the many gifts we receive from our gardens and animals, with the whimsy of Treetops on full display. The day begins with a lively parade of horses, sheep, and other barn animals from the barn to Rickey Circle. Flower-crowned campers and counselors lead the procession, carrying handmade signs, tossing hay in celebration (as seen on the back cover, which features former campers Ezra and Lucas during last year’s Farm Fest), and guiding horses whose manes are braided with echinacea, bee balm, and sunflowers.
The festivities continue with face painting, herbal lip balm making, and flower-chain weaving—an activity Ashley and Becky are doing on the front cover, in a photo taken last summer. Snacks are made from the summer’s bounty, including salsa, vegetable sushi, butter, pickled veggies, and wood-fired pizza. It’s a day of color, laughter, and light, when the spirit of Treetops truly comes alive. Contact: communications@ncstreetops.org northcountryschool.org camptreetops.org
TODD ORMISTON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Children are at the heart of Growing Evergreen, our strategic plan. Throughout the entire process of bringing our vision for our children, our campus, and our world to life, this has meant that our campers and students have been involved every step of the way—providing feedback and inspiring us to help guide our decision-making. It’s only natural, then, that they continue to be updated on our progress and next steps.
Earlier this spring, I had the chance to do just that during one of our weekly Town Meetings, when I provided a Growing Evergreen update to our students. Recognizing that few in the audience likely understood what a strategic plan was, I started by asking them a question to illustrate the concept:
“What’s a personal goal you set for yourself this school year and how did you plan to meet it?”
Owen—one of our recent ninth-grade graduates— stood up and shared his goal to climb the “NCS 10,” ten mountain peaks that are visible from campus. It was such an apt Camp and School metaphor to explore, I decided to stick with Owen and his story.
He shared that he had already climbed some of the more accessible peaks close to campus such as Trouble and Pitchoff, and only had a few to go before graduation in May.
I asked Owen a lot of other questions. Why did he set this goal? Who was there to help him? What setbacks did he experience? What equipment did he need to set out on a hike? How did he feel each time he summited and safely returned after a hike?
In front of the whole school, Owen answered thoughtfully. He wanted to set a tangible goal that would help define his NCS experience. His teachers, friends, and the NCS Outdoor Program were important partners in his endeavor and prepared him to be successful. He loved the sense of accomplishment and camaraderie the trips offered.
Finally, I asked, “How did you feel while you were hiking?”
“Tired!” he said. “But good tired, because I knew each step up the hill was that much closer to my goal.”
It was a perfect introduction for our students to strategic planning and Growing Evergreen
For the remainder of the Town Meeting, I explained that Camp and School always strive to improve, just like we ask of our students and campers. We ask difficult questions, set goals, make a plan, assemble resources, and ask for help. I shared details about how Growing Evergreen seeks to improve programmatic experiences for students and campers, support their teachers, and establish plans to positively impact and learn from the world outside of Camp and School.
I also thanked them for letting us know what was important to them, just as we have done with campers during the summer.
So, now that we are a little way into Growing Evergreen , how are we feeling? I have heard from colleagues, children, and members of our broader community, and it's clear that there is boundless support and optimism for the future of Camp and School.
The hard work we’ve undertaken to fulfill our Growing Evergreen commitments to our program, people, and purpose is unearthing incredible opportunities. Program evaluations focused on the outoors and farm and food are recognizing important outcomes for children and ways to build efficiencies and new, values-aligned initiatives. Our reimagining of Bramwell Run (page 16) and the addition of new faculty housing as part of the Woods House move and renovation (page 18) are long overdue and are generating excited optimism from students and faculty alike. Necessary improvements at Camp are getting underway later this summer, including the Council Rock
Wash House renovation and the Senior Camp Nurses’ Station expansion and renovation.
As we move forward, it is essential to recognize that our important work is not tied to a static roadmap. Instead of a to-do list, Growing Evergreen purposefully established commitments to our programs, people, and greater purpose in the world. We began the work with an open mind, while also asking challenging questions about the coming years and decades at Camp and School and acknowledging that the world is changing at breakneck speed.
I am proud to share that Owen accomplished his goal in the best way possible: alongside his classmates this spring during their ninth-grade hike of Cascade Mountain, a treasured annual NCS tradition up one of the forty-six Adirondack High Peaks. Like Owen’s path to achieve his NCS 10, Growing Evergreen has benefitted from thoughtful goal setting, using our resources to the best of our abilities, and asking for help when we need it. Camp and School have always been about community—because when we dream big and work hard, we can do amazing things together.
Each spring, the ninth-grade hike up Cascade Mountain marks the graduating class’s final adventure together—and a chance to reflect on their time at NCS while looking down at campus from above. For Owen (pictured at left and fourth from right above), this year’s trip was especially meaningful: he reached his final summit to complete the NCS 10, greeted at the top by classmates with a tunnel of high fives as he held a sign that read “I ❤️ EVERYONE! NCS 10!”
in Rooted Place
HANNAH
EDWARDS
CAMP DIRECTOR
One of my favorite spots on campus is in the middle of Round Lake, floating on my back looking up at the sky. In the middle of a busy summer, this is where I find moments of serenity: with my ears just below the water’s surface, all I can hear are the whooshing sounds of my own breathing. Last year, after sharing this with a North Country
School faculty member, I asked her: what’s your favorite campus spot? “The WallyPAC,” she said. To her, it overflows with opportunity and excitement.
That surprised me a little, as that building is so new. How could it be a favorite? But then I saw how silly this thought was, as my friend, a new employee, has never known a campus without the WallyPAC. To her, it is part of the fabric of our campus—a place she feels
comfortable and at home.
In the decades that we’ve been welcoming children to Treetops, our child-centered approach and low staff-to-camper ratio have surely contributed to the transformative and enduring summer experiences of our campers and staff. But we could also talk about something more mystical, and even magical, at work. Our campus has a way of embracing those who spend
time here, providing them a place of respite and beauty—a mountain home that feels deeply personal and special to each of us.
That’s partly why, whenever you ask for somebody’s favorite spot, you’ll get so many different answers: perched high in the limbs of a favorite tree, sitting on the boardwalk watching the sunset, perhaps basking in the sun on the porch of the Senior Camp Pot Shop ceramics studio on a clear summer’s day.
We’re entering a season of change here at North Country School & Camp Treetops, as we embark on a critical effort to refresh parts of our aging campus and make additions that will allow us to serve children for another hundred years through the work of Growing Evergreen, our strategic plan. I’m excited about the possibilities that await. But I also know that whenever anything on our beautiful campus changes, whether it’s a new building going up, an old one coming down, or trees falling in a storm, it’s hard to let go of what once was, and the nostalgia and memories held therein.
I’m reminded of a time, shortly after I became camp director, when a former counselor reached out to say she and her family were visiting the area from overseas. She was eager to show her husband and college-aged daughters Camp Treetops, a place she had only spent one summer as an international counselor back in the mid-1990s, but one that had been transformative and left a lasting impact.
When they arrived, I had the privilege of giving them a campus tour. We meandered past Council Rock in Junior Camp, through the Forest Garden, across the Lake Hill, and then back to the Main Building. As we wrapped up the tour outside the WallyPAC, she remarked how amazing it was that nothing had changed in all the time she’d been away, and campus still felt as magical as when she was an eighteen-year-old counselor nearly thirty years earlier. I smiled and told her how glad I was to hear that, even as I had just shared the long list of changes that had happened since then, including the construction of several substantial buildings. In just the same way, the campus we know today won’t look the same thirty years from now, either. Our buildings are aging; environmental forces are beyond our control. But I’m confident that with great care, thought, and input from many who care deeply about our place, the changes to come will reflect our mission, our values, and our evergreen philosophy. And surely, some of those changes will be a future camper’s or counselor’s favorite spot on campus, a place they feel at peace and at home.
CAMP ANNIVERSARIES
Celebrating Our People
Camp Treetops is a place of beauty and belonging. It’s a summer home not only for campers, but also for the counselors and staff who return year after year—many of them for a decade or more. It's because of their dedication and commitment to this place that we're able to carry the Treetops tradition forward as we continue to honor our mission, values, and philosophy.
Join us in celebrating these longtime members of our community and read about their favorite spots on or near campus that they come back to time and time again.
—Camp Director Hannah Edwards, celebrating her fourteenth summer at Treetops
35+ SUMMERS
DJ Baker
“I love being in the flower garden, especially halfway along the road where I took in my first view of Cascade and Balanced Rocks. It's where I can see the sunrise and the moonrise and perhaps feel a bit of former director Helen Haskell's presence there as I am pulling weeds.”
30+ SUMMERS
Jon Walsh
“The boathouse. I learned how to sail at Camp, ran the Junior
Camp waterfront for several summers in my twenties, and then taught sailing, kayaking, and canoeing until I settled on teaching sailing exclusively these past few summers.”
25+ SUMMERS
Kristin Moore
“Balanced Rocks, where my husband Jon and I were married in August 2000. I love the view of Camp from there and how it’s embedded into the much larger High Peaks Wilderness. I’ve been on night hikes, day hikes, and overnights with campers and students, staff, and solo. And who doesn’t love the iconic glacial erratic jump? I used photos of those rocks in my eighth-grade Earth Science class.”
15+ SUMMERS
Kory Malone
“Kory-Ridgely field next to the Teaching and Learning Kitchen (TLK).”
Ridgely Biddle
“The Pine Forest tentline during Early-Early. The tentline is peaceful, the campers are slowly waking up and heading off to barn chores. The day is beginning. We have some very plump rabbits that I like to see. I sense that they enjoy seeing our campers starting their day.”
