowing things to come 20 years or so later.

And now here we are, planning for summer 2021. We can once again take advantage of our time together, and really understand what that means. We’ll get there, and there will be hello’s at orientation, and we’ll navigate how this new reality works. We’ll have an opening day, and it will be different, and we’ll navigate this as well as best we can. I know we’ll be prepared.

And the sun will get to that perfect spot in the sky, probably my favorite light of the day, where it’s letting us know it’s time for mess call. We’ll all shuffle down to mess in our fresh white tees and green shorts ready to take on the world. We’ll fall in and lineup with our groups at the flagpole. The sun is perfect right now, and I’m in the middle of the lineup looking around at all of you and I know this is the moment I have been waiting for all these months. Thinking of what it took to get back here. Thinking of how lucky we are, and how we need to take advantage of our time here.

SCATINEWS

As of this writing, all of the camp doctors and many of the teachers on staff have had their first COVID vaccinations. Just for the record books…. the first vaccinated? We’re thinking longtime camp doctor (and an ER physician at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx) Greg Mazarin on December 16th….

Campers Alexa and Eli Tannenbaum visited camp on a particularly cold and snowy morning in late December. While sledding on the golf course proved a very new Scatico experience they were (as reported by dad and camp alumnus Andrew Tannenbaum) even more impressed by the hollow and echoing sound of rocks landing on the partially frozen crib at the boys waterfront.…

Greg gets vaccinated! — **Greg** gets vaccinated!

A shoutout to Art (and Philosophy) Director Ken Vallario, who created the most “liked” meme in Scatico history (sent minutes after the end of the Biden Inauguration): Bernie Sanders sitting in front of the Admin Building. In true Scatico fashion it inspired a flurry of other Bernie “sightings” at camp.…

Sub-Junior Benny Katz is a featured performer in “The Apple Corps,” a 15-minute PSA musical video sponsored by the NYC Department of Transportation (and to be shown in NYC Public Schools this spring). Viewers will follow a group of “school friends as they navigate their way through NYC during hybrid or remote school days.”

In the Spring issue of camper newsletter we’ll share news of Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes) and other masked/distanced camp connections. You can send all news (and non-news) to info@scatico.com.

Home Sweet Home…

(at least when not in Elizaville)

For the statistically and geographically minded, our annual look at from where our campers depart to travel to Scatico. As of February 1….

Westchester 28.3%
New York City 17.7%
New Jersey 12.7%
Long Island 8.8%
Connecticut 8.5%
Metro-DC 5.3%
California 4.6%
Other States* 4.5%
Pennsylvania 3.5%
Florida 3.2%
International 2.9%

*“Other States” includes Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana, North Carolina, Texas, and Vermont.

Scatico campers live in 16 states, 1 district (D.C.), and 3 countries (not including the United States). The records aren’t complete, but we’re pretty sure this is the most home states in camp history.

Parent Portal

This is the year we hope to go paperless (or almost paperless). A link to the Portal will be sent to parents by the end of February. With the following timeline for forms/information:

February—Summer Forms: Clothing List, Shipping and Luggage, Health Histories, Transportation, Camper Confidentials

April—Parents’ Handbook: Information to get you ready for the summer of 2021

New For 2021

Among many harbingers of summer in the camp office…. placing orders for program supplies and finalizing plans for capital projects.

For the discerning Scatico eye, changes in 2021 will include program enhancements (additional wheels for ceramics; a new 25-foot Rave at the waterfront; a new floor in the dance studio….) and operational improvements (expanded handwashing capacity at the dining room; several 200 to 400- square-foot popup tents to add more covered outdoor spaces…).

For the less-discerning eye, it will be hard to miss a major renovation of Bunk 9-10 on boys side that will add an extra shower in the bathroom, rebuild the porch, and create more floor space in the main part of the cabin.

The Spring issue of the camper newsletter will share more details regarding other program additions and 2021 staff.

Camp Scatico 11/12/20 Camp Scatico 11/12/20

Fall 2020, Edition 100, Issue #1

News From Elizaville

What now feels like a long, long, long time ago—early April (no listing here of everything we’ve experienced since then!)—boys head counselor Cory Schwartz and art director Ken Vallario launched The HC Porch, a podcast to keep us all connected, positive, and thinking camp. Each week they would invite a camp celebrity or two (girls head counselor Kerri Winderman, maintenance director Teddy Lydon, former division leader Danny Rosen…) to share their Scatico stories. At the end of each episode, they would ask their guests to answer a set of questions. This segment quickly became a particularly anticipated part of each episode, rapid fire and spontaneous, covering everything from the mundane (“Go-to Holy Cow order” and “Sheets/comforter on your bed as a camper”) to the spiritual (“Favorite sound at camp” and “Favorite place at camp”), and lots of stuff in-between.

Everyone I spoke to who listened to the podcast reflected on what their answers would be if they were invited to be guests on the show. Well, if camp isn’t about everyone getting a chance…. In August, inspired by Cory and Ken, we invited (by Instagram) the entire Scatico community to submit answers to “The Scatico 100” (a slightly revised list of questions). We have so loved the responses that we are expanding the outreach, hoping to connect with as many alumni and current Scaticonians as possible and develop a written shared history as part of the ongoing 100th anniversary celebration. Here’s your chance to contribute. You can find the blank form in Scatico’s Instagram Highlights under #Scatico100 or go “old school” and email answers to nicki@scatico.com (or go “really old school” and mail to Camp Scatico, PO Box 6, Elizaville, NY 12523).

What have we learned from the more than 50 answers to date (every decade from the 1960s to 2020s represented)? That a lot of girls staff and alumni love the coffee ice cream at Holy Cow (often with hot fudge sauce). That campers from all generations feel butterflies in their stomachs or an adrenalin surge when they first see the Scatico sign on County Route 19. That sounds are absolutely an integral part of our camp experiences. For current camper Chase Baruch it’s the sound of Reveille each morning. For camp mom Hillah Wiczyk Mendez ( a camper and counselor in the 1970s-90s), “bunk doors slamming.” For Danny Klyde (2000s-10s camper and counselor), “the [boys side] mess hall just after the moment of silence.” Four graduating Soopers weighed in: Sophie Rosen— “general swim from a distance when you hear everyone laughing and talking”; Maya Miller— “the ropes getting pulled when raising or lowering the flag”; Vivi Loigman— “cheering in the dining hall and campfire songs”; and Dylan Gottfried— “everyone singing together in the U [the dining room deck] before lunch.” Matty Carroll and Kael Au-Carroll first met at Scatico as staff members in 2008 and then were married at a precamp ceremony at the girls campfire site in 2016. Answering independently, they had the same response: “heavy rain on the bunk roof at night.”

We look forward to embracing all the sounds at camp next summer. The bugles, the doors slamming, the laughter, the singing, and the rain on the roof of a bunk at night.

Wha’s Happenin’?

As always, we’ll start with Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes).

With the world of youth baseball and softball slowly ramping up this fall, Charlotte Florin and Alexa Tannenbaum were excited to spot a familiar Scatico face in the opposing dugout on a recent weekend. In the photo to the right, that’s CFlo playing second base and Alexa taking the lead off of first…. While not technically speaking a pure two-way sighting (but clearly a classic RSS in spirit), when boys head counselor Cory Schwartz moved into his new home in Rye Brook, NY, and went to answer the doorbell, he was surprised to discover sisters Carly and Emma Hodes on his front steps (proudly wearing Scatico shirts). Unknown to Cory when first relocating (and we might add now 30 minutes closer to Elizaville), was that his immediate backyard neighbors shared more than a property line….

Maybe a first-ever biking RSS? Assistant girls athletics director Moises Torres and former staff member Robin Guzman were riding in Manhattan when they were spotted by division leader Bryce Holden…. In other news, the Moscou and Tolstoi families held a Scatico reunion in Boulder, CO, in August (we love the “Scatico Outpost” sign). Michael Tolstoi, starting his Sophomore year at the University of Colorado, made the trip west from New Jersey with his family. Mom Lara Tolstoi and dad Jimmy Moscou were Scatico contemporaries in the 1970s-80s. Brooke and Lara Tolstoi and Austin and Leah Moscou are current campers….

Boys side art director Helen Suter visited camp in August. She is already planning a range of projects for her second Scatico summer in 2021. You can view her latest work at helensuter.studio….

Maggie Brown, Emma Bochner, and Amanda Hartstein, who each spent more than 12 summers at Scatico, formed particular close working friendships as Sub counselors in 2017. In July, they launched The Catalyst, a weekly newsletter that consolidates ways for its readers to make a direct impact and play a small yet meaningful role in imparting positive systemic change. Each issue has had a different focus, such as immigration, supporting the USPS, and climate change….

Although the annual CIT service trip to the Dominican Republic to run a day camp for The DREAM Project was cancelled this summer, the CITs were undeterred. In June, they created a 43-page activity booklet (think mazes, word searches, and coloring pages) for our Dominican campers (to keep them engaged and learning during their summer quarantines) and launched a fundraiser, designing and selling a limited edition Scatico-DREAM t-shirt which raised more than $1,700. This money went towards printing and distributing activity booklets and supporting DREAM’s critical food delivery programs….

Emma Hochberg (left) and Leia Pinals (right) with the Scatico-DREAM t-shirt: “a dreamer keeps on dreaming.”

Chef James Wexler is looking forward to his 15th Scatico summer in 2021. In the off-season, he and his family (wife Debbie and children Coby and Zoe) run Two Fat Cookies in Delray Beach, FL. Their summer-launched Death by Pizza was featured in The Palm Beach Post and on a regionally-focused podcast. The weekly pizza production, which is strictly limited and can only be ordered online (one day a week) sells out within an hour (or, more accurately, minutes). It’s a Detroit-style pizza: square-shaped, sourdough crust, and with toppings layered in inverse order (cheese below sauce). Maybe a new concept for pizza Wednesdays next summer?...

Scatico participated in the Camp Madness Virtual Intercamp Competition in support of SCOPE (an organization that raises money to send children from under -served communities to overnight camp). We joined 30 other camps in submitting an original video to demonstrate our communities’ spirit and tradition (we went with our quarantine virtual Alma Mater created last spring by former and current girls side campers and counselors). Camps were placed into brackets and then people voted on which videos demonstrated the most camp spirit. Current Scatico dad Andrew Tannenbaum (also a former camper, counselor, and division leader) is a SCOPE board member….

Send news, non-news, and photos for the Winter issue of the Newsletter to info@scatico.com. P.S. It’s very nice to be back and sharing updates from the Scatico community!

