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)....
Robert, Ethan, Emma and Abby
Katie and Eden
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)....
Ezra and Matty
Matty and Silas
Sam and Mason
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)?
Tyler and Mason
Kerri, Charlotte, Mason, and Tyler
Isabelle, Spencer, and Josue
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.
Maddie
Chase and Roy
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.
From DC…
… to Norwich
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.
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.
