In celebration of the approaching new year, we’re launching… a new Scatico guest blog series: “Stories with Scatico Senior Staff.”
At Scatico, we’re extremely fortunate to have a wonderfully talented and dedicated group of Senior Staff, many of whom have been at camp since they were campers themselves. During the summer, Senior Staff wear many hats. They oversee program areas. Run daily operations. Serve as a resource for counselors, and a support system for campers. Plan special and co-ed events. During the year... their jobs are just as varied! Some Senior Staff have jobs that mirror their work at camp (ie. Ricardo and Chef Ally both run their own catering companies); many are teachers; some (Laura and Ishai) even run their own schools!
In “Stories with Scatico Senior Staff”, we’re going to have different members of Senior Staff serve as guest blog post authors to share something that connects their life outside of camp to their life in it. Our hope is that this series provides some camp life lessons, serves as a little taste of the 12523 during the school year, and helps you learn more about the people who help make Scatico… Scatico!
Up first (drumroll, please)… Jamie Segal!
Jamie as a camper!
My name is… Jamie Segal.
My first summer at Scatico was… 2007.
My first summer on Senior Staff was… 2023.
When I’m not at camp, I’m… a first grade teacher at The Town School in NYC.
At camp, I’m… Head of Performing Arts on Girls Side .
My favorite camp event is… Divisional Sing.
One of my favorite things about being a teacher is getting to go back to camp each summer… And one of my favorite things about going back to camp each summer is bringing camp into my teaching! No matter the grade I teach or the school I am working at, my students always learn three things about me:
I love to sing and play the ukulele with my class.
My favorite animal is a penguin.
I work at a sleepaway camp that I talk about all the time.
This fall, I taught my first graders how to write stories about small, special moments in their lives. I wrote an example story with my students, and, when selecting my own topic, it was a no-brainer to choose a memory from camp! In thinking about summer 2023 and all of its highlights, I chose a standout special moment for me: singing with the band at open mic night (yes, a highlight even at age 25).
A piece of camp in the classroom.
When I first started working on this small moment story, one of my students asked me, “Ms. Segal, is this a story from when you were a kid?” I laughed out loud, thinking to myself that it actually was a fair question. Sharing this story with my students, I sounded as joy-filled and giddy as I did when sharing stories with my parents after my first summer at camp. I shocked the class with my reply: “No, this was from this past summer!” This question made me appreciate that no matter the age, whether you’re a camper, counselor, or even on Senior Staff, you’ll always have those magic moments when you get to feel like a kid and just enjoy the fun of camp.
The truth is that this small moment story was one of thousands I could’ve picked from this past summer. Even within that night there were endless highlights: getting a golden paint brush (Thank you, Ken!!!); playing guitar for the SITs while they sang “The Circle Game” for their first time on stage; seeing my old campers in the last row mimicking their Divisional Sing dance moves I had taught them five years ago. Every day at camp is filled with hundreds of small moment stories worth sharing.
Open Mic Night, 2023
Jamie takes the stage!
Writing the story of the open mic night with my first graders reminded me how lucky I am to be at camp each summer and continue experiencing childlike moments of pure camp joy, even in my mid twenties. I feel so grateful that I can share my stories with my students and relive those memories in the real world, keeping the camp spark alive year-round.
I can’t wait for all the small moments to come in summer 2024!