SPRING 2020
LESSENING ANXIETY AND BUILDING RESILIENCE has helped tens of thousands of young people practice confronting challenges, handle anxiety and discomfort, and weather their frustrations while also naming their feelings. At PBC, countless groups have worked together solving problems through initiative and challenge course activities, dealing with frustration as they struggle to communicate and problem-solve effectively. Students took healthy risks and experienced discomfort, anxiety, and fear as they climbed ladders into the tree canopy before ziplining across a rushing stream. With this discomfort came gains in confidence, grit, and resilience.
Summer participants face their fears and overcome challenges with their peers and PBC facilitators.
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rom our earliest days, the Princeton Summer Camp/Princeton-Blairstown Center (PBC) has almost never missed a summer of providing character-building experiences to our region’s most underserved young people. William Selden’s history, “The Princeton Sumer Camp 1908-1975” reminds us that the last time the organization did not conduct a summer program was from 19421945, due to World War II. Today we are facing a new challenge, COVID-19. Based on New Jersey’s extension of the stay-at-home order and other factors, we made the heartbreaking decision to cancel this summer’s award-winning Summer Bridge Program. We operate in one of the hardest hit states, and are unlikely to “get back to normal” anytime soon. Yet we take pride in knowing that, thanks to your support, PBC has already helped so many young people develop the skills necessary to
face this unprecedented threat. What remains clear during these challenging and uncertain times is that young and old alike need vast reserves of grit and resilience to survive and thrive. All adults have varying levels of anxiety related to the coronavirus, some of which trickles down to our young people as we live and work together day after day in the same house or apartment trying to do our work (if we are lucky enough to still have a job), and engage in remote learning. Children especially need grit now more than ever. Mental health professionals tell us that the best way to help prepare young people to succeed in a stressful and challenging world is not to overly shelter them, but to help them deal with feelings of anxiety and discomfort in positive ways. Thankfully, over the past few years alone, PBC
Over the past few months our staff has pivoted to provide free weekly social emotional learning (SEL) lesson plans to teachers and youth development specialists who are scrambling to provide distance learning for students. Our SEL lessons help students identify their discomfort and develop strategies to overcome their fears and achieve academic goals. Additionally, our staff has been creating virtual environmental education lessons for students to enjoy at no cost from their apartments and homes. Our programs, whether virtual or in person, are provided free or at a reduced cost for young people from low-income communities. Like all nonprofit organizations, the Center has been hard hit by the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. If you can, please consider a more generous gift during these very difficult times. Your gift will provide young people with the grit and resiliency skills to overcome challenges today and long into the future. With gratitude, Sarah Tantillo, Ed.D. Board Chair
Pam Gregory President & CEO
In Memoriam Gregory Farrell ’57
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regory Farrell ’57, former president and CEO of EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) and former PBC Trustee passed away in March 2020 from complications of leukemia. After his graduation from Princeton, Greg served in the Army, worked as a high school English teacher in Hawaii, spent time as the assistant dean of admissions at Princeton, and was a reporter for the Trenton Times before becoming the Executive Director of United Progress, Inc., a Trenton-based anti-poverty organization, where he also met his wife, Cathy. From there, he went on to head the Fund for the City of New York (FCNY) from 1970 to 1990.
Having had a transformational experience on an Outward Bound excursion in 1964, Greg remained passionately and actively involved in furthering expeditionary and experiential learning. During his Former Trustee Win Short (front left) enjoying a picnic lunch in front of Bass Lake. time at FCNY, he helped found NYC Outward Bound Schools, and went on to work for Outward Bound in 1990. During his tenure, he inthrop hort ’41 spearheaded an initiative “to bring its educational and developmental inthrop Short, Former Trustee and Honorary Trustee, passed insights, practices and programs to bear on cities and schools.” This work eventually lead to the founding of EL Education (then known as away in February 2020 at the age of 100. Expeditionary Learning). Win was born and raised in Trenton, New Jersey and graduated from Trenton High School. While not a counselor at Blairstown, he was a camper and a counselor at Rangley Lakes, Maine. He attended Princeton University as an undergraduate, and after law school, spent 10 years as an attorney in New York City before joining the Knapp Shoe Company, where he eventually became president.