15+ SUMMERS
Willa Vail
“The Forest Garden—I love starting my busy Camp days with a mosey through the space with my dog, Cassie. We love finding the berries that are in season, seeing what critters are in the pond, bug hotel, or worm tub, and wandering through the paths and enjoying a quiet moment before campus comes to life in the morning.”
Shari Smart
“Round Lake! I’ve spent many hours swimming, teaching swimming, or watching others swim and play in or on the lake! The sunsets over Round Lake at the tentline are spectacular, and the morning swims in the fog with the loons (or beavers!) are almost sacred. It’s a special place on our special campus.”
Rica Allannic
“Van Aller Cabin on the Ridge tentline. It was my home for many summers and has the best view of the lake, especially early in the morning when fog hovers over the water.”
10+ SUMMERS
Molly Malmfelt-Frank
“All of Camp is my favorite place!
Picking raspberries by the riding rings or up by the sugarbush.
Stargazing at night on the boardwalk. Munching in the garden. Daily check-ins with my daughter, Rosie, at Juice & Crackers. But, I guess if I had to choose one, I’d say the barn, especially if you’re stranded there with a small group of kids in a thunderstorm. Once a riding counselor, always a riding counselor!”
Tracey Parker
“Any rock I can lie and nap on in the summer sun. Camp Treetops has been such a gift to my family.
I learned and grew in ways professionally and personally that many never experience. I’m a better person and nurse because of my time there.”
Barbara Allen
“The Senior Camp boardwalk at sunset or on the Senior Camp tentline. Lots of good memories of those moments. Camp Treetops has been a really important place for our family and has been a very sweet part of my nursing life.”
Thomas Parker
“The walk from Woods House to the Senior Camp Infirmary. Seeing Algonquin and the horses in the field every morning will always be my favorite commute to work.”
Anthony Schierman
“The High Jump. I hear that it has an amazing view of the Lake Hill."
Finding Home AfteR NCS
Like generations before them, the nineteen members of the class of 2025 have carved out their special corner in the annals of North Country School's long history. These students, representing eleven nations and countries as well as eleven US states, have made this campus their home.
For Lucy Hochshartner (NCS 13, CTT 06–08, 11–12, staff 15–17), this year's graduation speaker, this sense of home is the whole point. Read excerpts from her remarks below. When I met this class, I was struck by how well they meshed. They already have a lot figured out—how to be kind and curious, responsible, and engaged. But they are about to go through a big change. I’ve never been a fan of change. I didn’t think I could ever possibly need anything that I couldn’t find here, so why would I leave?
I was right in some ways and couldn’t have been more wrong in others. NCS did have everything I needed, and I will always call it home. But there is a big world out there, filled with possibilities and opportunities, and it needs more NCS graduates. Because better than most people, NCS graduates know how to make a place feel like home wherever they go.
That can take time. But NCS also taught me five surefire ways to find home wherever I am.
First, plant your feet and take time to look around. At NCS, I learned the importance of really slowing down and getting to know a place. In eighth grade, we spent the spring learning about hydromorphology. We looked at streams so closely we could identify the eddies and cut banks, where fallen logs created hydraulics. Suddenly, it wasn’t just a stream, but a whole little world. All these years later, I still know exactly what is happening in these mountains, on this farm. Graduation week is always synonymous with the sweet smell of crab apple blossoms. Wherever you go, get to know the place so well you know its rhythms and little secrets.
Lucy Hochschartner (above and left with her parents, longtime community members Selden West and David “Hock” Hochschartner, Director of School Ashley Waldorf, and Executive Director Todd Ormiston) grew up at North Country School & Camp Treetops, later attending St. Paul’s School and graduating summa cum laude from St. Lawrence University. NCS ignited her love of seasons, mountains, and skiing—a passion that propelled her around the world as a Nordic racer and member of the US Biathlon Team. She lives in Portland, Maine, where she directs Climate & Clean Energy at Maine Conservation Voters, protecting the opportunities that shaped her.
Congratulations, NCS Class of 2025
Rosalie Allen
Sara Calzada Maeyens
Rafael Castillo
Chungyeon (Owen) Cho
Oliver Chow
Mina Garvey
Daniel Joseph
Anna Klose
Ivy Lea-Simons
Xuan Hong (Angelina) Lin
Laurie Pannell
Valentine Parker
Julien Sommerseth-Michelfelder
Naomi Stracey
Liam Thoresen
María Viniegra
Jinghan (Cynthia) Wu
Qingyang (Jenny) Wu
Louis Yamamoto
This year’s graduates will continue their studies at these secondary schools:
The American School of Guatemala
The British School of Gran Canaria
Concord Academy
Copenhagen International School
Emma Willard
The Ethel Walker School
The Frederick Gunn School
Holderness School
Keene Central School
The Masters School
Mercersburg Academy
Northwood School
Proctor Academy
Tampa Bay Technical High School
Jamieson-Roseliep Work Award
Ivy Lea-Simons
Louis Yamamoto
Literary 46er Award
Trianna Bamendan Byers
Second, show up. Part of what makes NCS feel like home is the place. It’s also the community. And community means friends, yes, but it also means showing up for what you say you will, regardless of how you feel. When I was at NCS, my advisor, Mike, who ran the farm, used to say, “Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.” I would arrive at barn chores fifteen minutes early and wait outside the gate. When you leave NCS, if you keep showing up, you can turn any place into a home. It may take a while, and sometimes you may be tired or it may be early, but it will always serve you well. Third, ask for help. I’ve always thought I can do everything on my own. My first play, James and the Giant Peach, featured a fourteen-foot-tall peach. I am terrified of heights, and as the silkworm, I spent most of the play high up. I was more scared of sitting up there than the crowd. I asked for help, and the older kids on the stage crew delivered. They arranged a special practice just for me to get in and out, they made little holds in the peach to grab onto, and, through the whole play, they very carefully moved us around this fourteen-foot peach on wheels. You can only make a place feel like home if you let other people know when you need help.
Fourth, never underestimate the power of a good meal. NCS taught me that nothing brings people together like sitting down around a table. I’m not much of a chef, but NCS did teach me the basics, and all of my friends are grateful when I invite them for a big pot of soup and homemade bread in the winter. Cooking good food for people you love will always make a place feel like home.
Fifth, and finally, make sure you laugh. When I think about NCS, one of the times that sticks out in my memory was just a Homenight like any other. Our house was bouncing off the walls, and we wanted to go outside and play a game. We decided on capture the flag, but no one had any flags around. We grabbed some winter squash from the garden to be the flags and had been playing for ten minutes before someone dropped a squash. It broke in half, as winter squash will, and soon we had thirty squash flags, everyone was running in circles, and no one was sure who was winning. We were all laughing.
In your life, you’re going to go to so many places and do so many things. I’ve seen so much talent and love in this room that I know you’re going to blow us all away. Even still, sometimes everything will feel like a breeze, and other times, each day will be a struggle. I don’t know when each of those times will come for you, but what I can promise is that the good days
Learning for Life Itself
Below: NCS faculty member David Hyman and graduate Cynthia following their emotional speeches.
will be better and the bad days will be easier when you take the time to build a home wherever you go. The skills to do so—to look around and appreciate a place, show up for your responsibilities, ask for help, make a good meal, and laugh a lot—are the ones we learned at NCS.
As our co-founder, Walter Clark, once said, “It is not so much where you live, what work you do, where you have travelled, your IQ, or how much or little money you have. It is most of all how you feel about yourself, your family, other people, your work, our planet, the stars, the sky, and the universe that matter.”
—Remarks have been edited and condensed.
At North Country School & Camp Treetops, children experience their education, apply new skills and knowledge, create with their hands, hearts, and minds, and revel in the simple joys of childhood.
For generations, this has been where children become their true, authentic selves.
Above: Executive Director Todd Ormiston with ninth-grade graduate Angelina and her family, including her mother, Trustee Yuemei (Gisele) Zhang. Left: Director of School Ashley Waldorf and Camp Treetops Director Hannah Edwards with ninth-grade graduates Rosalie, Rafa, Maria, and Naomi, all of whom also attended Camp Treetops.
EXPANDING OUR CAMPUS, DEEPENING OUR ROOTS
South Mea dow Farm Comes Home to Camp and School Tha nks to Historic Gift
BY STANZI BLISS
USING A HISTORIC GIFT FROM alumna and former Trustee Sandy Nowicki and her family, North Country School & Camp Treetops purchased South Meadow Farm earlier this year from longtime community members Tony and Nancy Corwin—making permanent a connection that has quietly endured for three-quarters of a century.
Forest ecologist Suzanne Simard calls the oldest, best-connected trees in a forest “mother trees,” those that nourish the ecosystem around them by sharing nutrients and information. Camp and School—two branches of the shared mother tree that is our community—have long reached across Route 73 to South Meadow, a place that, though physically separate, has always given back in equal measure.
With this purchase, South Meadow’s roots are permanently entwined with ours as a part of our campus and our future. Including the property’s fields, forest, farmhouse, and outbuildings, the sale expands our campus to 312 acres. From the perspective of Stefan Nowicki, Sandy’s son and a current trustee, the addition of South Meadow comes at just the right time.
“For me, my mom and my sister, a lifetime of memories at South Meadow blend interchangeably with those of Camp and School, so we’re overjoyed and extremely grateful knowing that it’s come home to the NCS and Treetops family,” Stefan said earlier this year.
How did we reach this moment? The answer begins in the 1940s and passes through three families whose lives are forever intertwined with this place.
