Scatico March Madness

It’s time for (drumroll please) the SIXTH ANNUAL SCATICO MARCH MADNESS! This year we reflected on the range of activity “vibes” at camp and the role different kinds of programming play in our camp lives. We grouped activities into “Competition”, “Silly,” “Relaxation,” and “Ceremonial,”… which one will take the gold?!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

Fill out the bracket below with your picks and email it to audrey@scatico.com by Saturday, March 15. There’s also a blank bracket on the Scatico instagram, and you can fill it out via stories and DM it @campscatico_official.

Starting the week of March 10 we will be conducting polls on the Scatico instargram to decide which entries advance to the next round.

As always, the Top 3 most accurate brackets will win some Scatico prizes!

Submitted Brackets

Winter Break- Scatico Style!

It may be winter, but there is always a touch of summer spirit to be had! Check out some Scatico-inspired games/ activities for winter break.

---

Scatico Strands!

Last year we shared Scaticonnections, so this winter break we are running it back with Scatico’s own version of “Strands.” For those new to “Strands,” it is essentially a word search game. See the directions below!

Directions:

Find theme words to fill the board.

In this board example, the “spangram” is “fruit.” And the theme words are: “Banana”, “Apple” and “Lime”.

• Theme words relate to the puzzles theme

• Theme words contain letters that are touching (can be diagonal)

• Theme words fill the board entirely (every letter is used once). 

• No theme words overlap (meaning each letter is only “used” once.

Find the “spangram.”

• The spangram describes the puzzle’s theme and touches two opposite sides of the board. It may be more than one word (eg. HOLIDAYTIME could be a spanagram).

---

Spanagram Theme 1:

---

Spanagram Theme 2:

---

Spanagram Theme 3:

---

Holiday Baking with Chef Ale!

For those who don’t know Chef Ale— full name Alejandro Castillo— he’s gearing up for summer #5 at Scatico in 2025! Ale hails from Puebla, Mexico and started out as a member of support staff working in the kitchen. For the last 3 years has been helping out Chef Justin and Chef Ally at Cooking, and now he’s a a program head, and very excited to bring some truly delicious creations to the Cook Shack!

Below, he is sharing a favorite holiday cookie recipe to try at home! He even demoed the recipe in his home kitchen for helpful pics and easy-to-follow steps.

---

Scatico Puzzles

Can you piece together the classic Scatico image?

---

Movie Night

Lots of good streaming options out there… but only one that was FILMED AT SCATICO! Check out Rally Caps on Peacock, a kids’ baseball movie that was, in part, filmed at camp after the summer of 2021. If you look closely, you will even spot cameos from Scatico campers and staff!

Stories from Scatico Senior Staff: Mark Gretenstein

Mark gives out jackets at the 2024 Divisional Sing. 

Continuing our guest blog series in the 2024-25 off-season, featuring reflections, lessons. and connections between camp and the outside world from Scatico Senior Staff. Up next… Boys Head Counselor Mark Gretenstein. For those who don’t know Mark, he’s been at Scatico since 2018 (starting out as then-Head-Counselor Cory Schwartz’s assistant). Mark grew up in Miami, and pre-Scatico had a long camper, counselor, and senior staff career at Camp Blue Star in North Carolina.

---

Throughout my life camp has meant many different things to me. As a first year camper, I experienced newfound freedom (which I promptly took advantage of to brush my teeth as infrequently as possible for 4 weeks). As I grew older, camp became a place where I developed leadership skills, built lifelong friendships, and eventually had my first job. At each stop along my journey one aspect of camp remained constant - camp as a place to experience new things and step out of my comfort zone. 

During the year I work as a middle school math teacher in Brooklyn. It can be hard to find moments to step out of my comfort zone when confined to a classroom and curriculum. However, last year I was presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to chaperone a 9-day trip to Japan for 25 8th grade students. Most teachers were uninterested. Understandably they shied away from the 30+ hours of travel each way, long days exploring a foreign country with little to no ability to communicate, and responsibility for 25 middle schoolers. As soon as I heard about the opportunity, my camp persona emerged and I knew I couldn’t pass it up. Even though I felt like I was stepping out of my comfort zone, I had nothing on my students. About half of them had never been on a plane, the majority had never been outside of the country, and for almost all of them this would be the longest time away from their parents in their lives. 

