Scatico March Madness 2023

It’s March, which means it’s time for (drumroll please) the FOURTH ANNUAL SCATICO MARCH MADNESS! This year we’re switching things up in 4 tough brackets: Bugles, Meals, Facilities and …. Salamagundi (a random mix!).

SCATICONIAN BRACKETS

David Fleischner

Nicki Fleischner

Sander Gross

June Harvis

Lila Harvis + Grace Hurley

Carly Hodes

Maya Lederman

Jacob Meltzer

Sam Meltzer

Parker Percival

Ryan Percival

Andie Perez

Sam Ryan

Diana Wallerstein

Liza Zelkin

Justin Zucker

News from Scatico

Dear Scatico families,

As we look to the summer ahead and eagerly plan for the 102nd season of Scatico, we want to share some important developments. After 40 years working in the family business, Diana is retiring and transitioning to a new role at camp… grandmother to Henry, Nicki’s first child. As one Scatico parent already pointed out, Henry is a true 12523 (1st grandchild born on 2-5-23)! 

First, Diana wants to share some words of her own: 

1983: David introduces me to Scatico, and I am handed a gift. Little did I know then…about much…but especially about the power of the camp experience and the remarkable community I was about to join, professionally and personally. My in-laws, Ruth and Irwin, welcomed and mentored me and were consummate grandparents to Nicole and Audrey. The 40-year journey since has been nothing short of extraordinary, and like the simple goal we set for our campers, I am in a better place than when I first arrived. I hope I have met that goal for you in some small measure. What you all have done for me is immeasurable. Thank you.

2023: I am handed another gift: becoming a grandparent and the good fortune to once again be able to follow in my in-laws’ footsteps. It's not everyone who has the privilege of watching their children--along with a remarkable senior leadership team--continue to build upon a family business with over 100 years of history. Camp is poised for the next generation.  I look forward to watching right alongside you (perhaps with a stroller in tow) as we continue to, as camp's vision statement reads, “build future generations of open minds and open hearts.”
 
It’s not often that, as a family, we publicly thank one another for our work… but this occasion seems to call for it. Diana has shaped Scatico for the better: her care and dedication to each camper and family; the logistics work from behind-the-scenes in the office; her Spidey sense for knowing who needed listening to; the warmth and attention she provided staff, particularly on hard days when they needed it most; her unflappable enthusiasm leading so, so many hikes up Breakneck Ridge. Of course, we are lucky that she will remain a presence at camp for consultation and guidance, but not as lucky as Henry, who gains a grandma as a full-time summer “nanny.” 

David will continue in his role as Owner and Director, now joined by Nicki, who will become a Director as well. And Head Counselors Kerri and Mark will once again be supported by their legendary Senior Leadership Team (we started the math on how many Scatico summers they cumulatively represent… let’s just say it easily surpasses 300).

Family milestones often inspire us to reflect on the inextricable connection between camp and our lives and memories. It is hard to express the depth of gratitude we feel for each member of the Scatico community, and the ways in which you have impacted (and will continue to impact) camp, and by extension, us.  

Thank you. 

Here’s to continuing traditions and fresh starts (ever the classic camp balance) in 2023… 

David, Nicki and Audrey 

Summer 2022, Week 6

Walking camp today, the unmistakeable buzz of Color War was in the air! Campers are all decked in green and grey, and all-in on their activities (or, when not doing activities, cheering). From the Girls Track Meet up on the Hill to the Boys Swim Meet down at the lake… the energy of Color War is totally one-of-a-kind.

For our last blog post of 2022 (!!) we are going to give a small taste of Color War— the Girls Sing (which was last night) and the Boys Break (which was 8/6)! Full Color War albums will be posted after Closing Day!

GIRLS COLOR WAR SING

On Girls Side, the first event of Color War is the Sing! All week the teams have been preparing: learning songs and working on art projects and advanced prep (articles each group writes). The Sing is a culmination of the week’s hard work! The Soopers and Seniors work doubly hard, painting scenery backgrounds to be displayed in the Girls Social Hall that represent their team themes. This year, it is Green Muppets Show versus Grey Central Perk (of FRIENDS fame)!

During the Sing, each team present 5 songs: Entrance, March, Cheer, Folk Song, and Alma Mater. And the Soopers and Seniors write all of the songs except the Folk!

Congratulations to Grey who won the Sing overall… though Color War remains anybody’s game!

BOYS COLOR WAR BREAK

Boys Color War breaks a few days after girls as they don’t have to work on Sing prep! On Saturday night, the boys prepared for the concert of a lifetime… SCATFEST! Several acts served as headliners, including Scatico band “Ishai and the Lifeguards,” Jane and Jamie, and Carly and Jeremy. Between each headliner, boys rushed to the social hall for a DJ music session. There were tickets, JCs served as “bouncers”… it was all very official!

During the last DJ music session, as Sinatra’s “New York, New York,” transitioned into “Empire State of Mind,” counselors pulled a rope which dropped Green and Grey balloons from the Social Hall ceiling. Everyone knew it was… time to rush to the A Court!!

Division by division boys head to the center of the court for a game of “dodgeball,” and then line up in front of their DL as they get out. Once everyone is out, one by one, DLs read aloud their campers’ names and what team they are on! Those on green rip of their shirts (which are white and thus representative of grey) and those on grey rip off their shorts (which are green). The Upper Seniors go last!

Once the teams are assembled it’s time to announce the Generals!! Beyond Upper Senior Captains and Co-Captains, each team has three counselor generals who help guide and coach them throughout Color War. Congratulations to the Green Generals— Oliver Lenthall, Manny Jacobson and Henry Lilienfeld— and the Grey— Michael Ocsher, Brett Simons, and Jonah Levine!

Want to know what team your camper(s) is/are on? Check out the boys side splits here.

Summer 2022, Week 5

Another big week at Camp Scatico! Service Day, the start of Big Trips, Art Show and Open Mic, the Upper Hill Tennis Tournaments, Divisional Sing, Girls Color War Break…. and more! With only 10(!) days left of summer, we’re ready to soak in all things 12523.

SERVICE DAY

July 28th marked a special first at Scatico… our first-ever Service Day! The idea behind Service Day was to have each division work on a project that somehow gave back to the local community, and brought Scatico’s 4th Value “From the 12523, To the World” to life. The projects for each group were:

SITs— Made DIY dog toys for the Columbia-Greene Humane Society! They even got a visit from one of the puppy recipients.

Pixie and Junior Girls and Soph Boys— Made Dream Boxes for SCOPE, a nonprofit organization that provides children from low-income families opportunities at overnight camps. SCOPE has provided 25,000 “camperships” and counting! For their project, Pixies, Juniors and Sophs created Dream Boxes for SCOPE campers at Ramapo for Children, a camp in Rhinebeck that offers direct services and professional development. Each “Dream Box” contained new school supplies (all donated by Scatico parents!) that were decorated for each kid.

Jinter Girls and Freshman Boys— Ran a lemonade stand and car wash in support of the Elizaville Volunteer Fire Department. Located just across the road from camp, the Elizaville Fire Department runs on the generosity of local, volunteer firefighters. The Jinters and Freshman served up delicious lemonade and got to scrubbing cars, with all proceeds going back to the Fire House!

Inter Girls, Inter Boys, and Sub Junior Boys— Built and painted games in woodshop to donate to Kite’s Nest, a Hudson- based non-profit with the “mission to build the collective capacity of young people to bring about personal transformation, social connection, healing, and systemic change.” Kite’s Nest runs a community garden and campus to run programming for local kids and teens. The Inters and Sub Juniors created a giant Connect 4 and Corn Hole sets to donate to their space!

Center Girls and Junior Boys— Got busy in cooking, making lasagnas for Lasagna Love a global nonprofit and grassroots movement that aims to positively impact communities by connecting neighbors with neighbors through homemade meal delivery. The Centers and Juniors made a combined 20 lasagnas, which we distributed to families in the local area. And we even got some press around it, with an article about the Lasagna Love/ Scatico partnership appearing in the Daily Freeman!