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Win was very active in the Princeton University community over the years, serving as class Annual Giving Chair, a Princeton University Trustee from 1972-1982, Chair of the Annual Giving Committee, and Leadership Gifts Giving Chair during the leadership of President William Bowen. He never missed a year of annual giving at Princeton for 75 years! Win also served on the boards of the McCarter Theatre and Hurricane Island Outward Bound Center. He joined PBC’s Board in 1987 during the presidency of David McAlpin, Jr. and the staff leadership of Ev Pinneo. While a PBC Trustee, he served on the Development, Finance, and Trustees Committees. He, along with current Honorary Trusteee Joe Bolster, was instrumental in PBC’s ongoing fundraising efforts. Win was also incredibly generous to PBC as a donor for over 40 years and via a planned gift through a charitable trust. As a way to honor Win’s deep commitment to PBC, the Board of Trustees voted to rename the PBC Director’s residence as the “Short House” at their meeting in early March.
Greg Farrell reflects on the legacy of EL Education on its 25th anniversary. (Photo used with permission from EL Education.)
A remembrance on the EL Education website states “With Greg as President...EL grew from 10 original schools to more than 150 public schools [across the country]. Greg was a charismatic and kind leader, whose personal qualities - his integrity, his compassion, his curiosity and joy in life - were a central part of what fueled EL’s positive culture and its success, and attracted many mission-driven educators to this work.”
Win is survived by his three sons, Winthrop Jr., David, and Andrew. Greg is survived by his two sons, Andrew and Nick, and their families. An in-person memorial will be announced later this year. Memorial services are scheduled for later this year in Maine.
Eric Craig
volunteered to participate in a panel discussion alongside other former PSC ric Craig passed away in December attendees and local Princeton author Kitsi 2019 at age 84. Eric was a camper at the Watterson. Princeton Summer Camp (PSC) as a child, and later served on PBC’s Board of Trustees That panel discussion was part of the from 1996 through 1999. In his professional yearlong celebration of the 110th life, he spent more than 30 years working anniversary of the Center. He, along as a carpenter at Princeton University, until with the other panelists, had everyone his retirement in 1999. He was also an who attended the event laughing as they Honorary Trustee of PBC through the time recounted their unique and memorable experiences attending PSC. of his death.
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In addition to his work during his tenure Eric is survived by his wife of 61 years, Mrs. on the Board, in the spring of 2018, Eric Minnie Craig. Eric Craig, taking stock at a PBC event on Campus in 1989.
In Memoriam - Former PBC Directors Melville Peter Coté
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ormer PBC Director Melville Peter Coté, passed away in November 2019, after battling both cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. He was 82.
Heather Haynes
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eather Haynes, former PBC Co-Director of Programs, passed away in February 2020 at age 43. Heather was diagnosed with adrenal cancer last year, which she fought valiantly through the fall and winter.
Mel Coté, (standing, second from right) with PBC staff on the Bass Lake dock.
Heather, (front left) sits with PBC staff during her tenure as Co-Director of Programs.
Mel earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Wesleyan University, with a stint in the U.S. Marine Corps and his marriage to his wife Patricia (Polly) in between. After launching his career teaching high school in Hawaii, he and his family returned to the mainland in 1965 so he could pursue a Doctoral degree in Education at Harvard University. Following his time there, Mel helped design and launch the College of the Atlantic (COA) in 1970, where he spent several years as assistant to the president and director of admissions and student affairs. He joined Princeton University and served as Director of Princeton Education Center (now PBC) in 1977, before serving at Notre Dame College in 1982. Ultimately, Mel returned to COA in 1987 for a position as administrative dean, which he held until his retirement in 1999. In the late 90’s, Mel also served as the executive director of the Society for Human Ecology, promoting the use of ecological perspective in research, education and application.
