Organic Roots Winter 2024

WINTER 2024

A Publication of North Country School and Camp Treetops

Sharing the Lift

Editorial Director Stanzi Bliss Editor Ken Aaron Layout & Design Kelly Hofschneider Illustrations Gavi Mallory Contributors Ken Aaron Stanzi Bliss Christie Borden Reiley Burwell Hannah Edwards Emily Eisman Becca Miller Todd Ormiston Matthew P. Smith Photographers Nancie Battaglia Stanzi Bliss Erica Burns Reiley Burwell John Eldridge Sierra Grennan Becca Miller Nikki Todd, Visions West Contemporary Masthead Gail Brill Designs Printing Print Management Pittsburgh, PA

Cover: Yehor Shudrenko (CTT 22, NCS 23) carrying the load from potato harvest. This signature fall event is the culmination of a year-round community-wide effort between North Country School and Camp Treetops.

Right: Autumn's golden hues provide a dramatic backdrop to our view from campus and the Teaching and Learning Kitchen (TLK).

Contact: communications@ncstreetops.org northcountryschool.org camptreetops.org

WINTER 2024

LEADING THOUGHTS

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From Todd Ormiston Executive Director From Matthew P. Smith Director of School

FEATURES 12 Food for Thoughtfulness Cultivating Community

13 Creating Space for Connection Walk a Mile

14 The Warmth of Home Dig Deep, Keep Growing

CAMPUS INITIATIVES 4

Visionary Values

18 Alchemy & Odyssey Stay Curious

20 Greener Pastures Our Planet, Our Job

NCS & TREETOPS TODAY

OUR FRIENDS & FAMILY

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26 Remembering Joan Kaplan Davidson

This Week at NCS

10 Camp Lookback 17 Recipe from the Children’s Garden

22 Friends' Weekend 24 NCS Class of 2013 Reunion

& Patricia Kramon Pincus

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IMPACT REPORT

LEADING THOUGHTS

TELL THEW A growth mindset. It’s what we ask of our campers and students every day. “Try this stalk of rhubarb.” “Work on passing your clothesliners.” “Write a haiku about our sugarbush.” “Learn how to pick a horse’s hoof.” Without curiosity, courage, and resilience, our children would only experience a fraction of what Camp and School offer. Reaching outside of our comfort zones is essential to growth and exploration. It’s foundational to who we are.

From the beginning, our bold founders recognized that how and why you take on a challenge can be far more compelling than the outcome. With a growth mindset, we have continued to ask those questions of ourselves throughout our latest strategic planning process. The resulting plan has been thoughtfully developed to guide our thinking about why we matter to our children, our community, and the world.

Much like the detailed preparation that goes into a multi-day hike, we are currently working on mapping our route toward the destinations and outcomes we aspire to reach. We’ve tapped 50 members from our community to create this implementation plan; together, they represent a broad swath of the Camp and School experience. They’ve split into working groups focused on moving our three strategic commitment areas forward: Program, People, and Purpose. Here’s a glimpse into that work in action:

TODD ORMISTON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Program: We are committed to continuing to deliver exceptional programs guided by our unique educational philosophy. The timeless tenets of our program have yielded foundational experiences for generations of children.

Our outdoor program, in particular, has been a cornerstone of our identity.

In recent years, we saw a need to commit greater resources to this program, including time, gear, and leadership. Our first initiative included the establishment of the Outdoor Leadership Program (ODL) to teach North Country School students the skills and knowledge required to become stewards of wild places and experts and leaders in the outdoors. The program has grown in size and complexity, with multi-day overnights in the fall, winter, and spring, and opportunities to plan and lead day trips. We are already building on this momentum to further transform our year-round outdoor program here in the heart of the High Peaks wilderness.

People: We are committed to strengthening our community and investing in our team of educators and adults. Every day I am impressed by the professionalism and commitment of my colleagues. Their dedication to children at Camp and School is remarkable. In order to retain and attract these high-caliber people, we need to make sure we take care of them. Like many mountain towns, we have been affected by skyrocketing real estate prices. And as Camp and School have grown, so have the housing needs of our staff and faculty. In response, we recently added a new faculty apartment to Mountain House. And we recently broke ground on Culpepper Cabin, new housing for counselors that will be completed by the start of Camp next year.

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RLD

Purpose: We are committed to expanding our reach and establishing ourselves as thought leaders in teaching and learning for children in the middle years. Transformational moments happen every day at Camp and School. I hear about these in the countless stories people share with me from their own time here, and how their experiences are foundational to who they are. What if we could amplify these experiences to make an even greater impact in the world? Our third commitment, to purpose, represents a pledge to broaden our reach and engage with more like-minded organizations, both on and off campus, and to make the world a better place. We’re working hard to share our powerful stories with the world: Stories about our unique experiential approach to education. Stories highlighting collaborations with other schools and organizations at Rock-E House. And stories with global impact, such as our commitment to bring Yehor to Camp and School from Ukraine in spring 2022 (read it on page 14).

Along with questions about the specifics of how we’re making our plan a reality, the question I receive most is: “How can I help?” We have sought to engage our passionate community in planning for the future of Camp and School in many ways. And we see your commitment to that future at work every day.

But our future also depends on you helping us to spread the word about Camp and School. Let people know that our values-based approach to experiential education is exactly what our world needs right now. You’ve learned what it means to be a member of this community. Go use your experience to propagate our values beyond our 220 acres in the Adirondacks in your own communities. Share our stories. Share your story.

Every day, we ask our children to show up and challenge themselves—to do hard things with a growth mindset. Let’s continue to show them that we can do the same. Fulfilling these commitments will demand resources, and we’ll let you know when, and how, you can help.

We are poised to amplify the position of Camp and School in the world. I hope you are as excited as I am for the future of Camp Treetops and North Country School.

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Visionary

Values REFLECTIONS FROM NORTH COUNTRY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Our latest strategic plan stays true to our core tenets while redefining them for the world we live in today. The heart of that document is centered on a set of refreshed values that represent the ethos of North Country School and Camp Treetops. These beliefs empower individuals in our community to live, work, and grow together in the modern world.

You’ll read about these values in the following pages— but first, we asked a group of North Country School sixth graders to reflect on them during a writing exercise with English teacher Jean Hoins (CTT 66, NCS 67–70, NCS staff 23–present). Here’s what they said.➔

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Cultivate Community

We believe in the inherent value and contributions of every person, and in fostering connections to build and nurture a strong, inclusive community.

“We work hard to open our minds and learn from our mistakes. We are always there for each other. We help each other through the highs and the lows. We don't only help each other. We help our community with work jobs that everyone contributes to—whether you’re on compost or helping clean up the art rooms.

Teachers want you to thrive and be confident in what you think. They want you to be able to speak your mind and they push you to do better and to try new things.”

—Claire, Grade 6

WALk A MILE

We believe that understanding and honoring every person’s unique worldview, experiences, and challenges is at the root of empathy and compassion.

“When I first came here, I felt like I was the odd one out and everyone was looking at me weird because I was the new kid, but there were a couple of people who made me feel like I could be the odd one out and not be left behind. NCS teaches you to not judge a book by its cover or a person by their words; to be a friend and always give empathy to those who need it. Here I’ve learned that if you think that someone doesn't deserve your empathy, walk a mile in their shoes before you make your decision. Really think before you act—it makes a difference.”

—Eleanor, Grade 6

DIG DEEP, KEEP GROWING

We believe that by setting ambitious goals, working hard, and persevering, we build strength and character and set a course for lives of growth, purpose, and fulfillment.

“This year, the hardest thing I’ve tried so far was my first level two hike up Noonmark Mountain. At the end, pie was the reward for hiking this incredible mountain. I figured out how much perseverance I had to hike and how beautiful the trail and surroundings were. After hiking steep, flat, technical terrain, we reached a river crossing. It was loud and strong, surrounded with lichen and moss. Then we went ... to

the steep part. We were tired, but we kept going. The terrain was not as menacing as I thought it would be.

We made it to the top where it was cold and snowing hard. The pie wasn’t good, but I made it. I'm going to build even more perseverance during my next trip to Hurricane Mountain.”

—Kingston, Grade 6

STAY CUriOUS

We believe in the power of creativity and wonder. We believe that curiosity about ourselves, other people, and the world around us leads to growth, innovation, and sometimes unconventional ideas.

“One of the reasons I was excited to come to North Country School was because I would be able to ride a horse for the first time in my life. I had always wanted to ride a horse. I rode Fern. She is a beautiful, white-coated, white-maned, white-tailed horse. I put on Fern’s bridle to bring her outside and Jean helped me get mounted on Fern. At first, it was really hard and I was getting annoyed. It was very challenging, but eventually I got it. Here at North Country School we have many opportunities for the whole community to do things together. This teaches all of the children to be open-minded and to try new things.”

—Mata, Grade 6

OUR PLANET, OUR JOB

We believe in individual and collective responsibility for our planet, and in leading by example as a community that works to respect, protect, and restore the natural world.

“Compost is one of the worst jobs you could possibly get. When you are on compost you clean up after everyone's uneaten food. This job has taught our community to waste less and learn how to try food in small portions to figure out if you enjoy the meal.

This has shaped the way I see the world. How little water we have on our whole planet for at least eight billion people. How much food we waste a day—did you know that America wastes 330 million pounds of food a day? When you go to compost you think, ’Why do I have to do this?’ but then you think about how many people in the world are struggling to eat.

You feel grateful and exasperated, you just want to do more for the community and for the world.”