The Deb Girls— Headed to Hudson to work alongside Kite’s Nest’s ReGen Teens! Among their many programs, Kite’s Nest’s ReGen Teens collaborate as a team to run money-making businesses that uplift environmental justice and community connections. The ReGen program is also a paid employment opportunity that prioritizes youth ages 14-18 who are interested in building independent workforce skills and experience with a focus on the natural world and social justice. The Debs worked alongside the ReGen Teens in their community garden and participated in environmental workshops with them!

The Sub Girls and Boys— Made no-sew blankets for Soul Ryeders, a non-profit that provides personalized resources, innovative programs and community support to anyone in the New York Tri-State area impacted by any type of cancer. Lead by Head Counselor Kerri, who serves on Soul Ryeders’ board, the Subs put together fleece blankets that will become part of gift baskets that go towards cancer patients receiving hospital treatments.

The Seniors, Soopers and Upper Seniors were on their trips to Lake Placid and New Orleans!

DIVISIONAL SING

Always a highlight night at camp, the boys held their Divisional Sing on the 31st and the Girls on the 1st!

Campers work for several weeks on their Divisional Sing, learning and perfecting their songs. It’s a night filled with camp spirit, and that brings bunkmates together, as campers often remember their sings for years to come.

On boys side, each group presents one “Fake Song” (a song that they rewrite the lyrics to in order to make it about them as a group and camp) and one “Real Song” that is a slower, folk song type that they sing in earnest. Congratulations to the Sub Juniors and Upper Seniors who walked away victorious!

On Girls Side, each division has a theme, which is a play on words of their division name. This year’s themes were: Pixie Hollow, Disney Junior, the Jintstones (like the Flintstones), Interllectuals, The Acentgers (like Avengers), The Bar-DEB Bellas (a Pitch Perfect reference), Stranger Subs (like Stranger Things), and KC and the Senior Band (instead of Sunshine Band). Each group performs a medley of “fake songs” all connected to their theme, and one folk song. Congratulations to Centers (3rd), Inters (2nd) and Subs (1st)!

BIG TRIPS

The Soopers, Upper Seniors and Seniors returned from their overnight trips… and this week every other group is headed out! Big trips are always an exciting opportunity to have a different kind of experience with your bunkmates, and explore beyond the 12523. This summer, each trip ends with Sal’s at camp, a trip to Kay’s Kones (the new establishment down the road that has replaced ICESCREAMS!) and a movie. Making up for a lost trip year in 2020, a few groups went to the same place (but on different days). Trips included:

Catamount—The Inter boys and Deb girls headed to Catamount where they zip-lined and enjoyed the aerial adventure park!

Howe Caverns- Soph and Frosh boys, and Junior, Pixie and Jinter girls all put on their spelunking hats at Howe Caverns, where they explored a giant underground cave a tried their hand at “mining.”

Sacadanga- Sub boys and girls gave white water rafting a try along the Sacadanga River!

Zoom Flume- Center and Inter girls and Sub Juniors and Junior boys splashed the day away at Zoom Flume water park.

GIRLS COLOR WAR BREAK

1, 2, 3, 4… we HAVE girls Color War!! Following the Divisional Sing girls headed down to the HC for milk and cookies (as they do nightly), but this time they were in for a surprise! Down the road came an illuminated green and grey golf cart, and Teddy’s Kawasaki decked out in flashing lights! It was COLOR WAR!!

After introducing the Judges— Lauren and Emma Rosh (an unbeatable sister combo!)— reading the Color War Pledge, and announcing the Generals and Lieutenants… all campers headed up to the tennis courts to find out their team splits!

After the break, the first step is always that Lieutenants and Generals play a doubles tennis match against one-another to determine which color they are (with the winner getting to pick the color of their choice). Then, each division goes up one at a time to play a game of “dodgeball”, where counselors have the balls to throw at campers and as campers are eliminated they go to the Chief Judges to find out their team. The last camper standing for each group gets a point!

Once all of the divisions have gone and everyone knows their team, the Soopers lead everyone in a giant AL VIVA! It is officially Color War, and girls are already busy planning for the Sing (the first Color War event), which will be on 8/7!

What team is your camper on? Here are the splits!

Much more… including Boys Color War… to come!

Summer 2022, Week 4

It was a week of transitions at Scatico as we said goodbye to the 4-weekers and the Soopers/ Upper Seniors who departed on their service trip, and hello to the SITs! As we crossed the halfway mark of summer we marveled at how deeply embedded we are into the routines and rhythms of camp. We know with the end of summer approaching… the highlight moments will just keep coming!

CARNIVAL

Another week, another special, full-camp event… Carnival! The brainchild of Ken Valario and Laura Gold— both heads of art— this summer’s Carnival theme was “It’s a Small World” and it was a post-dinner evening in order to beat the heat! The theme was meant to be less Disney and more a celebration of our beautiful planet (both thinking of the Earth at large and “planet Scatico,” as often, we can feel like a world unto ourselves).

Donning our globe spray-painted white tees, we kicked off the celebrations at the Pavilion for a full-camp chat with David Fleischner, who set the mood for our theme. David talked about the ever-shrinking Earth (our, quite literally, small word) and how back in 1921 when his great-uncle Nat Holman founded Scatico, most kids and counselors who attended camp had never been outside of the Lower East Side, and how camps in general, were a way for kids, mostly Jewish immigrants, to escape the insularity (and grit) of early 20th century New York City in order to explore and experience a different world. While much about the essence of Scatico has remained, access to travel and technology means that our reality in 2022 is quite different! Today Scatico has community members from 18 countries (and every continent besides Antarctica), spanning (remarkably) 20 out of 24 different time zones!

From the Pavilion we promenaded down the road path to start Carnival in earnest! Each division was responsible for their own booth— from cotton candy to “funky fishing”, skee ball to the Marriage Booth, karaoke to the milk bottle toss, an inflatable obstacle course to face painting. In addition to the traditional favorites, Carnival had a few new elements this year, including two “small world” food trucks. One was a Dominican food truck serving tostones (twice- fried plantains) helmed by our DREAM Project staff, and the other Mexican street corn made by Chef Justin (co-head of Cooking) and Alejandro (a cooking counselor and Mexico native).

The other special Carnival element was Ken’s ride! Each summer Ken envisions a new “ride” (aka golf cart journey) that incorporates an interactive activity. For this ride, campers journeyed from the Pagoda down to the old stables (currently the girl’s campout site), where we have been working on creating Scatico’s first official garden. While on the golf cart (which played “It’s a Small World” from portable speakers, naturally) campers stopped to pick out a potted flower, which they then brought down to the garden to plant. The garden is circular, with rings that will each incorporate a different design element. One outer rim will be filled with rocks, and creating it will be part of our 100th celebration in September!

As always Carnival ended with the DL “horse race” (involving wooden horses, and giant dice). Shoutout to Gat, Branden and Marly….the dynamic trio who won!

SOOPERS AND UPPER SENIORS HEAD TO NEW ORLEANS

After a sweaty day of packing, on July 23, the Soopers and Upper Seniors boarded a flight, destination NOLA! They will be spending one week on a service trip coordinated by Westcoast Connections and working in conjunction with SBP, a disaster relief nonprofit. Founded in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, SBP now works around the country with the, “mission to shrink the time between disaster and recovery.” They still have a tremendous presence in New Orleans, which is still recovering from Katrina as well as Isaac, Ida and a 2022 Tornado.

The Soopers and Upper Seniors are working alongside the SBP team in the Florida Area (yes, official neighborhood name) of New Orleans, which is in the Bywater District. Together, they are helping construct a house for the organization’s Opportunity Housing program, which converts abandoned properties into affordable housing for low-to-moderate-income, first-time homeowners. Beyond their work with SBP, the Soops and Upper Seniors will get to experience all the wonder that New Orleans has to offer— from a Creole cooking class, to swamp tour, to time in the French Quarter!

