North Country School, Camp Treetops, and Round Lake Campus Executive Director Search

North Country School Camp Treetops & Round Lake Campus Executive Director Lake Placid, NY August 2019 www.northcountryschool.org www.camptreetops.org www.roundlakecampus.com

MISSION STATEMENT North Country School and Camp Treetops strive to create a community that gives children the self-confidence, knowledge, skills, and values to lead satisfying and productive lives while contributing to their world.

The Position Twelve months a year, the combined programs of Camp Treetops, North Country School, and Round Lake Campus offer a broad range of learning opportunities to fulfill the progressive vision of their founders. The institution seeks a new Executive Director to lead these programs and their people, and to deeply embrace this work and setting.

For well over half a century, the Founding Directors of the Camp and the School each reported to the single Board of Trustees of the combined institution. During the next fifty years, executive leadership of the institution was centralized in the Head of School, to whom the Camp Director reported.

As an outgrowth of its recently adopted Strategic Plan (available on the website), the mission of the institution has expanded to include the Round Lake Campus, which provides a broad range of experiential educational opportunities for high school and college students as well as adults and families. Round Lake Campus activities will build on the opportunities provided by the Adirondack Park setting and expand on the organization’s longstanding commitment to the practice and principles of environmental stewardship.

As its mission continues to grow and advance, the leadership structure is evolving to meet the institution’s changing needs. The Executive Director position was created to provide executive-level leadership to the institution’s three diverse progressive educational programs as one organization consistent with each program’s unique mission and potential programmatic synergies. In addition, the Executive Director is expected to nurture their leaders, strengthen physical facilities, ensure the institution’s long-term financial health, and solidify alumni relations.

After a 20-year tenure as Head of School with oversight of the Camp, David “Hock” Hochschartner developed and assumed the role of Executive Director, which the Board views as essential to advancing and sustaining the mission of the combined campuses and programs. With Hock’s retirement in 2019, the Board seeks a new Executive Director to lead the institution.

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The Institution From their founding onward, North Country School and Camp Treetops have been fortunate to benefit from a series of leaders who have nurtured their shared legacy, strengthened the fiscal position, and ensured full enrollment of the programs. The mission and principles that define Camp Treetops, North Country School and, now, Round Lake Campus are both grounded in tradition and strikingly forward-thinking.

Camp Treetops In 1921, Donald Slesinger established Camp Treetops, a nonsectarian summer camp for children based upon the philosophies of John Dewey—chiefly, that too much structure and competition stifled children’s natural curiosity and creativity.

Each summer, Camp Treetops welcomes campers between the ages of 8 and 14 to its idyllic mountain setting. In 2018, 163 campers will join the nearly 75 staff for either four or seven-week sessions to continue a tradition of a summer “unplugged.” Campers enjoy exposure to a wealth of activities that includes hiking, farming, swimming, arts, climbing, riding, theater, canoeing, music, and more. Children emerge from the close-knit, “magical” community of Camp Treetops with deepened self-confidence, stronger independence, and a developed “sense of place.”

The camp’s founders were far ahead of their time in establishing a mission to foster sustainability and environmental justice nearly a century ago. Still firmly embraced today, the camp’s philosophy identified three components of sustainable and responsible living: Protection and renewal of resources, fostering good health, physical exercise, and emotional well-being; and nourishing practices that foster peace with conflict resolution, compassion, respect for others, and active responsiveness.

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Helen Haskell, an early camp director, described Treetops as an unhurried environment that restores what the cities and suburbs take away. Unrushed and unpressured by social (and social media) expectations, children are free to grow and explore in an environment that is accepting and celebrates the achievement of each child.

North Country School North Country School (NCS) was founded in 1938 by Walter and Leonora Clark, who believed that close nurturing contact and first-hand experiences were essential to building selfconfidence, igniting enduring passions, cultivating creativity, and fostering a connection to the natural world. The culture of NCS has evolved from these beliefs and a core set of values that emphasize individual empowerment, social responsibility, and sustainable living - values that are as applicable today as they were in 1938. The school has always welcomed students of all backgrounds, even when many such programs did not. Families and faculty new to the school quickly become familiar with these cultural underpinnings and its educational mission.