Once in Japan, I tried to model trying new things and students were eager to take that journey with me. On the first day that meant trying a strange flavor of broth in their customized Cupnoodles created at the Cupnoodles Museum. Soon we were participating in historic customs at a Shinto shrine with a group of Japanese locals. The second night I tried takoyaki (octopus dough balls for lack of a better description) which are an Osakan delicacy, although my stomach didn’t agree. A late-night trip to 7-ELEVEN for some plain rice was needed. We were reminded that trying something new doesn’t always go perfectly. For some students, stepping out of their comfort zone was snapchats going unread for long periods of time due to the time change, others tried sushi for the first time, and a few adventurers joyfully ate chocolate-covered insects. 

As the trip progressed, students adjusted to the routine but never stopped noticing or exploring things that were different. From the incredible lack of trash on the streets, to an unbelievable lost and found culture (1 passport and 2 phones lost and more importantly found), as well as Tokyo’s eerily quiet subway cars, we tried to appreciate and embrace all aspects of the experience. After about a week, the camp side of me was just getting started. There was something familiar about going to sleep exhausted after long and unpredictable days but waking up excited and ready for the next adventure. 

Back at school for the last few weeks in June, the days felt oddly calm and uneventful. Students who had been on the trip of course had lots of stories and pictures to show their classmates, but they also felt slightly changed - a little more confident in class, willing to take a chance and share something, or push through a challenging math problem. 

This school year there’s unfortunately no Japan trip on the horizon. Even without the trip I try to find small moments of exploration and the unknown. One new challenge this year is I teach a math intervention class four times a week in Spanish. I don’t know where I would be without Google Translate and Duolingo, but even so I have no idea how a lesson is going to go until I am working through it with my students. Sometimes it goes great and sometimes it doesn’t, but that’s all a part of the fun. 

Bringing Our "Camp-Self" Home

At camp’s close we ask the obvious yet poignant question: “How do we bring our ‘camp selves’ home?” In the concrete, bringing your “camp-self” home means seeking opportunities to unplug, to lean into a costume party, to play a sport or craft or make a bracelet just for fun. In the abstract, it is about capturing whatever it is that enables an otherwise reserved 9 year old to address the whole of girl side on friday night or publicly dance in a hot dog costume on stage.

Audrey playing tennis with a camper in 2023. 

For me, for the past 9 summers, the end of camp meant the start of teaching in a classroom. Bringing my camp-self to my teacher-self came easily. Mornings started with circle games. I was prone to break into song or throw a friday afternoon dance party. I listened to kids’ recess conflicts, coached them through tricky moments with friends. My ethos of working with children at camp and in the classroom was much the same, and at the core was about fostering that safe community, where kids are empowered to be themselves, to take risks, and to leave the school-year somehow more grown.

Now, I find myself transitioning into an entirely different “school year.” Even though I am working for camp full-time, with campers gone, quiet grounds, and a long 10 months ahead, the answer to that age-old question is far less obvious. 

It is easy to enumerate tangible manifestations of the camp-self. Everyone has their favorite. For my dad, it is boys side gathering on the HC porch, even in 2024, to listen to a baseball game on the radio. For me, it is being outside in the rain. When it is raining and meal time, we walk in the rain and we get wet. We don’t run or rush. We don’t complain. We just walk. At home, I would avoid going outside in the rain at all costs, but at camp, barring a full storm, it is business as usual. Most of the time, rain isn’t even particularly noteworthy. Yes, rainy days bring some of the most quintessential Scatico magic moments– mudslides and rainbows– but more often, rain brings routine divisional soccer games, casual conversations while puddle jumping with friends, the excuse to finally wear your five year jacket (even though everyone knows it’s far from waterproof). In the rain, campers seem to walk closer together, their shouts and laughter uniquely echo above the pattering white noise. At camp we do things that are, by outside world standards, uncomfortable, and we don't even take note. How is it that something typically worthy of complaint instead brings me comfort and joy? That is the intangible. 