Virtual Camp

Though no substitute for the real thing, current and former Scaticonians have embraced the connections made possible through virtual activities since last March. Maybe more than ever, we needed to be mentally transported back to camp, camp friends, and camp memories. Most of the activities and “calls to action” can still be viewed (and even contributed to) on the Scatico Blog.

Maddy Klein—Scatico logo in Perler Beads

If you need a little off-season pick-me-up and spiritual connection, here (in rough chronological order) is a list of activities you can re-visit:

Virtual Art and Talent Show
Scatico March Madness (with hosts Bryce Holden and Matt Stuttman)
Novelty Challenge
Cooking with Chef Ally
The HC Porch—8 episodes of the quarantine podcast created by Cory and Ken
Virtual Game Show (with hosts Chase Madorsky and Jane Rosenfeld)
Color War Relay
Alma Mater and “I Don’t Want to Go Home”
Scatico Mad Libs
Activity Book (shoutout to John Hickey)
Yoga with Brian Helfman
10 for 2 (x2) Community Board
“Behind the Scenes” tours
Pen Pals
Scatico Night Live (shoutout to Kate Rosenfeld)
Escape the Zoom
Opening and Closing Campfires (thanks to the division leaders)

On the Horizon

In the Winter Issue of the Camper Newsletter: We will bring you up-to-date on completed fall maintenance projects and capital plans for next season.
For Staff: We have already heard from many of our counselor and support staff about returning for the summer of 2021. As a reminder to eligible counselors, please contact us no later than December 31 about your interest in applying for a job next summer. After that date, we will start locking in positions and may have few positions still available.
For Parents: Parent Bulletins starting in December will walk you through the process of getting ready for the summer, but don’t hesitate to contact us directly with any questions along the way.
As you plan ahead.... The 100th reunion at camp on September 25, 2021, is for all current campers and their families as well as for alumni from way back when. We will be serving lunch, many activity areas will be open, and there will be a closing program. For more details, visit Scatico100.com.

Girls Back Campus— 2019 Sooper Halle Press drew the free-hand image above on a iPad Pro for a school project last spring as a 10th-grader. — ***Girls Back Campus***— 2019 Sooper Halle Press drew the free-hand image above on a iPad Pro for a school project last spring as a 10th-grader.

Line Up— 2019 Jinter Ruby Harrison submitted the above for the Virtual Art Show. Congratulations as well to Ruby, sister Luna, and mom Rebecca for winning/solving the in-summer Escape the Zoom. — ***Line Up—*** 2019 Jinter Ruby Harrison submitted the above for the Virtual Art Show. Congratulations as well to Ruby, sister Luna, and mom Rebecca for winning/solving the in-summer Escape the Zoom.

Camp Scatico 2/26/20 Camp Scatico 2/26/20

Winter 2019-20, Edition 100, Issue #2

“Congrats on the 100th anniversary.... I was a counselor back in 1997. Now I'm living in the Seattle area. Scatico has been in my heart always all these years, and I wish for another fabulous 100 years!”— Mickey Kim…

News from Elizaville

One of the genuinely nice things about the approaching 100th anniversary is how we have heard from a broad range of Scaticonians—alumni from every decade since the 1920s (yes, someone who attended in 1929—91 years ago) to the present day; alumni who spent twenty- plus years at camp to those who spent a single summer in Elizaville (and, before 1934, in Wingdale).

Mickey Kim traveled from South Korea to the United States in 1997 to work in the theatre program as a piano accompanist. It was her only summer at Scatico and she spoke very little English when she arrived. I have very specific memories of Mickey, not only because she was an incredible accompanist (hum a tune and she was ready to go), but more importantly because of her kindness to all and because she was a counselor for my daughter Nicki during her first camper summer as a 7 -year-old Jinter. Even more importantly, Nicki remembers her fondly as well. (The stickers from South Korea were a big hit!)

This is the true magic of the camp experience (and childhood). The impact that a counselor can make on us when we are young (and we on them). And while what makes a counselor remembered so fondly will probably have something to do with the skills they bring to their activities and their ability to teach, it will definitely have a lot to do with the person they are in terms of kindness, fun, inclusiveness, caring, humility,....

At Scatico, we continually are blessed by the annual return of more than 75 percent of our counselors and program staff. This year, more than one-half of all of our counselors and program staff will have spent 10 or more summers at Scatico. Yet, it’s also the staff members at camp for a single summer, often traveling long distances in terms of time and culture, who will make the experience even more rewarding for their campers (and the overall community).

At Scatico, we strongly believe that once you enter camp for the very first time, whether as a 7-year-old camper or a college-aged counselor, you are an alumnus in perpetuity; as much a part of the community and culture as the alumnus who attended in 1929 or the head counselors at camp for more than 20 years (shameless shout-outs for Cory and Kerri). Or Mickey Kim, who traveled from South Korea for a single summer at camp in 1997.

What’s More Camp? From the oldest to the youngest.... Left—Graduating Soopers the moment that Color War breaks... Right—Juniors doing Mad Libs on their first overnight as campers.

It’s Officially the Year of the 100th—Don’t Forget to Register

We're already at over 650 people registered for the 100th celebration at camp on Saturday October 3, 2020-- make sure you're one of them! There will be activities, there will be swag, and, most im-portantly, there will be Scaticonians from across the generations sharing in this milestone. We have plenty of meaningful traditions and surprises up our sleeves, and we want as many current families as possible to partici-pate. Learn more and register at Scatico100.com.

Staying In Touch

Welcome to the second Staying In Touch column of the 2019-20 off-season. As always, we’ll start with Random Scatico Sightings....

Playing sports and an RSS—a great combination.... Brett Bockstein and Marissa Miller had their sighting on adjacent basketball courts.... Lovelle Washington was competing for his basketball team when he discovered his former counselor Mark Perlman among the fans. After skipping a summer, Mark returns to camp this year to coach soccer....

Parker Caldara had a similar experience to Lovelle. On the ice with her travel hockey team, she spotted Sophie Rosen watching a game at the same facility. Sophie snapped a photo with Parker’s older sister, also at the game, Nealie. Parker also shared a photo with Carly Greer from a hockey tournament in Tampa at which they were teammates representing the New York region (thus, the Rangers’ jerseys)....

A brother-sister RSS: Carter and Sami Weiss spotted respective bunkmates Robert and Abby Orseck while skiing in Colorado....

In non-sports RSSes, Denali and Nile Cather ran into Allie and Ben Putzer at a Florida airport... We always seem to have an RSS in a NYC-area diner each issue. With Samara and Zach Chait traveling from Baltimore to family on Long Island for Thanksgiving they planned a lunch out with their bunkmates Lily and Max Pisnoy when they saw counselor Jamie Silverman (that wasn’t too complicated)....

At a hibachi restaurant in Westchester, Carly and Emmie Hodes were thrilled to see Charlotte East at a nearby table.... Bunkmates Olivia Gourevitch and Maddie Klein had their RSS at a Harlem Globetrotters’ game in White Plains....

And remaining the RSS champion (easily the most reported over the last few years), Spencer Hellman had two on consecutive weekends at the same store (shopping for formal wear), first with bunkmate Sam Ryan and then with Dylan Schmeidler. Sisters Isabelle Hellman and Kayla Schmeidler were present at the second, making for the first-ever twins-twins RSS in Scatico history (just in case you’re keeping score at home)....

In non-RSS news.... College freshman Andrew Kassin used part of his winter break to observe Scatico doctor Eric Strauss on his rounds and for surgery at NYU Langone in Manhattan. (Should we slot in a camp doctor spot for Andrew for circa 2040?)... When Courtney and Avery Lesser were in Florida over the holidays, they visited Scatico Chef James Wexler at his family’s bakery/café Two Fat Cookies in Delray Beach....

Bunkmates Ella Simons and Lexi Katz were opponents at a travel basketball game in New Jersey (but not an RSS).... When 2019 CIT (and current high school Junior) Jenna Miller began touring colleges this off-season, she embraced the opportunity to connect with Scaticonians at the various schools. At The Ohio State University, Jenna and her sister Marissa got together with Mackenzie Press and Sammi Salmirs (in from Penn State and visiting friends at OSU); at Oneonta University, Jenna and her cousin Danielle Liebman (a former camper, counselor, and division leader—and an Oneonta grad) met freshman Hayden Meisner (a former camper and Junior Counselor); and for an upcoming trip to Penn State she will be hosted by Rachel Trichon. The alumni support system starts early—even while you’re still at camp!....

...Mason Florin attended a recent baseball clinic run by former Yankee legend Mariano Rivera. Mason’s dad Doug (who had chronic elbow pain from baseball and tennis as a former camper and counselor in the 1980s-90s) was happy to report that Mo told the kids not to throw breaking balls until they were 20 years old.... And speaking of Yankee pitchers and Scaticonians, Chase Madorsky sent in a photo from his undergraduate days at UCLA taken with Gerrit Cole (just signed for 9 years and more than $320 million). Cole, a graduate of the University, regularly attended basketball games and Chase (returning for his 18th consecutive summer to help run the boys 1-week Scatico-in-Training program) was (as you might imagine) not shy about asking for a photo op....

When Moises Torres traveled to Europe to visit Katie Simova in the Czech Republic, they met up with Andrea Perez Buisan in Barcelona. A former university basketball player in Spain, Andrea will move from the waterfront to girls athletics in 2020. .... Nicki Fleischner was in Dublin in January to recruit new staff and connected with Nicki O’Brien, who will return for her second summer heading gymnastics. Nicki Fleischner was joined by her sister Audrey in London for a second job fair. During the trip, they hired staff to help run sailing, art, and outdoor adventure....

Thanks to all who sent in news (and non-news). We’ll have one more Newsletter issue prior to the summer (scheduled for May) so email photos and news (and nonnews) to info@scatico.com.

Reunions: 1. Nineteen 2020 Subs helped Dylan and Kayla Schmeidler cel-ebrate their b’nai mitzvah. 2. The 2019 Sophs went bowling in December. Alex Harwood and Jacob Hirschl left before the photo was taken. 3. The 2019 Centers celebrated a joint birthday party for Gracie Klein and Denali Cather.

Left: The Suspects! When the Senior boys and girls had to solve a Murder Mystery they had to sort through the evidence as pre- sented by a very questionable set of staff suspects.

Right: The Subway Series -The Sub-Juniors (mostly 10-year-olds) challenged the Sub-Seniors (mostly 13- year-olds) to a day of competition. Events included knock-out, Quiz Bowl, relay races, and chess. From the photo above.... clearly the tension mounted at the chess boards on the HC Porch

Mark Your Calendar

Open House: Saturday, June 13

Opening Day: Saturday, June 27

Visiting Day: Saturday, July 18

Scatico-In-Training: Sunday, July 26, to Saturday, August 1

Closing Day: Saturday, August 15

Upcoming Parent Mailings

March—Summer Forms: Clothing List, Shipping and Luggage, Health Histories, Transportation, Camper Confidentials, Permissions,...

