Our leadership team is unique in camping. Every team leader was a camper here, and most haven’t missed a summer since they started camp as children. All are professional educators, and they bring their passion for teaching children to camp. Even though they have specific job titles, they all wear a lot of hats here — even goofy ones during special events – always with a great big smile on their faces!
Even after 37 years, Jane still gets butterflies in her stomach when she hears the buses full of campers pulling into camp each June, in anticipation of another spectacular summer.
Jane’s role as Associate Director at Che-Na-Wah is to train, guide and support the staff to enable them to embrace and teach skills, values and the camp traditions that Jane herself learned when she was a camper at Che-Na-Wah. She helps the staff be the best that they can be.
Jane also gets to know every camper. When Jane is not at camp, she is a first grade teacher at a public elementary school in New York. During the summer, she often tutors campers who need some extra help with their reading.
Camp Baco’s Head Counselor and Program Director, Greg Silver, began attending camp when he was eight years old. His grandparents, Alice and Lester Sternin, owned Camp Che-Na-Wah from the late 1959 until 1986. Greg has never missed a summer at camp and worked his way up from basketball counselor to group leader to his current role, which he’s held with great pride since 2002.
Greg’s responsibilities at camp are far-ranging: he writes the daily schedules, hires and trains staff and plays a myriad of other roles. His favorite job is as the spirit and face of Camp Baco when he runs the twice-daily meet-up of campers and counselors before each meal. Greg always has a smile on his face and does whatever it takes to make camp special for everyone. His favorite words from campers? “Greg! You gave us the best schedule today!”
When Greg is not at camp, he is the dean of student life and high school placement at a charter middle school serving underprivileged students in New Jersey.
Amy, or “Grobie” as she’s known at camp, was a Che-Na-Wah camper for eight summers and has been a counselor for 13. Today, she makes the Che-Na-Wah sports program the best it can be, supervising the sports staff, helping them to develop their coaching and instructing skills, and infusing a love of sports and healthy competition in the girls.
As one of the leaders at camp, Grobie knows that she plays a key role in shaping campers’ lives. She appreciates that at Che-Na-Wah, friendships are not defined by age, but rather by a mutual love of camp. A music lover, she’s a “sing-a-long” waiting to happen, especially on the camp bus!
During the winter, Amy is a physical education and health teacher at a middle school in New York.
As Program Director at Camp Che-Na-Wah, Amy has the daily challenge of writing a new schedule every day to make sure every campers get the most out of every activity at camp. In addition, Amy helps with staff development and is the face of camp for campers at daily line-up before meals.
A camper for seven years, Amy hasn’t missed a camp summer for 19 years. She still thrills to the beautiful setting here. She particularly loves the sun shining on the lake with the mountain ranges in the distance, and says it’s the perfect backdrop to a breathtaking summer scene.
When Amy is not at her second home (camp!), she is a first and second grade teacher.
Like many senior staffers at Camps Baco and Che-Na-Wah, Danny has numerous roles. As head of the basketball program, he makes sure that the boys have an opportunity for learning and competition within camp and through inter-camp games. He keeps the ball in play off the court, too, assisting his brother, Greg, the program director, mentoring staff and supervising campers.
Danny, like other senior counselors, cherishes camp. He was a camper for ten years and has been a counselor for nine. His grandparents, Alice and Lester Sternin, owned Camp Che-Na-Wah from the late 1959 until 1986. He says that more than any other influence, camp has shaped him into who he is today. He says that camp is special because of the strong sense of community and pride that defines every day, every activity and every action.
Danny is a physical education teacher at a private K-9 boys school in Manhattan. He coaches soccer, basketball and baseball.
Marc only spent one year as a camper at Camp Baco; but it must have made a big impression on him: he has worked at camp on and off for 26 years. Today, Marc focuses on working with department heads and specialty counselors to improve skill instruction and he supervises the pioneering and waterfront programs at Baco. He has a love of the Adirondack Mountains, has hiked most of the trails here, and his passion for the environment is infectious.
Marc says that Baco is special because it feels like a family, and the fact that 95% of the campers and 80% of the counselors return each year gives him an opportunity to watch them grow.
Marc teaches physical education and health at a high school in the Bronx, and he is an adjunct professor of physical education and recreation at York College CUNY.
The final countdown has begun until the Summer of 2012 begins!
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation wrote a wonderful feature about the Baco/Che-Na-Wah Bazaar Foundation. You can read it here! http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/dailydose/2011/12/13/keep-the-lesson-alive-by-michael-thunell-reeve-fou
Find out more about our exciting summers!