—Riiley, Grade 6

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a f o IT

A R T R E O T P A U D A GR MITH EW P. S L MATTH SCHOO OR OF DIRECT

What does the portrait of a North Country School graduate look like?

If you ask most of our community members, they might offer that our students are rugged, resourceful, and resilient—the three “Rs” that have come to define our graduates since we were founded in 1938. These characteristics reflect our progressive, place-based educational tradition rooted in the Adirondack mountains.

Today’s faculty might describe that "portrait of a graduate” as a multidimensional, engaged, willingto-try-anything-once adolescent, the kind of student

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who goes on to impact the world around them by living out the values instilled in them during their time on our campus.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of faculty and staff in guiding this outcome. One of the great advantages of an independent school environment is that our teachers have the intellectual freedom and creative license to teach outside the box. On any given day, faculty members teach students how to pack supplies for overnight trips, empower them to develop a climate action plan for our campus, and guide them as they develop original scripts or design and run lighting for a performance in the WallyPAC.

Over time, NCS students come to understand the balance of work and play, as well as the value of community and embracing opportunities to move the organization forward. They become selfless hard workers who take pride in their home away from home.

“Over time, NCS students come to understand the balance of work and play, as well as the value of community and embracing opportunities to move the organization forward. They become selfless hard workers who take pride in their home away from home.”

Our time-tested program plays a vital role, also.

A day in the life of a typical NCS student reflects rhythms that are tied to our unique seasonal traditions and provides children with the structures they need to thrive well beyond North Country School.

The routine of everyday life gives students reliable structures and predictable patterns that enhance trust, efficacy, and cohesion. Over time, they learn how to put the community before the individual.

Here’s my favorite example of program in action: During lunch each day, students sign up for afternoon out time. Everyone, from our spritely 4th and 5th graders to our oldest 9th graders, has the chance to choose between whimsical favorites like gaga ball, capture the flag, and "Hunger Games," or opt into community-oriented activities like clearing brush from the ski hill, stacking wood for the houses, or musical mucking in the barn.

Woven into the student experience are our signature programs. Our signature programs engage students on the stage, trails, ski hill and in our art studios, farm and garden, Teaching and Learning Kitchen, and riding ring.

Through our signature programs, students are exposed to an enormous variety of learning opportunities that engage their minds and bodies in adventure, creation, performance, and production. This breadth of opportunity and engagement is what sets our graduates apart.

To ensure consistency for graduate outcomes, this year we are developing a framework for faculty support, goal-setting, and professional development to streamline the student learning experience. We want to ensure that our teachers feel supported, empowered, and ready to help students learn, grow, and thrive. The ultimate goal is to define a cyclical process of self-study that will guide the perpetual use and improvement of our outcomes. This is but a starter kit—a framework for how to think about codifying, challenging, and refreshing a school’s strengths over time. And always with that portrait of a North Country School student and graduate in mind.

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THIS WEEK AT NCS

Something memorable happens every day at North Country School, and staff writer and photographer Becca Miller captures those moments in our “This Week at NCS” newsletter. In this roundup, we share highlights from this academic year to date—the traditions that live on, the events that capture hearts and minds year after year, and the stories that resonate long after students graduate.

Read more at northcountryschool.org/ ThisWeekatNCS or email communications@ ncstreetops.org to receive our weekly email newsletter every Friday during the school year.

New Perspectives | Sept. 22 The first full week of academic classes was devoted to building foundational knowledge. In 6th-grade Photography Class, students learned how light travels in straight lines to project an image into a camera by looking at one of the earliest versions of image technology, the 4×5 camera. After an introduction by photography teacher Sierra, the class took turns putting a dark cloth over their heads and viewing an upside-down mirror image of their peers on the camera’s ground glass. The students will apply this understanding of optics and image projection as they make photograms and use digital cameras throughout the year.

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Potato Harvest | Sept. 29 Many hands make light work. This is never more evident than during all-community farm activities, including one of our favorite fall traditions, Potato Harvest. Last May we gathered in Dexter Pasture to plant our annual potato crop, which grew into plants that were tended to over the summer by Camp Treetops campers. During this year’s harvest, students, faculty, and staff harvested more than 760 pounds of mature tubers in a little over an hour! We are excited to eat the delicious potatoes in meals we'll prepare and enjoy in our dining room, Teaching and Learning Kitchen, and residential houses throughout the year.

Hands-On Learning | Oct. 6 Experiential education recognizes that everyone learns differently, and that inviting students to actively participate in their education not only captures and keeps their attention but also kindles excitement and curiosity. As part of their fall term unit on ecosystems and ecology in the Adirondack Park, our 8th-grade

campus, where they embark on epic quests and battles.

Both students and teachers don ornate costumes and choose affiliations of good or evil in this daylong adventure through the woods, taking on mystical challenges and solving riddles together. It is a day filled with teamwork, imagination, and, most of all, play.

Understanding the Cycle of Life | Oct. 20 Environmental Science students examined barn owl pellets, the indigestible parts of prey that owls regurgitate after eating. After studying the bones and feathers they discovered inside the pellets, the class constructed models of the owls’ food webs, which show the connecting chains of food within a single ecosystem.

The Power of Play | Oct. 13 WARP (wilderness action role-play), our all-school fantasy role play, is arguably the most whimsical event of the year. Modeled after LARP (live action role-play), this long-held tradition transports our students to the WARP. This magical land is set on our 220-acre mountain

During our annual Chicken Harvest, students participate to whatever extent they feel comfortable.

They can help to carry birds, pluck feathers from already-harvested birds, weigh fully cleaned and ready-for-the-freezer chicken, or harvest vegetables in our gardens. Faculty and farmers participate alongside our students, helping them with their jobs while engaging in thoughtful conversations about the process and the many choices that we make in order to feed our community. It is both a difficult and moving day, and one that is imbued with gratitude for the animals that become our food, as well as appreciation for the people who work on farms all around the world and do this important work each day.

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Summer at our Treetops Home

Camp

Lookback:

Throughout the summer, Camp Director Hannah Edwards crafts weekly entries for the “Camp Journal.” These provide a glimpse into a Treetops summer: The rhythms and century-old routines of Camp life as well as the “Idiot Trips” and other moments that foster ruggedness, resiliency, and resourcefulness among our campers. Read these snapshots from summer 2023 and find more at camptreetops.org/ camp-journal

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Week 1 | The Rhythm of Camp It’s hard to believe our campers arrived just one week ago! It was wonderful to watch old friends reconnect and new bonds begin to form. The weather held off long enough for campers to unpack and settle in; later that evening, we were greeted with thundershowers and the fresh air that followed.

Campers new and old drifted to sleep to the soothing sounds of raindrops falling on tent canvas—a simple and treasured Treetops experience.

Week 2 | Finding a Place in Community Treetops is beginning to feel more like home for our campers. Whether racing barefoot on toughened soles or confidently singing Camp songs at council, our campers are finding their places within the community. We set the stage for children to find the spaces they love, and then encourage them to dig in. Every day they build on their relationships,

skills, and confidence to try new things and challenge themselves a little more.

Week 3 | The Treetops Way of Life Our campers continue to gain confidence as they raise their hands for new activities and adventurous off-campus trips, and forge tighter bonds of friendship. They made their willingness to help one another clear while setting tables, braiding friendship bracelets, making pasta from scratch in the Teaching and Learning Kitchen, or picking a horse’s hoof. Our Camp community is taking shape before

our eyes, creating a solid foundation upon which our campers can build new skills and take on even more challenges.

table: fresh garlic in our vinaigrette, baby lettuce in our garden-fresh salads, and ripe sliced tomatoes for sandwiches. We value this element of our program—the meaningful work and the small and mighty contributions we each make to the larger community.

Week 5 | The Gifts of a Treetops Summer

Week 4 | Many Hands Make Light Work Campers worked alongside each other during Community Day to take care of and give back to our beautiful mountain home. Some cleared brush and grasses along the pasture and trails in the Dexter Triangle. Others worked in the garden to harvest a bumper crop of garlic, mulch the beloved rhubarb patch, and weed the prolific edible weeds. We’ll see the results of their valuable work on the dining

their tentmates and tent counselor, each camper’s community includes their tablemates and tablehead, swim class and instructor, trip group and trip leaders, favorite shop counselor or riding instructor, and many other peers and caring adults. Each grouping provides an opportunity for a shared experience, common ground, and the basis of a strong relationship.

It was wonderful to see so many of you at Visitors' Weekend, lifting your voices in song at morning council, joining campers in a game of frisbee, and learning to throw a bowl on the pottery wheel. So many parents I spoke with remarked on the newfound confidence they saw in their children, who proudly showed off their crafts and introduced their new best friends or favorite horse.

These qualities of self-assurance and pride in place are just some of the many gifts of a Treetops summer.

Week 7 | Summer Comes to an End

Week 6 | The Beautiful Fabric of Treetops One of the most treasured elements of Camp is the complex and intricate weave that comprises the fabric of our community. Beyond

As we approach the last day of Camp, the first leaves have yellowed and fallen to the ground and the sun dips below the horizon earlier in the evening. As fall gets nearer, we celebrate the summer we’ve shared and the myriad ways we have grown: the friendships we’ve built, the skills we’ve learned and honed, the contributions we’ve made to our Treetops community. A Treetops summer is a gift of time and space for children to build lifelong friendships, connect with their natural environment, unplug from the demands of the digital world, and (safely) stretch themselves a little more than they thought possible. On behalf of all of our Camp staff, we sincerely thank you for sharing your children with us this summer.

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Cultivating Community

Food for thoughtfulness Sometimes, giving back happens one bite at a time.