April—Parents’ Handbook: Information to get you ready for the summer of 2020, including details on Opening, Visiting, and Closing days.

The 2020 First-Time Camper Orientation (including 2019 1-weekers) will be held on Saturday, June 13, from 12:30PM to 3:30PM at camp. Details to follow....

Camp Scatico 11/15/19 Camp Scatico 11/15/19

Fall 2019, Edition 100, Issue #1

Conceptually, the countdown to 100 began when founder Nat Holman signed papers in early 1921 with investors…

News From Elizaville: Countdown to 100

Conceptually, the countdown to 100 began when founder Nat Holman signed papers in early 1921 with investors (all people he knew personally) to open a boys camp in Wingdale, NY. At the time, Nat was 25 years old, the head basketball coach at CCNY, playing for Germantown, PA, in the Eastern Basketball League (34 games—he won the scoring title and the team won the championship), and simultaneously just starting his first season with the Original Celtics (an independent, barnstorming team that played more than 100 games a season). Now that’s a busy schedule! Nat’s older brother Jack didn’t join him at Scatico until the 1930s, when together they bought out the original investors, opened a girls’ side, and moved the camp to Elizaville.

When summer 99 ended on August 16, the countdown began in earnest. While an alumni committee representing campers through the decades plans an event at camp on October 3, 2020 (details to follow and all current families are invited), we are also starting to envision how to celebrate with our campers this summer. As things work at Scatico, we often find the best ideas flow in both directions—up from our youngest campers and through the divisional ranks as well as down from division leaders and program heads. With that in mind, we included in this year’s end-of-summer camper survey an open-ended request for suggestions on how to celebrate the milestone. Though we can’t promise that we’ll put everything into action, we love the creativity and unbridled enthusiasm. A few of our favorites....

From a Jinter and a Senior— “bring back Snowy Peak as a 5th Tribes team.” Snowy Peak (as we learned at the Carnival last summer) is a mythical (or real) tribes team from the 1930s-40s (the mystery continues).... From a Center— “a contest of 100 things, like who can put 100 hats on their heads with the help of friends”.... From a Junior— “a 100th mural that everyone helps paint”.... From a Deb and a Soph— For an entire day, “pretend we’re at camp 100 years ago”.... From a Jinter— “a human 100” on the driving range for a photo.... From an Inter— “a full-camp Apache Relay race with 100 events”.... There were also suggestions for 100th-themed Minicamps, Carnivals, and BBQs; a full-camp hide and seek; and activities to go through the Scatico archives and to hear stories from alumni from the 1930s to 1960s. Finally, we may have to see just how large an ice cream cake Holy Cow is able to make.

We are psyched for the challenge to cram this summer with as much as we can about where we have been and where we want to go, about what makes our community and culture resonate through time. We also want to take a moment to remember how it must have felt for campers on that first day of camp in 1921, the excitement and nervousness that comes with something new, all of these emotions enhanced by the magic of living in the outdoors and with a camp family. We may not have the same full plate as Uncle Nat did at the beginning of 1921, but stand ready to embrace whatever the year throws our way, set to begin Scatico’s journey for the next 100.

2019 Nat Holman Basketball Tournaments: Chuck Rubin drives right…

Halle Press throws a bounce pass to Leah Zerwitz in the low post.

Mark Your Calendar

New Camper Orientation: Saturday, June 13
Opening Day: Saturday, June 27
Visiting Day: Saturday, July 18
1-Week Scatico-In-Training: Sunday, July 26 to Saturday, August 1
Closing Day: Saturday, August 15
100th Anniversary Celebration: Saturday, October 3- Visit Scatico100.com

Staying in touch

As always, we’ll start with Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes). This issues RSSes (all reported in the two months since the end of camp) ranged from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to London, England (that’s 8 Time Zones if you’re keeping score at home).

In Wyoming, campers Noa Klein and Olivia Gourevitch spotted each other at an ice cream shop; In London, the Stiefels (Adam, Ben, and Noah) found themselves on the same Tower of London tour as the Tannenbaums (Eli and Alexa). What we loved most about this particular RSS is that the dads (Marc Stiefel and Andrew Tannenbaum) were divisionmates at camp from 1984 to 1990.

Another two-generation RSS occurred on Martha’s Vineyard in late August, when Roy and (dad) Randy Goldstein spotted Robert, Abby, and dad Gary Orseck (only Roy and Robert made the photo)....

When current high school senior Daphne Zuckerman toured Vanderbilt University this fall with her family, she ran into Vanderbilt freshman Ryan Ditkoff. Ryan was a counselor for Daphne’s younger brother Ellis (who joined the photo)....

Other RSSes: Jinters Maddy Klein and Simone Strauss at a soccer match in New Jersey; Siblings Nile and Denali Cather and siblings Spencer and Isabelle Hellman at the U.S. Tennis Open...

Freshman Cooper Voorhis and boys head counselor Cory Schwartz at Brooklyn Bowl; Bunkmates Michael Fischgrund and Henry Lilienfeld at a Yankee playoff game in the Bronx; “camp sisters” Kayla Schmeidler and Nealie Caldara in Rye, NY…

2020 Upper Senior Max Goodman and former counselor Sam Lippman at an Indiana University—University of Maryland football game; and sisters Megan and Tori Madison and sisters Jessica and Emma Hochberg at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. (Okay, maybe this final RSS is a little “soft” as they discovered they’d be vacationing close to each other on the final day of camp, but an impressive first RSS total nonetheless.)

In non-RSS new.... Congratulations to Parker Caldara and Carlie Greer who were selected to play on an under-12 girls hockey team sponsored by The New York Rangers. They will practice once a week at a Rangers’ facility in Greenburgh, NY, and then will compete in a tournament in Florida in January against teams from all over the world.... When Counselor Drew Winiarski hiked Machu Picchu after the summer, he naturally brought along his Scatico backpack from his Upper Senior summer in 2017.

For an activity this past summer, the Sub boys wrote letters to favorite celebrities. Nick Mozga received an answer in August from Pittsburgh Penguins’ Captain Sydney Crosby (his favorite hockey player).... Counselors Emma Georger, Lauren Rosh, and Ben Putzer wore their 10-year Scatico fleeces to a campfire (with s’mores) at the University of Maryland.

And, under the heading of “living 10 for 2” —Eliza Tarlow and Austin Moscou each had their own ways to flash their Scatico colors. Eliza wanted a Scatico-themed cake for her postcamp birthday party in Los Angeles and Austin went with his heart when choosing a name for his jersey in a Colorado flag football league....

Thanks for staying in touch! Send news, non-news, and photos (and non-photos?) for the Winter issue of the Newsletter to info@scatico.com. As a reminder, we only include info on Scatico get-togethers if the entire cabin or division is invited.

For Parents

Thanks to all of our families who took advantage of the early enrollment discount period. Our camper return rate for 2020 already exceeds 90 percent (including 5 divisions with 100 percent returns). Parent Bulletins starting in November will walk you through the process of getting ready for the summer, but don’t hesitate to contact us directly with any questions along the way.

As you plan ahead.... The 100th reunion at camp on October 3, 2020, is for all current campers and their families as well as for alumni from way back when. We will be serving lunch, many activity areas will be open, and there will be a closing program. For more details, visit Scatico100.com.

Finally, if you are ever in the Elizaville area during the off-season and are thinking of stopping by Scatico, campers love seeing their second home during different seasons—fall foliage ringing the lake or along the tree-lined road; snow on the golf course for sledding...

In the Next Issue of the Newsletter

Survey Results: This is a last call for camper surveys... Favorite activities? Things you like best about Scatico? Suggestions for 2020? If you haven’t returned your survey yet, there’s still time.
News from Elizaville: We will bring you up-to-date on completed fall maintenance projects and capital plans for next season.
Staff Updates: We have already heard from all of our Leadership Team and many of our counselor and support staff about returning for the summer of 2020. As a reminder to 2019 counselors, please contact us no later than December 31 about your interest in returning to camp. After that date, we will have completed almost all of our hiring and may not have any available positions.

Soph's Hike in the Mohonk Preserve

Deb's blueberry picking

Home Sweet Home

When not spending summers in the 12523.... Our campers call “home” 17 states, 7 countries, and one District (that being the one with a lot of government buildings, museums, and memorials). These stats are from our 2019 campers. One trend clearly emerging is that with each passing year campers travel to Scatico from a wider range of places throughout the United States and the world.

Westchester County (NY) 26.4%
Other States (and D.C.)* 19.8%
New York City 16.5%
New Jersey 14.5%
Long Island (NY) 10.2%
Connecticut 6.6%
International** 6.0%

*Includes Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, Montana, California, Texas, Colorado, Montana, Illinois, North Carolina, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Alabama.

**Includes Spain, Hong Kong, Canada, Hungary, France, Morocco, and the United Kingdom.

Last-night-of-camp blues?

You may not be able to re-create fully the banquet, awards ceremony, and campfire at home, but you can watch the closing-night Slideshow and Video Yearbook by visiting the Videos + Slideshows Section of the website. Dim the room lights and pretend you’re sitting under the stars at the Camphitheater.

Best new 2019 activity with potential to become an annual event? It just may prove to be Scatipalooza —a “Camp Sister” activity on Visiting Day night.

Two Fat Cookies

In Florida during the winter? You can visit Scatico Head Chef Jimmy Wexler at Two Fat Cookies (run by his wife Debbie and daughter Zoey) in Delray Beach. In addition to making cakes and cookies for special events you can now stop in for breakfast and snacks throughout the day.

The Scatico basket with most shots taken on it over the course of the summer? Not that we have the actual statistics, but we’re thinking that it’s not the A Court or the Pavilion, but the single basket outside of the boys’ social hall, which is the … — The Scatico basket with most shots taken on it over the course of the summer? Not that we have the actual statistics, but we’re thinking that it’s not the A Court or the Pavilion, but the single basket outside of the boys’ social hall, which is the site for endless games of Chicago during free time.
A few of the things we like most about this? Any camper can join in at any time, campers organize and run without direct counselor oversight, and there’s always a mix of camper ages and skill levels.

Camp Scatico 5/31/19 Camp Scatico 5/31/19

Spring 2019, Edition 99, Issue #3

On July 20 (Visiting Day night) at exactly 10:56 PM (Eastern Standard Time) we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of astronaut Neil Armstrong stepping on the moon.