The Corwin Family Part I: 1940s–1960s
Jane Davey arrived at Treetops and became a counselor, teaching riding during World War II, and a love affair ensued. Across the Atlantic, her partner, Ham Corwin, a sergeant with the U.S. Army, escaped from a German POW camp and was soon discharged. When he arrived home he immediately wanted to get married.
“She said ‘No,’ because she was working at Camp,” their son, Tony, chuckled. “So my dad came up here to figure out what was more important to her than he was.”
The Eldridge Family: 1960s–1990s
Ham, too, fell in love with Camp and School—so much that he decided to stay on as a teacher, with co-founder Walter Clark taking him under his wing.
“Walter saw something in my dad,” Tony said. “When he would be asked what he taught, he’d say, ‘I teach how to grow up.’ That’s the kind of place this is. It grows children, but it also grows adults.”
In 1952, Ham and Jane purchased the property that would one day become South Meadow Farm and began building a home there, moving in shortly after Tony was born. A decade later, Ham and Jane would sell the home to eventual NCS co-directors Harry and Betty Eldridge, marking South Meadow’s next chapter.
As the daughter of North Country School founders Walter and Leo Clark, Betty grew up on the Camp and School campus alongside her older sister, Kaye, and younger brother, Alan. She became intimately familiar with the rhythms, routines, and rituals of life at Camp and School, not only as a staff kid but a camper and student. Harry, too, built an early appreciation for our community, attending Treetops in the 1940s. Both he and Betty returned later as Camp counselors and eventually connected over the shared values they built during their time at Camp and School and a love of working with children. They married in 1960, purchasing South Meadow from Ham and Jane in 1963. South Meadow would come to leave a lasting impression on countless NCS and Treetops alumni—and it was due in part to the way Harry and Betty seamlessly wove it into the Camp and
SOUTH MEADOW OVER THE YEARS
1940s Betty Clark is born to Walter and Leo Clark, co-founders of North Country School. Jane Davey becomes a Treetops counselor. She marries Ham Corwin in 1945. Harry ends his time at Camp as a Super Senior in 1948 alongside his “lean-to-mate” that summer, Roger Loud.
1950 Sandra “Sandy” Gray arrives as a second grader at North Country School. Paul Nowicki comes to Camp Treetops at age nine.
1952–53 Jane and Ham purchase South Meadow Farm and begin to build a new house. They live in the Little House, part of Woods House today. Tony Corwin is born and Betty graduates from North Country School.
1955 The Corwin family moves into their new home on the South Meadow property. The house is designed by celebrated architect Dan Kiley, a connection of Camp Treetops co-director Doug Haskell.
Clockwise from top: The original Corwin family home at South Meadow. The Eldridge family in the 1970s. Harry Eldridge as a Treetops camper, captured by Barbara Morgan in her iconic Summer's Children Tony Corwin as a child with South Meadow's herd of cattle.
School experience as an extension of campus.
This included the creation of an A-frame known as the “Big A,” which became the home of Camp Gawee. This summer mountaineering camp for students and campers who had aged out of Camp and School was founded by Harry, Betty, and Roger Loud (who went on to become Head of School in 1982).
As Harry and Betty’s daughter, Katie Weaver, perused old family albums this spring, she recalled how the Big A became a haven for her family, too.
“We were returning from a spring break family vacation,” Katie said. “And we learned our house had burned down—we lost everything.”
At the time, the Eldridge family had been living in the original home built by the Corwins, located just up the road from the Big A. After the fire, they moved into the Big A temporarily—and the essence of South Meadow endured. As the community rallied around them, the family began to rebuild, not on the original site, but through a new addition that expanded and connected to the A-frame. That structure would go on to become not just their family home, but housing for NCS students in the 1970s.
The Corwin Family Part II: 1990s–2020s
When they retired in 1979, Harry and Betty transformed their home into a bed and breakfast, South Meadow Farm Lodge. They operated the inn until Harry’s untimely death in 1987 at the age of 51. Betty prepared to pass the torch, and in 1991, she sold South Meadow to Tony and Nancy Corwin.
“South Meadow has never been just one family’s home. It’s been a space people move through, leave their mark on, and pass along. That’s the essence of South Meadow,” Tony said. “We’ve always said this place was a ‘gift’ we didn’t go looking for. But it was one we gladly accepted.”
For more than three decades, Tony and Nancy Corwin served as devoted stewards of South Meadow, tending both its landscape and its legacy. They raised their family there, started
a maple sugaring business, hosted guests from all over the world, and welcomed friends new and old—friends that included the Nowickis.
The
Nowickis
An Organic Roots profile highlighting Sandy and her late husband Paul Nowicki—who passed away in 2015—and their years of dedication to the Camp and School community put it eloquently: “We are all connected to our roots. The life of our ideas and ideals lies in what each of us adopts and supports; the continuity of spirit in our community depends upon the healthy, growing network of those who have put down their roots here.”
As the story of South Meadow has unfolded, the Nowickis have all been a key part in carrying that continuity of spirit forward. Their lifelong passion for this community began when Sandy enrolled as a second grader at NCS, and Paul became a Treetops camper. Both returned as counselors and faculty members, ultimately meeting, marrying, and having two children, Stefan Nowicki and Sara Cady, who also came to share their parents’ love of Camp and School.
In that same Organic Roots profile, Sandy would reflect on her years at NCS and the impact co-founders Walter and Leo Clark had on her as a child.
“Walter and Leo were like second parents to me—the most important guiding forces in my young life,” she said. Others stood out, too, including Ham Corwin, one of Sandy’s favorite teachers. Paul similarly credited Walter and Treetops co-director Helen Haskell with shaping him.
“Camp was the most important place on the planet to my dad,” Stefan remarked.
Both Stefan and Sara would go on to have their own experiences at Camp and School, gathering with their parents at South Meadow countless times. It’s a place that Stefan likens to one thing: home. “Ever since I started making memories, I have
memories of South Meadow. It has had a gravitational pull—like an emotional satellite orbiting Camp and School,” Stefan said.
For Sara, South Meadow holds more than just memories. “The place is synonymous with caring and love,” she said. “The warmth that’s been exuded to countless Camp and School folk over the years from South Meadow is remarkable. I feel so grateful to be part of this longstanding and heartfelt legacy.”
Stewarding South Meadow into the Future
For Sandy, Stefan, and Sara, this gift didn’t just make it possible for Camp and School to purchase South Meadow Farm. It expanded our sense of what’s possible.
“We believe the addition of South Meadow Farm comes at an exciting time with the work of our strategic plan, Growing Evergreen,” Stefan said. “It provides an opportunity to blend South Meadow’s rich history—and decades of stewardship by the Corwin and the Eldridge families— with new ideas and possibilities for the future that will evolve our campus forward.”
So what’s next?
In the near term, South Meadow is available for community members and like-minded partners to rent as a place for escape, respite, inspiration, and connection. Looking ahead, and guided by Growing Evergreen, we envision it as a space for learning, growth, and community—one where we can welcome people from beyond our mountain home to experience our unique approach to education, while continuing to honor and preserve the essence of South Meadow.
For Katie, there’s comfort in knowing her parents, Harry and Betty, are with us in spirit, supporting us as we embark on this exciting next chapter in our history. "I know my parents would be so pleased that the property has been permanently reconnected to Camp and School, giving our generation opportunities to give back and pay it forward, she said. “I know they’re looking down and saying 'go for it'—whatever way you can.” We are South Meadow’s stewards now, and it’s our responsibility to help its legacy thrive for generations to come—one with deep roots, strong branches, and new stories and possibilities yet to unfurl.
Learn more about South Meadow’s next chapter—and how to rent the property—by scanning the QR code or visiting growingevergreen.org to view an expanded version of this story with additional photos.
1959–1962 Betty Clark marries Harry Eldridge. Three years later, Ham and Jane sell South Meadow Farm to them.
1964–68 Harry and Betty cofound Camp Gawee with Roger Loud, run out of South Meadow’s new A-frame, the “Big A.” Sandy teaches English and riding at NCS and becomes librarian; Paul teaches art and math. Sandy and Paul marry in 1968.
1970–72 Harry and Betty become co-directors of North Country School after Walter and Leo’s retirement. While away on spring break, their South Meadow home burns down. They temporarily move into the “Big A” and begin building an expansion with help from architect Dan Kiley.
1979 Harry and Betty retire from North Country School and open South Meadow Farm Lodge, a bed and breakfast. That summer, Sandy and Paul return to Camp as counselors. Sandy runs weaving activities, Paul ceramics.
1980s South Meadow hosts officials for cross country ski events during the 1980 Winter Olympics. Paul designs and builds the “Pot Shop” ceramics studio at Treetops. In 1987, Harry Eldridge passes away at the young age of 51 while hiking in the White Mountains.
1991–1993 Betty sells South Meadow to Tony and Nancy Corwin. She begins to build her dream home on the same site where the old South Meadow house—Tony’s childhood home—had burned down fifteen years earlier.
1997–2013 Tony starts South Meadow Sugarworks. The Carriage House is constructed near South Meadow’s main lodge, which Tony and Nancy renovate and add an addition to. Sandy remarries to Paul Douglas at South Meadow Farm on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
2022–25 As they prepare for retirement, Tony and Nancy list South Meadow Farm for sale. The Nowicki family makes a historic gift to Camp and School to support the property’s purchase. In 2025, South Meadow Farm officially becomes part of the North Country School & Camp Treetops campus, with its 74.4 acres expanding the campus to a total of 312 acres.
