2018 North Country School and Camp Treetops: Building For The Next Century

BUILDING F O R T H E N E XT

CENTURY

New Signature Spaces for Camp Treetops and North Country School Our strategic plan creates the trail forward for Camp Treetops and North Country School as Treetops nears its centennial and NCS approaches its 80th year. The visionary progressive learning community created here by Helen and Doug Haskell and Walter and Leonora Clark has a rich history and distinct traditions that this plan will help to safeguard. A major objective of the plan is to formalize our educational approach and unify our programs under an umbrella organizational identity. Our Strategic Plan also provides a vision for new educational offerings in existing program areas, new short-term experiential learning options for all ages at our Round Lake property, and enhancement of our campus with the following:

Teaching and Learning Kitchen

The Walter P. Breeman Performing Arts Center

Giving our campus these new spaces will provide children and visitors with inspiring, first-rate learning facilities that reflect the ambitions of our mission and the quality of our programming. As our Strategic Plan aims to attract more people to our campus and deepen our impact, these new building efforts will help us to widen the circle of people who learn here and value our teaching practices and ethos. We hope you will consider joining other members of our community who are supporting the capital efforts connected to our strategic plan. Thank you for helping us to launch this institution into its exciting next century.

Round Lake Campus

Expanded Hike House

Camp Treetops | North Country School | Round Lake Campus

BUILDING F O R T H E N E XT

CENTURY

The Walter P. Breeman Performing Arts Center Walter Breeman (NCS ‘10) was transformed by the creative process he experienced as he helped to stage and produce theater productions at North Country School. The Walter P. Breeman Performing Arts Center will honor his memory while celebrating the many children who have also shared life-changing and inspirational experiences fostered by the music and drama programs at Camp and School. As children take on lead roles, write and perform music, or design and build sets in the Walter P. Breeman Performing Arts Center, they will make big discoveries about their talents and capabilities.

After making do with performances in multipurpose, cramped spaces like the Quonset or the Pavilion, the staff and children of Treetops and NCS will be inspired by a dedicated Performing Arts Center – a well-equipped building with plenty of room to hold productions and build sets. Additionally, this facility will house a large music instruction classroom, as well as four music rehearsal rooms.

Construction of this building will cost $5 million.

Now that we have raised over half of the cost of this project, we are asking members of the Camp and School community to help us meet our fundraising goal. Naming opportunities are available and are described on the enclosed sheet.

With a design that will match the considerable talents of both the children and staff here, The Walter P. Breeman Performing Arts Center will have the following features: • • • • • • • • • •

Over 9800 square feet, seating for 185 Black box theater with multiple configurations Dedicated stagecraft area and design shop Music classroom and four music practice rooms Tech and lighting booth with catwalk Costume storage spaces Stunning round theater lobby and “Heart Room” reception area Acoustic design and updated technical support Student art gallery Net Zero construction: rooftop and passive solar, superinsulation, heat pump

Camp Treetops | North Country School | Round Lake Campus

BUILDING F O R T H E N E XT

CENTURY

Round Lake Campus Featuring the Eileen Rockefeller House (RockE), this 20 acre parcel was purchased by Camp Treetops and North Country School in the summer of 2015. Situated on the shore of Round Lake, RockE has stunning views of Camp and School, as well as Cascade and Pitchoff mountains. Ownership of this remarkable property, which also contains a boathouse, barn, and guest cottage, enables us to protect our pristine waterfront and give our programs full access to the lake, as well as new trails and campsites.

Through the visioning of our Strategic Plan, RockE and its acreage has become Round Lake Campus, a center for new, short-term experiential learning offerings. Programming here will expand the educational reach of Camp and School by enabling school groups and adults to enjoy day-long and residential educational sessions. Visitors can stay at RockE and take advantage of our direct access to the Adirondack wilderness, our farm and garden facilities, and in-house and imported experts in various fields.

Activities on Round Lake Campus will not only attract new people to our unmatched Adirondack location, but also expose a larger audience to our ethos and the unique kind of learning that happens here. Your support will help us to fully fund the purchase of the acreage, as well as to complete capital upgrades necessary to host more groups at Round Lake. We are pleased to offer the attached naming opportunities that are available at RockE, as well as the barn, guest cottage, and boathouse on the campus.

Round Lake Campus offerings will include outdoor education and expeditions, school sustainability tours, farm to fork workshops, thought leader seminars, and corporate team building sessions. We have already hosted a wellness and farm to fork weekend, as well as middle school farm tours and a residential sustainability program for high school students.

Camp Treetops | North Country School | Round Lake Campus

BUILDING F O R T H E N E XT

CENTURY

Teaching and Learning Kitchen The Teaching and Learning Kitchen (TLK) is an innovative, experiential learning space that complements the hands-on activities of our signature farm and garden program. Located at the heart of our campus next to the Children’s Garden and across from Glass House, the TLK will be one of a handful of instructional facilities of its kind in the country. North Country School was a founding partner with the national Edible Schoolyard (ESY) Project, and we now utilize this group’s impressive curriculum throughout the year. The Teaching and Learning Kitchen is the perfect classroom for ESY teaching, which reinforces the work that campers and students do in our extensive gardens and greenhouses. Fresh produce gathered outside will be brought to the space for lessons about sustainability, earth science, botany, world history, the planet’s food stream--and so much more.

The 1,300 square foot facility will provide a seminar space and three kitchen work stations with ovens, two-burner cooktops, prep counters, storage and lesson tables. As they prepare food, children and campus visitors can engage with issues that surround sustainably growing and harvesting food for the next century. This building will also be an ideal discussion and presentation space for locavore gatherings or farm to fork workshops that feature chefs or farmers from the area.

“The new Teaching and Learning Kitchen will greatly expand our opportunity to instill children with the values and knowledge to make food choices that are healthy for themselves, their community, and their environment.”

Elie Rabinowitz, Edible Schoolyard Lead Instructor

Camp Treetops | North Country School | Round Lake Campus