The Final Countdown

On July 20 (Visiting Day night) at exactly 10:56 PM (Eastern Standard Time) we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of astronaut Neil Armstrong stepping on the moon. As an 11-year-old camper at Scatico, I remember being brought into the boys social hall to watch the event on a black-and-white television (I’m guessing with a 19-inch screen). The picture was crackly and blurry—as much from the transmission from the moon as from the quality of the reception using a “rabbit ear” antenna (cable, let alone the Internet, had not yet arrived in Elizaville).

2018 Subs at Bonticou Crag in the Mohonk Preserve.

I can’t recall the actual first step (and I have a suspicion that the lower hill campers might have been herded back to their cabins before 10:56PM), but what I do remember vividly is the mystical nature of the event: walking in the dark from bunk 9-10 to the social hall; sitting on the hardwood floor with the entire boys side; and watching the eerie glow emanating off of the screen. Childhood memories of camp are often like that, so clear that you want to reach out and touch them; the people and moments and lessons learned that help define who you are and how you see and embrace the world around you.

Camps are not unique in creating this cosmic time warp, but there is something magical that often happens at camp. It’s the intimate size of the community and the mixing of ages. It’s living relatively removed from the outside world (lunar landings notwithstanding) and in closer proximity to nature (the stars are always just a little brighter). It’s the calming ebb and flow of the daily routines, regularly punctuated by moments of joy and wonder at special events and activities.

And what’s best, we get to start all over every summer and embark on the next great adventure. Opening day looms. The next generation of campers arrive. The magic begins anew, creating memories to sustain us 50 years or more into the future.

Welcome to Scatico—Class of 2019

In no particular order (as of May 15)... Max Finkel, Miles Senior, Joe Kedwards, Teddy Curreri, Ryan Percival, Sander Gross, Jackson East, Logan East, Marlon Reitzes, Landon Hoffower, Greyson Nestler, Lawson Davis, Rafa Groom, John Weiss, Thomas Weiss, Ethan Deitz, Samuel Deitz, Nathaniel Deitz, Asher Taubenfeld, Liav Klein, Leo Marcus, Gabriel Shapira, Oscar Strickland, Andre Barrientos, Harry Savitz, Sacha Azoulay, Solly Azoulay, Bruno Gerico, Caroline Moyal, Jordan Henry, Abby Harwood, Olivia Garber, Eva Marcus, Alexa Falik, Emma Rotko, Naya Bodner, Zoe Abrams, Rosie Marcus, Samara Chait, Lily Pisnoy, Natalie Oberwerger, Annabelle Hussian, Giselle Ball, Emmie Hodes, Lilly Nielsen, Kylie Hall, and Isabelle Hellman

Plus, 2018 one-week Scatico-in-Training campers (SITs) returning for their first extended stay.... Jonah Dany, Chase Baruch, Jacob Strauss, Joey Ostrove, Oliver Mark, Blake Cernitz, Levi Sherman, Alex Harwood, Jacob Hirschl, Oliver Justus, Drew Schwartz, Hayley Kahn, Dylan Kleiner, Eryn Lobel, Lily Shuli, Eliza Tarlow, Lila Cohen, Olivia Gourevitch, Hazel Gutstein, Ruby Harrison, Avery Kamo, Maddy Klein, Sarah Pomerantz, Josephine Roses, Demi Yarkon, and Maya Ziff.

Seventy-three first-time campers in total (counting the 2018 SITs)! The first-time campers and returning SITs will travel to Elizaville from 12 different states (plus the District of Columbia) and 4 countries.

Staying In Touch

The final Staying in Touch column of the 2018-19 off-season... Thanks to the many contributors of news (and non-news) who helped Scaticonians near and far stay connected throughout the off-season. As always, let’s start with the latest reports of Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes)....

This issue’s RSSes crisscrossed numerous time zones and Scatico generations. The Windermans and Stiefels met while hiking in Moab, Utah, an RSS including a girls head counselor, a camp doctor, three boys divisions, and Scatico summers spanning from the early 1980s to the 2010s.... In the award for this year’s most complicated RSS and (sort of) a first-ever RSS before a camper officially started a Scatico career, when 1-week camper Marlon Reitzes went to his day camp Open House, the assistant director (Alex East—a Scatico mom) noticed Marlon’s mom (Scatico alumnus Lindsay Newblatt Reitzes) with a Scatico umbrella. Not only will Alex’s twin sons Jackson and Logan soon be bunkmates of Marlon in the Scatico-in-Training program, but Alex and Lindsay were high school classmates who hadn’t seen each other in many years. (Did you follow all of that?)....

When Cousins Asher Gornstein (Florida), Scarlett Hartstein (California), and Landon and Fallon Krane (New York) traveled to France for a family trip they met up with sisters Georgie and Vivi Loigman at the Eiffel Tower (Fallon and the Loigmans had their RSS at JFK airport in New York just prior to departure, so the families made a plan for a Paris get-together ).... Two months earlier, Fallon had an airport RSS with Kate Metzendorf. (Maybe an individual record for airport RSSes in a single issue?)....

Cousins Ryan Derasse and Josh Mazarin spotted siblings Abby and Rob Orseck while skiing in Colorado (“screams of excitement,” is how one dad described the moment of recognition). It was a busy RSS week for the Mazarins, as Josh’s sister Ashley connected with Caroline Graf in the airport prior to her family’s flight from New York.... Bunkmates Zach Gluckstal and Josh Montvelisky had their RSS in Las Vegas....

And for the final two Newsletter RSSes of the 2018-19 off-season, we will turn to this season’s clear RSS champ, Spencer Hellman, who reported on 6 (two per issue) since September. The latest two, both from the Westchester County Mall in White Plains, NY, involved counselor Jeremy “Tuna” Reissman (at the Tesla store) and (separately) Tyler Korsten. Congratulations, Spencer, truly a Hall of Fame RSS standard.... In non-RSS news, Spencer and divisionmate Sam Ryan sang together in the Westchester All-County Choir Concert in March....

Nicki Fleischner and Moises Torres represented Scatico at the annual New York City gala for The DREAM Project. This summer, Nicki and Mo, along with longtime Scaticonians Brian Helfman and Marie Serina, will once again chaperone the CITs on a service project trip to the Dominican Republic to run a day camp program for 80-100 children. This will be the fifth summer that Scatico has partnered with The DREAM Project.... And as we get set for the summer—we wanted to say a final “goodbye” to winter with this photo of siblings Mason and Charlotte Florin on a snowy February visit to Elizaville. Everything looks just a bit greener and brighter right now!....

Recent Division Reunions

Centers in Aiden Cohen's Backyard

Jinters at Lucky Strike Bowling in NYC

Inters at "Beat the Bomb" in NYC

Seniors breakfasting at Allie Putzker's

Debs at a Hibachi restaurant

Thanks to all who stayed in touch throughout the year. When next we “meet” it won’t be through the Newsletter, but in the 12523 (a certain zip code).

For Parents

By now you should have received our Forms Mailing and Parents Handbook. The following forms are required for all campers: Enrollment, Medical, Confidential, and Signature Sheet. Return paperwork to: Camp Scatico, PO Box 6, Elizaville, NY 12523. As a reminder, rather than mailing a Packing List, you can find it here.

We hope to see all first-year campers (including this year’s one-weekers as well as our 2018 SITs returning for a longer session) at the June 15th Open House at camp. The program runs from 12:30 to 3:30PM and includes lunch. Have campers wear sneakers so they can participate in activities. You can bring luggage, as prior to Opening Day we unpack campers entering 7th grade and younger.

Cans From Campers

Bring cans of food and boxed dry goods with you when you drop off your campers and we will make a donation to the food pantry at the nearby Elizaville Methodist Church. We have annually supported this program at the end of each season, and thought our families might want to join us in supporting the local community.

New for 2019

It’s been a busy off-season in Elizaville. The two most visible projects (see the photos below) are the expansion of the dining room (which includes a new 70-foot deck along the lake side—about four times larger than the previous deck) and the construction of a covered pavilion by the girls tennis courts (accepting naming nominations so as not to confuse with the basketball pavilion) to be used for picnics and meetings.

Elsewhere around camp things have also been busy. On girls side, the Lodge 2 expansion is completed (the bunk now includes its own full bathroom separate from Lodges 1 and 3) and, on boys side, there are two new (larger) backstops on the ballfields. There’s a new waterfront Rave (that’s the trampoline with the launcher) and re-surfaced courts (11 tennis, 5 basketball, and 2 volleyball).

Coming soon to a camp near you…

Jumping in the lake on a hot afternoon

Building campfires

Color War track meet

Camp Scatico 1/23/19 Camp Scatico 1/23/19

Winter 2018-19, Edition 99, Issue #2

About 10 summers ago, two bald eagles constructed an enormous nest atop an evergreen located adjacent to the lake just beyond the girls’ campfire site…

News from Elizaville

About 10 summers ago, two bald eagles constructed an enormous nest atop an evergreen located adjacent to the lake just beyond the girls’ campfire site. Their daily “swoops” over the lake, athletic fields, and campuses soon became a cherished part of Scatico life—sightings that never failed to lift spirits and lend a certain cosmic perspective.

Bring on the competition! Eagles? Heron? And now a peregrine falcon? Scatico fishermen will be ready come Opening Day. — **Bring on the competition!** Eagles? Heron? And now a peregrine falcon? Scatico fishermen will be ready come Opening Day.

A few years later, a heron joined the camp family, fishing alongside campers (perhaps a little more spectacularly) and appearing on the dock whenever the boys’ camp assembles in the waterfront stands for weekly meetings after dinner on Fridays. With one leg ramrod straight and the other bent at a 45-degree angle, head twitched to the side, the heron focuses intently on the stories being shared.

It looks as if we have a new resident on the lake—a large peregrine falcon—yellow beak, black head, white belly, dark gray outer plumage—spotted recently on the large limb (a favorite basking locale for turtles during afternoon general swims) that juts out several hundred feet opposite from where the girls beach their canoes and paddleboards. Though a peregrine falcon’s wing span at four feet is probably about one-half that of an eagle, it can reach flight speeds of more than 240 mph, making it the fastest animal on the planet (the cheetah is the fastest on land)—about twice as fast as an eagle.

Though our annual survey clearly reveals what campers love most about their summers (overwhelmingly “friends” and “the people”) and their favorite activities, programs, traditions, and special events (see page 3 of this newsletter for results), the third support on which the camp experience stands is that of living a simpler life and mindful of all that crosses our paths each day. Sunsets and rainbows. Lining up for a morning flag-raising or for chocolate milk and cookies at twilight. Walking from girls side to the dining room along the tree-lined road or lake path. And, of course, pausing in the moment to admire the resident eagles, heron, and peregrine falcon.

