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.

Spring 2016-17, Edition 97, Issue 3