PROGRAM
Bramwell Run, Reimagined
Simple, Child-Centered Changes for the Next Generation
BY REBECCA NORTHRUP
In her first summer as a Junior Camp counselor, Willa Vail (CTT 97–02, staff 07–present) was responsible for a pair of fraternal twins. Each resided on either side of Bramwell Run, the road that used to cut through the tentlines up to the Hill Houses. And each night, brother and sister met at the road’s edge to say “good night” to the other. Willa has experienced Camp as a junior and senior camper, a Super Senior, a counselor, and now as Junior Camp program director. But when asked to recall one of her most enduring memories of her time here, it’s the image of those siblings and their nightly ritual that comes to mind first.
“If we have two separate physical locations, that’s also representing a natural separation in Junior Camp,” Willa said. “It’s going to be nice to remove that and have road traffic rerouted away from the children.”
After years of discussion, the two halves of Junior Camp have finally been reunited. Bramwell Run, the road, was closed for good in spring 2025, and traffic has been permanently rerouted to the newly built Ridge Road. Bramwell Run, now a winding footpath surrounded by fresh grass, began to take shape earlier this summer, replacing the
space previously occupied by the road.
This simple but significant change was a key item identified by our community during the creation of Growing Evergreen, our strategic plan. Willa says the change will improve both the camper and counselor experience.
“It seems so small, this idea of rerouting a road, but it’s a lot bigger than that. It’s about literally centering children in the experience,” Willa said. “One of the things I loved as a camper is that I could just roam free, and have this inherent sense of security—that this is our place.”
Former Camp Treetops Director Karen Culpepper said that the move to reroute Bramwell Run helps reinforce that Camp is a place where children can enjoy playing freely.
“It will be wonderful to give children wider stretches of grass in which to play safely,” Karen said. “Walking barefoot in summer is one of the deepest joys of childhood.”
These shared sentiments fueled the reimagining of Bramwell Run from road to footpath, and what it will look like in the future for campers and North Country School students.
Turning the Page on Bramwell Run—with Joy
“Celebration connects individuals in a community, marking where we've been and where we're going. It's how humans, from the individual to the communal, thrive, even when the going gets tough. One thing I think we, as a society, sometimes forget to teach children is how to maintain their innate ability to manufacture joy. This is something we do so well at NCS. We show kids that you can make a celebration out of anything, and as a side effect, teach them how to maintain their sense of childlike wonder. We teach them that there are no rules that say you can't hike for cake or read your forty-six. And sometimes, we show them that you can throw a parade to say goodbye to a dirt road on a regular Tuesday.”
–Savannah Skinner, NCS Faculty Member on this spring's Bramwell Run parade (pictured left)
our mountain home, and how we can do that, in the age of climate change.
Our dedicated Place Committee, a group of trustees, staff, alumni, and volunteers, identified several outside experts to help us engage in this work. Some visited campus this spring, including Rosetta Elkin, an ecological landscape architect and academic director of Pratt Institute’s Landscape Architecture program, and Treetops alum Claire Fellman (CTT staff 92–93), a senior associate from landscape architecture firm Reed Hilderbrand.
With their help, we’re giving extra consideration to the ecological, aesthetic, and educational factors behind transformations such as Bramwell Run, while also ensuring we can create a climate-resilient campus that’s prepared for the future.
The impacts of Bramwell Run’s transformation might not seem obvious at first, but will be felt for many years to come. These changes result in increased safety, more green space, and an increasingly child-centered campus core. It’s also a course correction—a return to what it was always meant to be: a place where children can thrive with nature and the world around them as they amble to barn chores and meals, sled in the winter, and walk barefoot in the grass during the summer.
Bramwell Run is also one of the first campus transformations that offers a chance to think more broadly about what it means to be good stewards of
To learn more about other updates happening at Camp and School and the ongoing work of our strategic plan, visit growingevergreen.org.
Bramwell Run, the footpath, debuted earlier this summer.
PEOPLE Change with Reverence Big Plans for the Littlest House
BY REBECCA NORTHRUP
It’s Wednesday Homenight in Woods House, and two students are in the kitchen chopping onions and chatting about their day. During this weekly North Country School tradition, students and houseparents gather in their house kitchens to make dinner together “at home” instead of eating in the dining room. A few of their housemates lounge in the living room nearby, eyeing the table and the stack of plates and silverware ready to be set, while a day student staying for dinner rushes outside to play soccer with his friends.
Homenight is a scene of warmth and harmony, where students slip seamlessly into familiar routines. However, when the meal is served and twenty-two students, primary and supporting houseparents, and their guests gather to sit down and eat, it will be impossible for everyone to sit together.
“There quite literally isn’t a seat at the table for
all of us,” said NCS faculty member Max Goldberg, the solo primary houseparent for Woods House.
But that’s about to change. This summer, Woods House will undergo a major transition. The living room will be torn down, the kitchen demoed, and the water lines disconnected, as we prepare to move Woods House 200 feet to neighboring Clark Field this fall. Once in place, interior spaces in Woods House will be renovated, and a new faculty apartment will be added. The impacts of these changes, especially the new faculty apartment addition, will be felt immediately, said Executive Director Todd Ormiston.
“A cornerstone of Growing Evergree n is our commitment to our people,” he said. “This addition to Woods House meets our immediate campus housing needs and means that more adults will be able to support our children in their everyday lives.”
Looking ahead, the relocation of Woods House is also the key first step in freeing up the physical space needed to create the future Hike House, Environment, and Arts Center—a new campus addition that will one day house outdoor programs, academic classrooms, and studio arts spaces for Camp and School.
“This will provide new locations, tools, and resources where we can best support our campers and students as they experience three of the most fundamental aspects of the Camp and School experience,” Todd said. “It will ensure we’re continuing to provide both our children and adults with elevated physical spaces, leading to enhanced experiences.”
When Woods House, then known as the Little House, was built in 1942, it was the first residence
outside the Main Building, marking a new chapter in the school's growth. It has always been the smallest and best-loved house on campus. Woods House has long engendered a sense of community among students—a perspective the Place Committee intentionally sought out while shaping its next iteration. Current students, along with Max, shared their ideas for updating spaces such as the too-small, not-private-enough student bathroom, keeping the second-floor lounge area—a favorite end-of-day gathering space—and their thoughts on other renovations.
“Being together in a house like Woods creates a powerful dynamic,” said María Viniegra (CTT 21–24, NCS 25), who graduated from NCS in May and lived in Woods House over the past year. For Maria and her housemates, getting to share their thoughts on what Woods could become felt deeply meaningful. From more room to study, relax, and just be, to the added support of another houseparent, students expressed unanimous enthusiasm for the project.
“The changes coming to Woods House will provide a better-arranged space for kids and faculty who live there,” said Peter Brest (Trustee 06–present, CTT 56–62, parent 93–06). As a member of the Place Committee, a group of trustees, staff, alumni, and volunteers, he’s intent that Woods House serve as a model of things to come.
“All of us feel like we have a great sense of loyalty to the history of Camp and School and the integrity of our values. In some ways, the buildings reflect those values, but we all realize we need to change. Growing Evergreen allows for change with reverence.”
Next year, when Homenight returns to Woods House, it will be to a space renewed with reverence—one with a seat at the table for everyone. But the sense of home the “littlest house with the biggest heart” has fostered for more than eighty years? That will live on.
Keep up with our progress on Woods House and more at growingevergreen.org.
Above and left: Renderings of Woods House in its new location on Clark Field. The move is slated to happen in fall of this year.
Nurturing Belonging
How One NCS Alum Is Expanding Access to the Outdoors for All
BY INYENE BELL
Inyene Bell (NCS 18–21) is the co-founder of Access Wild Places (AWP) and an incoming first-year student at Middlebury College. AWP has brought more than eighty students from Alverta B. Gray Schultz Middle School on Long Island to the Adirondacks, helping them experience nature and a sense of belonging in the outdoors. Inyene’s vision is a powerful example of how our community continues to inspire the world—and why expanding our purpose through Growing Evergreen matters.
On my very first day at North Country School, I was sure I’d never be able to use my legs again. I was surrounded by strangers, hiking up Trouble, as the sun beat down. In that moment, the only thing I wanted was to go back home, to the comfortable suburbia of Westchester County. Venturing in wild places wasn’t my norm; when I decided to go to NCS for sixth grade, I didn’t fully know what I was getting myself into. I knew the school was outdoors-centered, but my younger self didn’t take into account the culture shock I would have as a Black girl who grew up in an urban area. In my mind, being in the outdoors and doing things like hiking or skiing equated to “white people activities.” Even though I was in the same state as my hometown, NCS felt like a foreign country, and I was unsure if I would ever fit in.
I tried to avoid outdoor activities at all costs, often heading to the nurse’s office to try escaping from out-times or weekend hiking trips. However, the nurse was also my houseparent, Jess Jeffery, so she saw through my Ferris Bueller act. Jess helped me leave my comfort zone and try activities I wrongly assumed wouldn’t be fun. At a
place like NCS, you try so many new things every day, you’re bound to find a couple you like. By eighth grade, part of my joy for the outdoors came from realizing I didn’t have to be the most enthusiastic about being outside to love it; I could simply appreciate the natural world around me.
