News from the Dining Hall

There are a lot of behind the scenes operations at camp– logistics that campers and counselors are not directly involved with, but are nonetheless essential to the Scatico experience. One of these key hubs of operations is… the kitchen! For most, the kitchen is a mysterious place glimpsed through the dining hall doorway, or overheard in the form of clamoring pots and music blasting from a wireless speaker. In this blog post, we are going to peel back the curtain a bit, and share information about two key people in the kitchen and the new sandwich bar for 2025! 

Meet Head Chef and Head of Menu + Food Purchasing: Ricardo and Bri

In total, there are 30 people who work in the Scatico kitchen– from servers and dishwashers, to line cooks and salad bar preppers. There is even someone who’s job is just setting up food for Support Staff meals– a role fittingly called “Porch” as Support Staff eat on a side porch 45 minutes before campers. 

While every kitchen staff is integral to Dining Hall success, no two people influence operations and food offerings more than Ricardo and Bri. 

Ricardo is the Scatico kitchen frontman, ultimate vibe-setter, behind-the-scenes logistics coordinator, and (his official title) camp’s Head Chef. We like to say, no one in camp works harder or longer hours (ask him about his 5:30 AM coffee routine with head of boys athletics, Randy Au). In 2010 Ricardo was recruited to work in the camp kitchen by former Head Chef Jimmy Wexler, and has not missed a summer since (making this his 16th summer in the Scatico kitchen)! Ask campers what they know about Ricardo, and they will likely mention his huge smile, unwavering enthusiasm, and INSANE grilling skills (full camp BBQs are the consistent favorite meal of campers and staff alike).

A man of many talents, Ricardo is known to make appearances singing in staff cafe nights (and even once in a full camp talent show). He works as a chef year round, and spends most of his off-season in South Florida running his own catering and event planning business, A Catered Affair. When not in Florida, he’s in St. Thomas (we’re jealous!) where he is originally from and much of his family still lives. 

Bri Cidras is the visionary behind Scatico’s menu redesign and new snack options. Though she only started in this role in 2024, her first job at camp was as a kitchen server back in 2011 (when she was just 18 years-old!). During the several-year gap in her Scatico career, Bri received her B.S. in Culinary Nutrition and M.S. in Leadership, and launched her now 10+ year career in school food services. 

When not working at Scatico, Bri is the school food service director for the Auburn Public School district in MA, which serves a 2,600 student body (puts the 450ish person Scatico community in perspective)! Her focus is on Farm to School options, student/staff wellness, and student engagement with food (she always knows which snacks are popular with kids), and, of course, ensuring all USDA/ state requirements for school meals are followed. Bri also sits on the School Nutrition Association board, loves to be outside and garden, and has two children who make occasional appearances at camp (we don’t know how she has time for it all…). Additional fun facts: Bri is the daughter of Scatico’s Head of Security Anthony Cidras and older sister to member of the Office Team Marissa Cidras. 

New Offering: Sandwich Bar! 

From Taco Tuesdays to Bagel Sundays, there are many Scatico fan favorites and Dining Hall routines that our community has come to love and expect. But, as in all areas of camp, there is always room for improvement! In addition to greater variety at the salad bar, and some new “main courses,” perhaps the biggest change this summer will be the Sandwich Bar at lunch and dinner.

We’ll get straight to the point…

• This is what the sandwich bar looks like! We just purchased two last week (one for each Dining Hall)! 

• The sandwich bar will always have…

• Turkey cold cuts 

• Beef salami

• Sun butter 

• Sliced cheese

• Sliced tomatoes

• Pickles

• Mayo, mustard and occasional “surprise” condiments 

• Sliced bread 

• There will be a server manning the Sandwich Bar to ensure equitable and organized sandwich making. 

• The sandwich bar will be there every lunch and dinner… so no need for frenzy! 

We’ll be tackling more behind the scenes news and FAQs in our new Instagram series, so check it out!

Camp Conference Recap!