In 1949—long before words like “grit” and “resilience” became a part of the educational vernacular—the founder of NCS asked the following about his students in his Graduation Address: “Are they resilient? After they have been knocked down and defeated, can they jump back up and bounce back, smiling and determined?” His aim was to create a school that allowed children to develop ruggedness, resourcefulness, and resilience. These traits are as important and relevant today as they were nearly a century ago. Perhaps more so.

A junior boarding school, NCS has served both girls and boys since its founding and takes The Search Group | CS&A

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pride in its legacy of welcoming students regardless of gender, race, or religion. The school currently serves 70 students in grades 4 through 9, two-thirds of whom are boarding students (half domestic, half international). Faculty also reside on campus and bring their diverse talents and skills to share with students and each other. The average tenure of the school’s 26 faculty is 10 years, a testament to the warm, familial culture of the school.

NCS develops students known for their work ethic and citizenship as well as their academic preparation. NCS graduates—who hail from as far as Shanghai, Bangkok, Guatemala, Switzerland, and Mexico—matriculate at a range of secondary schools throughout the country and globe. NCS is both a school and a way of life. The school’s programs emphasize physical activity and community engagement equally alongside academic achievement. School days are busy yet balanced. Students complete their early morning chores on the campus or farm before starting core academic classes. A typical, project-based lesson might see students applying math, physics, and history to the construction of a walking bridge, or biology, ecology, and geology to the analyzation of stream life. Outside of classes, students enjoy family-style meals, complete their designated work-jobs across campus, and engage in a variety of arts and outdoor activities every day.

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Round Lake Campus & Programs Three years ago, alumna Eileen Rockefeller assisted the Board in acquiring the privately owned property that shared Round Lake with Camp and School since their founding, thereby giving birth to Round Lake Campus to offer the same experiential learning to older students, adults, and families. The property consists of a large residence, barn and two-story boathouse that will need renovation in the not too distant future.

Round Lake Campus affords the institution the opportunity to develop a new source of revenue.

So far, under the successful direction of Peter Bullock, the new campus has served as a learning venue for expeditions to Switzerland’s hut system and to Patagonia; visiting winter athletic teams from several Northeast colleges and universities; several weddings and family reunions; and other initiatives in the local community.

FAST FACTS • • • • • • •

Camp Founded: 1921 • Endowment: $13M School Founded: 1938 • Debt: $300K Adult/Child Ratio: 3:1 • Accreditations: New York State % Students on Fin. Aid: 41% Association of Independent Schools Combined Operation Budget: $5.9M (NYSAIS), American Camp Association School Annual Fund (FY18): $1,357,567 (ACA) Last Capital Campaign (FY07-17): $25M

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Educational Programs Treetops operates on the premises that teaching and learning are most successful when intellectual activity is linked with practical experience, and that children become confident and resourceful individuals when they try new experiences and cultivate their skills toward mastery under the guidance of caring adults. Treetops seeks to foster a community in which children develop the self-assurance, knowledge, skills, and values to lead satisfying and productive lives while also contributing positively to their world. Camp leaders and staff are committed to simple and sustainable living, and work together to make responsible choices about use of resources.

The camp citizenry—present and past—is also devoted to preserving a diverse and nurturing community that supports individual growth and creativity, develops resilience, and promotes social responsibility.

Treetops is an educational institution. What it teaches—beyond how to swim or ride or weave— are fundamental values of working together with the needs of the community ahead of your own, accepting and caring for others different from yourself, living simply and healthily, and learning to live lightly on the earth. As one longtime camper put it, “When you learn to control a thousand-pound horse, know you can swim even wearing clothes and sneakers, can fashion a canoe paddle using hand tools, can hike up a big mountain, and can live for seven weeks in a tent with new friends, you acquire a sense of confidence, resilience, and courage.” That is camp in a nutshell.