Soccer in the rain...

Here's the thing, I do not want to go outside in the rain in Brooklyn. Somehow, I don’t feel the smell of hot wet pavement will bring the same comfort. But school, work, home life, and camp, have more overlap than we give them credit for - busy schedules (much of which are chosen for you), community of peers, some of whom are lifelong friends, all of whom you have shared experiences with. Yes, there are tests and AP classes, but there are also talent shows, group projects, and dining halls. There are those routine transitions where the entire community moves from one place to the next. A lot of the key ingredients for magical moments are already there, we just need to intentionally work to see them in a camp-self light.

My first week back in New York City, I found myself at a dreaded juncture - a flashing orange “delayed” notice for my subway. As irritation took hold, I instead paused and asked “what would my camp-self do?” And so, I removed my earbuds and walked downtown through Times Square. I was immersed in an astonishing confluence of personalities and activities, and instead of keeping my head down and pushing through the crowds, I just walked. I stopped to give directions to a family from California, and shadowed a tour group for half a block to hear a brief history of Broadway. And it was here, a place so antithetical to camp, a place that is, in most ways, the absolute embodiment of what we are trying to escape when we enter the 12523, that I came closest to finding my camp-self. I was an hour behind what I had set out to get done, but I was energized by the experience. 

Camp Sister Talent Show- 2024. 

We can’t truly recreate the camp magic, but perhaps there are more opportunities than we realize to emulate some tangible manifestations of the camp-self. Maybe it is as simple as taking a small, uncomfortable, even unpleasant moment, and instead approaching it as an opportunity to connect, to try something new, to find joy in the mundane. And just maybe, perhaps, if we accumulate enough of these small moments, we can somewhat capture the intangible and abstract, and get closer to being the person who is willing to dance in a hot dog costume on stage. 

Scatico Blog: Week 6 (August 1 - August 7)— 1, 2, 3, 4… We have Color War!

The culmination of weeks of camp prep and anticipation… Color War 2024 is here!

Sooper team leaders are read at the Color War break

On Girls Side, the break happened on Thursday when campers returned from lunch to find that their water bottles— which had been collected for a deep cleaning (shoutout to our amazing kitchen staff!)— were returned to them not just cleaner but also with a new addition: a Color War 2024 sticker!! The stickered water bottles had been placed in divisional crates on the HC porch, and it did not take long for the initial discoverees’ screams to reach all of campus! Quickly, girls camp gathered in front of Kerri’s bunk, with the Soopers — our leaders for the next week— eagerly seated in the front row. Judges Katie Pargament, Cara Howe and Emma Krasner read the Color War pledge, and we were off to the tennis courts for dodgeball and team splits.

On Girls Side, team Generals and Lieutenants— 4 Soopers who are voted for by their peers— first play a doubles tennis match to determine who gets dibs on color, Green or Grey. Ultimately, Fallon and Marissa beat Jess and Summer, and they chose GREY! Then, divisions are called one at a time for a dodgeball match: Soopers, Juniors, Seniors, Jinters… etc. and as campers are eliminated they line up in front of the Chief Judges and have their team color read. Green gathers on one half of the tennis courts, Grey on another, slowly growing and growing until each camper is on their respective side.

Al Viva once full teams are assembled

On Boys Side, the break happened Tuesday at evening lineup. As Mark made his pre flag-lowering announcements— acknowledging the amazing August weather, a roll call of various soccer league finals— a fire broke out in the garbage can in front of the Pixie House, just next to the lineup circle. Flames reaching over the edge of the can, counselor Emmett Miller sprung into action. Fire extinguisher in hand he put the fire out to a thunderous applause from boys camp (many people by now catching on to the break). Mark continued with his announcements but then…. smoke billows out of the Dining Hall door! Just as campers start to react, Moises and Upper Senior DL Justin Zucker burst through the Dining Hall with green and grey confetti poppers… “It’s Color War!”

To the A Court!

