Camp Micah Winter Newsletter 2016

Winter Edition 2016
Page 1
The Micah Update
Inside this issue:
Message from Mark
Mazel Tov, Micah!
Reunion Recap
Thank You!
Social Action Update
Micah News
Camp Countdown
Birthdays
Welcome New Campers!
Important Reminders
1
Message From Mark
2
3
3
4
5
6
7
7
7
March 2016
I am happy to report that the winter has been mild in Maine and, as of today,
there is very little snow remaining at camp. Mike Fusco, our year-round Facility
Manager, and our maintenance staff, have been doing some exciting projects
up at camp throughout the winter months. They have been working hard
replacing the bunk floors with new wood floors in B-1 through B5 and G2 through
G5. These bunks will also all have new wooden beds. Mike has also been hard at
work on new cubbies for each bunk’s bathrooms that will allow all campers and
staff to leave their toiletries in the bathroom in their own space. Over the next
two years, we will continue to replace all bunk floors in camp.
Also new for 2016 is a really exciting Micah activity. Perhaps you have seen the
American Ninja Warrior television series? Well, Camp Micah has contracted with
a company to build and install our own Camp Micah Ninja Warrior course that
will consist of over 12 elements and will be an activity that campers of all ages
can choose on their schedule. The course is sure to be a huge hit and will be
utilized in the Micah Marathon during Color War. We can’t wait for our campers
and staff to try out this new obstacle course. Check out the show online if you
want an idea of how really amazing this new activity will be.
Forms for the coming summer are due May 1st. Please submit everything on time
so we can accurately prepare for the summer and the arrival of our staff and
campers. It feels like spring already and it won’t be long until we move the
Micah office to Maine in May. If you should have any questions while you are
preparing, please feel free to call us!
Camp Micah
www.campmicah.com
Winter:
P.O. Box 67414
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-244-6540
Mark
Summer:
156 Moose Cove Lodge Rd
Bridgton, ME 04009
207-647-8999
Be sure to “like” Camp Micah on Facebook so you can be
one of the first to hear exciting news!
Winter Edition 2016
Page 2
Mazel Tov, Micah!
Engagements
We’re excited to announce the engagements of the following
former campers and staff. Stay tuned for their wedding pictures
in the future!
Jason Lipof (general sports 2006)
is engaged to Jodi Ram. Jason
and Jodi are working at a
hospital in Rochester, NY. Jason
as an orthopedic surgery resident
and Jodi as an internal medicine
resident. A September wedding in California is
planned. Mazel tov to the Lipof family!
Daniel Brenner (songleader 2010)
proposed to Felicia Palmer on
November 22, 2015 in the
beautiful Mission Rose Garden in
Santa Barbara, California.
Matt Crosby (2006 - 2008 basketball
staff) became engaged to Nicole
Deveau on February 5, 2016. Matt
is living in Nova Scotia and working
as a pharmacist.
Rosalie Waxman (2008 - 2010
waterski staff) got engaged to
Andy Rougeot on the Inca Trail to
Machu Picchu in March 2016.
We’re certain that Rosalie and
Andy will have a lifetime of
adventures together!
Babies
We are so excited to introduce you all to the newest members
of the Micah family.
Introducing the newest member,
of the Shortill family! Jasper Sky
was born on November 5, 2015 in
San
Diego,
California.
Congratulations to Ryan Shortill
(2001 - 2004 wilderness staff), wife
Sarah, and new big sister, Calliope. Ryan is now
living in California working for Positive
Adventures (www.positiveadventures.com), a
company he founded that focuses on
organizational
team
building,
outdoor
education, retreats, and youth programs.
Nick Cooper (2012 waterski staff)
and his wife, Michelle, welcomed
their son, Joshua Daniel in
January 2016.
Bailey (Gutkin) Kaufman (2006 &
2008 boating staff) and her
husband, Robbie, welcomed
son Daniel Spencer in November
2015 in Toronto, Canada.
Congratulations also to uncle
Seth Gutkin (2005 - 2010 boating
staff and Critter Unit Leader).
Jordan Silton (our very first
founding camper, B15 2003,
2006 - 2009 sailing, ropes course,
scheduler, tech director, head
of hockey, and Micah Edge
coordinator) and Kristen
(Gwock) (2009 head of woodworking)
welcomed beautiful Evie Ruth on Thanksgiving
Day 2015! Big brother, Benji, and Aunt Rachel
Silton (G14 2005, 2009 soccer staff) are proud.
Dan Waddell (2003 - 2005
skatepark, mountain biking staff)
and Esther Simmonds MacAdam
(2003 - 2006 art staff, Timber Unit
Leader) welcomed Levi Dewis
Waddell on December 17, 2015.
Uncle Dave Waddell (2003 2005 skatepark, BMX staff) is so excited!
Raquel (Borgenicht) Donnelly
(founding camper, G14 2002, the
only camper to have won the Milt
Tatelman Award twice, 2004 2007 general sports staff, Timber Unit Leader)
and her husband, Steve, welcomed Wesley
Joseph to their family on January 13, 2016. Aunt
Sarita (2005 boating staff) and Uncle “Borgy”
(2004 - 2007 camper, B15 2007, 2009 CIT and
2010 - 2012 soccer, ultimate frisbee, fencing,
ropes staff) are thrilled!
Misty (Cain) (2007 waterski staff,
2008 Summit Unit Leader) and
Josh Hawk
(2004, 2005, 2007
waterski staff) expanded their
family with another baby boy in
February! Big brother, Hudson, is
excited to introduce you to Bennett Wilde!
If you have big news or a lifecycle event you want to share
with
the Micah Community? Email Kate Monge
(kate@campmicah.com) and send pictures!