A team of Scatico’s leadership headed to Atlantic City for the largest gathering of camp professionals in the world– the Tri-State Camp Conference– which draws close to 4,000 people united in their unwavering belief in the power of camp. The three tightly scheduled conference days were spent attending professional development sessions, connecting with industry vendors (Audrey met the founder of 9 Square in the Air!), shopping for new camp products, finalizing summer logistics (all camp buses and vans officially secured!), resource-sharing with other camp “senior staff,” and enjoying Scatico staff-bonding meals out (shout out to Quinn and Mark for their inauguration into the annual tradition of eating at Atlantic City’s historic Chef Vola).  

For us, Tri-State marks a turning point in the year. Our overarching “nuts and bolts” and big picture preparations are in place, and we are in full-blown, nitty-gritty, camp mode. We leave energized and eager to implement all we have seen and learned. We are here to share some of our top takeaways with you…

Our Biggest “Tri-State” Lessons and Highlights… 

Camp's newest identity: “Thick Institution”

It can be challenging to describe the essense of camp, and the meaning behind the experience. David Brooks– an author who delivered the opening keynote– provided us with an apt term: “thick institutions.”  Brooks explains the term  in his New York Times Op-ed “How to Leave a Mark on People.” He writes:.

A thick institution is not one that people use instrumentally, to get a degree or to earn a salary. A thick institution becomes part of a person’s identity and engages the whole person: head, hands, heart and soul…thick institutions have a different moral ecology. People tend to like the version of themselves that is called forth by such places.

Brooks’ message resonates deeply with our vision of Scatico’s community and experience. And so, along with “second home,” we add “thick institution” as a way to capture camp’s identity.

Summer Shopping

An obvious Tri State highlight! Former athletics director Audrey very much enjoyed testing out all footballs, basketballs, kickballs, etc. This year's most exciting purchases include two new pyramid-like, slide Aquaglide inflatables (one for each waterfront), the physical sandwich bar to go with the new daily lunch option, and, yes, this summer’s Birthday Ball gift (no, we won’t tell)!

Food Tasting

Boy Side head counselor and assistant head counselor, Quinn and Mark, took to the food section of the vendor floor to taste test various products. Their takeaway? Scatico has the best available pizza and there may be some new snacks added to the rotation this summer…     

Top Sessions

Collectively, Scatico staff attended over 15 sessions covering topics ranging from mental health and behavior management to games that promote inclusion to improved staff training techniques. The session we deemed this year’s “top” was one attended by Head Counselor Mark titled Bridging the Gap Between Positive Masculinity and Camp. For the past 4 summers, Mark has led a Boys Side staff training on how to intentionally foster a safe and positive camp culture that combats “toxic masculinity,” and so “positive masculinity” is already a topic we engage deeply with at Scatico. We were  excited to see it explicitly covered during the conference for the first time! Mark’s favorite takeaway from the session was the metaphor of ‘rivers not dams’ - channeling the energy, enthusiasm and leadership of campers towards something positive and impactful rather than identifying all the “nos” or “behavior to stop”. 

Audrey’s top session was with camp-industry celeb Michael Brandwein, who provided helpful frameworks for intentionally incorporating camp’s Mission, Vision, and Values into staff orientation week in ways that address top issues facing today’s children and teenagers. 

Bonus highlight: Supporting our Scatico community!

A special shoutout to camp mom (and Scatico alum!) Lauren Dermody for leading her first ever Tri-State session on Staff Culture at day camps. David attended the session and reported that Lauren absolutely crushed it. Girl Side is giving her a huge “she’s got spirit, she’s got spunk” cheer from afar.  

Plus, 40+ year Scaticonian John Hickey (JJ), led two sessions (no new feat). JJ’s sessions focused on valuing campers’ unique identities and how camp leaders and staff cope with difficult situations in the fast-paced environment of camp. 

Scatico March Madness

It’s time for (drumroll please) the SIXTH ANNUAL SCATICO MARCH MADNESS! This year we reflected on the range of activity “vibes” at camp and the role different kinds of programming play in our camp lives. We grouped activities into “Competition”, “Silly,” “Relaxation,” and “Ceremonial,”… which one will take the gold?!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Fill out the bracket below with your picks and email it to audrey@scatico.com by Saturday, March 15. There’s also a blank bracket on the Scatico instagram, and you can fill it out via stories and DM it @campscatico_official.