At the same time, I was developing a passion for social and racial justice. I’m grateful I attended a school like NCS where my passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion was nurtured instead of disregarded, and I built the confidence to freely discuss all the thoughts about race swirling around in my head. These passions—the outdoors and racial justice—came together in eighth grade, in my Outdoor Leadership (ODL) class. Jess, who taught it, encouraged me to reflect on the ways my background influenced my initial feelings towards the outdoors. We discussed what it meant to be an outdoors enthusiast who isn’t the stereotypical, fit white man. We discussed barriers People of Color (POC) face in the outdoors, including the expensive gear involved and how some people may not feel safe or welcome in rural areas where outdoor activities primarily take place. It made me think about my own opportunity to attend a school like NCS, and that while many other kids from urban areas might thrive here, they just don’t have the ability to attend.
Fast forward a few months, and I’m with a group of students joining us for the inaugural AWP. We’re hiking Balanced Rocks, and I hear kids hurrying up the mountain as I walk behind them, talking to a few girls.
I knew from my mom’s stories as an educator in New York City that some kids never even leave their borough; I began to wonder if we could find a way to bring kids from the city to NCS. Jess believed in my idea and ability to carry it out, so we started working together on creating a weeklong camp that became Access Wild Places (AWP).
For the rest of the year, we planned. We designed a schedule including outdoor activities such as rock climbing, spending time on the farm and garden, and an art activity; we gathered donations of gear for students; we reached out to mentors who could discuss their own experiences as a POC in the outdoors; my mom helped to find a school that could bring students to participate; and we got NCS’s permission to host the students and their chaperones, at RockE House.
They share their reluctance to be on this hike and it reminds me of myself on my first hike. This was months of hard work towards a dream, and this moment was that dream finally coming to fruition. It wouldn’t have been possible if the adults in my life hadn’t listened to and valued my ideas. This type of energy has made NCS like a second home for me— and AWP has made it even more special.
In all my years at NCS, I had never seen so many POC enjoying the outdoors together until I started AWP with Jess. Now in its fifth year, AWP continues to grow: over eighty students have attended the program since its inception, and this past year we hosted a second session during the winter. Now, when I’m outside, the trees embrace me and the sun provides comfort and warmth. Every time I return to NCS, I feel a strong sense of belonging because of the connections I’ve worked to build in our unique community. I hope with AWP I’m able to pass on this sense of belonging and security in outdoor spaces to all of the kids who participate— and that one day, they’ll be able to do the same.
Inyene with visiting students during this year’s winter Access Wild Places.
Last Day
at Treetops
A LOOK AT CAMP AS CAMPERS SEE IT
For over a century, Camp Treetops has offered children a summer unplugged. The definition of “unplugged” has changed dramatically in that time, but the value of escaping to the Adirondacks for a summer of discovery, growth, and friendship in the mountains has remained constant.
On their last day at Treetops, tentmates Rosalie, Sumaiya, Winter, and Zoe, and their counselor, Leila, discussed how their Camp experiences have shaped their perceptions of the world, as well as themselves. The girls were all Supers, the colloquial term for campers in their last year at Treetops—but also an apt way to describe these sage, brave, and confident young women.
How do you think you’ve changed since your first summer at Camp?
Winter: After 2020, I became really phone-addicted. But when I came back to Camp it really helped me with that habit. I’m a lot more knowledgeable on topics a lot of my friends don’t know about, too, like making camp, lighting a gas stove, or surviving in the wilderness.
Zoe: I feel more unplugged because I can get this break from my phone and my devices and gadgets. We can just go with the flow. I feel healthier, too, because the food here is really good.
Sumaiya: I’ve been coming to Camp for nine years, since I was six. I definitely have become a lot more outgoing, confident, and responsible. Camp creates an environment, unlike school or the outside world, where you can bond with so many different types of people despite not having the same interests.
Rosalie: I've probably become much more grounded. I’m better at living in the present moment rather than thinking about what's to come.
What do you think you’ve learned from one another this summer?
Leila (Tent Counselor): They didn’t know the time (because there are no clocks at Camp), but I did, and they taught me that time does not matter—the day still continues and we still carry on. That’s my main takeaway: to be in the moment you are in now and enjoy it, and the next one's just going to follow.
S: I’m grateful for how constant these four are. Camp days can be unpredictable, but I always knew coming home at the end of the day to our cabin that I would get to be with them.
What makes the Treetops community so special?
L: The history of this place. The roots go so deep and this place means so much to so many. It’s so nice to see children come up to me and say, “My great-great-grandfather went here, they did this. Now I've done the same thing.” It’s a lovely way to connect family members or people who may not ever meet, but they're connected in one way: this place. It’s really beautiful.
I feel more unplugged because I can get this break from my phone and my devices and gadgets.
W: Camp makes you think about your impact on the environment and how wasteful we can be. It makes you think about how mindful you’re being about what you’re doing.
What is one lesson from Camp that will stick with you?
S: Just do it. Every single summer when I’ve encountered a roadblock or I’ve faced a challenge and said “just do it” to myself, I did it. And my fear wasn’t as important afterward.
R: You don’t have to be anything other than who you are. You don’t have to push yourself to be more than what you are.
W: Don’t be scared to get dirty or raise your hand. ”Just do it,” like Sumaiya said.
L: “Let the flowers remind you why rain is necessary” is
is a saying that encompasses this place. Some days it can be thundering and pouring rain and you’re stuck inside. But then, you step out and look at the mountains and the trees and you realize the beauty of the people and place around you. Those rainy moments are really important.
As you look to your future, what role do you see Treetops playing in it?
Z: One day, I want to send my kids here. It’s a very nice place to be at a young age because it helps you understand how to be responsible and independent.
L: I was saying to all my Super counselors that through this summer’s Super project of rebuilding the boardwalk, even if we don't come back, we've had a hand in Camp. We might not be there physically, but we'll be there through that boardwalk. Even though I’ve only been here a short time, I've grounded my roots in this place and found a foundation here.
From L to R: Leila, Rosalie, Zoe, Winter, and Sumaiya
THIS WEEK AT NCS
From the rhythms of planting potatoes and carrots and the joys of cooking farm-fresh cuisine, to caring for animals, exploring the sciences, creating art, and everything in between, This Week at NCS opens a window into our daily life at North Country School. Peek inside and get a sense for some of the incredible experiences our students enjoy every day.
One Act Win | Dec. 20
Major kudos and awards were presented to NCS students participating in Courtney Allen’s One-Act Play class for their performance during the NY Thespians One-Act Competition. The students’ adaptation of Ian McWethy’s The 9 Worst Breakups of All Time was awarded the Overall Superior prize for the entire production and the Overall Superior prize for our stage crew by the competition judges. Ninth grader Ivy was awarded the Superior Actor award for her performance as Eve Tonsil, an employee of the nonprofit company Relationships for a Better Tomorrow. NCS awarded the Student Leader award to ninth grader
Owen for standing out as a leader in the performance. We are so proud of their achievements!
Winter Traditions | Jan. 17
Whiteface Days are an NCS tradition that spans generations of students. This winter, the whole school decamped to Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, one of the premier ski resorts on the East Coast and the former site of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Upon arrival, students were divided into groups based on their ability level; beginners headed to lessons with Whiteface Snowsports School staff, while more experienced students tackled intermediate and advanced trails on the mountain alongside faculty and staff chaperones. Whiteface Days provide the opportunity to gather together as a community and for our students to practice patience with
themselves as they navigate challenging terrain. Cheers and whoops were plentiful!
Interconnected Cultures | Feb. 7
Eighth graders in Joshua Vetter’s environmental science class raised salmon while learning about their importance in Indigenous cultures with a cross-curricular series featuring Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Team Coordinator Hillary Wolfe. Hillary read Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants with the students, which highlights Indigenous knowledge in scientific study. Students cared for salmon eggs in a fish tank in Joshua’s classroom by monitoring pH levels, learning how ecosystems are interconnected, and discovering how Western science and Indigenous practices can work together in conservation efforts.
Sweetest Season | March 28
Spring heralds one of our favorite times at NCS: maple sugaring season! Students returned from spring break to the sweet sound of sap dripping into buckets. Fourth graders in Emily’s science class were on hand to help with one of the first sap boils of the season. First,
students got a lesson on the different parts of the maple sugaring equipment, including the “oops tank,” which controls the amount of sap going into the evaporator; the hydrometer, which measures the density of the sap as it boils to ensure it meets the right sweetness level for syrup; and the role that defoamer plays in the boiling stage of syrup making. Then the farm team stoked the evaporator’s fire, and the scent of warm sap and woodsmoke filled the air.
Building a Boat | April 4
In the woodshop, a small group of students and faculty began a special pilot program with Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake, to build a wood-and-canvas canoe from the ribs up. Led by Nate Atkinson, the museum’s boatbuilder-in-residence, the project spanned the entire spring term. Students learned how to properly steam wood to form the stems of the canoe, measure the ribs, and mark where cuts needed to be made. The canoe will remain at NCS for future students and Camp Treetops campers to enjoy.
LiftingOff
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Wrinkle In Time, North Country School’s Out-Of-This-World Spring Show, Takes Students to New Heights
BY REBECCA NORTHRUP
hen traveling through time and space, it is essential to ensure your harness is correctly secured, especially if you find yourself in a pitch-black theater surrounded by a large audience.
On the opening night of North Country School’s performance of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic tale, A Wrinkle in Time, eighth grader Charlie, along with their ninth-grade castmates Rosalie and Ivy, flew sixteen feet into the air in a darkened theater. They weren’t scared, though: after all, they’d been preparing for this moment for months, starting in a weeklong series of courses during Intersession as students gained proficiency in everything from stagecraft design and filmmaking to theater lighting.