This summer, Camp Treetops campers continued the longstanding tradition affectionately known as “fund lunch.” At the start of each week, campers ate meals centered around the theme of Meatless Mondays that contained ingredients primarily from our farm and utilized other perishable items and leftovers from previous meals. The savings of these conscious actions yielded thousands of dollars in donations to nonprofit organizations in the Adirondacks and beyond.

The campers’ effort—to achieve something bigger than themselves—is a value we call cultivating community. A lot goes into fund lunch: Every summer, campers band together to create a Fund Committee, research potential organizations to support, and present those possibilities to the larger Camp community. Ultimately, all of Treetops votes which groups to support.

This year, senior campers selected Sea Shepherd, an organization that protects and conserves the world’s oceans and marine wildlife. Junior campers opted to give closer to home with a donation to Adirondack Foundation, an organization that ​​enhances the lives of

people in the Adirondacks through philanthropy. The savings from those lighter meals added up: The organizations selected this year received $1,500 apiece.

Sea Shepherd and Adirondack Foundation joined a long line of organizations that have received a small donation from Treetops campers. (Treetops alumnus and actor Kevin Bacon [CTT 67–71] successfully advocated for a donation to The Black Panthers back in the 1970s.)

And while the money is important, the lesson our campers learn—to work together while making connections with the world around them—is just as enduring.

I’ve spent most of my career putting into practice the philanthropic values I learned at NCS. I’m especially gratified that the junior campers chose to support Adirondack Foundation—a gift that will improve the lives of our neighbors and strengthen our local communities.

—CALI BROOKS, (NCS 81–85, STAFF 90–94,

CTT STAFF 94, BALANCED ROCKS CIRCLE MEMBER), PRESIDENT AND CEO, ADIRONDACK FOUNDATION In recognition of that, this year, we ramped up our focus on giving back with an entire slate of activities to kick off each week. These “Community Monday” efforts included community-wide work projects in the Farm & Garden, reducing our carbon footprint by taking off-campus trips on foot, and enjoying those meatless meals. We plan to do even more in the future.

Through these actions, campers learn to advocate for causes they care about and see how their efforts on an individual and communal level can create positive change in our larger communities, both locally and globally.

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Walk a Mile

Creating Space for Connection Almost 200 years ago, the very land where the Haskells and Clarks established our own experiment in progressive education was the site of another similarly daring venture: One in which radical abolitionist Gerrit Smith gave 120,000 acres of land to 3,000 Black New Yorkers in an effort to defy restrictive state voting laws.

That “scheme of justice,” as Smith called it, was known as Timbuctoo.

This summer, North Country School Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Yunga Webb and Director of Teaching and Learning for the Lower School Caroline Hlavacek-Perry spent two days at the Timbuctoo Teacher Institute where they learned how this chapter of local history tied into our John Brown Lives! offered these devoted and deserving teachers an increnational legacy of slavery. dible experience at the Timbuctoo Teacher Institute. "The idyllic lodging The training was led by John Brown at Rock-E House replenished and revitalized our participants and our preLives! (JBL!), a local organization senters alike," said event organizer Amy Robinson. Photo: Adam Robinson / dedicated to freedom, human rights, John Brown Lives! and climate justice, and its Hands-on right up the road and we can use our local resources in History project at John Brown Farm in Lake Placid. That this way through a partnership with John Brown Lives!” initiative is part of The 1619 Project, a nationwide effort Looking forward, Yunga says a partnership with JBL! to show educators how the story of slavery in the Unitis just getting started. In addition to offering Rock-E ed States was experienced in their own communities— House again as a space where future Teacher Institute experiences that, too often, have gone unrecognized. attendees can stay and gather, we are exploring other For Smith, the land giveaway was an act of defiance ways that we can work together and remain dedicated in response to a state law requiring African-American to bringing North Country School students and Camp men to own $250 worth of property in order to vote.

Treetops campers to John Brown Farm as part of the By empowering so many black voters, he hoped to Hands-On History project. abolish slavery across the country.

We owe it to former occupants of this land to con“All of us who attended the Teacher Institute bentinue the work of educating others in a way that will efited from having the time and space to develop a help future generations understand varying perspeccurriculum that can allow students to truly walk in the tives of our history—from that of Black landowners shoes of and reflect on the experiences of those who who benefitted from Smith’s land grants to the Indigecame before them here in the Adirondacks,” Yunga nous peoples who came before us all. says. “I feel lucky to be in a place where this history is

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Dig Deep, Keep Growing

THE WARMTH OF HOME Patterns aren’t just a defining feature of mathematics. In some ways, they're the basis of it. One could go as far as to say they are the basis for life, too—a foundation that children develop from their first days as they begin to understand the world around them and how it works.

For Yehor Shudrenko (CTT 22, NCS 23), the patterns of math became more than just a way of understanding throughout his life. They became his passion. ”My math journey began as a young kid. My grandmother was a math teacher and tutor,” he says, attributing his love of the subject to her. ”It’s similar to the real world. People spend years trying to figure out the questions of the universe—sometimes, you spend years without getting a final solution to a theorem. But you still develop abilities that will help you solve future problems and become a better version of yourself. It’s why I love math.”

The sureness and predictability of math were anchors that Yehor could, and needed, to hold on to when he arrived at North Country School in the spring of 2022.

BY STANZI BLISS

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Originally from Ukraine, Yehor is one of 6.2 million Ukrainian refugees displaced as a result of the Russia-Ukraine War. Of those refugees, 30 to 50 percent are children. On the first day of the war, Yehor, then 14, was doing his homework—as he does every morning—when he heard rockets falling from the sky in his hometown Kharkiv. For the next two months, the patterns of Yehor’s life were thrown askew: his school destroyed, his safety at stake, and his future in jeopardy.

Yehor was forced to flee his home, as was his oldest brother, Dan, and the rest of his family. As a combat-eligible male, Dan was at first unable to leave Ukraine, but had secured a spot at a college in the U.S. In other words, he had a way out—and he knew he had to get Yehor out, too.

So he reached out to American junior boarding schools with a plea to accept Yehor. In his initial email to Director of Admission Bill Newman, he wrote: “Yehor doesn’t have any possibility to study normally, as his school is closed, and he doesn’t even know whether it has been destroyed.

Awakened by air raid sirens several times during the night,

Dig Deep, Keep Growing

“The magic of Camp Treetops made me forget about the war for two months…”

Opposite: Beaming with pride in front of the Ukranian flag. Clockwise from above: Yehor's year on campus opened the door to new perspectives, bonds of friendship, and skills. With Barn Manager Erica Burns, he gained a newfound respect for animals and the natural world. With friends, including classmate Joseph (NCS 23), he gained a sense of home and community. And through hands-on learning experiences such as welding in Design and Build class, he developed new passions and interests.

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Dig Deep, Keep Growing Yehor still tries to keep a smile on his face, as all my family does, to stay motivated and support Ukraine.”

North Country School and Camp Treetops answered Dan’s call for help and things happened quickly from there.

Yehor completed his initial interview from a train station in Kharkiv, which “went surprisingly well, considering my younger brother barely spoke English,” Dan recalls. Yehor was accepted two days later and by Friday of the same week, had a visa interview scheduled at a humanitarian refugee camp in Slovakia, where he and his mother traveled shortly after. His visa was approved and he caught a flight from Vienna to Boston, where Bill picked him up before driving back to Lake Placid.

When Yehor arrived on campus, it had been just over three weeks since Dan had first reached out to Bill.

Thousands of miles away from his family, Yehor at first was a stranger in a strange land. He spoke almost no English and recalls not understanding anything his houseparent, faculty member Max Goldberg, was saying to him.

“Max started talking to me about COVID tests and masks, but I didn’t understand anything,” Yehor says, looking back.

While the language barrier was at first an obstacle, numbers didn’t let him down. Garth Cilley (NCS 98–00), Yehor’s advisor and Pre-Calculus teacher, recalls Yehor jumping into his class that spring: “He was moving 10,000 miles an hour, so excited by the content, writing equations on the board, but using different Greek letters than we used and speaking in Ukranian. Things were getting lost in translation, but his passion was there.”

The hurdles of those initial months on campus soon subsided thanks to the openness of the campus community, he says. “When I first arrived at North Country School, every single person was welcoming to me. It was because of the way the community works at NCS. It’s a small, tight community where everybody tries to help each other.”

That support came on campus and off. After the 2022 school year ended, just two months after he arrived, the Kobe family in Lake Placid, as well as local Ukrainian expat Dmitry Feld and his family, both stepped in to support Yehor. And in the summer, Yehor had the chance to attend Camp Treetops.

“The magic of Camp Treetops made me forget about the war for two months,” he says. Free from the pull of technology, Yehor’s supportive community grew to include fellow campers, counselors, and even animals. “It taught me a lot of life lessons, especially how to treat animals,” a quality he attributes to his time with Barn Manager Erica Burns.

That sense of peace he gained at Camp carried through to the academic year—and as he deepened his place in the community, always with a smile, a sense of humor, and an approachability well beyond his years, a 16 ORGANIC ROOTS I WINTER 2024

A summer at Treetops provided not only freedom from the war in Ukraine for Yehor, but freedom to simply be—and a bit of fun, too.

sense of normalcy returned, too.

When asked for a favorite memory from his time on campus, Yehor recalls the moment when he felt a return of the warmth of home, something he hadn't felt in months.

“My friends and I were sitting outside of Clark House, talking, singing, and enjoying the weather,” he recalls. “I couldn’t remember having this feeling since the start of the war. NCS is a magical place that gave me the opportunity to feel at home again.”