Starting the week of March 10 we will be conducting polls on the Scatico instargram to decide which entries advance to the next round.

As always, the Top 3 most accurate brackets will win some Scatico prizes!

Submitted Brackets

Winter Break- Scatico Style!

It may be winter, but there is always a touch of summer spirit to be had! Check out some Scatico-inspired games/ activities for winter break.

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Scatico Strands!

Last year we shared Scaticonnections, so this winter break we are running it back with Scatico’s own version of “Strands.” For those new to “Strands,” it is essentially a word search game. See the directions below!

Directions:

Find theme words to fill the board.

In this board example, the “spangram” is “fruit.” And the theme words are: “Banana”, “Apple” and “Lime”.

• Theme words relate to the puzzles theme

• Theme words contain letters that are touching (can be diagonal)

• Theme words fill the board entirely (every letter is used once). 

• No theme words overlap (meaning each letter is only “used” once.

Find the “spangram.”

• The spangram describes the puzzle’s theme and touches two opposite sides of the board. It may be more than one word (eg. HOLIDAYTIME could be a spanagram).

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Spanagram Theme 1:

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Spanagram Theme 2:

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Spanagram Theme 3:

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Holiday Baking with Chef Ale!

For those who don’t know Chef Ale— full name Alejandro Castillo— he’s gearing up for summer #5 at Scatico in 2025! Ale hails from Puebla, Mexico and started out as a member of support staff working in the kitchen. For the last 3 years has been helping out Chef Justin and Chef Ally at Cooking, and now he’s a a program head, and very excited to bring some truly delicious creations to the Cook Shack!

Below, he is sharing a favorite holiday cookie recipe to try at home! He even demoed the recipe in his home kitchen for helpful pics and easy-to-follow steps.

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Scatico Puzzles

Can you piece together the classic Scatico image?

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Movie Night

Lots of good streaming options out there… but only one that was FILMED AT SCATICO! Check out Rally Caps on Peacock, a kids’ baseball movie that was, in part, filmed at camp after the summer of 2021. If you look closely, you will even spot cameos from Scatico campers and staff!

Stories from Scatico Senior Staff: Mark Gretenstein

Mark gives out jackets at the 2024 Divisional Sing. 

Continuing our guest blog series in the 2024-25 off-season, featuring reflections, lessons. and connections between camp and the outside world from Scatico Senior Staff. Up next… Boys Head Counselor Mark Gretenstein. For those who don’t know Mark, he’s been at Scatico since 2018 (starting out as then-Head-Counselor Cory Schwartz’s assistant). Mark grew up in Miami, and pre-Scatico had a long camper, counselor, and senior staff career at Camp Blue Star in North Carolina.

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Throughout my life camp has meant many different things to me. As a first year camper, I experienced newfound freedom (which I promptly took advantage of to brush my teeth as infrequently as possible for 4 weeks). As I grew older, camp became a place where I developed leadership skills, built lifelong friendships, and eventually had my first job. At each stop along my journey one aspect of camp remained constant - camp as a place to experience new things and step out of my comfort zone. 

During the year I work as a middle school math teacher in Brooklyn. It can be hard to find moments to step out of my comfort zone when confined to a classroom and curriculum. However, last year I was presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to chaperone a 9-day trip to Japan for 25 8th grade students. Most teachers were uninterested. Understandably they shied away from the 30+ hours of travel each way, long days exploring a foreign country with little to no ability to communicate, and responsibility for 25 middle schoolers. As soon as I heard about the opportunity, my camp persona emerged and I knew I couldn’t pass it up. Even though I felt like I was stepping out of my comfort zone, I had nothing on my students. About half of them had never been on a plane, the majority had never been outside of the country, and for almost all of them this would be the longest time away from their parents in their lives. 