Welcome SITs!

Not spotted at Scatico since 2019… the Scaticonians in Training (SITs)! We were so excited to welcome our 17 SITs to camp on Sunday, and they are already off to a fantastic start. Taking over the Sooper and Upper Senior cabins while they are away, the SITs will get to experience all things camp. Both the boys and girls groups have already listed “night fishing,” in which they head out in rowboats to catch fish, as a favorite activity so far.

Camper ContributionS

Once again we have articles and videos from contributing camper writers who signed up for the Scatico blog optional!

ONLY AT SCATICO

by Eden Miller and Emma Justus

While Camp Scatico embodies many typical camp aspects, we also have many traditions, events, and philosophies that make Scatico unique. In order to gain a better understanding of camp’s one-of-a-kind environment, we interviewed Senior Staff, about things, activities, or elements that are, “only at Scatico”…

• “Slapball, which is an invented sport, is, I am pretty sure, only played on the B court at Scatico.” - Matty

• “For someone who was not a returning camper, being here allows for me to meet and build relationships with people from all over the world.” - Chef Justin

• “Legends of Scatico is a full boys side event that creates a special atmosphere, because of how unique full boys side activities are.”- Mark

• “Our number of full camp activities, where all of girls side is able to come together and bond, creates a unique sense of community.” - Dusty

Jimmy’s Favorite Foods

by Kate Schmeidler and Emma Miller

Jimmy Wexler has been working at Scatico for 17 years as the Head Chef of camp. He grew up in Patterson, NJ and went to Brant Lake as a kid. During the off season, Jimmy runs his cookie business, Two Fat Cookies, as well as a catering company with Ricardo. Both businesses are based in Florida, where Jimmy lives. The following includes Chef Jimmy’s favorite camp meals, dishes to make, and some fun facts:

Jimmy’s Favorite Camp Foods

1. Chicken Patties

2. Chicken Heroes

3. Mac n Cheese with Chicken Nuggets

4. Caprese Sandwiches

5. Fried Chicken

6. Corn Muffins (favorite breakfast)

7. Caesar Salad Wraps

8. Pesto Cous Cous

Jimmys Favorite Camp Soup- Tomato Bisque

Jimmy’s Favorite Desserts— Ice Cream and Eclair/ Cream Puff

Jimmy’s Favorite Off-Season meals— To eat: Steak; To make: Branzino

Fun fact: David’s favorite camp meal is spaghetti and meatballs!

10 Questions with Mark + Matty

by Mia Groom

We asked Boys Head Counselor Mark Gretenstein, and Assistant Head Counselor, Matty Carrol, some questions about life at camp.

DIVISIONAL SNAPSHOTS

Boys Side

Freshmen— Played an intense game of “Assassins”! In Assassins each camper gets the name of a camper they need to “get” by throwing a tennis ball at them. Each person has a mitt, and if the ball is caught on a fly, the assassin is out versus the person getting assassinated.

Sophomores— Enjoyed a co-ed mystery ride to go berry picking! They also had their overnight, complete with cooking over a fire, sleeping in tents, and playing some acoustic guitar.

Sub Juniors— Loved their waterfront cookout! A nice break from the heat the Sub Juniors ate and swam the night away.

Juniors— Went from hot to cold! They played inferno trivia (you start with many layers of clothes, and get to take off items as you get questions right) and ice bucket kickball (each base has a bucket of ice to cool off in).

Inters— Pumped iron (kind of literally)! They competed in an Iron Man (swimming, boating and running) and enjoyed a period of co-ed Iron Chef.

Sub Seniors— Tried a somewhat-new-to-boys-side activity… Yoga with Arturo! Arturo is the Head of Woodshop but doubles as Scatico’s resident yogi.

Seniors— When asked about their top activity of the week?…. soccer in the rain! The Seniors headed to the girls fields for an intense game of soccer, and the rain did not stop them.

GIRLS SIDE

Pixies + Juniors— Had a joint Pixar Theme Day! They dressed up as their favorite Pixar characters and enjoyed activities like a “Wreck it Ralph” vs. “Cars” Relay Race, and a Finding Nemo Treasure Hunt!

Jinters— Headed out on a co-ed mystery ride! It was blueberry picking at Greig’s Farm followed by ice cream.

Inters— Had a themed Frisbee Golf tournament. The teams? Scatico Senior Staff vs. The Skittles vs. The “Earthsicles” vs. Rainbow Chicken!

Centers— Started to learn how to sail. They hit the “high seas” with Ishai, and practiced capsizing and how to rig a sailboat.

Debs— Won the Lip Synch battle, a particularly spirited Evening Activity. Each group had to choreograph a lip synching routine, and was judged on costume, dance, spirit, and lip synching talent. The Deb’s rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Shallow” (dressed in bathing suits and goggles) blew the judges away.

Subs— Competed in their rendition of Shark Tank aka “Speedo Tank” (Speedo being the Fleischner family pet turtle).

Seniors— Finished filming their music project— a zombie-themed music video to “Thriller"!

Summer 2022, Week 3

Summer is moving fast, and we have lots to share. Tournaments, TEAMS, DJ Pure, Legends, Scatapalooza, and Visiting Day marked important milestones of summer 101!

Time during the pandemic has been an odd thing— for everyone— and as we reflected on life since March 2020, the specialness of the past weekend really began to sink in. Getting to welcome our Scatico family back to campus after two summers off; seeing campers share their summer home and introduce bunkmates; and taking in a tree-lined path abuzz with family-reunion-style energy; made us feel extra grateful and excited to embrace the rest of the summer ahead.

It’s hard to believe that we are almost halfway through the season, and we want to take a moment to recap some highlights of the past week!

TEAMS 

It was TEAMS Day 2 on Thursday, a day jam-packed with action and activity. In the AM, RacingArrow (Yellow and Red) and FlyingBolt (Green and Blue) competed in a series of divisional sports. One highlight was Senior/Sooper soccer, which ended in a tie and had to go to a shootout! In the PM, it was the Track Meet with RacingBolt (Blue and Yellow… aka Channukah) and FlyingArrow (Red and Green… aka Christmas) going head to head. During the Track meet, campers compete in divisional relays, races, and one-off challenges like the softball throw, soccer kick, and standing broad jump.

The evening brought our second TEAMS campfire, where each team had the opportunity to showcase everything they’d been practicing for the past week. Week 2 Campfire highlights included: Rhythm Band (each team has a representative from each division act out a scene or concept using only sounds, e.g., one was “The Wizard of Oz”); Comic Songs (each team rewrites the lyrics to portions of three songs making fun of camp and all the things “wrong with it,” but ultimately sharing their love of Scatico); and Counselor Imitations (two campers from each team pick one of their counselors to imitate).

The places switched up a bit by the end of week two, and we have: Flying Eagle in 4th, Blazing Arrow in 3rd, Racing Wind in 2nd, and Thunderbolt in 1st. The final TEAMS day is July 22… can’t wait to see what it brings!

DJ PURE

A weekly recap wouldn’t be complete without mentioning a Scatico summer highlight… DJ PURE! This year marked DJ Pure’s 12th summer at Scatico, and the enthusiasm for him just keeps building! After a full day of activities (including some dance practice), campers got to dance the night away. The Pavilion was transformed by music, lights, and lots, and lots, of jumping. A sneak peek of the night is posted on camp’s Instagram page. Take a look! 

LEGENDS + SCATAPALOOZA

Following Visiting Day, boys side and girls side split to enjoy two relatively new traditions to camp: Scatapalooza and Legends!

For Legends, boys side campers are divided into four teams: Harbingers, Guardians, Alchemists, and Seers. Once you’re on a Legends team, you are on it for the duration of your Scatico career! Each team has its own symbol, which campers spray-painted on T-shirts.