This summer, Yehor was able to go back to his home in Ukraine to reunite with his mother, father, five-year-old brother, family, and friends—his first time seeing them in a year. Though the situation there is much better than it was when he left, he acknowledges that the war has been devastating.

“Violence is never the answer,” he says. “Humans are the smartest creatures in the world, but they do awful stuff. We live in the 21st century and still fight for land and kill each other. Many people died in the war and others became disabled.” He encourages anybody interested in helping to make a donation in support of Ukrainian war victims and refugees.

Today, Yehor continues his studies at The Master’s School. He’s also enrolled in MIT Primes, one of the nation’s most prestigious and competitive programs for high school students who have “demonstrated extraordinary mathematical ability.”

Looking back, the values Yehor says he took from his year at Camp and School—ideology around food and animals, the importance of nature, simplicity and kindness—are no different than the ones we try to imbue among all our students. As powerful as Yehor’s story is, his time at Camp and School placed him on a trajectory he shares with countless other graduates.

“The people who come to our beautiful campus are unique, they are not like anybody else,” Yehor says. “It really was the best year of my life.”

RECIPE FROM THE

CHILDREN’S GARDEN Spicy Stir-Fried Potatoes RECIPE BY BECCA MILLER For generations, students, campers, faculty, counselors, and staff have come to North Country School and Camp Treetops from across the globe. But as far as people travel to get here, familiar foods can make them feel a bit closer to home, while also bringing a taste of their home to our community.

Throughout the year, our chefs prepare creative menus that are enjoyed by members of our community in our dining rooms and include dishes that honor specific backgrounds, nationalities, and celebrations. At School, this is also incorporated into Wednesday Homenight dinners cooked in our residential houses and during Edible Schoolyard lessons that take place in our Teaching and Learning Kitchen (TLK), a shared space utilized by Treetops campers in the summertime.

This past year, NCS Edible Schoolyard classes used some of the potatoes, garlic, hot peppers, and ginger grown on our own campus farm and stored throughout the winter to whip up a tasty dish adapted from a Chinese recipe. The students in the small class represented more than five different countries including China, and the spicy potatoes were a hit with everyone.

and the spicy heat is a particularly nice addition to a hearty cold-weather meal.

Spicy Stir-Fried Potatoes with Garlic and Ginger (Adapted from The Woks of Life Sichuan Stir-Fried Potatoes, thewoksoflife.com) Ingredients: 1½ pounds thin-skinned potatoes, cut into matchstick-size pieces (peel potatoes first if desired) ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns 1 head of garlic, minced 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper 2 fresh hot peppers (select variety based on your spice preference and tolerance), minced 1½ tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon white sugar or maple syrup 2 tablespoons sesame oil 1 tablespoon white vinegar A handful of chopped chives or scallions A 1-inch long piece of fresh ginger, finely grated Salt to taste

Instructions: 1) Soak the potato pieces in very cold water for 15 minutes and drain. Repeat until the water runs clear. Allow the potatoes to dry on a towel.

2) Heat the vegetable oil on high in a wok or heavy skillet. Once hot, toss the peppercorns in and stir constantly until fragrant, making sure they don’t burn. This should take a few minutes. Remove the peppercorns from the oil and either discard or allow to dry out and save for later use in a different dish.

3) Lower the heat to medium-high and add the rest of the ingredients to the hot vegetable oil. Cook, stirring frequently for a few minutes. Add in ¼ cup of water and cover the pan for 3–5 more minutes, allowing the potatoes to steam through.

4) Uncover and taste a few pieces of potato, making sure they are cooked all the way through. If they need more time, cover again, adding a bit more water if necessary. Once the potatoes are cooked through, uncover and cook for a few more minutes. Continue to stir frequently to boil off the rest of the water.

5) Add salt to taste and serve topped with chopped chives or scallions.

This recipe is a versatile vegetable side dish that can be enjoyed throughout the year, CAMPTREETOPS.ORG I NORTHCOUNTRYSCHOOL.ORG

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Stay Curious

Nikki and her husband, Jeb, at Visions West Contemporary in Denver.

Alchemy Odyssey

BY STANZI BLISS

For Nikki Righter Todd (NCS 80–83), North Country School felt like the right fit from the start. “I had lots of animals growing up,” she says. “North Country School was like home, but with more animals—and kids! It was a dream for me. It was a profound experience to have been there. It changed my life.”

Because it was at North Country School, in the glow of the darkroom safelight, where the trajectory

18 ORGANIC ROOTS I WINTER 2024

of her life was forever impacted.

“The darkroom was magic,” says Nikki, who credits teacher Bonnie Morgan (NCS staff 67–06, parent 91–95, CTT staff 74, parent 89–95) with sparking her love of photography. “It was alchemy in that room in the basement. Learning about composition and all the ways you could photograph things taught me how to look at and see things differently. That always stuck with me.”

Stay Curious Nikki carried that perspective with her throughout her life as a photographer and later as a gallerist. Today, she and her husband, Jeb Todd, own Visions West Contemporary, three galleries in Colorado and Montana where the contemporary Western artists she curates deliver an experience reflective of that different way of seeing the world that North Country School instilled in her.

Before the gallery was even an idea, Nikki pursued her passion for photography at Montana State University. She experimented with composition and chemicals in a way that brought an almost mystical quality to the animals she depicted in her art, a reflection of her reverence for nature.

As she was trying to get her photography career off the ground, an opportunity came up: “I was getting my artwork framed at a frame shop in Livingston that was for sale,” she says. “I knew the owner and one day she said to me, ‘You do so much framing. You should just buy it.’”

Nikki took the leap and it paid off, as she began to show her work on a bigger scale. At the same time, she started amplifying the voices of other artists. “I wanted to showcase artists who had a connection to the West and nature,” she recalls. “And it just kept evolving into what it is now.”

Since Visions West opened its doors, Nikki has used the gallery’s platform to push the boundaries of traditional Western art. Beyond iconic Western images and scenes of animals, vast landscapes, or cowboys on horseback, the works on display at the gallery contain commentary on the world around us and challenge viewers to take a deeper look. As an article in Western Home Journal noted of the gallery, “Every visit is meant to enlighten, to open the way for a different way of understanding nature and the West.”

With a niche in “contemporary naturalism,” the gallery showcases works depicting nature, animals, environmental issues, and the West from a roster of prolific Western artists who represent a range of perspectives, backgrounds, and life stories. Their works are imbued with profound narratives on everything from nature and modern society, to the environment and impacts of climate change, always with a sense of authenticity, courage, and independence.

The qualities that Nikki seeks in the artists she represents are the same ones that shaped her into who she is today—qualities that began to form during her time at NCS. “North Country School had a huge impact on the gallery, totally unconsciously,” she says. “How I select artists, down to how I dress”—she sometimes even dresses to match the art on display at the gallery—“I

Above: Nikki's The Horse Prince. Right: With Director of Admission Bill Newman, Nikki's former houseparent in Balcony House, during a trip back to campus this fall—her first in over 30 years.

always go the more unique, individual path of authenticity. The idea of ‘work hard, play hard’ and the whimsy that comes into play along with the balance of hard work, and then of course, that wonder and amazement of nature; I’ve always had all of that.

But North Country School really nurtured it.”

Nikki acknowledges that wouldn’t have been possible without the hands-on, experiential learning and freedom of NCS—freedom to learn, but also to make mistakes and learn how to fail. That same experience leaves an indelible mark on our students today, fostering a sense of curiosity and confidence to take risks and push boundaries well beyond their time here.

For Nikki, it allowed her to grow and be challenged both inside and outside the classroom, whether she was learning a new technique in the darkroom or planning for a trip up the Santanonis with a trusted adult and her classmates in the dead of an Adirondack winter.

“In a way, it encouraged me to take chances, but measured chances,” she reflects, likening her journey through NCS to The Odyssey. “NCS is like an odyssey.

You come in one person and you come out someone else. I'm so thankful to have had that.”

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Our Planet, Our Job

GReeneR PastuRes

BY KENNETH AARON

When you talk long During a recent visit back enough to John O’Malley to campus, John, the Burns (NCS 55–57) about self-proclaimed “king of his long, globe-trotting cathe compost pile,“ enjoyed a walk down memory reer in organic agriculture, lane—while of course makyou’re apt to encounter ing sure to grab a handful anecdotes like this: of the good stuff.

“I went to Guinea Bissau to work with cashew growers there,” says John.

“I'd gone there to do their organic certification inspection, and the owner was Portuguese. So all of us are sitting around this table at the central farm—it was a huge operation, hundreds and hundreds of hectares.

The agronomist was Cuban.

And a local guy was the manager. I spoke to the Portuguese guy in English, the Cuban in Spanish, and the local guy, I spoke to in French.”

That, in a nutshell, is John's career: A multi-linspanned five decades. He was a farmer himself for a gual, passport-stamped journey through an atlas of while, an auditor and inspector, and ultimately a condeveloping nations in which he worked with farmers sultant who trained other inspectors and farmers. to stand on their own and crack the U.S. and EuroOne of his first stops on that journey was here, at pean markets for organic, inspected produce, where North Country School. they could command better prices for their crops.

John spent much of his childhood growing up in Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti, Barbados, Jamaica, Kenya, Haiti. As a child, he says he spent more time accomyou name it—he worked in 30 countries in all, speakpanying his father, a forester, on various jobs than he ing four languages, over the course of a career that did in school. Eventually, he says, “My parents decided

20 ORGANIC ROOTS I WINTER 2024

“My parents decided I needed a proper education,” and they discovered a tiny school in the Adirondacks that seemed appropriate for a kid accustomed to tending his family’s herd of goats on a Haitian hillside…

I needed a proper education,” and they discovered a tiny school in the Adirondacks that seemed appropriate for a kid accustomed to tending a herd of goats with his friend Azumunu on a Haitian hillside, leading them on a 45-minute hike to water every day.