Once in Japan, I tried to model trying new things and students were eager to take that journey with me. On the first day that meant trying a strange flavor of broth in their customized Cupnoodles created at the Cupnoodles Museum. Soon we were participating in historic customs at a Shinto shrine with a group of Japanese locals. The second night I tried takoyaki (octopus dough balls for lack of a better description) which are an Osakan delicacy, although my stomach didn’t agree. A late-night trip to 7-ELEVEN for some plain rice was needed. We were reminded that trying something new doesn’t always go perfectly. For some students, stepping out of their comfort zone was snapchats going unread for long periods of time due to the time change, others tried sushi for the first time, and a few adventurers joyfully ate chocolate-covered insects. 

As the trip progressed, students adjusted to the routine but never stopped noticing or exploring things that were different. From the incredible lack of trash on the streets, to an unbelievable lost and found culture (1 passport and 2 phones lost and more importantly found), as well as Tokyo’s eerily quiet subway cars, we tried to appreciate and embrace all aspects of the experience. After about a week, the camp side of me was just getting started. There was something familiar about going to sleep exhausted after long and unpredictable days but waking up excited and ready for the next adventure. 

Back at school for the last few weeks in June, the days felt oddly calm and uneventful. Students who had been on the trip of course had lots of stories and pictures to show their classmates, but they also felt slightly changed - a little more confident in class, willing to take a chance and share something, or push through a challenging math problem. 

This school year there’s unfortunately no Japan trip on the horizon. Even without the trip I try to find small moments of exploration and the unknown. One new challenge this year is I teach a math intervention class four times a week in Spanish. I don’t know where I would be without Google Translate and Duolingo, but even so I have no idea how a lesson is going to go until I am working through it with my students. Sometimes it goes great and sometimes it doesn’t, but that’s all a part of the fun. 

Bringing Our "Camp-Self" Home

At camp’s close we ask the obvious yet poignant question: “How do we bring our ‘camp selves’ home?” In the concrete, bringing your “camp-self” home means seeking opportunities to unplug, to lean into a costume party, to play a sport or craft or make a bracelet just for fun. In the abstract, it is about capturing whatever it is that enables an otherwise reserved 9 year old to address the whole of girl side on friday night or publicly dance in a hot dog costume on stage.

Audrey playing tennis with a camper in 2023. 

For me, for the past 9 summers, the end of camp meant the start of teaching in a classroom. Bringing my camp-self to my teacher-self came easily. Mornings started with circle games. I was prone to break into song or throw a friday afternoon dance party. I listened to kids’ recess conflicts, coached them through tricky moments with friends. My ethos of working with children at camp and in the classroom was much the same, and at the core was about fostering that safe community, where kids are empowered to be themselves, to take risks, and to leave the school-year somehow more grown.

Now, I find myself transitioning into an entirely different “school year.” Even though I am working for camp full-time, with campers gone, quiet grounds, and a long 10 months ahead, the answer to that age-old question is far less obvious. 

It is easy to enumerate tangible manifestations of the camp-self. Everyone has their favorite. For my dad, it is boys side gathering on the HC porch, even in 2024, to listen to a baseball game on the radio. For me, it is being outside in the rain. When it is raining and meal time, we walk in the rain and we get wet. We don’t run or rush. We don’t complain. We just walk. At home, I would avoid going outside in the rain at all costs, but at camp, barring a full storm, it is business as usual. Most of the time, rain isn’t even particularly noteworthy. Yes, rainy days bring some of the most quintessential Scatico magic moments– mudslides and rainbows– but more often, rain brings routine divisional soccer games, casual conversations while puddle jumping with friends, the excuse to finally wear your five year jacket (even though everyone knows it’s far from waterproof). In the rain, campers seem to walk closer together, their shouts and laughter uniquely echo above the pattering white noise. At camp we do things that are, by outside world standards, uncomfortable, and we don't even take note. How is it that something typically worthy of complaint instead brings me comfort and joy? That is the intangible. 

Soccer in the rain...

Here's the thing, I do not want to go outside in the rain in Brooklyn. Somehow, I don’t feel the smell of hot wet pavement will bring the same comfort. But school, work, home life, and camp, have more overlap than we give them credit for - busy schedules (much of which are chosen for you), community of peers, some of whom are lifelong friends, all of whom you have shared experiences with. Yes, there are tests and AP classes, but there are also talent shows, group projects, and dining halls. There are those routine transitions where the entire community moves from one place to the next. A lot of the key ingredients for magical moments are already there, we just need to intentionally work to see them in a camp-self light.