They haven’t finished shouting the words and everyone is already dashing to the A Court, where dodgeball and splits take place. On Boys Side, the sequence is similar: divisions are called up one by one for a dodgeball match and as campers are eliminated they line up in front of their DL who reads aloud their team colors. Grey assembles on one half of the court and Green on the other, with Upper Seniors and the Captains and Co-Captains called last. On Boys Side, beyond the Upper Seniors each team has three counselor Generals who serve as coaches and team leaders. The six Generals are revealed last, each one introduced by a peer and then making a “surprise entrance” (running in from some secret location, on a golf cart, to pump up music, etc.) and greeted by a loud “Al Viva” cheer from their team. The teams now fully assembled, and dinner in the Dining Hall way past done, the entire boys camp assembled on the ball fields for a BBQ “Tailgate” before Upper Senior Flag Football (the first, official, Color War event).

The next 4 days of competition encompass a little bit of everything. On Girls Side, Green Wreck it Ralph will face off against Grey Smurf Village (girls side does themes) in the Sing tonight— a presentation of songs, skits, and art projects. Other highlights include “Novelities” (small, fun, full team competitions like jump rope, and ball balance); The Relay; Track, Swim and Boat Meets; All Star Games (Softball, Volleyball and Basketball); Scavenger and Trivia Hunts and so much more. On Boys Side, top events are Mass Softball; The Relay; Swim Meet and Boating Regatta; The A Game (Upper Senior/ Senior Basketball) Rope Burn; Chicken Fights.

Perhaps the best parts of Color War are not the individual events, but the intangibles. Watching Soopers and Upper Seniors as leaders, encouraging and motivating younger campers. The all-out, earnest effort in each aspect of the competition, especially the ones that feel “absurd” to describe in writing: whether it’s blowing a ping pong ball across the tennis courts in The Relay, or sprinting to move blocks in the inexplicably named “Potato Races,” or filling a pitcher with water using nothing but your hands in Water Toting. The way teams burst into cheers, campers of all ages huddling up, after a win. How in a moment of downtime, perhaps on the walk back to the bunk after an activity, bunkmates on opposite teams come together and share a moment of laughter, entirely unrelated to the game that just ended. The heart and tears of the final night.

We’re excited to share photos of the next 4 days. Peek team splits and the full program below!

Scatico Blog: Week 5 (July 24 - July 31)

Divisional Sing is one of those camp special events where we often find ourselves thinking: If only we could bottle this night. There is something electric in the air. A mix of jitters, camp spirit, enthusiasm, and earnestness. Counselors are just as “in it” as their campers. Groups come together and unify, huddling up and cheering their hearts out, before they take the stage. Performances are that perfect mix of silly and serious. Moments of pure campy joy and goofy energy, and others of quiet reflection.

For those who do not know, Divisional Sing is (as the title suggests) a song competition between the divisions. Girls and Boys Side do theirs separately, and each has their own time-honored spin on the event.

On Girls Side, divisions have “themes” that are a play on words of the divisional name. This year we had: Junior Prom, Walking in a Jinter Wonderland, Intside Out, Wild Wild Cents, Deb MD, Pirates of the Suben Seas, and 00Seniors (like 007). Campers are dressed in homemade “costumes” that incorporate nods to the theme (eg. prom sashes for the Juniors; silver Scatico belt buckles made of tinfoil for the Centers; spray painted T-shirts for many), and the homespun quality feels very on-the-nose Scatico. Each group performs an "entrance” (a somewhat new-er tradition, in which there is some kind of mini skit or elaborate way of taking the stage) and then a medley of popular songs to which their counselors have rewritten the lyrics. This “fun song” is a combination of references to the theme plus stories from the group’s summer, and general “poking fun” of camp life. The “fun song” is performed on the Social Hall stage, accompanied by an impressively elaborate mix of choreography. After the “fun song” comes the folk song, in which the tone shifts. Girls sit on the two steps leading up to the stage, hand in hand with their bunkmates, and perform a cover of a real folk song (or folk-adjacent song, if we’re being honest).