We’ve had a backstage pass to watch our cast and crew from their first meetings in February to their final curtain call in May, as they staged one of North Country School’s most ambitious productions yet. See what it took to transport a packed house at the WallyPAC to the alien planet of Camazotz, where all the evil in the world cannot match the bond between a father and his children.
Twelve Weeks to Go: Beasts, Wings, and Ballads
In one Intersession class, Flying in the Rand, students designed the flight system for Wrinkle. Under the guidance of Technical Theater Teacher Larry Robjent, whose talents for tinkering and engineering are legendary in our community, students spent a week mastering knots, creating a human counterweight system, and learning the mechanics of harnesses that will help lift students sixteen feet off the ground. The description for the Intersession included a disclaimer: “Fear of heights a minus, courageousness a plus.” Across campus, the art studio was filled with '90s ballads and students debating the best way to bring the character Aunt Beast to life in Spring Play Production Build, led by Theater Teacher Courtney Allen and Studio Arts Teacher Andrew Murdock. Here, students played with mechanics and form to create a monstrous but benevolent being out of cardboard and papier-mâché, including a tentacle mechanism built into the Beast’s limbs.
Four Weeks to Go: Counterweights, Costumes, and Camaraderie
The theater is a flurry of activity. Costumers hurry to and fro, repairing Mrs. Who’s ripped gown, sizing shoes, and sorting spectacles. “One of the things I love about costume design is how you can make different pieces of clothing work together to make something unique for each character,” says seventh grader Eleanor.
Robjent’s
Perched on the catwalk above the stage, students operating the flight system wait for cues from below. It takes two students to operate: an actor, and another student who serves as a counterweight. On stage, Charlie is harnessed and ready to fly. “Flying has been one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life,” says Charlie, who helped build the rig during Intersession. “It really requires a lot of trust in crew members.”
Behind the stage in the WallyPAC shop, stagecraft students are screwing casters on a movable stage and assembling a giant cardboard globe that will hang from the ceiling. As actors run through scenes, students in Play Tech Prep are programming theater lights, creating atmospheric effects to transport the audience across time and space. In the music studio, student-musicians run through the songs they’ll perform live during the performance.
After months of preparation, the show is coming together, and camaraderie is high. Students are helping each other remember lines, adjusting costumes on the fly, and offering support.
“When you are part of the cast, you become so close,”
Getting to this point, the moment right before the play begins, has been months in the making. For Keira, it’s the culmination of years of experience in NCS’s theater program.
“The support that I’ve received from my peers has been incredible,” Keira says. “The way my peers have helped me and directed me throughout this process has given me the confidence to offer the same to everyone I work with.”
As the performance approaches and the audience fills the theater, the entire cast gathers backstage, crouches low, and begins to whisper “psych,” bouncing slowly up and down as they chant louder and louder until they are jumping together and shouting as one. It’s a tradition students return to year after year, and a ritual that ninth grader Laurie says weaves a protective spell around the group.
“That feeling right when you are about to go on stage is so magical,” Laurie says. “You have butterflies in your stomach and you hope the audience laughs or takes to heart what you’re saying, and when they do, it just makes you feel amazing!”
Being part of a theater program has shown me how many people it takes to create something so wonderful. A Wrinkle In Time has really taken so much effort to put it all together. It really shows you what a community can create if they work together. —Charlie,
Ivy says. “It’s hard at first, and people get under each other’s skin at times, but you become like family as you learn and figure it out together.”
Ivy plays Meg, an emotionally complex character who was challenging to bring to life. “Meg is burdened by feelings of being different and lacking confidence,” Ivy says.
“She isn’t just scared, angry, sad, or happy, she’s a mix of all of those emotions, and I enjoyed learning how to bring them all out to play her.”
Opening Night
The crew boss is a picture of calm on opening night. This is eighth grader Keira’s first time in this role, and while her mind is racing with thoughts of what could go wrong, you’d never know it.
The Afterglow
eighth grade
The applause is thunderous. The cast and crew bow and smile, elation clear on each face. Months of hard work, anticipation, and nervousness have all come to fruition, and the sense of pride and joy at what they’ve achieved together is palpable.
Laurie played Mrs. Who in Wrinkle her final role at NCS. But the lessons she is taking with her are for life.
“The theater program has taught me so much about how, even if you are doing something small, every one of us matters,” Laurie says. “If one person messes up, we go with it. Or help them get back on track, even if that means you mess up a little, too.”
For Charlie, the experience of acting is transformative.
“This is kind of what theater is all about,” Keira says. “Taking the mistakes and working with them to make the play look seamless and unique.”
“I really enjoy being able to enter a completely different world,” they said.
Above left: NCS’s theater program offers students a chance to develop lifelong skills, build confidence, and tap into their courage. As they work together over several months to bring a production to life, they are also creating bonds of friendship they will never forget. Below left: A student-led production from start to finish, Wrinkle showcased sets, lighting, costumes, and performances created entirely by students. The ensemble cast played roles ranging from “IT” to Meg Murry’s inner voice, all in sleek black costumes that made eighth grader
Cody’s tinted glasses—an essential prop for his role as the Red-Eyed Man—pop against the stark white set.
Ice Cream Social Studies
BY EMILY ELDER & LIZ CASEY
On the last day of winter term, the fourth and fifth graders left lunch and ran to Clark House for an event they’d long been anticipating: Ice Cream Social Studies, an annual celebration of learning highlighted by homemade ice cream sundaes made in their Edible Schoolyard (ESY) class.
A foundational goal of the ESY program, founded by Alice Waters in 1995, is to place food in the context of nature and culture. Over the course of a year, our students learn that food has the power to connect: to bring people together, bridge subject areas, and honor traditions. They spend the fall preparing to host a Thanksgiving feast featuring corn, beans, and squash harvested from our Three Sisters garden—a traditional native planting practice used in our Children’s Garden—which they eat out of handmade ceramic bowls. For the holiday season, they make stollen a traditional German holiday bread, and deliver it to members of our community. To learn about the scientific method, they bake treats for our horses, and design an experiment to determine which snack they like best.
on an adventure that tested the knowledge they had gained along the way!
Ice Cream Social Studies is about joy. It is an opportunity for students to demonstrate and take pride in their learning, and an exercise in delayed gratification. After months of planning and preparing for the event, students were eager to assemble their ice cream sundaes and celebrate their work. But before they could dig in, they were asked to first don their historian caps and go
Inspired by a fifth-grade social studies lesson on human migration patterns across the islands of the Pacific from earlier in the term, students raced to excavate puzzle pieces from the snow banks around campus, representative of the ceramic artifacts left behind by the ancient Lapita people. Upon completion of their pottery puzzles, those students passed the baton to their partners, who were tasked with decoding a secret message about sprinkles written in Egyptian hieroglyphics, which the fourth graders learned about in their unit on ancient and early civilizations of Africa. Cheers and laughter rang out as each team took to the final station where they had to answer three trivia questions before smashing open homemade piñatas, papier-machéd and painted by the fourth graders during their studies of Christmas traditions in Mexico late last year. Through these challenges, students applied their understanding of world geography, recalled key elements from their units of study, demonstrated their retention of content-specific vocabulary, and exercised their arithmetic skills by solving word problems. Perhaps most importantly, the students employed communication and collaboration skills, demonstrating teamwork, creativity, resilience, and patience as they navigated each task together.
This year’s winning ice cream flavors, designed and voted on by the students in a prior class, were mint Oreo (“Moreo”), pumpkin pie, and our featured recipe, “Pink Penguin,” beating out unorthodox contenders such as “broccoli green apple” and “spaghetti and meatballs” by a narrow margin. All of these featured homemade ingredients students made in the Teaching and Learning Kitchen (TLK): baked Oreos, roasted and pureed pumpkin from the farm, frozen campus-grown raspberries and currants saved from the summer, and homemade rainbow sprinkles.
After debriefing, the students piled their bowls high with the three flavors of ice cream and toppings—homemade Oreos, graham cracker crumbles,
hot fudge, fruit sauce, waffle cones—and sat together around the Clark House dining room table. Conversations revolved around memories from the term and excitement for the months ahead. They reflected on the processes of baking graham crackers and rolling waffle cones, and rejoiced in finally getting to experience what they had created. As spoons scraped the final drops of Pink Penguin ice cream from their bowls, we were reminded of a joke made by a fourth grader in the Fall during a lesson about seeds: “Why do pine trees have cones? To hold their ice cream!”
CHILDREN’S GARDEN
RECIPE FROM THE Raspberry Currant Mint (“Pink Penguin”) Ice Cream
Adapted from Cuisinart ICE-30 Series Recipe Booklet
Makes about 7 cups of ice cream
Ingredients:
2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup red currants (fresh or frozen)
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 ½ cups maple syrup
1 ½ cups whole milk
2 ¼ cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp mint extract
Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, combine raspberries, currants, lemon juice, and ½ a cup of the maple syrup. Stir gently and allow the berries to soak for 1–2 hours.
2. Mash the berries to the desired consistency using an immersion blender or mortar and pestle.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the milk and the remaining syrup. Stir in the heavy cream, mashed berries, vanilla, and mint extract.
4. Turn the ice cream machine on; pour the mixture into the freezer bowl and let churn until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes.
5. For a firmer consistency, transfer the finished ice cream to an airtight container and freeze for 2 hours before serving.
6. Enjoy with toppings such as rainbow sprinkles, graham cracker crumbles, hot fudge, and homemade waffle cones!
Leave Your Legacy I Balanced Rocks Circle
Lauren McCarty (CTT staff 00–07, 12, 14–16, 19), a Brooklyn-based art teacher, attributes her decision to become an educator to her time as a Camp Treetops counselor. Learn how she used low-cost, readily available resources to join the Balanced Rocks Circle and make the gift of a lifetime.