There are many components to Legends, each with their own rituals and meanings. First, there is a chess tournament with each team sending their selected “chess champion” to play while the rest of the camp intently watches. Congratulations to Lawson Davis and Greyson Nestler (the overall winner) who made it to the finals!

Following chess, everyone heads to the ball fields, which are transformed into a giant hang session, with campers gathering in the shade under trees to chat, or to play on the soccer fields, or to throw a frisbee. Then it’s time for activity 2: The obstacle course! Lower Hill and Upper Hill are divided, with the campers from each team competing in an obstacle course that is timed. The team with the best time, wins! For Lower Hill the obstacle course involves running along the gravel path from the ball fields to the A-court, pushing along a metal trash can, dodging water balloons, carrying a mattress overhead, and a tennis ball and water bucket race. For Upper Hill the obstacle course winds its way through the Sunset Trail, in the woods behind the ballfields, and involves scaling benches and dodging objects.

Following the obstacle course… it’s time to eat! Senior Staff cooks on grills brought out to the ball fields, so it can have the feel of a giant picnic.

The evening concludes with a series of stories, with a member of each team selected to tell a tale. This year’s storytellers were David Fleischner, Ishai Eshed, Alan O’Neill, and Ryan Derasse. At the end of the stories, each team gets to vote for the best storyteller with each camper on the team getting a vote. A big congratulations to Ishai— head of the boys waterfront— who won storytelling for the Seers! Ishai is the head of the boys waterfront, and lives in Ecuador— where he runs a school and tour company with his wife, and longtime Scaticonian, Laura. Ishai’s story focused on a tribe of the Amazon he came in contact with while doing an exchange program with his school. Having spent time in the Amazon, Ishai shared how this one particular Amazonian village came to be, and the oral histories of its inhabitants.

Over on girls side, a whole different set of activities was taking place with Scatapalooza! A post-visiting day festival-style afternoon, Scatapalooza may just bee camp’s most colorful (quite literally!) day. The first event is a color run, in which older and younger camp sisters line up with one another and run along the road path while dyed powder is thrown at them from counselors. The color run culminates with a giant color throwing party on back campus.

Following dinner, Scatapalooza continues with a glow in the dark dance party! The Social Hall is transformed with neon, glow sticks, and black lights! There is glow in the dark face painting, limbo, and, of course, lots and lots of dancing.

FEATURED CAMPER POSTS! 

We’re continuing an exciting new feature of the Scatico blog this week… campers as contributing writers! This week the Scatico blog optional moved to boys side, and we have three new contributors: Grayson Klein, Crosby Synnott, and Alex Callahan.

HC PORCH

by Grayson Klein

The HC Porch is a great way to be calm and reset from all of the energetic activities. For example, chess is a calming sport, right? Well, there are four chess boards to play. There are also comics to read and cards to play.

Another reason is there are sometimes events happening there. For example, one time, the art teacher, Ken, brought a TV to the HC porch. He showed us when scientists made a super telescope to see the stars made so far away, and as old as 13.1 billion years ago.

And since Scatico loves and cares about baseball, there is a baseball bench and a speaker above it, and you can listen to the Mets and Yankees games.

But there is another side to the HC Porch. The HC Porch gives snacks, and everybody loves the snacks. For example, one of them was pop tarts, but s’mores flavor. The HC changes like bing, bang, bong!! Everybody is screaming, and the HC is crowded with people.

The HC is my happy place and the place I would spend my time at.

FULL CAMP CAPTURE THE FLAG

by Crosby “Bing” Synnott

Full camp capture the flag is a very fun game. It is part of College Bowl, which is where there are four college teams on boys side. They split boys side in 4 teams and do activities. One of them was capture the flag.

Two of the teams, team up on the other two. We go to the golf course and we draw one line in the middle. Then we take each side and divide it into two parts. The two parts are for different ages. One part is the Freshmen, Sophs, Sub-Juniors and Juniors. The next part is for Inters, Sub-Seniors, Seniors, and Upper Seniors. You cannot pull a flag off a person who is in a section younger than you. And you cannot steal a flag (frisbee) from a section younger than you.

The flags are numbered on the bottom for how many points you get. The team(s) who got the most points win. And if you come to Scatico next year you will see how fun it is!

MAKING FILMS

by Alex Callahan

Filmmaking at camp is a lot of fun. They come up with the idea of the movie. They write scripts. When the scripts are finished you get to audition for parts.

The fun part about the movies is that they’re horror.

Once you get your part you start filming scenes. This is when you really get to act. It’s a lot of fun filming scenes, and there are a lot of them. You shoot scenes in parts.

After filming you edit, and then you’re done with the movie!

DIVISIONAL SNAPSHOTS 

GIRLS SIDE

Pixies - Have been busy with a few creative projects! They made delicious merengue cookies in Cooking, and have been hard at work on their “Hot N Cold” music video in Media.

Juniors - Got in the zone for DJ Pure with a DJ Pure bootcamp! Part of the activity? Mastering the worm.

Jinters - Had a “Behind the Scenes” tour of the Admin with David Fleischner! The Jinters got to see secrets of the main house, including the basement and the Fleischner pet turtle… speedo!

Inters - Put on their wizarding hats and played an intense game of Quidditch complete with three-ringed goals and a sprintingly fast Snitch to capture (aka Audrey and Katie, running around).

Centers - Got creative with a co-ed Scavenger Hunt in which they had to find unique items, and complete trivia, around camp.

Debs - Had their treasure hunt! The Debs were tasked with completing a puzzle and finding the missing items, which were scattered around the campus. In the end, the final prize was hidden in the office, and it was a trip to Holy Cow! Another highlight of the week? A “sip n paint” party with Ken, complete with sparkling apple cider.

Subs - Stole a favorite activity from boys side and made it their own … greasy watermelon! The Subs donned their white tees and hopped in the lake to play what is essentially water polo with a watermelon covered in vaseline.

Seniors - Couldn’t pick just one activity, and listed both their Volleyball tournament at Romaca and their first-ever “battle ships” as two weekly highlights.

Soopers - Prepared for their upcoming trip to New Orleans with a special period of cooking in which they made NOLA staples such as shrimp po boys and jambalaya!

BOYS SIDE

Freshmen - Headed out on their hike to Mills Mansion, followed by a stop at Holy Cow! Another highlight of the week? Night fishing for evening activity!

Sophomores - Also embarked on their hike, to Millbrook, followed by ice cream. The Sophs were also excited to share tales from their first-ever game of Human Stratego, a Scatico favorite.

Sub Juniors - Had an intercamp with Kinder Ring in which they played basketball (we won) and soccer (they won!). They also couldn’t help but mention a particularly spirited game of water polo, which took place yesterday!

Juniors - Participated in an NFL Combine, a special activity in which campers put their football talents to the test in a series of drills and skill displays (a la a true NFL combine).

Inters -Headed to Mah-Kee-Nac for a football tournament, where they played their hearts out (even if they were not victorious)! Holy Cow on the way home always softens the blow.

Sub Seniors - Headed to Kenmont for a baseball tournament! A highlight tournament of the summer, the Subs won by 16 runs!

Seniors - Enjoyed a co-ed “wellness” theme day, complete with yoga, card games, and waterfront hanging.

Upper Seniors - Hosted Camp Kinder Ring for an Ultimate Frisbee tournament… and won!

Summer 2022, Week 2

WEEK 2 AT SCATICO

Days fly by at Camp Scatico! This week was sprinkled with special events, including our 4th of July celebration, Girls TEAMS and the Boys NAT. It has only been two weeks since Opening Day, but already we haves stories that will last us through the rest of the year. 

We know with phone calls this week, families got a little filled in on all things camp… but here are a few highlight moments we want to share. 

TALENT SHOW, TEAMS + NAT

THE 4TH OF JULY

The 4th of July is always special day of traditions at Camp Scatico. It’s the first big, full camp event of the summer, and campers and counselors exchange their regular uniforms for red, white, and blue. A day of activities is followed by a BBQ, talent show, and fireworks (with bomb pops!). Chef Jim and Ricardo go all out decorating the BBQ deck and cooking up corn on the cob, pulled brisket, turkey legs, burgers and hot dogs, and, of course, lots and lots of watermelon and ice cream sandwiches. 