On Boys Side, there are no themes, and each division also performs one “fun song” and one “real song” (a slow, folk-ish song). The fun song is not a medley, but a popular song in its entirety that counselors have rewritten lyrics to— these lyrics focusing on the kids’ summer, big events, impending Color War, and shoutouts to campers and staff. There is usually a mix of “inside jokes” (that camp as a whole is largely in on), and songs always end with a burst of appreciation for camp and a look to next summer. Boys perform in their Social Hall (an indoor basketball court), standing in two rows barefoot. The performance has a few rituals: counselors and campers huddle on the side porch of the Social Hall before filing into the main performance area; each camper slaps their counselors’ hands as they file into their rows; two campers from each division are selected to announce and introduce each of the song performances.

There are three Sing Judges for each Divisional Sing. While they step outside to deliberate, Kerri and Mark (for their girls and boys sing, respecitvely) hand out 5, 10, and 3-year (for staff who were never Scatico campers) jackets! The “jacket ceremony” is always a special, milestone moment, and one campers and staff have been looking forward to year-round. It is a celebration of years of memories, friendships, and growth at Scatico, and an opportunity to be recognized in front of the entire camp. Campers and staff are called up to the stage to receive their jacket one-by-one, as the entirety of boys and girls camp applauds. As Mark shared in his opening speech, “There are not many things in our lives that we can say we have done, or been a part of consistently, for 5 and especially 10 years. It is a testament to the power and meaning of camp in our lives, and how it is a place and community that is a constant, always there for us even as we grow and change.” Beyond the 3, 5, and 10 years we had a few even longer Scatico career honors: a 20 year jacket for camp doctor Greg Mazarin; a 25 year for Girls Head Counselor Kerri (!); and a 40 (!) year for current Head of Filmmaking John Hickey.

With jackets distributed, and a few tears of celebration shed, the judges return to announce the winners. On Girls Side it was: 3rd place Debs, 2nd place Inters, 1st place Subs. On Boys Side: lower hill winner was the Sub-Juniors, and upper hill winner the Upper Seniors. As you can imagine— an eruption of cheers ensues. In fact, in the 2024 off-season March Madness bracket, the “sound of cheers in the Social Hall after a sing wing” was voted as a top Scatico sound! The moment of pure pride and jubilation at hearing your division’s name said aloud by a judge… it’s a piece of camp we carry with us year round.

Subs are announced 1st place

This week before Color War and the end of camp brings another special event… Big Trips! After 5-weeks in the “Scatico bubble” (more or less, barring some day trips and tournaments), the Big Trip can feel extra special, and a bit like a journey into the unknown. A quick rundown of each division’s outing, which always ends with dinner out and a trip to the movies:

Junior boys ready for ziplining

• Junior girls: Howe Caverns

• Jinter girls: Bounce Sports and Entertainment Center (a trampoline park pivot, after the water park was cancelled due to lightening… see you in 2025 Zoom Flume!)

• Inter girls: Catamount Mountain Resort for ziplining

• Center girls: Catamount Mountain Resort for ziplining

• Deb girls: Bounce Sports and Entertainment Center

• Sub girls: Co-ed white water rafting at Sacandaga

• Freshman boys: Howe Caverns

• Sophomore boys: Zoom Flume water park

• Sub Junior boys: Minor League baseball game (including press conference and BBQ behind the center field fence) with the Hudson Valley Renegades

• Junior boys: Catamount Mountain resort for ziplining

• Inter boys: Splash Down water park

• Sub Senior boys: Co-ed white water rafting at Sacandaga

More updates from the 12523 to come! As always…. the summer flies.

Scatico Blog: Week 4 (July 18 - July 23)

This past weekend, a major change in energy and perspective descended on the 12523. And we couldn’t be happier.

Excitement for our graduating Upper Seniors and Soopers, who headed off at 6AM Saturday morning on a charter bus bound for JFK Airport to begin their service trip in the Dominican Republic, running a one-week day camp at a local school in coordination with the DREAM Project. And excitement for the Seniors, who boarded a charter bus headed for a very different location: Lake Placid.

Seniors head to Placid!

Scenes from day camp in the Dominican Republic

And, following a whirlwind bunk cleaning and setup, excitement for our twenty-eight 1-week campers, who arrived on Sunday at 2PM to begin their first sleepaway camp experiences. 