My first week back in New York City, I found myself at a dreaded juncture - a flashing orange “delayed” notice for my subway. As irritation took hold, I instead paused and asked “what would my camp-self do?” And so, I removed my earbuds and walked downtown through Times Square. I was immersed in an astonishing confluence of personalities and activities, and instead of keeping my head down and pushing through the crowds, I just walked. I stopped to give directions to a family from California, and shadowed a tour group for half a block to hear a brief history of Broadway. And it was here, a place so antithetical to camp, a place that is, in most ways, the absolute embodiment of what we are trying to escape when we enter the 12523, that I came closest to finding my camp-self. I was an hour behind what I had set out to get done, but I was energized by the experience. 

Camp Sister Talent Show- 2024. 

We can’t truly recreate the camp magic, but perhaps there are more opportunities than we realize to emulate some tangible manifestations of the camp-self. Maybe it is as simple as taking a small, uncomfortable, even unpleasant moment, and instead approaching it as an opportunity to connect, to try something new, to find joy in the mundane. And just maybe, perhaps, if we accumulate enough of these small moments, we can somewhat capture the intangible and abstract, and get closer to being the person who is willing to dance in a hot dog costume on stage. 

Scatico Blog: Week 6 (August 1 - August 7)— 1, 2, 3, 4… We have Color War!

The culmination of weeks of camp prep and anticipation… Color War 2024 is here!

Sooper team leaders are read at the Color War break

On Girls Side, the break happened on Thursday when campers returned from lunch to find that their water bottles— which had been collected for a deep cleaning (shoutout to our amazing kitchen staff!)— were returned to them not just cleaner but also with a new addition: a Color War 2024 sticker!! The stickered water bottles had been placed in divisional crates on the HC porch, and it did not take long for the initial discoverees’ screams to reach all of campus! Quickly, girls camp gathered in front of Kerri’s bunk, with the Soopers — our leaders for the next week— eagerly seated in the front row. Judges Katie Pargament, Cara Howe and Emma Krasner read the Color War pledge, and we were off to the tennis courts for dodgeball and team splits.

On Girls Side, team Generals and Lieutenants— 4 Soopers who are voted for by their peers— first play a doubles tennis match to determine who gets dibs on color, Green or Grey. Ultimately, Fallon and Marissa beat Jess and Summer, and they chose GREY! Then, divisions are called one at a time for a dodgeball match: Soopers, Juniors, Seniors, Jinters… etc. and as campers are eliminated they line up in front of the Chief Judges and have their team color read. Green gathers on one half of the tennis courts, Grey on another, slowly growing and growing until each camper is on their respective side.

Al Viva once full teams are assembled

On Boys Side, the break happened Tuesday at evening lineup. As Mark made his pre flag-lowering announcements— acknowledging the amazing August weather, a roll call of various soccer league finals— a fire broke out in the garbage can in front of the Pixie House, just next to the lineup circle. Flames reaching over the edge of the can, counselor Emmett Miller sprung into action. Fire extinguisher in hand he put the fire out to a thunderous applause from boys camp (many people by now catching on to the break). Mark continued with his announcements but then…. smoke billows out of the Dining Hall door! Just as campers start to react, Moises and Upper Senior DL Justin Zucker burst through the Dining Hall with green and grey confetti poppers… “It’s Color War!”

To the A Court!

They haven’t finished shouting the words and everyone is already dashing to the A Court, where dodgeball and splits take place. On Boys Side, the sequence is similar: divisions are called up one by one for a dodgeball match and as campers are eliminated they line up in front of their DL who reads aloud their team colors. Grey assembles on one half of the court and Green on the other, with Upper Seniors and the Captains and Co-Captains called last. On Boys Side, beyond the Upper Seniors each team has three counselor Generals who serve as coaches and team leaders. The six Generals are revealed last, each one introduced by a peer and then making a “surprise entrance” (running in from some secret location, on a golf cart, to pump up music, etc.) and greeted by a loud “Al Viva” cheer from their team. The teams now fully assembled, and dinner in the Dining Hall way past done, the entire boys camp assembled on the ball fields for a BBQ “Tailgate” before Upper Senior Flag Football (the first, official, Color War event).