This year’s talent show had us enjoying many creative acts: from singing and dancing, to gymnastics, beat boxing, comedy routines, and magic tricks. Talent show hosts Kate Metzendorf, Kate Greeley and Jacob Schumer led us through a (potential record) 30+ impressive performances. Some of the highlights included:

• Singing acts from Eva Marcus, Caleb Sanchez, Sophia Behar, Avery Lobel and Allie Stavrides, Sam Ryan, Carly Messitte and Daniel Pisetzner, The DLs, Lawson Davis, Spencer Hellman, and Kylie Hall. We went from Pixar Movie soundtracks to Billboard 100 to old school classics! 

• Comedy routines from Sander Gross and Lucas Nestler, Jayden Olenick, Ava Stavrides, and Jacob Strauss. 

• Dance routines from Harper Odell, Ella Bernstein and Kyra Razos; Eve Jacobs; Ruby Elkin and Abby Harwood; Lila Harvis and Liliana Micelli; and Ari Cuevas (fittingly, one of our dance counselors). Lots of cartwheels, round-offs and walkovers involved!

• Poetry reading from Ethan Rosenberg and Ryan Derasse, and the Inter boys 

• Beatboxing from Eli Porter 

• Magic from Hickster the Trickster (JJ), and Jacob Hirschl.

A sneak peek from the day is posted on Scatico's Instagram Reels. Take a look!

TEAMS

As we covered last week,  TEAMS broke, with girls side divided  into the four teams of Thunderbolt, Racing Wind, Flying Eagle, and Blazing Arrow (you can see the team splits here!). Much prep and many meetings later, Tuesday marked the first official TEAMS day! 

On a typical TEAMS day, two teams combine to join forces in the competition, with the Soopers at the helm. So on Tuesday, we had Racing Wind (yellow) and Flying Eagle (green) aka “Lemon and Lime” against Thunderbolt (blue) and Blazing Arrow (red) aka “Berry and Cherry.” After a quick morning pump up meeting, the teams headed to the athletic fields to compete in Volleyball, Soccer, Kickball, Basketball, Football and more! After two sets of AM activities, it was time for lunch, and then the afternoon brought… the Swim Meet! During the Swim Meet, campers compete in swimming races, boating (a highlight of the event is the war canoe, in which one representative from each division participates in rowing a canoe out to a far buoy and back in record time), and silly events like the “Plate Toss,” in which Pixies and Juniors have to find plates hidden in the crib. 

TEAMS Day 1 concluded with the first TEAMS Campfire! Somewhat of a misnomer (there is no physical fire involved), at the Campfire each TEAM showcases the songs and routines they have been practicing all week long. For Week 1 each TEAM presented their cheer– a ditty about their team set to the tune of a popular song– and their human pyramid. Each Campfire also comes with its own “novelties” (activities where representatives from each division compete is a small, mini-challenges). This week brought the Sub Talk down (two Subs go head-to-head talking as animatedly as they can about opposing viewpoints, e.g. “Tik Tok vs. Instagram”) and the Jinter word definition (one Jinter from each teams presents what they believe to be the definition of a long, complicated– and actual– word). 

By the end of week one we had: Flying Eagle (4th), Racing Wind (3rd), Blazing Arrow (2nd), Thunderbolt (1st). We’ll see what the next two weeks bring!! 

BOYS NAT

One of the biggest summer sports events, the Boys NAT tournament took place on Wednesday! The entire camp gathered on the A Court to cheer for the team… and you can bet there was a lot of green! 

The day always starts with a giant huddle on campus, filled with cheers and pump up. At the end of the cheer session, everyone sprints to the A Court, creating an archway for the team to run through. Our announcers did their usual show-stopping presentation of each player, and Coach Michael Tolstoi had a special handshake with each team member impressively choreographed.

Five other camps were able to attend the tournament: Kinder Ring, Pontiac, Lenox, Greylock and Wah-Nee. First, we faced Kinder Ring, and beat them! Special shoutouts to team Captains Oz Rubinson and Matt Roban. In the semi-finals we lost to Pontiac by 10 points. Pontiac eventually went on to win the whole tournament (defeating Greylock). 

FEATURED CAMPER POSTS! 

An exciting new feature of the Scatico blog this week… campers as contributing writers! We’ve started a Scatico Blog optional during which campers can pitch their own article ideas, and interview Scaticonians to execute them. We’ll have a rotating selection of contributors. A big shout out to our first batch… Kayla Schmeidler, Kate Miller, Isabelle Hellman, and Mia Groom! Kayla and Kate decided they wanted to work together to illuminate new aspects of the Scatico summer. Isabelle and Mia opted for a video interview… posing 15 questions to members of Scatico Senior Staff. 

10 NEW THINGS AT CAMP 

By Kayla Schmeidler and Kate Miller 

Fishing dock

1. The Ropes Course

   The first new addition to camp is a ropes course also referred to as “The Jungle.” The ropes course is located behind gymnastics and campers from both boys and girls side have been enjoying the new obstacles. 

2. Fishing Dock on Boys Side

   A new dock has been added next to woodshop, and has quickly become the new spot for fishing for both girls and boys! Caught fish (and once, a turtle) are temporarily displayed in the Scatico tank, before being released back into the wild. 

3. Pixie Division

   A new division has been added to camp this summer: the Pixies on Girls Side, who are rising 2nd and 3rd graders! While Pixies used to be a division back in the 1950s and 1960s, they haven’t been one since. Director David Fleischner was a Pixie, and shared how the division used to live where the camp doctor now lives (in the house above the boys waterfront), which is why that building is still referred to as the Pixie House! Back then, the Pixies also had a mini playground to themselves, which was located where the boys flagpole circle is now. 

4. New Sports

   This summer field hockey and lacrosse run by Karlie Saed have been added to the variety of sports on the hill! Boys side has also been using the gymnastics studio for a new invention: bouncy dodgeball. 

5. Soopers are also CITs 

   Due to the age shift after the 2020 summer season was canceled, and the absence of CITs, this summer Soopers are now taking on CIT roles and privileges. This includes apprenticing with other divisions and learning how to be a counselor for the future. They also get rewarding and fun privileges like going out of camp on van nights once a week.

6. Mark as the new Boys Head Counselor

   For boys side, the newest addition and change for them is Mark Gretenstein! Mark grew up in Miami going to a camp in North Carolina called Blue Star. His first summer at Scatico was in 2018, when he started as Cory’s Assistant.

7. Revamped College Leagues

   This summer College Leagues has been revamped! Jane Rosenfeld and Audrey Fleischner decided to combine lower hill’s D-League (day league) and Upper Hill’s T-League (twilight league). College Leagues gives the Seniors the chance to lead the camp in fun and competitive activities. This is a great opportunity for the Seniors to practice leading the camp since they will be Soopers next summer. 

College Leagues

8. Lake Inflatables

In the lake, there are two new features to the lane swim, the iHop and the “bone.” The iHop looks like a bunch of floating marshmallows, or lily pads, you jump between. The “bone” looks like a bone, with a mini trampoline on each end. 

9. Philosophy with Ken is now on girls side too! 

Philosophy with Ken has always been an activity on boys side, but is now offered as an activity on girls side too. Each day Ken poses a new, thought provoking question on a white erase board next to the bulletin board, like, “What does it mean to have an original idea?” and people are invited to write their answers and thoughts around it. 

10. New Trips 

This summer, the Senior and Sooper/Upper Senior trips have been changed. Due to the Seniors being the equivalent age to Soopers/ Upper Seniors they are going to Lake Placid. And because the Soopers/ Upper Seniors are really the age of CITs, they are going on a service trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. In NOLA the Soopers and Upper Seniors are partnering with a non-profit called SBP to help revitalize neighborhoods impacted by Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters. 