How did you first learn about Camp Treetops?
I learned about Camp Treetops from my best friend, Molly Malmfelt-Frank (CTT 90–93, staff 00–03, 06–07, 12–14, 21–present) who went there as a camper. When we went to college, we were excited to work there together. What drew me to camp was kids making choices about their day—something we rarely offer children until they're suddenly in adult hood without much practice.
What inspired you to give back?
I've always been deeply appreciative of being part of the Camp community. Treetops gave me amazing mentorship; that appreciation leads to a desire to give back. Financial giving, along with the time and labor I've contributed, has always been part of my relationship with the place.
Why did you join the Balanced Rocks Circle as a younger community member?
My family taught me how important end-of-life and retirement planning is. When I learned about the Balanced Rocks Circle, it was a no-brainer. My first priority is ensuring my loved ones have what they need, but I also want Camp Treetops to be part of my future planning.
How did you set up your planned gift?
I set up Camp Treetops as a percentage beneficiary in both property and life insurance. This approach allows me to care for my loved ones while ensuring Camp receives a meaningful gift.
Weaving To g e the r Gratitude
Thank You for Being a Vital Thread in Our Tapestry
This year, 317 people made gifts during Community Giving Week to unlock a generous $50,000 challenge gift from a generous Camp and School family. For North Country School & Camp Treetops, every gift is part of a thread that brings us closer together—and to celebrate this connection, we asked participants to share their own message of gratitude to School and Camp.
“I’m inspired by this community every day!”
—Linda Ellsworth, NCS staff 13–present
What do you want to accomplish with your Balanced Rocks Circle gift?
Having been part of Camp for 25 years, I've seen exciting growth, but I also see the everyday needs of the place. My giving is about contributing to the organization's health to continue its essential work. As I build my life with the benefit of my Camp community, my legacy gift helps build something for this place I love.
How has Camp Treetops shaped who you are today?
Camp made me who I am—I don't think I would be a teacher if I weren't a Camp counselor first. Camp has been like family throughout my life, a steady home
I could always return to for purpose and belonging, even as I navigated many changes in my adult life.
Interested in joining the Balanced Rocks Circle?
Please contact Reed Curry, director of strategic donor engagement, at rcurry@ncstreetops.org or 518.523.9329, ext. 5407.
“Every time I step onto campus, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to participate in a community that is genuinely trying to make the world a better place through the practice of sharing, caring, and respect.”
“I am so grateful that 55 years ago, my parents did not acquiesce to my arrival postcard request (pictured below). I cannot imagine my life —or that of my children—
“Thank you to all the amazing teachers who are creating a lifetime of memories!”
—Katie Coff, NCS parent 23–present
ALTA
Friends’ Weekend
This year’s Alta Friends’ Weekend was a great success! We were happy to welcome over forty alumni and friends of all ages once again for a long weekend at Alta Lodge in Utah. We had a great time on the slopes and enjoyed gathering with friends and reminiscing about North Country School & Camp Treetops memories over incredible meals together.
The group raised a toast to NCS faculty member Katie Weaver (NCS 71–78, parent 05–08, staff 83–84, 15–present, CTT parent 03–08, staff 82–03, 10–15), who will transition away from teaching at the end of this school year. Katie shared reflections of her time at Camp and School, as well as fond memories and stories of her parents, former co-directors of North Country School Harry and Betty Eldridge, and her grandparents, NCS co-founders Walter and Leo Clark.
On Friday evening, Executive Director Todd Ormiston, along with Bill Waddington (Trustee 22–present, NCS 77–79, parent 10–13, CTT 80, parent 09–12) and Nick Waddington (NCS 10–13, staff 19–20, CTT 09–12, staff 18–19, 22–present), discussed the work of Growing Evergreen and future plans and goals for Camp and School.
SAVE THE DATE: ALTA FRIENDS’ WEEKEND 2026
Next year’s Alta Friends’ Weekend is scheduled for Thursday, April 9, through Monday, April 13, 2026. NCS and CTT alumni, family, and friends save at least 20% on spring rates at Alta Lodge during Alta Friends’ Weekend. Lodging, breakfast, and dinner are included.
1. The group gathers on the deck. We hope you can join us next year!
2. Bonnie Morgan (CTT staff 66–67, 70, 73–74, NCS staff 67–68, 73–89, 02–06), right, and her sister Carolyn Van Sciver enjoy a few moments in the sunshine. 3. The Eng family gathered at Alta Friends’ Weekend for a few days of fun and relaxation. 4. Sally Powell Culverwell (NCS 46–51, staff 60–61, CTT 45–47, parent 77–80, grandparent 12–15, Balanced Rocks Circle), left, and Katie Weaver spent the weekend sharing memories.
5. Sam Morgan (CTT 13, staff 21–present), left, and Pippi Seider (CTT 11–16, staff 21–22) are all hugs and smiles after a morning on the slopes. 6. From left: Todd and Elizabeth Ormiston and Nick Waddington and Bill Waddington get excited to hit the slopes.
& Speak Softly Carry a Big Heart
Remembering Former Treetops
Co-Director Dick Wilde
BY KEN AARON
Camp Treetops staffers often say their goal is to emulate a duck: appear serene and in-command to the campers under their care, while paddling furiously beneath the surface of the water.
Those who worked with Dick Wilde, though, say he had the uncanny ability to make everything seem effortless, even to them.
Dick, who served as co-director of Camp from 1960 to 1982 and was an honorary trustee for Camp and School, died last October at the age of ninety. His love of teaching marked his entire life, as he served as a middle school math teacher in New Jersey for thirty-six years before retiring in 1998.
To Bill Localio (CTT 55–59, parent 91–98, staff 64–19), it seemed Dick could do everything: lead big hiking trips, teach folk dancing, steer the kitchen, reach children having a tough time. He even had a way of handling former Treetops co-director Helen Haskell, whom he called “The Colonel.” One morning, Bill said, Dick and counselor Reggie Gilliam (Trustee 71–77, CTT 55–58, staff 62–67) left campus in a driving rainstorm, taking a group of campers on a long hike. But Helen had left a sign at the bridge, instructing them to bail on account of the weather. “Dick! Did you see that sign?” Reggie asked. “What sign, Reg?” Dick replied, as he sped past it. If Helen needed placating later, Dick took care of it.
Dick’s skill set, Bill said, “seemed unreachable to normal counselors.”
It’s with the campers, though, where he shined the
most. Linda Bernays (CTT 64–65, staff 68–78, parent 94–03) recalled trying to soothe a particularly distraught eleven-year-old in her first summer as a tent counselor. “I was at a loss, but Dick stepped in and walked her around Senior Camp while engaging in conversation about anything that would take her mind off homesickness,” she said. “He did this for much of the first week. Afterwards, he said to me that when he ran out of things to discuss, he would revert to math problems that they would solve together.”
Magical. That’s how people described Dick’s ability to work with children. And their parents, too, for that matter. Once he became co-director, responsible for recruiting families to Camp, another preternatural skill emerged: an ability to remember all kinds of personal information about campers, their pets, their siblings. It was more than a parlor trick, too—as Linda said, those details helped counselors make campers acclimate to their new surroundings.
In addition to his time as a teacher and Camp Treetops stalwart, Dick was a middle school soccer coach and referee, a high school assistant track coach, and seven-time marathon finisher. He also enjoyed traveling with his wife, Sara, who survives him.
“Dick was a leader by example and a terrific role model, both for me and for many others,” Bill Localio said. “Here is how you can be strong and athletic and a mountain man yet still sensitive and compassionate and deeply aware of others. Be like Dick. He both carried forward Helen’s legacy and made it his own. And Treetops has been all the richer for it.”
Dick Wilde’s impact has left a lasting imprint on the Treetops community, much like that of the influential leaders who came before him, including former co-director Helen Haskell (pictured center with Dick and a young camper in the 1970s). He will be remembered for his steady leadership, deep commitment to family and community—including his wife, Sara, pictured with Dick directly above and top and bottom left—and his uncanny ability to help make our mountain home a home for all. Treetops simply wouldn’t be what it is today without him.
NEWS & NOTES
IN MEMORIAM
David William Gierlach
NCS 68
David William Gierlach passed away on January 16, 2025, in a tragic accident in Frankfort, KY. Born in 1954 in Louisville, David attended North Country School, Pomfret, and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where he pursued his lifelong passion for music. A gifted pianist, organist, and beloved music teacher, he shared his talent in classrooms, churches, and private lessons throughout Kentucky. Remembered for his warm humor, kind spirit, and deep compassion, David’s gentle presence will be missed by many.
Shelah Kane Scott passed away on October 25, 2024, in Charlottesville, VA. A former camper and counselor, she inspired two generations of her family to attend Camp Treetops. A passionate educator and lifelong learner, Shelah earned degrees from Barnard and the University of Virginia and taught reading at Venable Elementary School while also tutoring adults. Raised in New York City, she later became a devoted community member, volunteer, and proud grandmother, remembered for her intellect, warmth, and enduring commitment to education, family, and service.
NCS ALUMNI
1971
Tanaquil T. Taubes
NCS 66–71
Immensely enjoyed the 2024
Friends' Weekend. Doing a lot of painting. See my website: taniataubes.com. Made paintings since my visit with the NCS chickens!