The first snowfall of the off-season arrived early this year—pre-Thanksgiving (November 16 for all you record-keepers). Thanks to caretaker Teddy Lydon for the photo. Within a few days, temperatures were up over 50 degrees and the snow completely me… — **The first snowfall** of the off-season arrived early this year—pre-Thanksgiving (November 16 for all you record-keepers). Thanks to caretaker Teddy Lydon for the photo. Within a few days, temperatures were up over 50 degrees and the snow completely melted.

Home Sweet Home - when not in Elizaville

Here’s our annual look at where campers live during the other 10 months (2019 enrollment as of January 1):

Westchester 27.6%
New York City 16.5%
New Jersey 15.8%
Long Island 10.0%
Other States* 8.2%
Connecticut 7.9%
Florida 5.0%
Metro DC/Balt. 4.7%
International** 4.3%

*Other States includes Massachusetts, California, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Montana, Colorado, and Texas.

**International includes France, Hungary, Spain, Canada, and Hong Kong.

Fifteen states will have camper representation this summer—a Scatico record.

Staying in Touch

Welcome to the second Staying In Touch column of the 2018-19 off-season. As always, we’ll start with Ran dom Scatico Sightings (RSSes)....

Our favorite camp sighting for this issue occurred at home plate in a fall travel league softball game, when catcher Alexa Tannenbaum realized that the lead-off batter for the opposing team was divisionmate Olivia Berk. After she removed her mask, shouts and hugs ensued before the first pitch could be thrown....Former bunkmates Brian Schindler and Simon Mandel (graduating Upper Seniors in 2016) ran into each other this fall at the Yale Hockey Showcase, playing for their respective teams (but not against each other). As high school seniors, they look forward to playing collegiately in the next academic year....

Thursday, December 27th—three independent Miami RSSes on a single day! Nicki Fleischner found herself sitting at a restaurant table next to siblings Ben and Laine Greissman; brothers Jake and Max Finkel spotted Audrey Fleischner and Mark Gretenstein earlier in the day; and when Landon Krane traveled from New York to Florida to visit his cousins Jared and Asher Gornstein, they had an RSS with 2017 CIT Ryan Schindler.... A little up the coast in Florida, Liza Zelkin spotted sisters (and 2019 staff members) Emma and Lauren Rosh in a restaurant parking lot. Also on vacation, the Cathers (Nile and Denali) met the Loigmans (Vivi and Georgia) in Playa del Carmen....

Siblings Amanda and Josh Klafter were on the ski slopes in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, when they met Jesse Prager (the head of Scatico’s Outdoor Adventure program during the summer and a ski instructor during the winter)...Sadie Vandercar and Ella Simons had their RSS moment while shopping for their Bat Mitzvah dresses at a store in Westchester County....

When Spencer Hellman spotted Scatico counselors Mark Perlman, Jack Heineman, and Matt Stuttman outside a neighborhood deli during winter break, his first words were, “RSS, RSS, RSS.” Little did Spencer know that he was about to experience a second RSS within one week, when he and divisionmate Tyler Korsten found themselves at neighboring food court offerings at a mall in Westchester County...

And there was even a “camp mom” RSS at a hotel breakfast in Hawaii, when Katie Mazarin recognized Julie Nahoun Hartstein (also a former camper and counselor)....

Almost qualifying as RSSes (and attesting to the power of social media).... Bunkmates Julian Levine and Jed Greer learned a day beforehand that their rec hockey teams would be playing against each other (despite representing New York City and Montclair, NJ, respectively). Julian’s sister Olivia and neighbor Roy Goldstein joined as fans....When Matty Carroll and Kael Au-Carroll where on vacation in Berlin, they discovered that 2018 Division Leader Kate Rosenfeld was spending her Junior year abroad and living close to their hotel. Matty (the boys assistant head counselor) and Kael first met at Scatico as staff members in 2008....

In other non-RSS news.... Continuing the semester abroad theme, Kael also connected recently with Sara Mester (who was studying in London). And, 7,249 miles away in Santiago, Chile, 2018 Division Leader Jamie Segal and longtime camper and counselor Francesca Rubinson enjoyed a November Scatico reunion....

Not everyone made the photo below, but 20 Scaticonians pastand present traveled to West Hartford, CT, for Isaac Greenblatt’s December Bar Mitzvah, including current campers from California (Oz Rubinson and Charlie Weinstein), Colorado (Austin Moscou), Maryland (Derek Goodman), Massachusetts (Hayley Kahn), and Pennsylvania (Adam Stiefel and Nick Mozga)... When not attending camp events/reunions like Isaac’s, Nick is spending a lot of his off-season time on the ice, playing for a rec hockey team in Pennsylvania coached by former NHL player Jason MacDonald. In a recent New Jersey tournament, the team finished 5-0 and Nick was named “player of the game” in the semi-finals....

Girls assistant athletics director Moises Torres was on vacation in the Czech Republic recently and sent in a photo from Prague’s Old Town Square with support staff Katie Simova, Peter Makuch, and Aneta Toufarova....

Thanks for staying in touch. For the Spring Camper Newsletter issue, send along all Scatico news, non-news, and photos to info@scatico.com.

Survey Says...

Thanks to all who returned the summer of 2018 camper surveys.

GIRLS

Favorite Sports Activities

Basketball
Tennis
Soccer
BBK
Volleyball/Newcomb
Softball
Kickball
Favorite Non-Sports Activity
Cooking
Art
Waterfront
Ceramics
Gymnastics
Climbing
Woodshop
Theater/Dance
Favorite Special Events
Divisional Sing
Color War
Miss Ugly Contest
MiniCamp
SCATO
Movie Night

BOYS

Favorite Sports Activities

Baseball
Basketball
Soccer
Hockey
Slapball
Football
Tennis
Favorite Non-Sports Activity
Woodshop
Cooking
Waterfront
Outdoor Adventure
Art
Cards
Film/Media
Chess
Favorite Special Events
Color War
Human Stratego
Sports Leagues
Divisional Sing
College Bowl
Waterfront Cookout

The Off-Season Pilgrimage to Elizaville

Home from college for winter break? For metro-New York area staff the winter day trip to camp (and just maybe including an ice cream stop at Holy Cow in Red Hook) is as familiar as the ball dropping in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. On a recent December day, 7 former boys side bunkmates (all getting set for another summer as counselors) posed for the photo above on the A court: Matt Stuttman, Mark Perlman, Dylan Patterson, Ben Putzer, Mack Madorsky, Jack Heineman, and Ben Holzer.

Counting 2019—more than 80 Scatico summers! A few days later, Kate Rosenfeld and Hannah Schor (also former campers and current staff members) made the trip to camp during their college breaks (officially the first off-season visit in 2019, but, alas, no photo). Kate, a division leader in 2018, is looking forward to starting a girls side media program this summer.

Upcoming Parent Mailings

February—Summer Forms: Clothing List, Shipping and Luggage, Health Histories, Horseback Riding, Transportation, Camper Confidentials, Permissions

April—Parents’ Handbook: Information to get you ready for the summer of 2018, including details on Opening, Visiting, and Closing days.

The 2019 Open House (for all first-time campers, including 2018 and 2019 1-weekers) will be held on Saturday, June 15, from 12:30PM to 3:30PM at camp. Details to follow....

The Hudson Valley: One of “the 19 destinations to visit in 2019”... in the world!

When Airbnb recently released a list of top places in the world to visit in 2019, the Hudson Valley (home to Woodstock, Franklin Roosevelt’s historic home, and Camp Scatico—among many other famous places) ranked number 11, based on a variety of criteria including increased searches, bookings, and inclusion on “wish lists.” The Hudson Valley was one of only two locations in the United States that made the countdown, flanked by Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, and Santa Catarina State, Brazil. Number one on the list? Kaikoura, New Zealand.

An Iconic Scatico Moment:Sienna, Olivia, Kate, and Rachel light their candles at the Opening Campfire. — **An Iconic Scatico Moment:**
Sienna, Olivia, Kate, and Rachel light their candles at the Opening Campfire.

Mark Your Calendar

Open House: Saturday, June 15

Opening Day: Friday, June 28

Visiting Day: Saturday, July 20

Scatico-In-Training: Sunday, July 28, to Saturday, August 3

Closing Day: Friday, August 16

Camp Scatico 10/28/18 Camp Scatico 10/28/18

Fall 2018, Edition 99, Issue #1

News from Elizaville

Fall arrives at camp. A time to reflect on the summer and to start planning for the next year and beyond. It’s an exciting season as we hear kind words from parents and staff and the brainstorming begins. What new special events and program enhancements? Capital projects?Most importantly, as campers re-enroll (already more than 90 percent from 2018) we are also also hearing from key leadership staff and bunk counselors ready to call Elizaville home for another season.

Mark Your Calendars

Open House: Saturday, June 15
Opening Day: Friday, June 28
Visiting Day: Saturday, July 20
Scatico-In-Training: Sunday, July 28 to Saturday, August 3
Closing Day: Friday, August 16

Under the heading of “long-term planning,” we held our first official 100th anniversary meeting with head counselors Cory and Kerri as well as Scatico’s resident party-planner (and director of the cooking program) Ally Lipton (a.k.a. Chef Ally). Last summer, I was sitting with several Sub Senior boy campers one afternoon and they were talking about how much they are looking forward to being graduating Upper Seniors in 2020 for “the 100th.” Wow! It was on their radar two years in advance. They asked about plans for the celebration and then jumped immediately into making suggestions to mark the milestone before I could answer. We love that loyalty and sense of wonder—and the feeling that so many campers have that they are part of a community and culture larger than just themselves or their divisions; something that reaches back in time and into the future, bonding them with generations passed and yet to come.

We’re not exactly sure yet what the 100th anniversary festivities will entail, but 100 years for a (smallish) family business certainly does feel like a moment to embrace. And, of course, it’s not the facilities or programs that have made the journey possible, but the people—from the first campers who arrived in 1921 right through to the thirty-one 7, 8, and 9-year-olds who started their overnight camping careers as 1-week SITs (Scatico-in-Training) in 2018.

Color War has broken—and the Soph Boys are happy and excited. From left to right: Elias, Cooper, Owen, and Jonah. — Color War has broken—and the Soph Boys are happy and excited. From left to right: **Elias, Cooper, Owen, and Jonah.**

Making a List

If you have an idea/vision/thought/ inspiration for the 100th anniversary in 2020 in Elizaville (or elsewhere) send an email to info@scatico.com. We want to hear from you.