15 Questions with Jane + Dusty

by Isabelle Hellman and Mia Groom

Mia and Isabelle came up with 15 questions to ask Senior Staff… and found Jane (Head of Programming/ Special Events) and Dusty (Assistant Head Counselor) in the HC. Next week we’ll head to boys side!

DIVISIONAL SNAPSHOTS

BOYS SIDE

Freshmen - Said goodbye to Matt Gross and welcomed their new (and now here for the rest of the summer) DL, Branden Rothenberg! Matt’s goodbye gift to the Frosh? “Matt Gross Surprise!” It was a campfire and s’mores party with the Pixie and Junior girls. 

Sophomores- Had a campfire s’mores party of their own with the Jinters, and then were introduced to a new camp game: Matt Ball (hard to explain, but like kickball with multiple bases). Each base is represented by a hoola hoop, and if you accidentally step out of the base circle, you’re out!

Sub Juniors - Headed out on their Hike to Inspiration Point (followed by Holy Cow, naturally). The Juniors also had a boys side activity favorite… battle ships! The group is split into two teams, each with their own canoe. The canoes are placed in the crib of the lake, and each team tries to fill the other’s canoe with water using empty paint buckets. The goal? Capsizing the other team’s boat! 

Juniors - Spent a lot of time on the water, enjoying both a Waterfront Cookout and Battle Ships (see description above). 

Inters - Had their first session of “Philosophy with Ken.” Their topic of choice? The value-lessness of money. Another highlight of the week was an activity with the Debs: Volleyball and 9-square! 

Sub Seniors - Competed in Gladiators. Essentially a giant obstacle course set up on the tennis courts and on campus, in Gladiators the Subs had to complete a set of challenges while tennis balls were (lightly) thrown at them. 

Waterfront cookout

Seniors -Enjoyed a picture perfect Scatico sunset at their Waterfront Cookout, staying just as the sun dipped below the horizon at the lake. Another favorite activity? Music appreciation! 

Upper Seniors - Along with the Soopers, the Upper Seniors have started their “apprenticeships,” where every day for 2nd activity they help out with a division in order to get counselor training. 

GIRLS SIDE

Pixies - Had their first-ever woodshop activity, and got busy making book ends with Arturo and Brett! After getting painted, they will hopefully be coming to a shelf in your home soon!  Another highlight moment of the week: Saturday’s Pixie/ Junior Talent Show! From counselor imitations, to dance routines, and songs… the Pixies displayed their talent. 

Juniors - Embraced a little friendly competition with the Freshman boys, going head to head in a game of capture the flag on the golf course! They also listed the Pixie/ Junior talent show as a highlight. 

Jinters - Everything’s better with s’mores! The Jinters and Sophs had a campfire and s’mores party. The Jinters also hosted their divisional evening activity on Sunday: a blind auction!

Inters - With backpacks and sleeping bags in tow, the Inters embarked on the first overnight of the summer! Held at the girls campout site (down the path that used to be camp’s stables), the Inters pitched tents, cooked over a fire, and stayed up late telling stories. 

Center Theme Day

Centers - Enjoyed a Spy Theme Day! Dressed in all black the Centers engaged in a series of “spy” themed activities including a Treasure Hunt, full camp hide and seek, and a bake off involving mystery ingredients. 

Debs - Had the first undernight (all parts of an overnight, but you don’t actually sleep in the tent) of the summer! The Debs cooked their own dinner over a fire with the help of Chef Ally, followed by a campfire and s'mores. The cooking continued on Saturday with a special Debs-only waterfront cookout for lunch! 

Subs - Hosted the first-ever Scatico Showdown! The Subs invited representatives of different divisions to participate in a series of timed challenges a la “Minute to Win It,” such as chocolate milk chugging, moving an oreo from your forehead to your mouth without touching it, and popping as many balloons as you can by sitting on them. 

Seniors - Have taken on leadership positions with the newly revamped College Leagues (see Kayla and Kate’s article above)! Similar to TEAMS (but more silly, and less frequent), in College Leagues, girls are split into four teams with the Seniors at the helm. Certain evening activities– including a night time sports league– count towards College League points!

Soopers - Have enjoyed their first set of divisional meetings and van nights! Now taking on more of a “CIT” role, the Soopers held their first meeting about their apprenticeships (divisional activities they are assisting in), and headed to habachi!

Summer 2022, Week 1

WE ARE BACK!

It is so exciting to be back for summer 101 in the 12523! Time is a funny thing at camp, and while each day has been jam-packed with camp firsts, the first week flew by. By the end of Opening Day, each bunk was flooded with stories from the year, chatter,  and cheers. 

We welcomed 50 new campers just seven days ago, and yet already we are fully immersed in the rhythm of camp.

While it’s hard to convey everything that happens in even one camp activity (let alone a full day, or week!-- there are simply too many small in-between moments, natural phenomena, and  interactions between peers), our hope is that the Scatico Blog will share a taste of the summer experience. 

OPENING CAMPFIRES

Each summer, Opening Campfires mark a special first tradition at Camp Scatico. For both campuses, it happens on the second night of camp, and campers and counselors gather outside cabins to walk to their respective campfire sites. O the boys side, DLs run a series of activities, followed by a musical jam session. On girls side, the Soopers (oldest division) take charge of the night, explaining several time-honored camp traditions and leading the camp in songs.

This year, the boys side played long-time favorite games: pillow fights, fool ball, and screaming eagle (essentially running around in a circle, holding a note with a single breath). Each division has their time to shine.  One highlight of the night was a performance by Carly Messite, a new  camp nurse , who played the guitar and sang “I am a believer” by Neil Diamond. For Scatico alum, Carly’s name might sound familiar! Her grandpa, Lenny Messite, served as the boys head counselor in 1979/80 and as an assistant for many more years. 

On girls side, the Soopers led the campfire, and started (as always) by introducing the “spirits” of camp (spirit of the Old Camper, New Camper, Fire, Health, and Happiness). They then led camp through a series of campfire traditions, including sprinkling the ashes from last summer’s Closing Campfire over the flames to signify the bond between each camp season, singing campfire favorites like “Circle Game” and “The Year Song,” and distributing candles for each camper to light and make a wish on. The campfire also included a Land Acknowledgement, a new tradition from last summer, which highlights Scatico’s connection to Schaghticoke First Nations.

TEAMS AND COLLEGE BOWL!

Two key summer competitions are officially underway…. TEAMS and College Bowl! 

Soopers waiting to hear their TEAMS

In TEAMS girls side is split into four– Racing Wind (yellow), Blazing Arrow (red), Flying Eagle (green), and Thunderbolt (blue). The start of TEAMS (aka the “break”) is always a much-anticipated surprise, with girls side never knowing when the word TEAMS, or the four judges, or the four colors might appear. This summer, TEAMS broke during a new camp evening activity: CAMPLE (modeled after the now-popular WORDLE). In CAMPLE divisions had to solve for the five-letter word that was somehow related to camp (early words were Buddy, Admin, Crafts…). Finally the word everyone was waiting for appeared… TEAMS! Instantly the Social Hall erupted into cheers as the judges split campers into their four teams. Now, for one day a week over the next three weeks, the Soopers will lead each team in sports, arts, and singing! 

For College Bowl, boys side is split into Ohio (red), Michigan (dark blue), UCLA (light blue), and USC (yellow). The first big kick-off event, which happened Friday evening, is a full-camp Capture The Flag on the driving range! Campers of all ages work together to capture the “flags” (frisbees) of the other team, each of which are worth different points. The following day of College Bowl is chock-full of special events including full-camp Mass Softball and Dodgeball; a giant Rock-Paper-Scissor tournament (as people get out they cheer on their team until it’s down to just two campers); Egg Toss; Relay Race; Upper Senior Knockout; and always a favorite the Upper Senior Slapball Homerun Derby!