Heather began her career at PBC in 2003 as an Experiential Education Facilitator. Starting in 2005, she served as Program Coordinator, and began her tenure as Co-Director of Programs at PBC in 2010. In 2014, she joined the staff of New York City Outward Bound, where she served as a Course Director and Staffing Manager. In addition to these organizations, Heather also worked with the Genesee Valley Learning Center and Brown University in other experiential education roles.
Mel is survived by his three sons: Melville Jr., Adam, and Quentin.
Heather’s remarkable social emotional skills were not only instrumental in her work, but also in making a legion of lifelong friends gathered through her cultivation of positive interpersonal relationships. Heather was both beloved and respected by colleagues and staff at all levels, who enjoyed working with her at PBC and elsewhere. Heather is survived by her mother Barbara Haynes, and brother William Haynes III. A memorial service is planned in Garden City, NY later this year.
Links to Youth Golf Outing Postponed Due to Covid-19 The fifth annual Links to Youth Golf Outing fundraiser, intially scheduled for May 8th, has been postponed due to the ongoing Covid-19 public health crisis. The rescheduled event will be held on October 2, 2020 at the Fox Hollow Golf Club in Branchburg, NJ. Revenue from the event is used to fund PBC’s award-winning and free Summer Bridge Program, which aims to prevent summer learning loss and enhances social emotional learning and 21st Century skills for low-income youth. Sponsorships and early bird pricing on golfer registrations are still open and available. For questions, or to sponsor or register, please visit our website (www. princetonblairstown.org/events), or contact Maren Morsch via email at mmorsch@ princetonblairstown.org.
Multi-Year Bass Lake Dam Stabilization Complete
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BC recently completd a significant capital project to fortify and ensure the longevity of the Bass Lake Dam. The dam, originally constructed as a stone dam in the 1930’s, is located on PBC’s 264-acre property in Blairstown. It restricts the flow of water from Blair Creek to create the manmade acreage of Bass Lake. Issues first arose in September of 2004, when the now-concrete dam experienced an overtopping event that caused large rocks to dislodge around the dam’s retaining wall. This prompted the State of New Jersey to require PBC to commission a stability analysis in 2008, which revealed that the dam in its current state would not comply with two potential extreme loading conditions – a 2-foot overtopping event, and an icing event. “This is a Class One dam site, so there is a lot of potential for negative consequences if it were to fail, including loss or damage to life or property,” said Jody Zengulis, PBC’s Director of Facilities, who has overseen the dam remediation project since its inception.
Multiple concrete reinforcements were added to stabilize the 90+ year-old Bass Lake Dam.
process,” said Zengulis.The dam itself sits in a deep, rocky ravine, with an active stream constantly flowing beyond the dam wall. Variable weather, along with water flowing past the worksite, frequently create muddy, slippery conditions. The heavy equipment needed to complete the work – excavators, concrete mixers, and the like, all had to be able to navigate into and around the worksite, which differed day-to-day based on prevailing conditions.