Two early ideas (although they may be a tad difficult to execute):

Book recording artist Southside Johnny to perform “I Don’t Want to Go Home” at the last-night banquet. [Editor’s note—boys side has sang-along with a casette/CD/device at the final lunch for more than 35 years.]
Schedule the resident bald eagles for more frequent and on-cue “fly-bys” (morning flag raising, special events...).

What’s Happening?

As always, we’ll start with Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes)—and there were a flurry in the weeks between the end of camp and the start of school.... A record for independent RSSes at a single location? Maybe a reflection of the popularity of the Scatico tennis program? Several reported RSSes at the U.S. Open in Queens: Nile Cather and brothers Adam and Ben Stiefel; siblings Ashley and Josh Mazarin and (first) Brett Bockstein and (then) siblings Landon and Fallon Krane (no photo for the latter RSS); and bunkmates Lauren Kassin and Allie Putzer.

The Mazarins and Lauren Kassin can also claim an RSS double-dip this issue as Josh and Ashley spotted photography counselor Dan Douglas at Kennedy Airport (they were returning from an August vacation and he was flying home to England after working with several outside user groups during Scatico’s “postcamp” session) and Lauren ran into sisters Vivi and Georgia Loigman while all were clothes shopping for the start of the school year....

School sports as always provided a few RSS opportunities: Bunkmates Julia Metzendorf (Mamaroneck) and Delia Pace (Edgemont) each discovered a friendly face on the opposing team at a September middle school volleyball competition. One week later (although not a full-fledged RSS) Julia played Billie Eichel’s team (Scarsdale) with Mamaroneck classmate (and bunkmate) Vivi Loigman joining to cheer.... Fans at a recent Ardsley high school football game included sisters Parker and Nealie Caldara and Courtney Lesser...

RSSes furthest from home? 2018 Sub Senior Ethan Rotko spotted his counselor Ben Greissman (both New Yorkers) on a hotel elevator in San Diego.... In the diagonally opposite corner of the continental United States (and almost to the day), divisionmates Spencer Hellman and Max Pisnoy had their RSS moment on the streets of Ogunquit, ME. (We’re thinking a first-ever Ogunquit RSS!). Spencer also had a double-dip RSS (like the Mazarins and Lauren Kassin), connecting with Jack Wasserman at a Westchester County clothing store (Jack was shopping for a Bar Mitzvah suit)....

Spencer and Jack (left) and with Max (right)

And, if you dropped a line from Ogunquit to San Diego and traveled two-thirds of the way, you would land (approximately) in Boulder, CO, where Austin Moscou discovered a familiar tennis pro on the municipal courts—Fernando Garcia.... Finally (and though maybe not quite an official RSS, we’re counting it in anyway), on the final day of camp the families of bunkmates Brett Simons and Henry Lilienfeld realized that they would be on vacation in Florence, Italy, at the same time in late August. So, with all the siblings Jared, Brett, and Ella with Henry, Allegra, and Jaspar) we’re thinking this just may be the largest-ever RSS on Italian soil....

And even a few non-RSS items.... Under the heading of “Not a Surprise,” if you attended Comicon in New York City in October you would have spotted boys head counselor Cory Schwartz, who was working at a booth assisting legendary comicbook artist Neal Adams (Batman, X-Men,...). Cory reports that he now has lots of signed artwork for display in the boys HC. Stopping by for a quick “hello” at the event were fellow comic aficionados Quinn Croland and Chase Madorsky....

Six of 11 bunkmates from 3-4 helped Henry Berlach celebrate his birthday at Brooklyn Sluggers, a strong turnout considering four cabinmates live outside the metro-New York area (including Los Angeles and Madrid).... Four of 10 Junior girls joined Charlotte East for a sleepover birthday celebration (complete with a Scatico cake)....

Thanks for staying in touch! Send news, non-news, and photos (and non-photos?) for the Winter issue of the Camper Newsletter to info@scatico.com. As a reminder, we only include info on Scatico get-togethers if the entire division is invited.

For Parents

Thanks to all of our families who took advantage of the early enrollment discount period. Our camper return rate for 2019 already exceeds 90 percent (including 4 divisions with 100 percent returns). Parent Bulletins starting in November will walk you through the process of getting ready for the summer, but don’t hesitate to contact us directly with any questions along the way.

Coming soon to a waterfront at a camp near you... Hanging (out on the Magic Carpet), Paddling, and Sailing.

Staying Active at Camp

Among the many reasons for spending a summer at camp—friends, fun, learning, embracing values, being part of a close-knit community, forming lifelong memories...(You’ve heard a lot of this before?)—at the top of the list is spending time outdoors and being physically active. Just how physically active? We weren’t quite certain until camp parents Pavel and Maggie Mozga sent in the Fitbit summer-end statistics for their children Nicholas and Natalie.

Averaging 10+ miles a day is a pretty good endorsement for the summer camp experience about the value of getting unplugged and playing outdoors. Nick’s top day? 14.95 miles on July 10th (he topped 14 miles on 4 different occasions).

Last night of camp blues?

You may not be able to re-create fully the banquet, awards ceremony, and campfire at home, but you can watch the closing-night Slideshow and Video Yearbook. Dim the room lights and pretend you’re lying on the Pavilion floor....

In the Next Issue of the Newsletter

Survey Results: This is a last call for camper surveys... Favorite meals? Activities Things you like best about Scatico? Suggestions for 2019? If you haven’t returned your survey yet, there’s still time.
News from Elizaville: We will bring you up-to-date on completed fall maintenance projects and capital plans for next season.
Staff Updates: We have already heard from all of our Leadership Team and many of our counselor and support staff about returning for the summer of 2019. As a reminder to 2018 counselors, please contact us no later than December 31 about your interest in returning to camp. After that date, we will have completed almost all of our hiring and may not have any available positions.

Two of our favorite Scatico hikes:Left—Senior boys are halfway up Breakneck Ridge (that’s the Hudson River in the background and on a clear day you can see hints of the NYC skyline 50 miles south) Right—Sub girls at the top of Bonticou Ridge in the Mohonk Preserve.

Camp Scatico 1/9/18 Camp Scatico 1/9/18

Winter 2017-18, Edition 98, Issue #2

"...In as non-corny a way as possible, my eleven summers at Scatico have shaped me into the person I am today. As I've gotten older and become a counselor and DL, I've only increased my appreciation for camp and everything it has done for me..."

News from Elizaville

“...In as non-corny a way as possible, my eleven summers at Scatico have shaped me into the person I am today. As I've gotten older and become a counselor and DL, I've only increased my appreciation for camp and everything it has done for me... There will never be a place where I feel more myself than I do at Camp Scatico. At Scatico, I truly feel that I am the best me possible....”

Every fall and winter we receive letters like the one excerpted above from graduated campers and former staff who, realizing their time at camp may be approaching an end (or a hiatus), reflect on how Scatico impacted their lives and focused personal goals and values. their sense of who they are and will become. Often, they share how they discovered a “best me” at
camp and how they hope to bring this to the world beyond camp.

What is it about the camp experience that can make children and adults alike feel at their best? More energetic and productive. A more positive attitude toward day-to-day life. More connected to friends. More respected and more respectful to others. Feeling more valued and appreciated for just being who they are and what they contribute to a community. Less judgmental. Living more in the moment.

While there are specific aspects of the culture we foster at Scatico which we believe creates this magic and joy, recent research is also examining the summer camp experience in general and how it can positively impact lives. What it means to be outdoors (and in sunlight) and physically active. To be away from screens. To be living in a supportive community.

At an upcoming camp industry conference, two keynote speakers consider just this. In The Nature Fix, science writer and environmental journalist Florence Williams examines Attention Restoration Theory and Stress-Reduction Theory, which explore how spending more time outdoors will improve attention spans and moods while lowering anxiety and stress levels.
In The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impacts, brothers Chip and Dan Heath detail common elements found in moments that people identify as life defining. Not surprisingly, the core factors that distinguish these moments—Elevation (think, special event), Insight (a better understanding of ourselves and relationships), Pride (in the things we do and the way we act), and Connection—are all found in abundance in a camp setting.

As another Scatico summer approaches (number 98, if you’re counting at home), we look forward to helping each camper and staff member to become their “best me.”

Home Sweet Home (when not in Elizaville)

Here’s our annual look at where campers live during the other 10 months (based on 2018 enrollment as of January 1):

A powerful moment: Opening Campfires are less than 6 months away.

Westchester- 27.3%
New York City- 18.0%
New Jersey- 16.5%
Connecticut- 9.0%
Long Island- 9.0%
Florida- 6.1%
Other States*- 6.1%
International**- 5.0%
Metro DC/Balt.- 3.0%

*Other States includes California, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
**International includes France, Hungary, Spain, and Hong Kong.

Wha's Happenin'?

Welcome to the second Wha’s Happenin’ ? column of the 2017-18 off-season. As always, we’ll start with Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes)....

From stadiums and arenas to airports and snow-covered hills to spotting Scatico celebrities (like Chef Jimmy Wexler and girls’ head counselor Kerri Winderman), it’s been a busy few RSS months. When siblings/cousins Josh and Amanda Klafter, Lauren and Emma Rosh, and Pete and Jack Klafter got together for Thanksgiving in Florida, they spotted head chef Jimmy Wexler (who will celebrate his 13th Scatico summer in 2018)...

Rangers’ games at Madison Square Garden provided RSS photo ops for bunkmates Ben Greissman and Brian Schindler as well as for Jenna Miller and Lulu Rubin....

When Lulu’s brother Charlie played for his AAU team at the Barclay’s Center during halftime of a college game (cheered on by Scatico alumni— cousins Jake and Ben Wolfin, brother Dan Rubin, and former athletics director Ging Vann—Lulu missed the photo to the left), who did they spot on the sideline doing play-by-play for Penn State radio? Former camper and counselor Jon Gross, now a college junior....

After the first significant snowfall of the year, Charlotte Florin and Josh Montvelisky had their RSS while sledding in Rye Brook, NY.... Getting set to fly from New York to Italy to visit older siblings studying abroad, 2017 Junior Counselors Rachel Trichon and Charlotte Dorn spotted each other at JFK airport....

Staying on the theme of “sisters” and “overseas,” Georgia and Vivienne Loigman ran into Kate, Anna, and Jane Rosenfeld at the Maskanoo Festival in Turks and Caicos (definitely a first-ever RSS for this country!)... When Lauren Kassin attended a B’Nei Mitzvah for twin friends this fall, she had her RSS moment with Kerri Winderman (who knew the mom of the girls from
college)....

And just having missed the deadline for the fall issue, we include an RSS photo from Maya Miller and Sophie Stein from a September Yankees-Red Sox game at a certain Stadium in the Bronx....