Rock, Paper, Scissor

Capture the Flag

DIVISIONAL SNAPSHOTS

A quick look at what different divisions have been up to throughout camp! This week marked a lot of group hikes!

GIRLS SIDE

Pixies - Had a full day of exploring the many treats of Dutchess County! On Friday, the Pixies headed out to Poet’s Walk, a scenic trail along the Hudson in nearby Red Hook. Not only did they spot 15+ butterflies, but the Pixies also “crashed” (from afar) a wedding ceremony happening at one of the park’s gazebos! Poet’s Walk was followed by blueberry picking at Greig’s Farm and (of course) Holy Cow. 

Juniors - Hit the road on Friday and went to Montgomery Place, a historic estate located on the campus of nearby Bard College. The Juniors wound their way through several trails and gardens, before heading to Greig’s Farm for blueberry picking and ice cream! The goal is to use the blueberries for a creation with Chef Ally and Justin in cooking.

Juniors at Greig’s

Pixies at Poet’s Walk

Jinters - Have been loving gymnastics, showing off their cartwheels, round-offs, and handstands! The Jints were also introduced to a  new favorite game called “Time ball” (hard to describe) and also had their hike to Millbrook.

Inters - Started on  pots and soap dishes in ceramics. The soap dishes are to compliment another camp project… making soap with Laura in Crafts!! They also went on their hike to Inspiration Point.

Centers - Went out on their hike to Sunset Rock with their counselors and none other than Kerri! Located alongside North-South Lake just across the river from camp, the Centers made it to the viewpoint and then enjoyed ice cream at the General Store. 

Debs - Led girls side in the first division-led evening activity– SCATO! SCATO is camp’s version of Bingo, but instead of numbers/letters you fill your board with signatures of Scaticonians. The Debs created fun categories for each square (a camper who has never been on green for Color War; a camper who can sing the alphabet backwards; a camper who can do “the worm”) and then if the name of a camper on your square is called you get to X it. Five Xs in a row is SCATO! But the win is not complete until each person proves that they can in fact do the challenge they signed for (needless to say, we have a lot of good breakdancers at camp!). 

Subs - Kicked off this week’s theme in cooking… “kicked up bunch”! They made Oreo-and cream-cheese-stuffed French toast with Chef Ally and Chef Justin. The Subs also mastered the most challenging hike of the season: Breakneck Ridge.

Seniors - Always love a little friendly competition. The Seniors went head-to-head with the Subs in Kickball and emerged victorious! They’re all set to step into their new leadership roles, taking charge of College Leagues (an evening activity league series) starting this evening!

Soopers - Jumped right into the spotlight and led the first Friday Night! Each Friday, after dinner, a division on girls side leads camp in a values-based talk on lessons learned at camp. For this week, the Soopers dove into Scatico’s four values, and what each one means to them. 

BOYS SIDE

Freshmen - Had two very popular and first-time activities this week– “gymnastics dodgeball” and their “waterblaster fight.” In Gymnastics dodgeball the Frosh headed to the girls gymnastics building (it has a bouncy floor!) to amp up their dodgeball. “Waterblasters” was a game picked out by the Frosh staff during orientation for a particularly hot day… which we had Friday! 

Soph football

Sophomores - Rain can’t stop them. When asked about their favorite activity, several Sophs yelled, “football in the rain!” The group also had a special evening activity and headed out in row boats for sunset fishing. They successfully caught several fish including a 22 inch bass by Teddy Gourevitch!

Sub juniors - Enjoyed two oldies but goodies… slapball and the wibit! For those not in the know, slapball is played on the B Court. Any hit that goes over the tennis fence is a home run, and any hit that actually scores a basket wins the group a pizza party.

Juniors - Nothing like ice bucket backyard baseball on a hot day! The Juniors played on Friday on campus, where instead of bases, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd are represented by buckets of ice.

Inters - Headed out to Bonticou Craig for their divisional hike. Involving a good amount of scrambling, every single Inter opted for the “hard route” and made it to the top! The Inters also enjoyed their first T-Leagues (now that they are on upper hill) and first-time camper Asad even had a walk off home run!

Sub Seniors -Loved a little friendly competition. The Subs had a Shark Tank challenge, in which they split into teams and presented their best business/ product ideas. One highlight? Pants that also turn into a napkin!  

Seniors - When asked their favorite activity of the week? BP, BP and more BP! (BP being batting practice). Maybe having Brett (former baseball counselor) as their DL has something to do with it. Another highlight? Capture the flag against the Upper Seniors for evening activity. 

Upper Seniors - Were honored during the closing ceremony of the College Bowl campfire. At the campfire’s conclusion, DL Michael Tolstoi presents each Upper Senior with their Scatico backpack and shares a few words about their journeys as campers. David also chimed in, sharing how special it is to see two Upper Seniors— Diego Groom and Danny Kedwards— back for the first time since 2019, and how they’ve helped to unify the group.

Get to know the 2022 DLs!

It’s time to introduce our 2022 Division Leaders! With Opening Day looking a little differently again this year, we wanted to make sure families could “meet” our DLs ahead of summer 101. We cannot wait to see them (and your campers) in action!

GIRLS SIDE

PIXIES (Rising 2nd+3rd)

Bunk: Cove C

Name: Gat Leander

Number of summers at Scatico: 2

At camp you’d most likely find me…: At the lake…

My favorite camp special event is…: TEAMS!

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: Being told I was grey! #GreyAllTheWay

This summer, most excited to...: Catch up with my friends, whether they’re grown or still growing. I miss the people more than anything.

Gat on the ukulele at Meet The Counselor Night, 2021.

JUNIORS (rising 4th)

Bunk: Cove B/D

Name: Marly Fass

Number of summers at Scatico: 11

At camp you’d most likely find me…: At the dining hall “U.”

My favorite camp special event is…: The 4th of July.

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: Learning color war claps with older campers on my team.

This summer, most excited to...: Teach my campers Scatico songs and traditions.

Marly as a camper!

JINTERS

Bunk: Studio

Name: Jenna Miller

Number of summers at Scatico: 10

At camp you’d most likely find me…: Swimming at the lake.

My favorite camp special event is…: DJ Pure because the whole camp comes together and has a fun time dancing.

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: Pulling into camp and seeing the Scatico sign for the first time.

This summer, most excited to...: Make special and fun memories with my campers.

Jenna (right) during Scatapalooza 2021.

INTERS

Bunks: Corner House and Chalet

Name: Kate Metzendorf

Number of summers at Scatico: 10

At camp you’d most likely find me…: Walking the road path with a speaker or catching up with friends.

My favorite camp special event is…: Divisional Sing.

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: The butterflies in my stomach as I said goodbye to my parents on opening day and went to the Cove Courts where I met one of division mates and now best friends for the first time.

This summer, most excited to...: Build new friendships with campers and staff and participate in the unique camp traditions that make Scatico the most special place!

Kate (left) at the Carnival her CIT summer!

CENTERS

Bunk: Cove A

Name: Emma Krasner

Number of summers at Scatico: 10

At camp you’d most likely find me…: Teaching my campers about music they don’t know.

My favorite camp special event is…: Divisional Sing.

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: When Teams broke at the Opening Campfire.

This summer, most excited to...: Get to know a new group of campers!

Emma (middle) lighting candles on Scatico’s 100th bday cake last summer.

DEBS

Bunk: Hutch

Name: Emma Rosh

Number of summers at Scatico: 12

At camp you’d most likely find me…: On the hill, at the waterfront or at tower. Yes, tower!! I was a tower counselor before I was a division leader and still love it.

My favorite camp special event is…: Divisional sing!! Watching the campers work so hard to create something special and then seeing them perform in front of the camp is incredible!!

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: Coming to camp and meeting my best friends. My division mates are some of the best people I know and I can always count on them.

This summer, most excited to...: Spend time and have fun with 13 camp-loving Debs!!

Emma as a first-year camper.