(That childhood memory endured: John ran a farm and nursery at various points in his career, naming both “Goat Hill.”)

Indeed, he felt at home here right away when he started as a 6th grader. He still remembers flying to New York City from Haiti, driving to Lake Placid with his parents, and feeling comforted by the steadily rising mountains around him as he drew nearer to campus.

When it came to work jobs, he says some students worked with horses and others took jobs in the kitchen, but he felt best working in the compost pile. “I loved taking care of it,” he says. “It smelled good to me and felt good. It was warm in the winter—it’s a great place to be. And, hence, I evolved as an organic farmer.”

John's stint at NCS was short; after 7th grade, his parents didn’t have the money to send him back. By that point, his father was working a job in Venezuela, where he spent 8th grade. And then there were a couple of years at The Gunnery, in Connecticut, where the contrast to NCS was stark. “I was odd man out there,” he said. “At North Country, I was integrated. I was part of the system.”

Learning to adapt to different systems, John says, served him well throughout his career. In working with farmers, he didn’t need to teach them a lot about agriculture so much as he needed to teach them the mechanisms behind organic certification. That coveted pedigree, which can mean the difference between subsistence wages and prospering, depends on the creation of a paper trail that establishes every step in the production chain.

Looking back on his career, John is as proud of the

Our Planet, Our Job

projects that succeeded—a UNICEF-driven effort to expand early childhood education across India stands out— as he is frustrated by the ones that, over time, languished. For a kid raised with an expectation that he’d help make the world better for future generations, too often, he says, the results couldn’t be sustained. “The only way change really happens is on a long-term basis,” he says. “Otherwise, it's really ephemeral.”

NCS, he says, plants the seed for long-term change. In the years after leaving, he’s only been back twice; both times, he was “flabbergasted,” he says, to see how little had changed. The memories, of cultivating the same fields that are still being farmed under cultivation now, “I thought it was just some kind of weird, hippie liberal thing that was happening in the ‘50s and ‘60s,” he says. “And it’s still going on now.”

Today, in a world overrun by screens and other distractions, that’s more important than ever. “Work.

Physical work. Sweating. Feeling good about getting something done and looking behind you and seeing what you’ve accomplished,” he says. To him, the benefit of that kind of hands-on experience is learning how to love something when you’re a kid— so you can go out and learn to love what you do as an adult.

That’s what he took away from North Country School.

Now, even in retirement, the peripatetic John isn’t sitting still: He’s sold his farm in Virginia, bought a camper truck, and plans to hit the road. In fact, of all his exploits and experiences, it’s the people he’s come to know that stand out as his proudest moment.

“I just traveled all around Europe for a month and a half—in Spain, in France,” he says. “I spent seven out of 60 nights in a B&B, all the rest was with friends. I have friends all over the world, people who I stay in contact with. And that’s very important to me.”

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FRIENDS’ WEEKEND 1

2023 2

5

3

4

1. Leah Yoes (CTT 10–14, staff 19, 23) plays the guitar. 2. From left to right: Mara Frankel Wallace (CTT 77–80, parent 14–15, Trustee 17–present, Balanced Rocks Circle Member), Nick Waddington (NCS 10–13, CTT 11–13, CTT staff 18–19, 22–present), and Executive Director Todd Ormiston. . 3. Friends gather at the boardwalk for council. 4. ”Get on the Wagon with Todd“ provided a fun and relaxed opportunity to discuss the new strategic plan with our fearless leader! 5. From left to right: Conway Boyce (CTT 01–08, CTT staff 14–22, NCS staff 21–present), Karen Culpepper (CTT staff 96–22, CTT parent 91–03, NCS parent 92–93), Julie Curtis (CTT 73–74, CTT parent 97–09, CTT staff 81, 98–00, 08, 23), and Keith Gerstenmaier. 6. From left to right: Ralph Jones (CTT 54–55, CTT staff 61–62, Balanced Rocks Circle Member), Eric Fetz (CTT 57–62), Daphne Jay Bell (CTT 64–66), Jean Hoins (NCS 67–70, CTT 66, NCS staff 23–present). 7. Making New-t friends at Friends'! 8. Alumni and friends gather in the WallyPAC for the third annual Balanced Rocks Circle breakfast. 9. Making this year's Friends' Weekend sculpture with NCS faculty member Larry Robjent was a turtle-y great time.

FRIENDS’ WEEKEND 2023 welcomed more than 250 people back to campus for relaxation, reconnection, and celebration.

Despite rainy weather, we hiked up Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Balanced Rocks, Colden, and Cascade, went swimming and paddling in Round Lake, made friendship bracelets, played music together, and enjoyed many moments of impromptu whimsy and creativity. We were once again treated to a trip into the past thanks to resident documentarian Ralph Jones (CTT 54–55, staff 61–62, Balanced Rocks Circle Member). We also gathered with staff and board members for conversations about the strategic plan before ending the weekend with the traditional square dance and bonfire. It is always a joy to welcome everyone back to our mountain home away from home. We hope to see you all at next year’s Friends’ Weekend August 21–25, 2024!

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“I was a camper 50

6

7

8

9

summers ago. Then I came back as a college-aged counselor, and then I came back to run the waterfront when my children were campers, and then my children became counselors. I come to Friends’ just because it’s the last glimmer of Camp of the summer and because it’s a tradition that goes back so far in my life —it’s the one place in my life that has been steady and even the smells are the same. The most amazing thing that Camp does is it prolongs childhood in a way that creates a bubble where kids can be kids. I don’t think some people understand how necessary that is.”

—Julie Curtis (CTT 73–74, parent 97–09, staff 81, 98–00, 08, 23)

FRIENDS’ WEEKEND 1

2023 10-Year Reunion ALUMNI FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY SCHOOL CLASSES OF 2011, 2012, and 2013 returned to campus to celebrate their 10-year reunions and had the opportunity to take a step back in time when they opened a time capsule they assembled a decade earlier. Surrounded by original set pieces from the 2013 production of Wicked, former classmates gathered in the Heart Space of the WallyPAC where they looked at the artifacts inside. They also played a game called “Name that Senior,” in which they attempted to match returning alumni with facts and stories they recorded about themselves 10 years earlier—statements such as “I’m the second generation to come here” and “I was in Algonquin my first year and didn’t know English.” For the NCS Class of 2011, their time capsule is now sealed until Friends’ Weekend 2031, their 20th reunion.

The NCS Class of 2013 capsule will remain open through the end of

2

Friends’ Weekend 2025.

1. From left to right: Anabell Corwin (NCS 08–14, CTT 07), Zoe Brammer (NCS 09–13), Lucy Hochschartner (NCS 07–13, CTT 06–08, 11–12, CTT staff 15–17), and Lucy Ward (NCS 10–13, CTT 09) pose to recreate a group photo taken in 2013.

2. The original photo of Anabell, Zoe, Lucy, and Lucy. 3. Letters, playbills, scrapbooks, and trinkets from the Class of 2013 time capsule. 4. Class of 2013 members present for the time capsule opening sign the cork from a champagne bottle opened to commemorate the occasion. 5. Lucy Hochschartner, Lucy Ward, Zoe Brammer, Nick Waddington, and NCS faculty member Larry Robjent toast being back together again.

5

3

4

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e l b a l i a v A s e i t i n u t r o t Opp

N O I T A R O L P X E & G N I N R A E L D E S A B E C A E C PL A L P Y R A N I D R O A R T X E n a n i

n Enrollme

Enrollemnt Ad

At North Country School and Camp Treetops, children explore, create, and learn in a community that inspires them to lead lives of purpose in an ever-changing world.

Help spread the word about North Country School and Camp Treetops.

For more information, contact North Country School Director of Admission Bill Newman (bnewman@northcountryschool.org) or Camp Treetops Director Hannah Edwards (hannah@camptreetops.org) or call us at 518-523-9329.

In Memoriam

1927–2023 TRUSTEE 73–80, CTT 38, STAFF 46, PARENT 62–72, GRANDPARENT 98–04, NCS STAFF 51–52 What have you done lately to make something better? It’s a question Joan Kaplan Davidson used to ask of the politicians, architects, and other dignitaries who would call upon her at her Hudson River estate, as she lobbied their support of the historic preservation efforts and environmental causes so near to her heart.

But they never needed to ask that question of her.

The philanthropist, who died at 96 on August 11, spent her life backing projects that bolstered the quality of life both in the New York City region and the Adirondacks, which she came to love through the decades she spent as a camper—and later a counselor, teacher, parent, grandparent and board member—at North Country School and Camp Treetops.

In fact, NCS itself wouldn’t exist without her family.

In 1938, Joan’s father, Jacob M. “Jack” Kaplan, made the loan that enabled NCS founders Leonora and Walter Clark to build their new school. Joan attended Treetops that summer.

She returned as a Camp counselor in 1946, taught at NCS in the 1950s, sent all four of her children to CTT in the 1960s, and served on the NCS/CTT board in the 1970s and 1980s before becoming an honorary trustee in 1996. (Her family ties run deep here: In all, 20 Kaplan descendants have attended Treetops, and two of her sons served on our board. One of those, Matthew, remains active as a trustee emeritus today.)

Joan and the Davidson family have long been generous supporters to both Camp and School. Recently, they’ve invested in the future of our organization through their creation of the J.M. Kaplan Family Maintenance Fund, an endowment that provides revenue for facility care and stewardship.