And other news.... Not quite an RSS, but a surprise nonetheless for DC-area divisionmates Zach Chait and Jake Finkel, whose dads arranged a surprise meeting at an October Baltimore Ravens’ game.... At Madison Square Garden for a recent event, Jesse Bockstein couldn’t resist having a photo taken on the Walk of Fame alongside the plaque for Scatico founder Nat Holman....

Bunkmates Eli Tannenbaum and Logan Cooper competed against each other at a “wood bat” baseball tournament in October.... When 11th-grader Jared Simons toured the University of Delaware with his younger brother Brett, they called on Senior Andrew Nathin to serve as a tour guide (Andrew had been a division leader for both during the summers of 2015 and 2017 respectively)....

Nine of ten 2017 bunk 5-6 campers made it to Josh Mazarin’s November birthday party (Tommy Hall arrived too late for the photo above). They only missed seeing Carlos Gil-Delgado (the trip from Spain might have been a bit long for a weekend). Activities included flag football, Ultimate Frisbee, and dodgeball....And, a 2017 Centers’ reunion drew 13 of 17 campers to Ella Simons’ house for a sleep-over....

Thanks for staying in touch! For the Spring Camper Newsletter issue, send along all Scatico news, non-news, and photos to info@scatico.com

Survey Says...

Thanks to all who returned the summer of 2017 camper surveys. In the Fall Alumni Newsletter we shared some results about Favorite Activities and Special Events. Below, we take a look at Favorite Things about Scatico. In the Spring Newsletter, we’ll travel to the Dining Room.

Favorite Things About Camp

A Minicamp Luau at the girls’ waterfront

Friends/Bunkmates
Everything
Feels like Family
Constant Fun
Color War
Activities
Community
Traditions
Meeting New People

We can’t argue with any of this... and love the focus on “people over things.” Because the an-
swer to this question was in response to an open-ended question rather than asking campers to check boxes, we also wanted to share a few of the responses at the bottom of the list—which capture some of the bits and pieces that add together to make camp a sum greater than its parts: Milk and Cookies before bed; Camp Sisters; Boys Lower Hill Soccer League; DJ Pure; and (maybe our favorite answer) Being There.

Art director Ken Vallario working with Sophs on the large outdoor mural that measured more than 60-square feet and on which more than 50 campers (across all age groups) collaborated.

In the Works for 2018

Though just in the planning stages....

New “toys” for the waterfronts: inflatibles, boats...
Conversion of the Canteen Extension into a staff lounge (also open to campers for special events). This was an idea generated by Junior Counselors during a “Scatico in Ten Years” brainstorming session held one evening last summer.
New fencing for the girls and boys ballfields to include an additional larger backstop on one boys’ field to make it more suitable for baseball rather than softball.

The discerning Scatico eye will also spot other additions/improvements, including: bathroom renovations; re-surfaced basketball and tennis courts; lots of new landscaping and roadwork; and new storage areas and activity supplies/equipment.

Upcoming Parent Mailings

February—Summer Forms: Clothing List, Shipping and Luggage, Health Histories, Horseback Riding, Transportation, Camper Confidentials, Permissions
April—Parents’ Handbook: Information to get you ready for the summer of 2018, including details on Opening, Visiting, and Closing days.

Please note for this year that we have moved the Open House from the second Saturday to the second Sunday in June. The 2018 Open House (for all first-time campers, including 2017 1-weekers) will be held on Sunday, June 10, from 12:30PM to 3:30PM at camp.

Scaticonians (mostly 2017 Soopers and Upper Seniors) raised over $3,800 at a recent Charley’s Fund event. The charity supports research to find a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Mark Your Calendars

Open House: Sunday, June 10 (Sunday not Saturday in 2018)
Opening Day: Saturday, June 23
Visiting Day: Saturday, July 14
Scatico-In-Training: Sunday, July 22, to Saturday, July 28
Closing Day: Saturday, August 11

Playing sports at camp... Girls’ softball tournament team; Color War soccer game; Nat Holman Basketball Tournament.

Camp Scatico 10/31/17 Camp Scatico 10/31/17

Fall 2017, Edition 98, Issue #1

News From Elizaville....

Near the very end of Open Mic night 2017 in the amphitheater, right about the time lifeguard Fergus Carlin finished singing a mournful Irish ballad accompanied on acoustic guitar by music counselor Jamie Hamburg, the sun nestled atop the trees, swelled enormously for a moment, and then slipped from sight. In that instant, the light reflected a staggering range of purples, golds, and reds simultaneously across the sky and the glass-still surface of the lake; the light seemingly beginning and ending from all directions at once. From the audience a collective, reverential intake of breath....

Each Scatico summer is filled with such moments—both large and small. The resident bald eagle swooping low over general swim; a moonless night in early August when the stars seem close enough to touch—until one shoots across the sky; a prehistoric-looking turtle emerging from the woods in late June to lay its eggs; fog blanketing the lake during a walk to breakfast; a sudden summer rainstorm ending just as suddenly, sunshine and a rainbow magically appearing in its wake.... Over the course of several summers, many of these moments are repeated, so that they are recalled generally, fondly, as part of a collective camp memory—like sitting with divisionmates at a campfire or lining up around the flag pole each evening before dinner.

Occasionally, the moments aspire to something more.... In 2013, midway through a July evening activity, a double rainbow, colors intensely vivid and delineated, arced a full 180 degrees from horizon to horizon. Rainbows since then almost all seem measured against this standard. Perhaps so too, the sunset of July 29, 2017. The full camp together for a dinner BBQ, the annual Art Show at the canteen, Open Mic night at the amphitheater, and then—sunset magic....

Summer memories for our campers in general are a collection of the large and small, instances that reverberate within us into the future both collectively and individually. Games on the athletic fields and a single game-winning hit. Afternoons swimming at the lake and remembering the swim instructor who took the extra time to improve your swim stroke. The closeness of friendships with bunkmates and the specific moment when a friend supported you at a time when you most needed this support.

And, naturally, camp creates an opportunity to stop (no, really stop) and just take in a sunset, or a rainbow, or a star-filled sky, or an eagle swooping low....

July 28, 2017, at 8:33PM

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Open Mic Night has just ended, and girl campers watch the sunset from their fishing dock. If you look closely, you can see boy campers at their waterfront in the left background.

Last-night-of-camp blues?

You may not be able to recreate fully the banquet, awards ceremony, and campfire at home, but you can watch the closing-night Slideshow and Video Yearbook RIGHT HERE. Dim the room lights and pretend you’re lying on the Pavilion floor....

Wha's Happenin'?

Welcome to the first “Wha’s Happenin’ ?” column of the 2017-18 off-season. As always, we’ll start with Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes)....

Visiting Emory University with his dad on a late-August college tour, CIT Shay Rubinson spotted former camper and counselor Jack Swerdlin, who was Shay’s counselor when he was an Inter in 2013.... Off to the beach after camp? Always the potential for an RSS.... Rachel Karlin ran into Justin Zucker on the boardwalk in Point Pleasant, NJ, and Lauren Kassin connected with sisters Jenna and Marissa Miller in Rehoboth Beach, DE....

When Sophie Araten went to see her hometown high school’s field hockey team play in September, she spotted a Scaticonian on the opposing squad—Lulu Rubin.... Despite a challenging summer for his favorite sports team, head counselor Cory Schwartz traveled to Citifield to see the New York Mets play a few days after camp with CIT division leader and baseball counselor Chase Madorsky. There they had an RSS with Daphne and Ellis Zuckerman. Chase, a Junior at UCLA, currently heads the University’s mentorship program, which matches more than 100 college students one-on-one with youth ages 7 to 18 from nearby North Hollywood in Los Angeles. He also hosts a weekly Major League Baseball sports talk show on the school’s radio station (Mondays at 8:00 PM ET), which you can listen to online at UCLAradio.com ....

Other non-RSS Scatico news.... The Inter Girls held a September reunion in New York City (10 of 19 were able to attend) and sent in the photo to the right.... Off to college—former bunkmates and 2017 counselors Sammi Salmirs, Halle Phillips, and Alexa Jacobson shared this photo from their first week as freshmen at the University of Wisconsin.... And, a Junior year abroad, with former bunkmates and 2017 Division Leaders Emilie Dorn and Emily Goldner, who sent in a picture from the Trevi Fountain in Rome (just after tossing coins over their shoulders for good luck)...

Thanks to all of the campers and staff who contributed to this year’s collection for Soles 4 Souls (about 100 pairs of sneakers, boots, sandals, and shoes).... And another fall shout-out to the Wilner sisters—Kasey and Sam—who with their parents have again organized a “Scatico” team to help raise money for the Charley’s Fund’s “Race Against Time” (October 29th in Central Park). The charity works towards finding a treatment and cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy...

Thanks for staying in touch! Send news, non-news, and photos (and non-photos?) for the Winter issue of the Camper Newsletter to info@scatico.com. As a reminder, we only include info on Scatico get-togethers if the entire division is invited.

Calling all Scatico sunset pics!

Similar to our #viewsofscatico countdown from last year, we're hoping to showcase the Top 10 Scatico sunset photos of all time on our Instagram and Facebook pages... but we need your help! To make it a true, ultimate countdown, we're looking for parent, alumni and camper contributions! So please send along any and all of your favorite Scatico sunset photos (from any summer, from any location on camp, and with our without people!) either via Facebook message or by emailing to nicki@scatico.com. Once we've collected as many pics as possible, a secret team of Scatico specialists will whittle down the candidates and rank our top 10, with one posted a week to get us through the long, cold winter months ahead. We can’t wait to see what everyone has to contribute! And who knows... the photographer behind #1, may just have a Scatico prize in store for them. —Nicki

In the Next Issue of the Newsletter...

Survey Results: This is a last call for camper surveys... Favorite meals? Activities? Things you like best about Scatico? Suggestions for 2018? If you haven’t returned your survey yet, there’s still time.
News from Elizaville: We will bring you up to date on completed fall maintenance projects and capital plans for next season.

Mark Your Calendar

Open House: Sunday, June 10
Opening Day: Saturday, June 23
Visiting Day: Saturday, July 14
Scatico-In-Training: Sunday, July 22 to Saturday, July 28
Closing Day: Saturday, August 11

For Parents

Thanks to all of our families who took advantage of the early enrollment discount period. Our camper return rate for 2018 already exceeds 95 percent (including 9 divisions with 100 percent returns). Parent Bulletins starting in November will walk you through the process of getting ready for the summer, but don’t hesitate to contact us directly with any questions along the way.

Finally, if you are ever in the Elizaville area during the off-season and are thinking of stopping by camp, campers love seeing their second home during different seasons—fall foliage ringing the lake or along the tree-lined road; snow on the golf course for sledding... Just call or email when you’d like to make the trip.