Since its founding, North Country School has remained committed to a progressive approach to learning that emphasizes creativity, experiential learning, and diverse areas of study. The academic program is directly tied to NCS values in that it links hands-on, practical experiences to intellectual activity. Curriculum mapping, grade level meetings and coordination between departments allow for interdisciplinary projects and lessons that regularly integrate the farm, garden and natural environment. Teachers aim to instill in students the understanding that academic disciplines and all learning experiences ultimately are interconnected, and to tap into shared skillsets and bases of knowledge.

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At NCS, students do not sit passively at desks and absorb lectures; rather, student interest and ability determine the material and the pace of each course. Teachers craft their project-based instruction so that students are able to choose, lead, and design many projects themselves— demonstrating comprehension as well as critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students are challenged to apply the content of their coursework to real-world problems and projects.

In this way, students connect the curriculum to their physical surroundings in what NCS calls a place-based approach to learning. Across all subjects, instruction at NCS points to a higherorder awareness of environmental and social justice issues; students gain appreciation for our interdependence and the importance of collaboration and sustainability.

While a detailed overview of the school’s curriculum by grade level is available on their website.

Headmaster Hock puts it this way: Our goal is to help students determine how they learn best and, in areas of interest, find passion and success. Success in one area often increases one’s confidence to try new experiences or tackle challenges that have been difficult in the past. We want to instill confidence for individual pursuits and appreciation for the support found in one’s community. Our distinct culture has been cultivated over time— what’s more, its values have maintained, and even increased, their relevance.

Generations of staff, students, and families have adopted our traditions and values as their own, and members or our communities, past and present, continue to contribute to that culture.

Grade 9—considered a signature element of the school’s academic program—is a unique experience, a year in which students are academically challenged, encouraged to specialize and develop mastery in their studies, and expected to contribute in significant ways to their community. Ninth graders also work closely with their secondary school placement advisors work one-on-one with NCS students, guiding them through every stage of the process from deciding on a school list, to essay and application completion, test and interview prep, and prioritizing offers of acceptance.

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Creative Arts Treetops and NCS offer a multitude of crafts, activities and other artistic pursuits that fit the intentional camp program and approach to teaching and learning. Looms, easels, and pottery wheels, kilns and woodshops offer campers the opportunity to develop expertise and express themselves.

NCS Students take daily art classes, and more than one-third of the faculty also teach an art class. Arts electives include music, theatre, dance, painting and drawing, ceramics, fiber arts, photography, film, stagecraft, and woodshop. Each spring, the entire school community comes together to produce “The Play” – a spring musical production that is open to (and generally includes) all students and faculty. From set and costume design, to sound and lighting, to singing, acting, and dancing, students have the opportunity to pursue whatever aspects of the play appeal to them most. Videos of the productions from recent years are archived and accessible online.

A new performing arts center, expected to take shape on campus next year, will enable further expansion in the theatre arts—an aspect of school life with a rich tradition, passionate teachers, and notable alumni/ae.

Outdoor Education & Athletics A deeply held belief that robust out-of-door activity, wilderness skills, and moderated risk-taking are critical to the healthy development of children animate both Treetops and NCS. Thus, any learning that can be done outdoors is done outdoors, and a broad range of farm and wilderness activities reinforce classroom learning. By learning to evaluate and take reasonable risks within a safe and structured outdoor learning program, children develop critical skills and build confidence in their own abilities. Programming also strikes a balance between challenge and leisure, allotting time each day for children to engage in activities of their choosing, whether it’s a hike or photography walk, a horseback ride, a lake swim, or a challenging climb on the campus’ 36-route cliff.

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In addition, North Country School offers several team sports—soccer, basketball, and ultimate frisbee. All athletics teams at NCS are co-ed, open to boys and girls in all grades and at every skill level. Skiing and snowboarding are favorite pastimes among students and faculty alike at NCS, as the campus features its own ski hill with rope tow, and every student has the opportunity to ski. Each Wednesday afternoon in winter, the entire school can hit the slopes at nearby Whiteface Mountain. NCS offers Nordic, alpine, and telemark skiing, and students have access to superb ski instruction through the New York Ski Educational Foundation and Whiteface Mountain Snowsports School.