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Photo: Teresa Horgan

When Joan won an award from the Adirondack Museum in 2013, former NCS/CTT Director David Hochschartner paid tribute: “For 75 years, Joan and her family have been an integral part of our Camp and School. It’s impossible to imagine our success without them. Her values have been our values: family ties, friendship, and loyalty, love of a special place, and the activism to protect it. Our School and Camp—indeed all of the Adirondacks—couldn’t ask for more meaningful allegiance.”

Joan’s most enduring philanthropic impact came through the J.M. Kaplan Fund, an organization she led from 1977 to 1993 and was established by her father after he sold the Welch’s Grape Juice company in 1956.

There, she managed Westbeth, an innovative project to provide housing to artists in a former Bell Laboratories

complex in Lower Manhattan. Many significant preservation efforts followed under her watch. When Gracie Mansion became so decrepit that New York City mayors preferred to live elsewhere, the Kaplan Fund led a restoration effort. Other efforts included early support for greenmarkets in New York City, a precursor of farmto-table efforts that ultimately saved thousands of acres of farmland from development, and initial support of the South Street Seaport.

The Fund also supported preservation of the Adirondacks, particularly the Adirondack Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. That commitment to the environment, especially, resonated with her family: Davidsons have served with the Open Space Institute, Natural

Resources Defense Council, and Coalition for Green Capital, to name a few. She also served as chairwoman of the New York State Council on the Arts in the 1970s and as commissioner of the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in the 1990s.

While the grants provided by the Kaplan Fund were generally modest in size, others often viewed the Fund’s support as an indicator of a project’s quality— inspiring more people to give. “I always thought we were different because we did not just write checks, we stepped in and got involved,” Joan told The New York Times in a 1997 interview.

Joan is survived by four children, including her sons Matthew, Brad, and Peter, and a daughter, Betsy.

She also leaves behind 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

1950–2023 CTT 58–62, PARENT 90–98, TRUSTEE 99–12, 18–21 For Pat Pincus, her time as a camper opened the door to a lifetime of sharing the joys of North Country School and Camp Treetops with others.

From introducing her two sons to Treetops, to connecting many children with Camp and School who may not have had the opportunity to enjoy this special place otherwise, Pat was involved in the organization throughout her life.

She died on August 13, 2023, in New York City, after a three-year struggle with ovarian cancer.

Pat loved both Camp and School—and saw us as a vehicle to make the world a little more equitable, advocating for greater diversity across the board. As a camper, Pat found her love for nature and the outdoors at Treetops. She was also very involved with Bank Street College of Education in New York where she completed her master’s degree. She mentored many younger teachers through her work at Bank Street.

Photo courtesy of the Pincus family

Pat was married to her late husband and best friend, Dr. Martin Pincus, for over 40 years. She was his devoted caretaker for many years during his struggle with Parkinson's disease. Pat's role as mother to her two sons also brought her a great deal of joy and pride.

Pat was a loving wife and mother, dedicated teacher, avid reader, walker, and cherished friend to many. She will be missed.

She is survived by her sons Matthew (Lauren) Pincus and Eli Pincus, and sister Elizabeth Harlan.

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Community Impact Report

2022 2023

Dear Friends, Our biggest responsibility as board members is ensuring that North Country School and Camp Treetops not only endure, but thrive and evolve. We don’t do it alone, though. It takes you—our community of alumni, families, and friends near and far—to share your stories, spread the word, and invest your time, energy, talents, and resources to help us continue the transformational and enduring experiences at the heart of Camp and School.

As we implement our latest strategic plan, we are grateful and proud of the way our community has come together to share its thoughts, participate in discussion, remind us of our history, and engage thoughtfully and intelligently in a process and outcome that is deeply important for the future of our institution. We are excited by this plan and the energy behind it, and we look forward to your continued participation and support to realize the ambitious goals within it.

Our campers and students are at the center of our strategic plan, and all that we do every day. Your generosity helps us continue to offer our connected and compassionate learning experience to children of today and tomorrow. Our Community Impact Report shares just some of what your support helped us to make possible in the fiscal year that ended on August 31, 2023, and the powerful and personal stories behind why you give.

Every time I visit campus, I am reminded of my own story in the context of our organizaton's history—of my experience at Camp and later, my children’s experiences at both Camp and School. I am comforted and confident in the knowledge that the original values and philosophies that have been sustained for over 100 years will continue for generations to come.

On behalf of the Board, thank you. You are always welcome to visit us here at our home below Balanced Rocks.

With appreciation,

Barkley Stuart Chair, Board of Trustees CTT 69–72, parent 03–07, NCS parent 09–11, Balanced Rocks Circle Member

ENDOWMENT BY YEAR (IN MILLIONS) The North Country School and Camp Treetops endowment is an important source of financial aid and provides enduring support for all program areas.

329 donors made gifts during Community Giving Week

$16.3

in May, helping Camp and School unlock a $50,000 challenge gift.

$14.5

$14.1 $13.1

$12.9

FY18

FY19

$12.3

More than 950 individuals and families made a gift

$13.5

$11.3

to the Annual Fund. Those contributions support needbased financial aid for students and campers, provide professional development and training for faculty and staff, and help bolster our signature program areas, including the farm and garden, the outdoors, and the arts.

NCS and Treetops provided more than $1.1 million in need-based financial aid to campers and students in 2022–23.

We had another eggs-traordinary Giving Tuesday in

FY16

FY17

FY20

FY21

FY22

FY23

November 2022. For every donor who made a gift, we donated one dozen farm eggs to our local food pantry. For the 130 donors who contributed, we gave 130 dozen eggs (that’s 1,560 eggs!)

We added four members to the Balanced Rocks Circle, our legacy giving society, and two bequests were realized from generous community members who made provisions to support our organization in their estates.

Annual Fund Unrestricted Support Scholarships Other Access Wild Places Faculty Development Farm, Garden, & Barn

Members of our community made in-kind donations that included outdoor gear, archival photos and video, food and beverages, and contributions of time and knowledge.

Contributor Demographics Alumni Former Families Current Families Current and Former Staff Friends Current and Former Trustees Business and Matching Gifts Foundations

OPERATING FUND STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDING AUGUST 31, 2023 EXPENDITURES

REVENUES

Program Services

$3,980,755

Tuition and Fees

$6,578,201

Physical Plant

$1,160,149

Distribution from Endowment

$586,000

General & Administrative

$2,492,184

Annual Fund Gifts

$1,632,875

Financial Aid

$1,146,785

Other Revenues

$239,041

Total Expenditures

$8,779,873

Total Revenues & Gifts

$9,036,117

North Country School and Camp Treetops is incorporated as a nonprofit organization and is listed as a charitable and educational organization under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

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Financials

2022–2023 FUNDRAISING HIGHLIGHTS

Institutional Leadership

BOARD OF TRUSTEES AS OF AUGUST 31, 2023 Barkley J. Stuart Chair Pamela B. Rosenthal Vice-Chair Emanuel Weintraub Treasurer Mara Frankel Wallace Secretary Lisa R. Beck

ADMINISTRATION Todd Ormiston Executive Director Stanzi Bliss Director of Communications Christine Borden (NCS 92) Director of Advancement Hannah Edwards Camp Treetops Director Chris Moore Director of Facilities

Ed Biddle Ami Brabson Barry Breeman Peter R. Brest Veronica Dunlap

Bill Newman Director of Admission Fritz Sabbow Chief Financial Officer

Nicholas P. Hewitt Dorsey Barnett Horowitz Victoria Hunt Carla von Trapp Hunter Greg Marchildon Davlyn Mosley Stefan Nowicki Robert Parker

In 2022–23, 963 donors and community members like you gave generously to support our work of educating and inspiring children. Thank you for investing in our students and campers through your generosity.

Matthew P. Smith Director of School *We honor and remember the life and legacy of former trustee Joan K. Davidson, who passed away on August 11, 2023. Read our tribute to Joan on page 26.

Skye Raiser Matt R. Salinger Allyson Shames David Stewart Bill Waddington

527

PEOPLE GAVE $100 OR LESS

13

COUNTRIES

HONORARY TRUSTEES Joan K. Davidson* Colin C. Tait Richard E. Wilde TRUSTEES EMERITI J. Matthew Davidson David Kenney Rose Kean Lansbury Sandy Gray Nowicki Sumner Parker

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39

STATES

BY THE NUMBERS

10

66

GIFTS IN HONOR OF OTHERS

GIFTS IN MEMORY OF LOVED ONES

FIRST-TIME DONORS

2

LEGACY GIFTS REALIZED

365

34

109

70

IN-KIND GIFTS

DONORS WHO HAVE GIVEN 5+ YEARS

ENDOWMENT GIFTS

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GIFTS MATCHED BY COMPANIES OR BUSINESSES

To see a complete list of donors, please visit camptreetops.org/give-back/donor-list or northcountryschool.org/giving/donor-list.

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Why We Give

Times Change, Values Don’t Georgia Close (CTT 84–77, staff 93, parent 2018–present, Balanced Rocks Circle Member)

Treetops brings out the best in me. I’m happiest and most comfortable when I’m there—I feel connected to the best parts of myself. The fact that my kids feel the same way when they are at Camp, 40 years after I was a camper, is an incredible testament to the stability and success of the Treetops formula. The buildings are the same and the smells are familiar. But that’s just nostalgia. The most important constant is the emphasis on kindness, resiliency, a sense of belonging, and giving back to community. My childhood was very different from my kids' childhoods; the fact that those core values of Camp translate across the years is amazing.