As the NBA season approaches, every Scaticonian’s new favorite team just may be the Denver Nuggets (with their first-round pick Tyler Lydon). Tyler grew up in Elizaville on property bordering the woods behind the ballfields and is a cousin of Scatico caretaker Teddy Lydon. Tyler stopped by camp several times during the summer after the NBA draft, including the
surprise night-time visit in the photo above, when he spent an hour hitting flyballs to campers spread across the Field Four outfield.

Color War 2017....

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Ch1tLjckX0Gr4KINJuXuwzEnHC5K_EeJSjOEJQYMxO8_preview.jpg

d9iP6rhzeGH0TdW-a-M9l6HLFKiFQn6uOcgjUBT7vno,Zd38vTVFAk9dWYF9Npg3m-ri15Ot2K9QBLVHvWtnric_preview.jpg

Girls track meet (Felicite clears the middle hurdle flanked by Eden and Olivia); Upper
Senior-Senior soccer game goes 10 rounds in a penalty shootout, including Owen’s kick versus twin brother Nathan; Halle catches a pass and splits two defenders in flag football; Final night, arm in arm after swapping shirts, Cory speaks to the entire boys camp; and Kasey leads Grey Mount Olympus at the Sing.

Camp Scatico 6/5/17 Camp Scatico 6/5/17

Spring 2016-17, Edition 97, Issue 3

Welcome to Scatico—Class of 2017 (as of May 22)

In no particular order... Dylan Senior, Julian Levine, Max Pisnoy, Leo Share, Nash Vickers, Max Gutstein, Ben Strauss, Sam Ryan, Wes Lichtenstein, Ben Moyal, Owen Rosenberg, Henry Berlach, Benny Katz, Ben Stiefel, Jackson Tarlow, Jonah Cooper, Tyler Korsten, Alex Price, Charlie Weinstein, Arthur Stevens, Joshua Montvelisky, Carlos Gil-Delgado, Jake Zirolli, Balthazar Turri, Gonzalo Paramo, Kornel Nemeth, Mika Becker, Nealie Caldara, Sidney Shapiro, Liza Zelkin, Sylvie Suskin, Charlotte East, Olivia Levine, Ellie Wattenberg, Mia Groom, Jessica Sanders, Abby Mal kin, Felicite Turri, Jordana Sherman, Olivia Berk, Aiden Cohen, Leah Zirolli, Sophia Gilson, and Victoria Diaz

Plus, 2016 one-week Scatico-in-Training campers returning for their first extended stay.... Zach Chait, Jake Finkel, Roy Goldstein, Jed Greer, Elias Halpern-Ranzer, Daniel Kedwards, Nicholas Kedwards, George Max, Etan Zerwitz, Denali Cather, Charlotte Florin, Gracie Klein, Charlotte Mark, Emily Pomerantz, Sage Wasserman, and Spencer Zuckerman

The Final Countdown

It’s been about 20 years since we first introduced the Random Scatico Sighting (RSS) to Alumni and Camper Newsletters. Since then, we’ve reported on more than 1,000 RSSes, including stories from 6 continents and across multiple generations. In the most recent alumni newsletter, we shared the story of a former counselor from England who discovered her supervisor had worked at Scatico ten years before she did; and the alumnus who had a business call from Israel to a Madison Square Garden in New York answered by a former camper of his son.

There’s something about an RSS that brings a smile to all involved, whether current campers and staff or alumni from 50 or more years ago. You’re transported instantly back to a time and place when you lived in the em-brace of a small and caring community; when you found yourself growing and learning as an individual, developing core values and inner resources to guide you through life. Plus, there are just the fun (and funny) aspects.

I had my own RSS recently, which got me thinking about summers past and those still to come. Re-connected through the internet with a childhood friend and former bunkmate that I hadn’t seen in 30 years, Michael Italie, we decided to have our reunion at a Mets-Giants game at Citifield. (Michael was a devout San Francisco Giants and Willie Mays fan growing up.) The years faded quickly as soon as we reunited and got on the ticket line to enter the ballpark. Then, a tap on my shoulder. “David?” It was 2016 theater-head and 2017 Scatico-in-Training-counselor-to-be Jane Rosenfeld. Jane was meeting two of her former bunkmates at the game—Zoe Goldstein and Sydnee Fried.

From left to right: Zoe Goldstein, Jane Rosenfeld, Sydnee Fried, David Fleischner

A lot of camp memories (spanning more than 50 years) generated a lot of joy that night at Citifield, from when Michael and I were campers and counselors in the 1960s and 1970s, to when Jane and her bunkmates were campers and counselors in the 2000s-2010s. Even better, Jane excitedly was looking forward to this summer, when she will help this year’s one-week campers form their first Scatico friendships and memories. Let’s see, these campers should be joining the staff in about 2027.

For those campers and staff joining the Scatico family for the first time in 2017, we can promise a lot of friendships and memories for the years to come—and maybe even a few RSSes for reporting in Alumni and Camper Newsletters.

Mark Your Calendar

Open House for New Campers: Saturday, June 10
Opening Day: Saturday, June 24
Visiting Day: Saturday, July 15
Scatico-In-Training: Sunday, July 23, to Saturday, July 29
Closing Day: Saturday, August 12

Wha’s Happenin’?

The final Wha’s Happenin’ column of the 2016-17 off-season... Thanks to the many contributors of news (and non-news) who helped Scaticonians near and far stay connected throughout the off-season. As always, let’s start with the latest reports of Random Scatico Sightings (RSSes)!....

Bunkmates Violet Cooper and Jane Greeley discovered while texting that they were both on vacation in Barcelona and staying only 8 blocks away from each other. They spent a day together along with Violet’s younger sister Meryl.... And from Spain to the United States... When brothers Carlos and Toni Canoyra were on vacation in January (traveling from Madrid to New York with their family) they ran into brothers Ethan and Jeffrey Rosenberg on the streets of Manhattan. Carlos and Toni also made a trip north to Elizaville to see camp covered in snow....

Cassidy Ditkoff and sisters Vivi and Georgie Loigman also had their RSS moment on an NYC street (but in May).... 2016 Sooper division leader (DL) Jaimie Meyers and 2016 Upper Senior Ryan Ditkoff spotted each other at a Mets-Marlins baseball game in Miami.... Bunkmates Alexa Gluckstal and Sophie Araten had their RSS moment at the Taste of New York rest stop just south of camp on the Taconic Parkway. They were both returning from skiing trips....

Boys head counselor Cory Schwartz coaches the high school baseball team for Calhoun in New York City. A recent game versus Columbia Prep provided an RSS photo-op with 2017 CIT Noah Wagner.... Brothers Brian and Ryan Schindler spotted their 2016 DL Chase Madorsky with his former bunkmate (and fellow DL) Ryan Kenny at a Syracuse University basketball game at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn. A few weeks later Chase (still on college break) went to see the Livingston high school hockey team (from where he graduated) play against Brian’s HS team. With Chase was boys’ head counselor Cory Schwartz. As everyone on boys side knows, few can match Chase’s passion for all things sports. As a Junior at UCLA, he has a weekly sports talk show on the school radio station and is a regular baseball contributor to www.deepishthoughts.com. In one recent post, Chase gave his all-time team by number. (Yes, Babe Ruth was number 3.) ...

In other non-RSS news (and non-news).... Chase’s fellow 2016 division leader (and also a future sports journalist), Jon Gross, did play-by-play of the Rose Bowl on Penn State’s student radiostation. Jon was recently in Columbus, OH, to cover the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship, and took the opportunity while there to visit boys athletics director Randy Au....

For his Bar Mitzvah project, Jesse Bockstein raised funds and collected supplies for children for S.C.O.P.E. (Summer Camp Opportunities Promote Education), a not-for-profit that provides summer camp scholarships. Camp parent Andrew Tannenbaum (dad of Alexa and Eli) is coincidently a member of the organization’s board.... Jesse’s bunkmate Parker Edelman has volunteered to work in a homeless shelter in Brooklyn for his Bar Mitzvah Project. Parker has also opened a business re-selling sneakers online....

2017 Inter (and devoted Yankee fan) Tyler Winderman spotted Mariano Rivera at a Westchester deli and the ever-gracious future Hall of Famer obliged with a photo....Floridians Asher and Jared Gornstein sent in the photobelow after a winter visit to the northeast that not surprisingly included a stop in Elizaville.... And while the brothers traveled north, fellow 2016 Scatico-in-Training one-weekers Denali Cather and Charlotte Florin got together while on vacation in Florida....

Twelve of 13 Debs from last summer attended Lauren Kassin’s win-ter Bat Mitzvah....

Thanks to all who stayed in touch throughout the year. When next we “meet” it won’t be through the Newsletter, but in the 12523 (a certain zip code).

Divisional Reunions

2017 CIT's

At Chelsea Piers 2017 Inter girls...

...And 2017 Inter boys

2017 Soopers and Upper Seniors

New for 2017—the Discerning Scatico Eye

In the most recent issue of the Alumni Newsletter, we talk about the completion of two major projects for this season: the clearing of woods near the boys ballfields to allow for the installation of a dedicated 60x40-yard flag football field and a major renovation to the girls gymnastics building (with the addition of new siding, garage doors, and a deck outside and a wall-to-wall spring floor inside). But at Scatico we not only embrace the big and visible, but also the Japanese philosophy of kai- zen—the importance of continuous and small improvements at all levels, not only including the physical plant, but also in staff training, program enhancements, and our day-to-day work with children. These last three categories become topics of focus during the week of staff orientation and in on-going training throughout the summer, but as for small improvements to the facility....

Here’s a short (but not complete) list for the discerning Scatico eye: renovated canteen bathrooms; new sink countertops in two cabins; a new shed at the boys waterfront (along with better racks for hanging life-jackets at both waterfronts); a second 9-Square-In-The-Air; and replacing the stone steps leading into the back entrance of the girls social hall with a wood deck.

For Parents

By now you should have re- ceived our Forms Mailing and Parents Handbook. The following forms are required for all campers: Enrollment, Medical, Confidential, and Signature Sheet. Return pa- perwork to: Camp Scatico, PO Box 6, Elizaville, NY 12523. As a reminder, rather than mailing a Packing List, you can link to this on line from our homepage at www.scatico.com.

We hope to see all first-year campers (including this year’s one-weekers as well as our 2016 SITs returning for a longer session) at the June 10th Open House at camp. The program runs from 12:30 to 3:30PM and includes lunch. Have campers wear sneakers so they can partici- pate in activities. You can bring luggage then as campers entering 7th grade and young- er will be unpacked prior to Opening Day.