The next 4 days of competition encompass a little bit of everything. On Girls Side, Green Wreck it Ralph will face off against Grey Smurf Village (girls side does themes) in the Sing tonight— a presentation of songs, skits, and art projects. Other highlights include “Novelities” (small, fun, full team competitions like jump rope, and ball balance); The Relay; Track, Swim and Boat Meets; All Star Games (Softball, Volleyball and Basketball); Scavenger and Trivia Hunts and so much more. On Boys Side, top events are Mass Softball; The Relay; Swim Meet and Boating Regatta; The A Game (Upper Senior/ Senior Basketball) Rope Burn; Chicken Fights.

Perhaps the best parts of Color War are not the individual events, but the intangibles. Watching Soopers and Upper Seniors as leaders, encouraging and motivating younger campers. The all-out, earnest effort in each aspect of the competition, especially the ones that feel “absurd” to describe in writing: whether it’s blowing a ping pong ball across the tennis courts in The Relay, or sprinting to move blocks in the inexplicably named “Potato Races,” or filling a pitcher with water using nothing but your hands in Water Toting. The way teams burst into cheers, campers of all ages huddling up, after a win. How in a moment of downtime, perhaps on the walk back to the bunk after an activity, bunkmates on opposite teams come together and share a moment of laughter, entirely unrelated to the game that just ended. The heart and tears of the final night.

We’re excited to share photos of the next 4 days. Peek team splits and the full program below!

Scatico Blog: Week 5 (July 24 - July 31)

Divisional Sing is one of those camp special events where we often find ourselves thinking: If only we could bottle this night. There is something electric in the air. A mix of jitters, camp spirit, enthusiasm, and earnestness. Counselors are just as “in it” as their campers. Groups come together and unify, huddling up and cheering their hearts out, before they take the stage. Performances are that perfect mix of silly and serious. Moments of pure campy joy and goofy energy, and others of quiet reflection.

For those who do not know, Divisional Sing is (as the title suggests) a song competition between the divisions. Girls and Boys Side do theirs separately, and each has their own time-honored spin on the event.

On Girls Side, divisions have “themes” that are a play on words of the divisional name. This year we had: Junior Prom, Walking in a Jinter Wonderland, Intside Out, Wild Wild Cents, Deb MD, Pirates of the Suben Seas, and 00Seniors (like 007). Campers are dressed in homemade “costumes” that incorporate nods to the theme (eg. prom sashes for the Juniors; silver Scatico belt buckles made of tinfoil for the Centers; spray painted T-shirts for many), and the homespun quality feels very on-the-nose Scatico. Each group performs an "entrance” (a somewhat new-er tradition, in which there is some kind of mini skit or elaborate way of taking the stage) and then a medley of popular songs to which their counselors have rewritten the lyrics. This “fun song” is a combination of references to the theme plus stories from the group’s summer, and general “poking fun” of camp life. The “fun song” is performed on the Social Hall stage, accompanied by an impressively elaborate mix of choreography. After the “fun song” comes the folk song, in which the tone shifts. Girls sit on the two steps leading up to the stage, hand in hand with their bunkmates, and perform a cover of a real folk song (or folk-adjacent song, if we’re being honest).

On Boys Side, there are no themes, and each division also performs one “fun song” and one “real song” (a slow, folk-ish song). The fun song is not a medley, but a popular song in its entirety that counselors have rewritten lyrics to— these lyrics focusing on the kids’ summer, big events, impending Color War, and shoutouts to campers and staff. There is usually a mix of “inside jokes” (that camp as a whole is largely in on), and songs always end with a burst of appreciation for camp and a look to next summer. Boys perform in their Social Hall (an indoor basketball court), standing in two rows barefoot. The performance has a few rituals: counselors and campers huddle on the side porch of the Social Hall before filing into the main performance area; each camper slaps their counselors’ hands as they file into their rows; two campers from each division are selected to announce and introduce each of the song performances.