Camp & School Life NCS takes pride in its residential life; children live in actual houses rather than dormitories. The majority of students are boarders and live in one of the seven residence houses on campus.

NCS faculty are not only teachers but full-time house parents, providing day-to-day nurturing support and interactions for students. Designed to mimic the experience of home for students, houses offer children a place to spend their afternoons and evenings studying, socializing, or relaxing in a comfortable and laid-back setting.

This communal quality extends to meal time at both school and camp. Children and adults eat together, family-style, with children taking turns serving one another. Following meals is Council, during which any member of the community can stand, speak, and share announcements, reminders, acknowledgements and concerns.

Both Camp and School are distinguished by their assignment of twice daily, adult-led work jobs, which teach individual responsibility as well as accountability to and engagement with the community, reinforce work ethic, and keep the facility running smoothly. These tasks range from harvesting food, caring for farm animals, collecting eggs, compositing waste, and preparing arts and craft shops for another day’s work.

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Physical Campus & Working Farm The culture and missions of Camp Treetops, North Country School, and Round Lake Campus are inextricably bound to their natural setting. The rural, expansive 220-acre campus at the edge of Lake Placid is key to their place-based pedagogy. In addition to the expanse of lake, pasture, forest, and streams, the property’s six-trail ski hill, natural climbing wall, two riding rings and over five miles of recreational trails further broaden student and camper exposure to the outdoors.

The property’s sophisticated organic farming operation, maple sugaring, as well as multiple vegetable and flower gardens and greenhouses provide tangible, real-life experiences for children. The gardens and farm also produce a high percentage of the fresh food served at the school and camp. By tending to the land and animals, children learn about aqua- and agriculture, management of resources, and environmental sustainability and responsibility. The crops planted by campers each summer feed the school in the fall and winter while the crops students plant in the spring feed campers in the summer—creating a meaningful, communal cycle.

The physical plant comprises approximately 170 different structures across the campus, which includes several standalone homes for faculty in addition to the seven residential houses for children. The largest building on campus is the Main Building at 32,000 square feet. The most recent addition to campus was the Round Lake Cottage and Boathouse.

The institution manages its own water wells and distribution system, biomass burners that produce the majority of its heat and hot water, and a ten-year old sewage processing plant.

In its first year of operation, their new composter processed 30,000 lbs. of food scraps, which served as natural fertilizer for the property and reduced cycle time from 240 days to 30 days. The campus also features a ten-year-old sewage processing plant and has recently replaced several heating and communications systems.

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About Lake Placid Lake Placid is located in the heart of The Adirondack Park—the largest state park in the continental United States at six million acres. Home to approximately 2,500 year-round residents, the village of Lake Placid and surrounding area swells to 30,000 in the summer. Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, and Tupper Lake comprise what is commonly known as the Tri-Lakes region of upstate New York. Founded in the early 19th century, Lake Placid has long been a winter recreational retreat with its mountain views, pristine lakes, and endless recreational opportunities, attracting sports enthusiast year-round.

Nearby Whiteface Mountain and Mt. Van Hoevenberg offer world-class alpine and Nordic skiing, hiking trails, gondola rides, and mountain biking as well as one of only two refrigerated bobsled tracks in the country. In the busy summer months, residents and visitors can play golf on the area’s many courses; can swim, canoe, fish, and kayak in the rivers, lakes, and gorges; and can trek to the top of any number of the 46 High Peaks of the Adirondacks.

Five hours by car from either Boston or New York, or two hours from the international airports in Albany or Burlington, VT, Lake Placid enjoys the pace and intimacy of a small town, with local shops, family-owned restaurants, hotels, and romantic ski lodges encased in rustic architecture.