Our family believes that the experiences, values, and lessons of Treetops are more important than ever. Middle school is a challenging developmental period— you're on the cusp of adulthood but you’re still a child. In this age of ubiquitous social media and nonstop connectivity, coupled with the social pressures of middle school, the opportunity to slow down and just be a kid is so necessary. Summers at Treetops give kids the ability and space to extend childhood just a little bit longer and offers tranquility, both physically and mentally. This was necessary in 1983 when I was a camper and it’s even more necessary in 2023.

Camp was so important to me as a child and I know how important it is for my kids. If my support of Camp contributes in some small way to perpetuating its long traditions for many years to come then I have done something for which my kids and I are very proud.

From left: Ben Spencer (CTT parent 2018–present), Juno Spencer (CTT 19–present), Owen Spencer (CTT 18–present), and Georgia Close

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Why We Give

Planting a Seed Elizabeth Dominguez (NCS 18–20)

There is no place in the world like North Country School. Going into my first year, I was unsure of my place in the world and didn’t really understand myself. Like many others before and after me, I flourished at NCS in ways I never imagined. I was always on stage and a proud member of the cross-country ski team, things I wouldn’t have contemplated had I been anywhere else. I learned to snowboard, weave tapestries on the loom, and throw bowls on the wheel for my family back home. Even more than those experiences, though, other lessons have spoken even more loudly to me since I left. Here, I grew to appreciate the natural world around me and use my voice to speak out against injustices against our Earth.

Now, I am a senior at the Thacher School in Ojai, California, a long way from NCS. Some things about me haven’t changed: I still light up at the mention of pigs and I still care deeply about the environment. One of the most obvious ways School has impacted me is that whenever someone mentions anything remotely related to sustainability or agriculture, I get overwhelmingly giddy and tell them about my time at NCS. In fact, for my senior capstone project I'm designing a garden using permaculture and creating a field guide to native plants on our campus.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I go without thinking about my time at School. I give because I want to stay connected to our beautiful community and I want others like me to experience and grow like I did. I am forever grateful for the lessons and bonds NCS gave me and I hope to visit soon.

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Endowment

The North Country School and Camp Treetops endowment is one of our greatest strengths. It provides us with financial resiliency and a solid foundation for the future.

We are grateful to the individuals and families who have made the extraordinary commitment of establishing named endowments as well as to those who have made contributions to those endowments. These funds honor a friend or family member’s legacy in a meaningful fashion while benefiting North Country School and Camp Treetops in perpetuity.

In the 2022–23 fiscal year, we were honored to add one new named endowment to our list of funds.

The Rosenthal Wertheimer Family Fund for NCS and CTT was established by Trustee Pamela Rosenthal and Samuel Wertheimer (NCS parents 07–09), along with Marjorie Rosenthal (NCS grandparent 07–09, CTT grandparent 16–19), to honor the family's longtime connection and belief in the values and impact of NCS and CTT. If you have questions about a current fund or would like to discuss establishing a new fund, please contact Christie Borden, director of advancement, at 518-837-5402 or cborden@ncstreetops.org.

Milton and Liesa Allen Fund For faculty salaries

Brion Crowell Fund For NCS & CTT

Neal W. Andrews Fund For CTT scholarships for children for whom English is a second language

Kitty and Carl (C.D.) Dennett Scholarship Fund For NCS scholarships

David and Peggy Bailey Fund In honor of the founders of Woodstock Country School Beck Seider Family Fund For CTT scholarships Beck Seider Family Beyond the Mountains Fund For faculty development Bob Bliss Fund For waterfront improvements

Dumont Scholarship Fund For CTT scholarships David and Melanie Dumont Mark Dumont and Lynn Mehlman Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc. Harry K. Eldridge Scholarship Fund For NCS scholarships James R. Pugh

Bramwell Family Fund For NCS & CTT

Feather Foundation Fund For gardens and greenhouse Feather Foundation, Inc. Edie and Jim Garrett

Mildred Brooks Nature Program Fund For CTT salaries

Eric Feldsberg Memorial Scholarship Fund For CTT scholarships

Camp Treetops Centennial Endowment For CTT scholarships

Garden Fund For program enhancement

Leo and Walter Clark Fund For NCS & CTT

General Endowment Fund Bob and Margaret Parker

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Reginald Gilliam Mountaineering Leadership and Scholarship Fund For mountaineering program support and CTT scholarships Arleen Gilliam Liza Ketchum and John H. Straus Michael and Danelle Kelly James R. Pugh Govan Family Fund For CTT scholarships Tsu Hansen Fund For NCS & CTT Harlan Family Fund For NCS & CTT American Endowment Foundation Elizabeth Harlan Noah Harlan & Micol Ostow Doug Haskell Fund For CTT scholarships Helen Haskell Fund For NCS & CTT David Hochschartner and Selden West Fund For NCS & CTT scholarships and professional development Adirondack FoundationMeredith M. Prime Fund 3

Kaye Clark Hoins Fund For NCS & CTT

Olmstead Fund For NCS & CTT

Lindsay Johnson Fund For NCS scholarships

Arthur W. Parker Fund For NCS & CTT Francie Parker '82

The J.M. Kaplan Family Maintenance Fund In honor of Matt Davidson For facilities and maintenance Matthew and Amy Davidson The J. M. Kaplan Fund, Inc. Adlin and Sherman Loud Scholarship Fund For NCS scholarships Edward and Libby Faron Mell Anne Martindell Gardening Fund Restricted endowment The Master Teacher Fund For faculty salaries Memorial Endowment Fund Memorial gifts support the general endowment fund Peter W. Merle-Smith Fund For CTT scholarships Kate C. Moore Fund For CTT scholarships Pillard-Gonzalez Family Charitable Fund at Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts Dr. Victoria L. Pillard Christopher Nicholson Memorial Fund For NCS scholarships Diana E. Oehrli Fund For CTT scholarships Okin Fund For maintenance on capital improvements Ken Okin

Susan Powell NCS 51 Fund For NCS & CTT Sally Powell Culverwell Prince/de Ramel Charitable Trusts Fund For faculty salaries The de Ramel Foundation Guillaume de Ramel ‘89 Joyce Pearson Prock Fund For NCS & CTT The Rosenthal Wertheimer Family Fund For NCS & CTT Drs. Pamela Rosenthal & Sam Wertheimer Marjorie P. Rosenthal Richard Rockefeller Fresh Start Scholarship Fund For NCS & CTT scholarships Cheryl “Rusty” Rolland Fund For the performing arts Smith Family Foundation Fund For NCS scholarships

Elizabeth Claire Stein Scholarship Fund For CTT scholarships Helen Stein Strong Roots, High Peaks Faculty Support Fund Strong Roots, High Peaks Greening and Renewal Fund Strong Roots, High Peaks Scholarship Fund For NCS & CTT scholarships Margaret and Randolph Thrower Fund For greening and renewal Frank H. Wallace Fund For faculty enrichment Jerome P. Webster III Fund For NCS & CTT Herbert and Maria West Fund For NCS intern salaries Whit Whitcomb Teacher Opportunity Fund For faculty development Winter’s Children Fund For NCS scholarships John O. Zimmerman Fund For NCS & CTT

Sylvia Pool Sperling Animal Husbandry and Barn Fund Restricted endowment Spiegelberg Fund For scholarships David A. Stein NCS 52 and Allison Stein Robbins NCS 74 Fund For riding program, farm, and NCS scholarships The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida David and Linda Stein Tracey Westbrook CAMPTREETOPS.ORG I NORTHCOUNTRYSCHOOL.ORG

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Making An Impact: Why Why We We Give Give

A Love That Lasts Laura Nicholson (CTT 01–02, staff 04, 10–11)

This was the first year I've ever worked somewhere that not only matched my contribution, but allowed me to donate directly from my paycheck. So I was excited to give back to Treetops with a larger contribution than ever before. In fact, I gave twice over to take advantage of the full match from my company.

Treetops is a magical place filled with adventure, love, laughs, and crafts. Be it my introduction to my love of photography working in the darkroom with Arek, turning a wooden bowl on the lathe in the wood shop with Tom Clark, weaving on the super looms, or making countless canoe trips and a memorable hike-for-non-hikers up Balanced Rocks with Molly, my memories of Camp are cherished and dear to me.

I don’t know whether the sense of wonder I found for the natural world at Treetops led me to pursue a master's in environmental science and management. But I know for certain that the world that exists in the Treetops bubble is one I dearly want to protect.

I love the campers and counselors I got to know as a camper, the campers I got to know as an office assistant, and the campers I got to know even more closely as a counselor. In my last year as a counselor, my campers collaborated on making a mailbox for their tent. They wanted me to take it home; it was quite a feat trying to fit this large box into my duffel bag on an airplane. But to this day it serves as my storage box for letters from Treetops and beyond.

Treetops is a community of love, and I am proud to support that community and help ensure that it continues to be able to offer itself to generations to come.

Laura lives in Milwaukie, OR.

Laura Nicholson with her sister on a recent whale watching trip.

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Making Why WeAn Give Impact: Why We Give

Plugging Into Nature Devon Jacobs (NCS/CTT staff 13–present, CTT parent 19–present, NCS parent 21–present)

When I interviewed for the director of technology position in April 2013, I arrived at the front entrance and was sure I was lost. This was supposed to be a school, but I was driving down a dirt road beside a horse pasture. Then I saw a group of kids and a couple of adults cross the road in pajamas. As it turns out, it was Pajama Day in the midst of Spirit Week. And everybody was on board.