There are three Sing Judges for each Divisional Sing. While they step outside to deliberate, Kerri and Mark (for their girls and boys sing, respecitvely) hand out 5, 10, and 3-year (for staff who were never Scatico campers) jackets! The “jacket ceremony” is always a special, milestone moment, and one campers and staff have been looking forward to year-round. It is a celebration of years of memories, friendships, and growth at Scatico, and an opportunity to be recognized in front of the entire camp. Campers and staff are called up to the stage to receive their jacket one-by-one, as the entirety of boys and girls camp applauds. As Mark shared in his opening speech, “There are not many things in our lives that we can say we have done, or been a part of consistently, for 5 and especially 10 years. It is a testament to the power and meaning of camp in our lives, and how it is a place and community that is a constant, always there for us even as we grow and change.” Beyond the 3, 5, and 10 years we had a few even longer Scatico career honors: a 20 year jacket for camp doctor Greg Mazarin; a 25 year for Girls Head Counselor Kerri (!); and a 40 (!) year for current Head of Filmmaking John Hickey.

With jackets distributed, and a few tears of celebration shed, the judges return to announce the winners. On Girls Side it was: 3rd place Debs, 2nd place Inters, 1st place Subs. On Boys Side: lower hill winner was the Sub-Juniors, and upper hill winner the Upper Seniors. As you can imagine— an eruption of cheers ensues. In fact, in the 2024 off-season March Madness bracket, the “sound of cheers in the Social Hall after a sing wing” was voted as a top Scatico sound! The moment of pure pride and jubilation at hearing your division’s name said aloud by a judge… it’s a piece of camp we carry with us year round.

Subs are announced 1st place

This week before Color War and the end of camp brings another special event… Big Trips! After 5-weeks in the “Scatico bubble” (more or less, barring some day trips and tournaments), the Big Trip can feel extra special, and a bit like a journey into the unknown. A quick rundown of each division’s outing, which always ends with dinner out and a trip to the movies:

Junior boys ready for ziplining

• Junior girls: Howe Caverns

• Jinter girls: Bounce Sports and Entertainment Center (a trampoline park pivot, after the water park was cancelled due to lightening… see you in 2025 Zoom Flume!)

• Inter girls: Catamount Mountain Resort for ziplining

• Center girls: Catamount Mountain Resort for ziplining

• Deb girls: Bounce Sports and Entertainment Center

• Sub girls: Co-ed white water rafting at Sacandaga

• Freshman boys: Howe Caverns

• Sophomore boys: Zoom Flume water park

• Sub Junior boys: Minor League baseball game (including press conference and BBQ behind the center field fence) with the Hudson Valley Renegades

• Junior boys: Catamount Mountain resort for ziplining

• Inter boys: Splash Down water park

• Sub Senior boys: Co-ed white water rafting at Sacandaga

More updates from the 12523 to come! As always…. the summer flies.

Scatico Blog: Week 4 (July 18 - July 23)

This past weekend, a major change in energy and perspective descended on the 12523. And we couldn’t be happier.

Excitement for our graduating Upper Seniors and Soopers, who headed off at 6AM Saturday morning on a charter bus bound for JFK Airport to begin their service trip in the Dominican Republic, running a one-week day camp at a local school in coordination with the DREAM Project. And excitement for the Seniors, who boarded a charter bus headed for a very different location: Lake Placid.

Seniors head to Placid!

Scenes from day camp in the Dominican Republic

And, following a whirlwind bunk cleaning and setup, excitement for our twenty-eight 1-week campers, who arrived on Sunday at 2PM to begin their first sleepaway camp experiences. 

For myself, I love imagining how Scatico must look and feel for a first-time camper. That magical mix of both exuberance and nervousness. Embracing the daily routines of lineups, meals, activities, and bedtime. Independence and adventure. Meeting new friends and counselors and older campers—knowing that many of these connections will last for years to come. 