The vendor that conducted the stability analysis, Kleinschmidt, a hydropower engineering firm, finalized remedial repairs to the dam in 2013. But the work was far from over; their recommendations for complete remediation included the addition of eight 40-foot concrete buttresses, with concrete There were bureaucratic and environmental aprons placed in between to prevent rocks concerns, too. “We had to make sure from future dislodging. we were always in compliance with all permitting and legal requirements, which After searching for a vendor, (“Limited included maintaining permits from a number contractors specialize in this type of work,” of state agencies, including Fish and Wildlife, said Zengulis of the process), PBC eventually Soil Conservation,Wetlands, and others, and hired Butler, NJ-based remediation company monitoring the situation closely to comply Ron-Jon Construction in 2018. Despite with maintaining minimum lake levels.” And, their experience with similar projects in despite having the dam studied at length the past, the Bass Lake remediation still in 2009, there were still unknown factors encountered its share of unique challenges. that had potential to substantially alter the “The location and accessibility of the work course of the project along the way. “Even site has been a challenge throughout this with the surface and sampling surveys, there
were still variables, such as how much loose rock we would find during excavation, how far below the dam we would find solid rock, and whether the anchors designed would comply with strength tests based on those results,” said Zengulis. With the work now completed, both Zengulis and the PBC program staff are excited about the potential the improved dam holds. Staff can now resume facilitating dam rappels for visitors; over the years, students and staff rappeling down the dam became PBC’s signature experiential education offering, and the tradition may even be expanded, as additional rappeling sites are now available. Given that the improved dam is forecast to last hundreds of years with proper maintenance, this investment will not only protect recreation in Bass Lake, downstream human residents, and non-human stream dwellers, but also offer myriad opportunities for program participants to challenge themselves and overcome fears – allowing the dam to once again be part of executing PBC’s mission.
PBC Elects New Trustee Heather E. Reilly is the Director of Quality Systems, Quality & Compliance at Janssen BioResearch (Johnson & Johnson). Her work has focused on blending manufacturing support with quality assurance expertise for the biologics, device, and pharmaceutical industries for over 25 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Rutgers University, and earned a Master of Science from the National Graduate School of Quality Management in Massachusetts. In addition to her role as Director, Heather is also the Affinity Group co-leader for the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, and volunteers for a variety of community causes and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Where Are They Now? PBC Alumna Marchelle Roberts
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archelle Roberts, Director of the Center for College Access at LEAP Academy University School in Camden, NJ, brought her students to PBC in 2018 because she was looking for leadership and team-building opportunities for them. As a student at LEAP in the early 2000s, Marchelle participated in a leadership program at PBC and remembered how much she learned and grew from the experience. So, it seemed like the perfect place to bring her own students. During 2018, a small group of students participated in a weekend experience at Blairstown. The feedback was so positive, Marchelle came back in 2019 with a larger group of middle and high school students to participate in the week-long Summer Bridge Program, making LEAP Academy PBC’s first partner from Camden. When asked about what she hopes her students will get out of participating in Summer Bridge, Marchelle said, “Providing this opportunity does more for them in the long run than we see immediately. It sets them up for a better future and better trajectory.”
Marchelle Roberts How did you first learn about PrincetonBlairstown Center? I was a sophomore at LEAP Academy and we had PBC facilitators come to our district to lead team-building activities in preparation for a week-long camping experience on the Appalachian Trail. What was your first experience in Blairstown? How many times did you visit as a young person? The camping excursion was my first experience in the summer of 2006. After that, my class participated in a similar canoeing excursion the following summer in 2007. What did you expect PBC to be like? I had never been camping before [in the way] PBC trained us and I was frightened at first. But I learned very quickly that committing to the process would help me to have a better experience.