1980
Tom Land NCS staff 79–80
Just yesterday I was hauling wood for our woodstove and put on my
NCS barn jacket. Since I still use it, and have had it for 45 years, I thought I'd take a photo to share. We finally have a full week of winter with snow on the ground here in Maryland. It might even stay for a few more days. Hope everyone at North Country School enjoyed a great winter term.
Dimitra Dreyer Dales (formerly Dimitra Eversley)
NCS 75–80, staff 95–98, 13–15, CTT parent 14
Many of you know that I remarried in 2017. I now reside in Red Hook (Dutchess County, not Brooklyn) with my husband Ken Dales. I am working as a student teacher supervisor at SUNY New Paltz (my dream job!). Adeline Blue (formerly Newman) (CTT 14) graduated from the Idyllwild School of the Arts in 2023 and is finishing her sophomore year in the Technical Theatre program at Fordham University. We are sad to announce the passing of my mother, Constance (2015), and my father, Dr. Benard Dreyer (January 2025).
NEWS & NOTES
1995
Josh Rowan
NCS 92–95
We received a letter from John Connell (former faculty member and dean of faculty) with a copy of an article on Josh Rowan who co-owns and has restored a vintage gaff schooner. Read it here: maineboats.com/print/issue-190/ summer-launches
CTT ALUMNI
Nils Morgan
CTT 76–80, parent 12–14
A quick proud dad update: After a year of training and winter climbing in the Whites, and a week after graduation last June, my daughter Annika (CTT 12–14) headed to Talkeetna, Alaska, and summited Denali on July 3, 2024. There were some challenging weather contingencies immediately after their summit, but everyone made it home. Last August, Annika completed her 46 on Whiteface with five counselor campmates. This year, she had a one-year art teaching fellowship at Dartmouth,
Geis (NCS parent 24–present), left, and Matt Ackerman (NCS 92–94) hiking in the Hudson Highlands. 2. Annika Morgan on Denali. 3. From
Lisa Busch (CTT 77–80, parent 08–09, staff), Margie Hunt (CTT 77), Susie Localio (CTT 55–58, staff 65–80, 89–94, grandparent 19, Balanced Rocks Circle), Doug Stanley-Hunt (CTT 79–80, parent 16–19, 21–22), and Mara Frankel Wallace (Trustee 17–Present, CTT 77–80, parent 14–15, Balanced Rocks Circle) recently gathered for a weekend in Port Townsend, WA. They also spent time with Lewis Gordon (CTT staff 72–79, 07, parent 07).
Ken and Dimitra Dreyer Dales
Tom Land
1. Jonathan
left,
NEWS & NOTES
and from June through August, she will be leading mountaineering trips with Adventure Trek in California, Oregon, and Washington. I think there was a partial Idiot trip in 2021 with hints of the origin story.
My niece Cordelia Sireci (CTT 17–21) was on a trip that climbed Allen and bushwhacked to Skylight, which had other mountains in their sights as well. The bushwhack to Skylight had a very lightly supported unintended bivouac pit stop along the way.
Jim Pugh
CTT 62, 64, staff 69–73, 75–81
Jim Pugh self-published his book
More than 46 Stories about Camp Treetops—a Reminiscence in February. Introduced in last summer’s Organic Roots its 150 stories and 100 photos are mostly from the 1960s to the early 1980s. Contact him at jimpugh46@gmail.com if you are interested in obtaining a
& NOTES
copy in hardcover, softcover, or PDF. The hardcover and softcover books are in limited supply.
Nimbe Medina Osorio
CTT 11, 13–15, staff 21–22, 24–present
In late January, Brooke Wise (CTT 12–16, CTT staff 21–23) and Gabriella Parker (CTT 13–15, CTT staff 21–22) came to Mexico City to visit me. We have been friends since our days as campers and have worked together for over two years as counselors. It was a lovely reunion where we caught up on our lives and reminisced about Camp stories. I showed them around the city and introduced them to Mexican culture.
NCS FACULTY/STAFF
Katie Weaver NCS 71–78, parent 05–08, staff 83–84, 15–present, CTT parent 03–08, staff 82–03, 10–15 This April, I was invited to the annual Friends’ Weekend at Alta Lodge. I enjoyed reconnecting with alumni, former teachers, and friends, including Bonnie Morgan (CTT staff 66–67, 70, 73–74, NCS staff 67–68, 73–89, 02–06), Nick Hewitt (Trustee 14–present, NCS 65–70, CTT 64, Balanced Rocks Circle), and Sally Culverwell (NCS 46–51, staff 60–61, CTT 45–47, parent 77–80, grandparent 12–15, Balanced Rocks Circle) for three days of lovely spring skiing, great food, and plenty of reminiscing. This is my last year teaching art at North Country School, and I am looking forward to transitioning into my next chapter of employment with the institution.
1. Jim Pugh’s self-published book, More than 46 Stories about Camp Treetops—a Reminiscence 2. CTT alum Nimbe Medina Osorio with Brook Wise and Gabriella Parker in Mexico City. 3. A colorful lineup of NCS and CTT alums during Alta Friends’ Weekend.
From top: Former NCS faculty members Susie and Ben Runyon (also NCS parent 03–12, CTT parent 02–09) with Yves Jean (NCS 84–89) in Pittsburgh. David Ji (NCS 15–20), far left, and Evan Zhao (NCS 19–20), far right, stopped by NCS for a visit with current NCS faculty Sierra Grennan (front), Larry Robjent (left), and Josh Briggeman (right).
WEDDINGS + BABIES
Katie Culpepper
CTT 92–99, staff 02–09, 11–14, 19, NCS staff 08–10, 11–17 and Greg Katz (CTT 00–01, staff 05–12, NCS staff 08–09, 12) welcomed a baby boy into their family. Osier Charles Katz was born on March 15, 2024. Rowan loves being a big sister and, of course, John and Karen (Culpepper) are thrilled to be grandparents to their first grandson.
Brigit Loud
NCS 91–96, CTT 90–96, staff 11–14, 17
Bennett Roger Loud was born in September 2024, welcomed by Brigit Loud and the best big brother, Bodie.
Bennett spends his days playing with his GG, Pat Loud (NCS parent 70–94, CTT parent 71–95), and dreaming of climbing all the mountains in his grandfather’s footsteps.
Rachel Schwerin
CTT 99–03, staff 08
Rachel Schwerin and Jay Lurie welcomed baby Ezra Dorian Lurie on October 11, 2024. It's been a joyful first few months. They're looking forward to seeing who will be in Ezra’s first tent when he gets to Junior Camp.
Bella Tait
CTT 02, staff 13, 15–18
We got married! Florian Koralambe (CTT staff 15–18) and
I went to Stockport town hall, a lovely town hall just outside Manchester, England, with two friends on a bright, crisp winter morning. We met some friends and family at the pub to celebrate. We are having a big party in the summer, in North Wales, surrounded by more friends, family, and sheep!
David Stewart NCS 94, CTT 95–96
David and his wife, René Yang, welcomed Alexandra Rae Stewart on June 12, 2025. David said, "Alex has been the most easygoing of our kids for her first couple days; let's hope this bodes well for the next eighteen years!"
CROSSING PATHS
Where have you run into a fellow NCS or CTT community member?
Maybe it was on a subway platform, at a sheep-shearing demo, halfway up a mountain, or serving on a climate justice panel. However unexpected, we want to hear your best “Treetops/NCS in the wild” encounters—or any life updates you’d like to share. Wildest run-in wins some maple syrup!
Scan the QR code to tell us your story or submit news for the Summer 2026 issue of Organic Roots, or email alumni@ncstreetops.org.
1. Greg Katz, Rowan Katz, Katie Culpepper, and Osier Charles Katz. 2. Bodie and Bennett Roger Loud. 3. Ezra Dorian Lurie. 4. Bella Tait and Florian Koralambe
Help Our Farm & Garden Program Grow
Share your Input. Cultivate the Future.
As part of our strategic plan, Growing Evergreen, we’re taking a thoughtful look at the core program areas that define the North Country School & Camp Treetops experience, across the arts, farm and garden, and the outdoors.
Our farm and garden evaluation is currently underway, and we want to hear from you! Whether you’re a former camper, student, staff member, or family member, your stories and insights are invaluable.
Did your time here plant a seed? If you answer yes to any of these questions, we’d love to hear from you:
✽ Did meals at Camp or School shape the way you eat or think about food?
✽ Do you garden, compost, raise animals, or grow your own food today?
✽ Have you seen farm and garden programs elsewhere that could inspire our next chapter?
To share your story or participate in the evaluation process, contact: Emily Eisman, director of strategic initiatives, eeisman@ncstreetops.org or 518.837.5450
BRANCH OUT WITH CANOPY
A New Mentorship Program for Camp Counselors
CANOPY—short for Counselor and Alumni Networking and Outreach Project—is a mentorship initiative designed to bridge the gap between the enriching experience of Camp Treetops and the professional development opportunities of college-aged counselors.
Launching this summer, CANOPY connects counselors with alumni mentors from our broader community across a range of fields, fostering career connections and pathways.
Want to get involved as a mentor or supporter? Contact Amy Ludlow at aludlow@ncstreetops.org or 518.523.9329
The world needs more…
And we need you!
Your support of the Annual Fund ensures that the Camp and School experience continues to shape the lives of students and campers—today and for generations to come.
Scan the QR code or visit: camptreetops.org/giving northcountryschool.org/giving Will you join us by making a gift today?
If you have already made your gift this year, thank you! Want to explore the different ways you can give back? Contact Reed Curry, director of strategic donor engagement, rcurry@ncstreetops.org or 518.523.9329, ext. 5407