I spent time with each of the groups on Tuesday, asking the SITs (Scaticonians-In-Training) what they were most looking forward to during their week at camp. Their answers ranged: Fishing, Cooking, Soccer, Gymnastics, Swimming, and Woodshop. Wednesday’s Mystery Ride (the power of a posted schedule), Waterfront Cookouts, and (on girls side) Dance Show. Getting launched off the Rave at the Waterfront and becoming a “Flying Squirrel” (at the high ropes course). Even two votes for “hot dogs.” And, most importantly, “making friends.” 
We often speak to the Scatico community of the “journeys” that await in life. For our graduating Upper Seniors and Soopers—the Service Trip foreshadows the end of their journeys as campers and the start of new paths for the many who will return as Junior Counselors in 2025. For the SITs, we hope they will embrace and remember these first-time Scatico experiences. The power of first steps.  

SITs at tennis

SITs at Dance Show

Scatico Blog: Week 3 (July 11 - July 17)

We received an unexpected text from camp’s head of Art +Philosophy, Ken Vallario, Tuesday morning: “We decided to recreate this photo during first.” The referenced photo is the one below, a 1930s scene from the Scatico Boys Art Studio, in which we see kids hovered around a project (?) with a counselor in the back, and others working along the standing window tables.

The recreation from Tuesday’s first period optionals crew— a collection of lower hill campers working on Art Show projects— is pretty spot on. We have Head of Boys Art, Mar, presiding over the table in the back, and campers busy with projects along the side. Of course, there are some “spot the difference” moments: Crocs in 2024 versus ankle socks; athletic shorts instead of wool (?) ones; yarn and resin projects adorning the walls, rather than hand tools.

The phrase that came to mind was… the more things change, the more they stay the same. We talk a lot about the “timeless” quality of a Scatico summer experience. How a camper from the 1940s, or 60s, or 80s, and a camper today can not only speak the same Scatico language, and feel nostalgic for the same phenomena— rain on the bunk roof, the unstructured joy of free play, walking with a friend to a meal and spotting a rainbow (a camp moment just yesterday), being lifted up by a counselor— but compare notes on very specific Scatico traditions: Color War events, line up, Divisional Sing, Opening Campfire… The programming, values and life lessons of camp reflect, of course, the realities of an ever-changing world around us, and yet, there is always a seed of true consistency. A North Star that exists outside of time.

Another scene from this past week: girl side campers swimming out to the “wibit” (camp’s inflatable obstacle course) during General Swim, cracking up as they scale the “iceberg,” singing bits of Top 40 hits as they jump into the water. Some songs and chants are clearly from TikTok or memes— they plant us firmly in a specific time and place, the way hearing a song brings you back to the exact moment in your life when you first heard it— but the general gestalt is… timeless. Kids ranging in age from 8 (Juniors) to 14 (Subs), cheering each other on, laughing at not particularly funny (to an outsider) jokes or moments, remembering counselors and dives and General Swims from summers past. Older campers tell younger about when there, “wasn’t even a wibit.” Juniors work up the courage to try a flip off the top.

Coming to divisional mailboxes Thursday… Carnival announcement!

This Saturday, Scatico will embark upon another time-honored tradition… the Carnival. We think this special event dates back to the 1930s. And while we’ve implemented some upgrades since Carnival’s inception— an inflatable comes via a party rental company; a photobooth uses a digital camera— at its core the Scatico carnival is… timeless. Divisions operate throwback style state fair games like dart boards, hands-free donut eating contests, popcorn machines, and milk bottle tosses. Campers of all ages mingle and snack. Friends get married, and remarried, and married to new friends, with tinfoil rings at the marriage booth.

This year’s theme, Country Western, will (naturally) come with its own twists. Head of Maintenance Teddy will be moonlighting as a hay ride tour operator (campers do not yet know this). The Senior boys and girls will be operating a “Scatico Saloon” complete with line dancing. A series of gold rush golden rocks will be hidden throughout the Carnival to be “cashed in” for Scatico swag (bandanas, theme-fittingly).

Each summer in the 12523… a timeless, new frontier.