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Opportunities & Challenges The North Country School/Camp Treetops/Round Lake Campus institution is an educational organization like none other. Characterized by an inclusive, creative, and down–to-earth community, the organization is dedicated to developing middle school children through a curriculum that is both nurturing and challenging, as well as to promoting lifelong learning through exceptional educational programming for older students. Deeply rooted in the traditions established by the founders of school and camp, the institution is also ripe with potential and opportunity.

Camp and school always have operated in tandem, sharing facilities, a guiding philosophy, and a single Board of Trustees. By Charter, a maximum of twenty-five Trustees serve three-year terms and there have never been term limits. The Board meets four times a year, twice on campus and twice in New York City. Between meetings, the Board conducts much of its work through several standing and special purpose committees that meet as often as necessary to complete their work. A broad cross-section of alumni as well as current and former parents comprise the Board of Trustees.

Under the auspices of the Governance Committee, the performance of the Executive Director is assessed annually against mutually agreed on short- and long-term performance goals and objectives. In addition, the Executive Director is expected to ensure a substantially similar process is in place for the Heads of the three programs and other senior staff, and to report the results thereof annually to the Governance Committee.

With a fresh Strategic Plan in place, a recently completed successful capital campaign, and a supportive Board, the institution is ready for an Executive Director who will demonstrate the sophistication to work collaboratively with the Board; lead a senior management team in ensuring the three programs act as one collaborative, working enterprise; provide adroit strategic direction; enhance fundraising and operating revenues; and continue to strengthen alumni and other important constituent relationships.

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Desired Qualities & Qualifications The successful candidate will demonstrate a passion for middle school education and embrace the missions of North Country School, Camp Treetops, and Round Lake Campus. The Search Committee will seek candidates whose experiences and qualifications include most or all of the following criteria:

• Ability to understand, support, and mesh the three educational programs of the Institution • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

while respecting the individual characteristics of each Sophistication and fundraising experience Evident love of middle school children and their education Appreciation of the organization’s rich history and traditions Deep passion for and embracement of the progressive educational missions, history and traditions of the institution Strong management skills and a track record of successfully developing teams and individuals.

The ability to inspire employees to do their best work and to love they work they do, and to be accountable for their work A strong interest in the Adirondack Park as well as the institution’s connection to and use of it An authentic, charismatic, and collaborative disposition A willingness and the ability to implement change while respecting the idiosyncrasies and intricacies of the community Strong and decisive, yet transparent and excellent communicator Trustworthy and able to earn the trust of colleagues and the broader community The vision to imagine new ideas and the operating capabilities to bring those ideas to life Clarity, consistency, and integrity Willingness to be fully accessible to and engaged with the institution’s entire community.

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Compensation & Benefits Compensation will include campus housing, tuition remission (if needed), medical and life insurance, retirement funding, and professional development.

How to Apply Interested candidates can contact the consultants for additional information and a discussion of the position. To be considered, applicants will need to submit (electronically as separate PDF documents) the following materials: • • • •

Cover letter expressing interest in the Executive Director position; Current résumé; Statement of educational philosophy and leadership practice; List of five references with name, phone number, and e-mail address of each (references will be contacted later in the process and only with candidate permission) To:

Ben Bolté | Burke Zalosh Senior Search Consultant | Senior Search Associate bbolte@carneysandoe.com | burke.zalosh@carneysandoe.com (617) 933-3430 | (802) 380-4406

Carney, Sandoe & Associates 200 High Street, Boston MA 02110 www.carneysandoe.com

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“This whole school was built on this thought: that children need direct experience if they are to grow and learn most effectively. They need a sense of importance, a sense of usefulness, where they can see how what they do has a cause and leads to an effect.

“We started North Country as a reform from the excessive freedom of early progressive schools. So often people who espouse freedom overlook responsibility, which is the essential corollary.

“I too believe in the ‘sink or swim’ approach [to education] – with one provision.

As a teacher, I try not to throw any child into the water until I, at least, am reasonably certain that he will not sink.”

- Walter Clark, Founder, North Country School