Marchelle Roberts and her cohort of LEAP Academy students during their visit to PBC in 2019. How did the experience match your What made you decide to bring your expectations? students to PBC? I had so much fun and didn’t realize until after I had been discussing different leadership and the fact, that the lessons we learned from our team-building opportunities for my students team-building exercises would truly determine and I mentioned in a meeting that I had this the success of our trip and experience. experience with PBC. After detailing my experience, I was encouraged to reach out to What was a highlight of your time at PBC? PBC administrators to organize a trip. Camping was unforgettable! Seeing the beautiful views, hearing animals at night, and How do you see the PBC experience even our lightning storm precautions (though differently now as an educator as compared scary at first) were so much fun! I now bring my to your time as a student participant? own students to the site and they have similar Although the camping excursion has changed since 2007, I still think it is a worthwhile experiences. experience for students who live in the city. What challenges did you face? Encouraging students to step out of their Being away and in the woods, so far from home. comfort zone and try something that may be It was scary, and although I had traveled before, scary is one of the best parts of my job. being in the woods was like nothing I had ever experienced before. What was a highlight of your trip with your students? While we were on site in 2019, there was another group of students on site as well. Some of my students got into a bit of a disagreement with the other students and although the issue was small, it required a bit of teamwork, all around. PBC facilitators noticed the tensions, spoke with me and my students and other chaperones and encouraged us to participate in a “Squash It Circle.” Witnessing my students be the first to take responsibility for their actions and extend the olive branch to the students in the other group was beautiful. I was happy that my students felt safe enough in that moment to Marchelle and her peers canoed on the Deleware be honest and vulnerable. It showed that the River during their trip to PBC as students in 2007. lessons they had been learning all week about How did your time at PBC impact how you teamwork and personal responsibility truly saw the world as a young person? paid off. I truly underestimated the importance of building relationships with my classmates. Even If you wish to share your story, please now, ten years after graduating high school, we contact Meredith Murray at mmurray@ all still share stories about PBC and how much princetonblairstown.org or 609-216-7025. fun we had.
Princeton-Blairstown Center 13 Roszel Road, Suite C204A Princeton, NJ 08540 (609) 921-0070 www.princetonblairstown.org
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Princeton Office President & CEO Pam Gregory
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Director of Finance & Administration Nicole Nilsson Director of Development & Communications Meredith Murray Communications & Special Events Manager Maren Morsch Accounting Assistant Gina Grieco (part-time) Blairstown Campus Director of Programs Mark DeBiasse, D. Litt. Assistant Director Adam Faller Operations Manager Pat Karl Program Managers Makela Elvy Ron Franco (Senior PM) Travis Heilman Experiential Education Facilitators Tabassum Alam Nick Ruybalid Facilities Director Jody Zengulis Facilities Assistants Jacob Bruch John Haney Food Services Manager Robert Buarotti
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Chair Sarah Tantillo, Ed.D. ’87 Vice Chair Christopher Van Buren, CFA ’84 Secretary Rev. Alison Boden, Ph.D. Treasurer Bruce Petersen ’79 Trustees Minda A. Alena Christina Bailey Russell DaSilva, Esq. ’76 Susan G. Danielson, Psy.D Praveena Joseph-de Saram *10 Claudia Franco Kelly, MBA Meryl Kessler, Esq. ’84 Courtney Lang Yvette Saeko Lanneaux, Esq. ’88 Shawn Maxam, MSW Will Miller Andrew Morris, MBA Christopher S. Moser Suman Rao Heather E. Reilly Donald R. Seitz, MBA ’79 Aline Silva Derek Simpkins Warren M. Stock, MBA William Wild ’13 Advisory Council Gabbie Acot ’21 Mark L. Antin, Esq. Jonathan Baer
Jon Dec ’13 Jason K. Griffiths ’97 Sari Chang Guthrie, RA ’84 Rochelle R. Hendricks Kevin C. Hudson ’97 James B. Huffman, P.E. ’77 Al Kaemmerlen ’62 Grace Logan ’21 Lauren Meehan ’08 Chris Murphy ’20 Richard Ober, Esq. ’65 Jason Pedraza ’11 George Cooper Rudolph III ’63 Sally Jane Ruybalid ’21 Pamela L. Simpkins, MBA Seema Thomas *08 Daniel Tjondro ’20 Pam Walker Honorary Trustees Joseph L. Bolster, Jr. ’52 Janet Smith Dickerson, M.Ed. Joan Doig Jane Fremon ’75 Rev. David H. McAlpin, Jr. ’50 Everard K. Pinneo ’48 Dr. Robert J. Rivers, Jr. ’53 Winthrop A. Short ’41 ◊ Peter T. Smith President & CEO Pam Gregory ◊ - indicates deceased