As remarkable as the place looked, it soon became clear that the hard-working, caring, and passionate people who teach and work here make it so.

From left: Meredith (CTT parent 19– present, NCS parent 21–present), Dexter (NCS 19–present, CTT 21–present), and Devon Jacobs.

That’s why I give: To support the people who teach life-changing lessons to children from all over the world.

My son, Dexter, attends Camp Treetops and North Country School because of those people and values. At Camp, there is no technology. He can leave the stress and constant electronic bombardment at home, and play, hike, swim, sail, and do all the other things that we (or he) never knew he loved to do. At School, his core classes are the same as in public school. But here, he walks in the woods taking pictures while learning photography, teaches his peers about Leave No Trace principles in Outdoor Leadership class, and learns about scriptwriting, filming, and editing a movie in Film Study.

Everybody at Camp and School has a chance to learn not just from teachers, but also parents, advisors, farmers, friends, globetrotters, counselors, confidants, trendsetters, stewards, and more. They’re like a flywheel: people make the program, that makes the place, that brings more people. I donate to the Annual Fund to put energy into that flywheel. Giving to the Annual Fund is a way for me to give back, personally and directly, to the people who make this place what it is, and support them in the things they do.

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Balanced Rocks Circle

We are grateful to the community members who have told us their intentions to make a planned gift to North Country School and Camp Treetops, thereby becoming members of the Balanced Rocks Circle.

Planned giving provides an avenue for forward-thinking donors to make a meaningful legacy gift that extends philanthropic influence beyond donors’ lifetimes. In this way, donors can help ensure the long-term financial health and future of Camp and School.

This list is current as of August 31, 2023. If NCS and Treetops are included in your estate plans and your name is not listed here, or if you would like more information about legacy giving, please contact Christie Borden at 518-837-5402 or cborden@ncstreetops.org.

Anonymous (8) Dennis Aftergut Jenny Ewing Allen Neal W. Andrews* Judith Bardacke* Pam and Barry Breeman Peter Brest Cali Brooks and Galen Crane Margaret and Mitchel Brown Alice Gresham Bullock David Carter Walter E. Clark* Dr. Georgia Close and Dr. Benjamin Spencer John Byrne Cooke* Sally Powell Culverwell, NCS 51 Dudley H. Cunningham Samuel and Laurie Cushman Amy and Matthew Davidson Sally M. Dennett, NCS 39* Claire Douglas Veronica N. Dunlap Elizabeth Eldridge* Brian Eng and Renee Bourgeois Ann and Lee Farnham Katharine Knight Flebotte Don Gallo, NCS 73 George M. Galpin Henry Gardiner* Suzanne Glickman Reggie Govan Gay Booth Greenleaf Lisa Gulotta Elizabeth Harlan Laura Thrower Harris Bob Heays

Nick and Ruth Hewitt Catherine (Cathy Fetz) High David Hochschartner and Selden West Matthew P. Hoffman Martha C. Howell and Edward B. Whitney Amy and John Isaacs Elsbeth S. Johnson Jan Johnson Ralph Jones Liza Ketchum Philip Kneisl, NCS 75 Meredith Kovach and Sam Eaton Eric and Simone Lang* Monika and Steven Lang, NCS 53 Rose K. Lansbury Lorna Livingston, NCS 50 Susan Localio Bill and Jan Localio Roger* and Pat Loud Elizabeth Macken, CTT 75–77, TTW 78 & 79 Anne Martindell* Dwight N. Mason Lauren McCarty Mike McCrary, NCS 50* Mimi B. Muray-Levitt, NCS 57 S. Celeste Nossiter Sandy Gray Nowicki, NCS 57 Stefan Nowicki JoAnne Olmsted* Brian Orter Elizabeth Packard Meredith M. Prime Don Rand*

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Mr. & Mrs. James Rea Jr.* Susan Read, NCS 70, CTT parent 04–05 Jane Crowell Rieffel* Cheryl "Rusty" Schick Rolland* Maggie Rosenbloom Matt Salinger James D. (“Jim”) Seymour Kate Shepherd Marcia Siegal* Eva B. Singer, NCS 09 Mike Smith David and Linda Stein Helen Stein Barkley Stuart and Ann Glazer Hugh Thacher Jessica Tuck Matthew and Courtney Tuck Mary Loeb Umlauf* Ms. Laura Walker Frank Wallace Mara Frankel Wallace and Rick Wallace Louise Walsh and Charles Rupp Jerome P. Webster Janet L. Wentworth (Dunn), NCS 68 Jill Werfel Christopher Werler, NCS 84 Francis Whitcomb* Hilary and Scott Wilkinson Susan Welch Williams, NCS 54 Kevin Williams, NCS 73 John O. Zimmerman* * = Deceased

Balanced Rocks Circle Profile

Left: Sally all smiles at Friends' Weekend and at Camp in her youth, as seen in Summer’s Children.

Below: Sally’s grandsons, who all attended CTT. Left to right: Andy Culverwell, Will Rositzke, and Reed Culverwell

Lessons for Forever

Sally Culverwell (CTT 45–47, NCS 46–51, staff 60–61, CTT parent 77–80, grandparent 12–15, Balanced Rocks Circle Member)

My twin sister Sue and I were seven when we went to Camp Treetops in 1945. With World War II still going on, our parents wanted to get us out of the city. I remember the arrival of trunks and duffel bags to our apartment, and how excited we were to get them!

We were at Camp for two years before starting at NCS. I even taught there for a year, in 1960. Three of my kids attended Treetops, and I was able to send my grandchildren to Camp using an inheritance my mother left me when she died. That was the best possible use for the money, and it gave me enormous pleasure to be able to do it. All in all, someone from my family has attended Camp or School every decade but one since the 1930s, when my half-sister went.

I’ve always considered Lake Placid the place where I spent the most important part of my childhood. The general philosophy—ruggedness, resourcefulness, resiliency, and more—has stayed with me forever. So many of the things I learned, such as typing in the 4th grade, keeping a checkbook in the 6th grade, and my love of the outdoors are still with me today. And part of me remains forever at the school, as a plaque honoring my twin sister's memory was placed behind the barn.

My continuing connection to Camp and School has been an important part of my entire 86 years. I don’t really consider my relatively small contributions “giving back” but more of an opportunity for me to express a bit of gratitude, love, and appreciation for North Country School and Camp Treetops. And being a member of the Balanced Rocks Circle is a wonderful way for me to continue this.

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g the Bounty Sharin Community is at our core, and we are always seeking to find new ways to share our bounty beyond campus. Whether we’re donating produce and eggs to organizations in our local communities, or welcoming hundreds of neighbors to join us for on-campus events, these numbers reflect some of the unique ways we give back to those around us as we try to do well by—and for—our home in the Adirondacks.

FROM THE FARM

217 lbs. or $1,290 of produce donated, including: 107 lbs. cabbage 20 lbs. cucumber 10 lbs. scallions 25 bouquets of flowers 40 lbs. carrots 141 dozen eggs for Craigardan’s Free Food Fridge and the Lake Placid Ecumenical Food Pantry

GROWING OUR IMPACT ON & OFF CAMPUS 7 on-campus events that welcomed hundreds of guests from our local communities

10 organizations and schools hosted at Rock-E House $1.24 million spent supporting local and regional businesses 175 local businesses and contractors hired 500 families that visit the Adirondack region annually because of their Camp or School affiliations You help us to be community-minded and broaden our impact. Thank you.

If you are interested in partnering with North Country School or Camp Treetops in any way, we encourage you to reach out to us at info@ncstreetops.org.

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Community Giving Week A time to come together for North Country School and Camp Treetops Our fifth annual Community Giving Week is this spring and we need your help!

There are many ways you can participate.

Here are a few actions you can take to help us reach our goal:

Make a gift.

Spread the word.

Tell your community about why you support Camp and School.

Share Community Giving Week with your classmates and Camp friends.

Need help? We’re here for you!

Your contribution supports the Annual Fund and has an immediate impact on the camper and student experience. It can also help us take advantage of a challenge gift for even bigger impact.

Reconnect.

Get in touch and share your School or Camp story. Make a video or send us a note about your experience. Share photos of your time here, or your child’s.

Contributions toward the Annual Fund during Community Giving Week make a difference to our students and campers year-round—your participation is key to our success! Look for a save the date this spring.

Please reach out to Emily Eisman, associate director of advancement, at or 43 CAMPTREETOPS.ORG NORTHCOUNTRYSCHOOL.ORG I eeisman@ncstreetops.org 518-523-9329 for more information.

Friends’ Weekend at Alta Lodge Wednesday, April 10– Sunday, April 14, 2024 Please join us at Alta Lodge, a classic Utah ski resort with direct access to the Alta Ski Area.

For lodging reservations, please call 1-800-707-ALTA or visit altalodge.com

*Alta is a skiers-only resort; for those who prefer snowboarding, Snowbird is right next door.

For more information, email alumni@ncstreetops.org.

THE DATE E V A S

Friends’ Weekend 2024 August 21–August 25 Join us at North Country School and Camp Treetops to reconnect with classmates, tentmates, counselors, teachers, and friends. Bring the whole family and make new memories.

For information, contact alumni@ncstreetops.org

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Friendship Give a gift to the Annual Fund The Annual Fund supports all that is vital to the Camp and School experience.

MAKE A GIFT TODAY: camptreetops.org/giving northcountryschool.org/giving Contact Emily Eisman, associate director of advancement, at eeisman@ncstreetops.org or 518-523-9329 x5450.

Camp Treetops North Country School 4382 Cascade Road Lake Placid, NY 12946