SUBS

Bunk: Clubhouse

Name: Jamie Segal

Number of summers at Scatico: 14

At camp you’d most likely find me…: Sitting outside my bunk playing guitar, braiding hair, and hanging out.

My favorite camp special event is…: Divisional Sing and the July 4th talent show.

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: Getting picked to do "pitch" for my team's Hannah Montana themed comic song.

This summer, most excited to...: Reconnect with my campers and friends!

Jamie as a Color War Judge in 2018.

SENIORS

Bunk: Lodge 1/3

Name: Katie Corren

Number of summers at Scatico: 8

At camp you’d most likely find me…: By the lake!

My favorite camp special event is…: The 4th of July talent show.

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: How kind, inclusive, welcoming, and loving all of my new camp friends and counselors were. It is because of them that I was able to get past my extreme homesick feelings and fall in love with Camp Scatico.

This summer, most excited to...: Reconnect with my Scatico family and create life long memories with my campers!

Katie cheers at the Nat!

SOOPERS

Bunk: Den

Name: Daphne Zuckerman

Number of summers at Scatico: 11

At camp you’d most likely find me…: At an Adirondack chair or picnic table on back campus reading a book or playing card games!

My favorite camp special event is…: The Fourth of July talent show. It's the first time we really get to see the whole camp community together during the summer and the performances are always amazing.

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: Getting my camp sister. Not only did I get my camp sister that night, but Teams broke and it was one of the most memorable moments of my Jinter summer!

This summer, most excited to...: Welcome new members into the Scatico community!

Daphne as a camper with an old-school favorite… Cup of Noodles.

BOYS SIDE

FRESHMEN

Bunk: 1-2 and 3-4

Name: Matt Gross (through 7/5)

Number of summers at Scatico: 13

At camp you’d most likely find me…: Playing rec hoops on the A Court.

My favorite camp special event is…: Minicamp!

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: My first divisional sing with Matty Carroll in 2008!

This summer, most excited to...: Get back to camp after a 2 summer hiatus.

Matt (to the right) as a first-year camper.

FRESHMEN

Bunk: 1-2 and 3-4

Name: Branden Rothenberg (Rest of the summer)

Number of summers at Scatico: 11

At camp you’d most likely find me…: Chatting on the porch of 13-14.

My favorite camp special event is…: Tennis Extravaganza!

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: Singing "I want you back" at the 4th of July talent show with the 2012 Upper Seniors!

This summer, most excited to...: Meet the Freshmen and guide them through an incredible first summer at the greatest place on earth!

Branden receiving his 10 year jacket in 2021.

SOPHOMORES

Bunk: 5-6 and 7-8

Name: Sam Meltzer

Number of summers at Scatico: 7

At camp you’d most likely find me…: Chilling at the HC.

My favorite camp special event is…: Color War.

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: Playing T - league for the first time(my first summer was Inter summer). I remember distinctly that one of the counselors was up at bat and absolutely crushed the ball deep into outfield. I was playing right field at the time and previously dropped a ball in the outfield. The sun was beginning to set on the ball fields making it extremely difficult for me to see anything coming my way. Long story short I somehow stuck out my glove and caught the ball. Everyone was cheering around me and from that moment I became fully immersed into the Scatico community.

This summer, most excited to...: Be with the incoming sophomore division. I’m also very excited to coach a lot of inter camp tournaments this summer after inter camps not being allowed last summer due to covid. With that being said, I can’t wait for summer to get started!

Sam as a Frosh counselor in 2021.

SUB JUNIORS

BunK: 1AB

Name: Manny Jacobson

Number of summers at Scatico: 10

At camp you’d most likely find me…: In a chair village in center campus.

My favorite camp special event is…: Divisional Sing.

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: Getting launched off the rave for the first time.

This summer, most excited to...: Hang out with my campers and my division mates.

Manny hosting the talent show in 2021.

JUNIORS

Bunk: 13-14

Name: Henry Lilienfeld

Number of summers at Scatico: 7

At camp you’d most likely find me…: Center Campus.

My favorite camp special event is…: T-League.

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: Sitting on the yankee seats with Cory after a fight with a division mate. He calmed me down and made me feel comfortable.

This summer, most excited to...: Watch the Junior boys grow and mature as people with each other.

Henry getting his Color War team as an Upper Senior.

INTERS

Bunk: 9-10

Name: Jonah Levine

Number of summers at Scatico: 10

At camp you’d most likely find me…: Hanging out on a bunk porch.

My favorite camp special event is…: Color War.

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: My first swim test.

This summer, most excited to...: Step into a leadership role and give the division a summer they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Jonah as a counselor last summer.

SUB SENIORS

Bunk: 2AB

Name: Daniel Kovacs

Number of summers at Scatico: 9

At camp you’d most likely find me…: Either at the HC porch reading comics and playing chess or on the A court shooting hoops.

My favorite camp special event is…: I love the July 4th bbq and the fireworks! That event has always been really awesome for me and I enjoy it every single time!

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: My first summer was 2013 when I was a junior. It was my first time experiencing color war at Scatico and the intensity was something I had never experienced before. I remember that color war specifically because I was on the green team and we needed to win 5 out of the 7 divisional chicken fights if we were going to win color war and we did! I remember hugging all of my division mates after that not only because I was so emotional but also because I had had an amazing summer with all of them and was so sad to leave.

This summer, most excited to...: This summer I’m most excited to be able to hang out with everyone more and for all the fun bunk chill sessions or rec hoops… I’m excited for all of it! I’m just excited to be able to go back to camp again and be able to make this summer a memorable experience for all of my campers!

Daniel as a 2021 DL.

SENIORS

Bunk: 15-16

Name: Brett Simons

Number of summers at Scatico: 10

At camp you’d most likely find me…: On the ball fields.

My favorite camp special event is…: Color War.

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: Running around meeting my counselors on my first ever day as a camper.

This summer, most excited to...: Become close with the division and run some great activities

Brett in College Bowl as a camper.

UPPER SENIORS

Bunk: 3AB

Name: Michael Tolstoi

Number of summers at Scatico: 12

At camp you’d most likely find me…: Center Campus.

My favorite camp special event is…: Color War.

A moment from my first summer I'll always remember is...: Meeting my best friends that I get to spend every summer with as campers.

This summer, most excited to...: Create memories with campers and co-counselors.

Michael hosting Open Mic Night in 2021.

Scatico x SCOPE Dream Boxes

Each summer we aim to learn from our neighbors and extend the camp experience beyond Scatico’s gates. As part of this goal, on July 28, we are having Scatico's first-ever Service Day, where we will engage campers in projects and activities to partner with local and nonprofit organizations. Campers will have the opportunity to sign up for various activities, such as running a car wash to raise money for the local fire department and working alongside our friends at Kite’s Nest to compost and participate in their community garden.

As part of the Service Day activities, we’re excited to announce that Scatico is partnering with SCOPE, a nonprofit organization that provides children from low-income families opportunities at overnight summer camps to help them grow in the camp environment and beyond. SCOPE believes that summer camp is an essential component of the year-round education and development of children that impacts their futures. SCOPE raises funds to send kids to one of their dozens of their ACA-accredited nonprofit overnight camp partners across the United States.

For the SCOPE Service Day project, campers will create “Dream Boxes” for SCOPE campers at Ramapo for the 2022-2023 school year. Each “Dream Box” will contain new school supplies and be personally decorated to reflect each recipient kid!

This is where we need your help! On Opening Day and Visiting Day, families will have the opportunity to donate new educational supplies for the “Dream Boxes.” The list of supplies needed includes but is not limited to:

• Pencils

• Pens

• Notebooks

• Pencil Cases

• Erasers

• Colored Pencils

• Crayons

• Highlighters

• Stickers

• Pencil Sharpeners

• Scissors

• Sharpie Pens

• Glue Sticks

• Folders

• Index Cards

• White-out

• Tape

• Rulers

We can’t wait to create these “Dream Boxes” this summer with your help! On Opening Day, we’ll have a clearly labeled bin to collect all supply donations.