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
Fasses and Strausses
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)...
Bochners and Greissmans
Charlie, Mark, Benny, Audrey and Emma
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)....
Aaron, Noah and Ben
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....
Alexa and Jimmy
Ricardo and Irwin
Jimmy and Avery
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...
Jacob, Charlotte, Jordan, and Oliver
Scatico in the Rockies
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 )....
Julien and Alex
Eva, Rosie, Sylvie, and Ryan
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.
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)
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?