For myself, I love imagining how Scatico must look and feel for a first-time camper. That magical mix of both exuberance and nervousness. Embracing the daily routines of lineups, meals, activities, and bedtime. Independence and adventure. Meeting new friends and counselors and older campers—knowing that many of these connections will last for years to come. 

I spent time with each of the groups on Tuesday, asking the SITs (Scaticonians-In-Training) what they were most looking forward to during their week at camp. Their answers ranged: Fishing, Cooking, Soccer, Gymnastics, Swimming, and Woodshop. Wednesday’s Mystery Ride (the power of a posted schedule), Waterfront Cookouts, and (on girls side) Dance Show. Getting launched off the Rave at the Waterfront and becoming a “Flying Squirrel” (at the high ropes course). Even two votes for “hot dogs.” And, most importantly, “making friends.” 
We often speak to the Scatico community of the “journeys” that await in life. For our graduating Upper Seniors and Soopers—the Service Trip foreshadows the end of their journeys as campers and the start of new paths for the many who will return as Junior Counselors in 2025. For the SITs, we hope they will embrace and remember these first-time Scatico experiences. The power of first steps.  

SITs at tennis

SITs at Dance Show

Scatico Blog: Week 3 (July 11 - July 17)

We received an unexpected text from camp’s head of Art +Philosophy, Ken Vallario, Tuesday morning: “We decided to recreate this photo during first.” The referenced photo is the one below, a 1930s scene from the Scatico Boys Art Studio, in which we see kids hovered around a project (?) with a counselor in the back, and others working along the standing window tables.

The recreation from Tuesday’s first period optionals crew— a collection of lower hill campers working on Art Show projects— is pretty spot on. We have Head of Boys Art, Mar, presiding over the table in the back, and campers busy with projects along the side. Of course, there are some “spot the difference” moments: Crocs in 2024 versus ankle socks; athletic shorts instead of wool (?) ones; yarn and resin projects adorning the walls, rather than hand tools.

The phrase that came to mind was… the more things change, the more they stay the same. We talk a lot about the “timeless” quality of a Scatico summer experience. How a camper from the 1940s, or 60s, or 80s, and a camper today can not only speak the same Scatico language, and feel nostalgic for the same phenomena— rain on the bunk roof, the unstructured joy of free play, walking with a friend to a meal and spotting a rainbow (a camp moment just yesterday), being lifted up by a counselor— but compare notes on very specific Scatico traditions: Color War events, line up, Divisional Sing, Opening Campfire… The programming, values and life lessons of camp reflect, of course, the realities of an ever-changing world around us, and yet, there is always a seed of true consistency. A North Star that exists outside of time.

Another scene from this past week: girl side campers swimming out to the “wibit” (camp’s inflatable obstacle course) during General Swim, cracking up as they scale the “iceberg,” singing bits of Top 40 hits as they jump into the water. Some songs and chants are clearly from TikTok or memes— they plant us firmly in a specific time and place, the way hearing a song brings you back to the exact moment in your life when you first heard it— but the general gestalt is… timeless. Kids ranging in age from 8 (Juniors) to 14 (Subs), cheering each other on, laughing at not particularly funny (to an outsider) jokes or moments, remembering counselors and dives and General Swims from summers past. Older campers tell younger about when there, “wasn’t even a wibit.” Juniors work up the courage to try a flip off the top.

Coming to divisional mailboxes Thursday… Carnival announcement!

This Saturday, Scatico will embark upon another time-honored tradition… the Carnival. We think this special event dates back to the 1930s. And while we’ve implemented some upgrades since Carnival’s inception— an inflatable comes via a party rental company; a photobooth uses a digital camera— at its core the Scatico carnival is… timeless. Divisions operate throwback style state fair games like dart boards, hands-free donut eating contests, popcorn machines, and milk bottle tosses. Campers of all ages mingle and snack. Friends get married, and remarried, and married to new friends, with tinfoil rings at the marriage booth.

This year’s theme, Country Western, will (naturally) come with its own twists. Head of Maintenance Teddy will be moonlighting as a hay ride tour operator (campers do not yet know this). The Senior boys and girls will be operating a “Scatico Saloon” complete with line dancing. A series of gold rush golden rocks will be hidden throughout the Carnival to be “cashed in” for Scatico swag (bandanas, theme-fittingly).

Each summer in the 12523… a timeless, new frontier.

Scatico Blog: Week 2 (July 4 - July 10)

Another 7 days flies by at Scatico! At camp, it is easy to lose track of the day of the week. Certain dates are marked by certain milestones: but is July 4 a Wednesday or Thursday? Is DJ Pure on July 8 a Monday or a Tuesday? Often the day of the week is irrelevant…

One weekday stands out as an exception: Friday Nights. On Fridays, it is not the date but that it is a Friday that counts, as the entire boys and girls side gather separately after dinner for a moment of sharing and reflection.

On girls side, we go to the Amphitheater, where each week a different division takes charge of the evening’s “community meeting,” as we have come to call it. We start the first Friday with the Soopers, then Seniors, Subs, Debs, and so on. Each division picks what their focus will be, and the lessons and stories they want to impart to the wider community. On our first Friday, Soopers kicked it off by sharing Scatico’s 4 core values— Lifelong Community. Time to be a Kid, Personal Growth: Embrace the Journey, and From the 12523, to the World— what each of the values means to them, and how they embody them in their daily camp life. Last Friday, the Seniors took the lead, sharing something each of them wish they could tell their younger selves. The pervading message? Slow down and appreciate the time you have with your division.

On girls side, divisional lessons are interspersed with songs (but of course), including fan favorites like “If I Had a Hammer” and “For Our Hands are Strong.” Each song comes with its own “house rules,” like knowing when to echo lines (after, “I hammer out danger!” you turn and whisper to the person next to you “danger,” same goes for “warning”). First year campers catch on quick. The effect is a chorus of giggling and singing kids, all different ages, not particularly in tune or “unified,” but still a collective whole. We close it out with “Lost and Found Friday,” when even something as potentially dull as giving out the lost items that accumulate in the HC over the week, becomes an excuse to cheer on bunkmates (a lot of “repeat offenders” at Lost and Found Friday). Perhaps most impressive… how many campers can see an item hoisted in the air and instantly know who it belongs to, even when it’s not their bunkmate! “Oh, that’s so and sos water bottle.” For 135 girls— we are a close knit community.

TEAMS breaks during the summer's first Lost and Found Friday

Upper Seniors on the Pixie House porch

On boys side, we head down to the bleachers at the boys waterfront, so campers can gaze out at the lake for a moment of contemplation before the “services,” as we call them, begin. On boys side an individual (or small group) delivers a “sermon”: a life lesson or personal experience they want to share. Ross MacPherson, Sub DL, delivered the first sermon, and Justin Zucker, Upper Senior DL, delivered the second. Boys side also has its own “house rules,” including each sermon beginning with the question: “Upper Seniors, can you hear me?” as the oldest boys sit the farthest back, on the porch of the Pixie House just behind the bleachers. The Upper Seniors dutifully respond, “Yeah.”

Ross— a third year staff member from Scotland (Scatico jacket summer!)— shared how his journey to camp back in 2022 was his first time on an airplane, and the beauty of taking a risk and diving into the unknown. Ross had actually been hired to work at Scatico in 2021, but was unable to make it that summer as J-1 visa holders from Europe were barred from entering the U.S. due to Covid. He marveled at the magic of sticking with an instinct— deciding to give camp another try after waiting a year— and that you never know the impact your decisions will have, so always push yourself to go for it.

Zucker reflected on his own first summer— and actually, first day— as a camper, and feeling nervous and unsure of how to fit in. He remembered he did not have the “cool” Pokemon cards when he arrived (his packs were a year old), but that a bunkmate lent him one of the new “in-demand” cards— a small gesture that spoke volumes. With time Zucker grew more comfortable, and more at home, at Scatico. His ultimate message? You can always be yourself at camp. No matter your interests, or personality quirks, or fears, or what Pokemon cards you come with… you can shine at Scatico.

Friday at the Boys Waterfront

A little silliness, a lot of heart, a time to be all together… Fridays represent a bit of the best of camp. They are also a marker by which we are able to look back and say— whoa did all of that happen in one week?! Senior Staff has spent the past few days marveling at the pace of camp— how a free play spent chatting with friends on picnic tables can feel relaxed and easy, almost like time standing still— and yet a week contains multitudes: 4th of July co-ed evening, Boys Nat, DJ Pure, hikes, tournaments, canteen sessions, a dozen jumps in the lake, something like two dozen individual activities, countless conversations and moments of connection.

We know next week will bring its own set of lessons and adventures…

Scatico Blog: Week 1 (June 26 - July 3)

A lot can happen in a week…

We frequently marvel at the quality of time at Scatico, and it is perhaps at its most surreal in this first (and in the last) week of camp. Parked cars lining the driving range, and email exchanges about van pick up times, feel like a distant memory. New campers who, in those first 24 hours, looked puzzled at statements like, “We’ll go after free play,” or “Check the HC,” now confidently navigate campus, familiar with the rhythms and routines of Scatico life. Returning campers, a mix of enthusiasm and nerves on Opening Day, start to feel the distance (emotional, physical) of the past 10 months, shrink and shrink.

Among many things— a week of bonding, time-honored traditions, acclimation, first activities, new friends— the first week of camp is also something of a digital detox, and entry into the world of the great outdoors. Just one moment from this first week that embodies the transition…

On Monday night, which happened to be the first Canteen night for Upper Hill (Deb girls/ Inter boys and up for those new to Scatico), Elizaville (and its surrounding area) lost power for about 2 hours. Down in the office, we noticed immediately. Lights flickered, computer screens went black. Walking out onto the Main House porch, and looking up on the girls Athletic Fields— where a series of co-ed and divisional evening activities were taking place (jump rope, soccer, volleyball)— it was clear… campers had no idea. Activities continued uninterrupted. Peals of laughter, the sounds of feet on court pavement. Kids playing in the golden hour glow of a pre-sunset sky. Of course, behind the scenes there was the typical camp scrambling (ice for the Health Center and Canteen, a generator for the kitchen and water systems), but for campers, it was a camp night almost like any other. Time slowed down. Just enjoying a simple activity with friends, outside.

Beautiful weather and late sunsets don’t hurt when it comes to generating that first week special camp sauce. Going back in time, Friday night and Opening Campfires, we were lucky to have a picture perfect June evening. Chilly enough for “long and long,” the sky alight when boys and girls walked down to their respective campfire circles, but dark and full of stars when they returned to campus.  On girls side, Soopers lead the campfire, taking time to explain full-camp events and traditions (Camp Sisters, Teams, Color War) and camp values. At the close of the campfire, Soopers distribute candles for each camper to make a wish on. Campers and staff sit and gaze at the tiny flame in their hand, each individual contributing their own light to the glow of the whole circle, and community (an apt metaphor).

On boys side, the Opening Campfire is filled with stories and games. Head Counselor Mark and Director David, both reflected on Opening Days from years ago–Mark’s as a first-year camper at the camp he attended growing up, Blue Star, and David’s (unsurprisingly) baseball-themed.  Fool ball and pillow fights keep the energy going, and the night closes out with some acoustic music. Nothing quite like the strum of a guitar around a campfire. 

We’d be remiss not to mention, in keeping with the great outdoors theme, week one also marks the first farm outings, hikes, tournaments and overnights! Center and Inter girls went cherry picking…. Freshman boys and Junior girls blueberry picked and headed to Mills Mansion… Jinter girls went to Boulder Rock (in the Catskills)…. Sub boys to Bonticou Crag (in the Mohonk Preserve)… Sub girls played flag football at Pontiac… Senior boys and girls played night hockey and volleyball at Berkshire Hills… Inter and Sub boys headed to Wahnee for basketball… today the Sub Juniors will go to Inspiration Point and the Junior boys to Monument Mountain.

Of course, 4th of July, and the first full-camp, co-ed evening of the summer looms large on next week’s update horizon. More to come from the 12523…