Winter Edition 2016
Page 3
Summer ‘15 Reunion
Thanks, Micah!
On Sunday, January 10, over 200 Micah
campers and staff members gathered at Kings
Bowling in Dedham, MA for the summer of
2015 reunion. As we expected, once the
doors opened a wave of people flooded
through the doors. All were able to have fun
bowling, playing video games and pool, and
eating some delicious pizza.
In
the
C a mp
M i c ah
community, our commitment
to social action doesn’t end
when we leave Maine. At this
year’s reunion, we asked
families to bring markers, crayons, or colored
pencils to donate to the Jimmy Fund Clinic
and Blum Pediatric Resource Room in Boston.
The organization was so thankful for the many
items we were able deliver after the reunion.
Thank you to all the families who participated
in supporting this worthy cause!
As much fun as the games were, and how
yummy the food was, the true purpose of this
gathering is for everyone to catch up!
Campers traveled from as far away as Florida
and California to get their winter fix of Micah.
The best thing we always see on this reunion
day are the smiles. Everywhere you looked
someone was laughing, smiling, or in a heartto-heart, intense conversation. As usual, Mark
gave his “State of Micah” address and the
campers were so excited to receive their new
Micah shoelaces as a parting gift.
We would like to thank all of those who
attended this year’s reunion. It is you who
make Micah such a special place. We would
also like to thank Kings for their amazing
hospitality! I know it seems far away but
summer will be here soon!
Micah Families,
Thank you! The Blum Resource Room was
THRILLED when I walked in with such a large
bag of goodies. A few faces lit up with
excitement, really. Thank you and
everyone at Camp Micah who took the
time to participate.
What Camp Micah does is amazing. I am
humbled by such kindness and the fact
that camp extends far beyond our all-tooshort New England summers.
Gratefully,
Megan Barrows
Assistant Director, Annual Giving
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
When we hear of Micah
alumni
growing
their
families (like the many
you read about on the
Mazel Tov, Micah page),
we send a gift of our
book, Goodnight Micah,
to the new baby. We’ve heard from many
Micah families that they’d love their own
copy of Goodnight Micah! If you’d like us to
send you a copy, please send a check for
$28 per book (which includes the cost of
shipping), payable to “Camp Micah” with
“Goodnight Micah” in the memo field to our
winter address (P.O. Box 67414, Chestnut Hill,
MA 02467) and we’ll get a copy out to you
right away.
Winter Edition 2016
Page 4
Micah in Action, Social Action!
Cassidy McGoldrick and
Chloe Ginsberg (Upper
Timbers 2015), along with
their friend, Sammi Fern,
are continuing the project
they announced to camp
last year during second
session, which was inspired by the work of
Chloe’s brother, Drew. Through their charity,
Psyched 2 Tryke, they raise money to donate
custom-made tricycles for disabled children.
AmTryke is a company owned and operated
by AMBUCS, a national non-profit service
organization dedicated to creating mobility
and independence for people with disabilities.
AmTryke manufactures unique and customized
tricycles for disabled children who are unable
to ride a traditional bike. AmTryke tricycles are
designed for either hand or foot operation. In
all cases, they are always customized to
accommodate riders of all ages and physical
limitations. AmTryke tricycles improve motor
skills, strength development, and self-esteem.
Visit their website, www.psyched2tryke.com, to
learn how to donate, where your donations
go, and how each bike makes a difference in
a child’s life.
In March, Danielle Wolk
(CIT 2015) ran a 5k as part
of
the
Jerusalem
Marathon
to
support
“Hope Time Cure” in
honor of Ezra Schwartz, an
American teen killed in a
terror attack in Israel
earlier this school year.
Danielle is collecting donations to support this
amazing organization which is dedicated to
improving the lives of those with epilepsy. If
you’d like to help Danielle reach her goal, visit
this site:
https://www.hopetimecure.org/run-4-purple/runners/2016jerusalem-marathon/danielle-wolk-138/&welcome
If you have a social action project you’re
connected to during the school year, please let us
know so we can share it with our community. Email
social action news to kate@campmicah.com.
For any of you who have called
us in Maine or visited the Micah
office, you’ve certainly had the
pleasure of speaking to our long
-time office staff member, Maria
Papagno. This semester, Maria is
studying abroad and we were
so excited and proud to hear
about what she’s planning to do on her
upcoming Spring Break!
Hey Micah Community!
Many of you don’t know this but I’ve been
studying abroad in Leicester, England for the
last couple of months and have been loving
every minute of it! I’ve already made so many
friends here and had so many adventures that
I’m becoming sad for the day when I have to
fly
home.
I
remember
being
really
apprehensive about traveling here, but as soon
as I landed in London, I realized how diverse
Europe is and my fears fell away.
I watched a video recently about the refugee
crisis happening in Greece on an island called
Lesvos. Every day they receive anywhere from
500 to 8,000 refugees fleeing from Turkey
seeking safety through Greece and into the rest
of Europe. They are tired, cold, afraid, hungry,
and, unfortunately, not everyone who attempts
to cross the 3 miles of water from Turkey to
Lesvos makes it. Learning all of this broke my
heart, which is why I have decided to volunteer
10 days of my upcoming spring vacation to go
to Lesvos, Greece to help with the refugee
crisis. I will be helping the group called "Better
Days for Moria" at their registration camp to
hand out food and clean clothing to the
refugees. I hope that I will be able to make a
difference and have a positive impact.
For more information, please check out these
two websites. The first is the group that I am
d o n a t i n g
m y
t i m e
wi t h ,
www.betterdaysformoria.com , and the second
is a great website to learn more about how you
can help the other volunteers on the island and
ways to donate, www.lesvosvolunteers.com.
I’m so excited for this experience and to return
to you guys this summer at 04009!
~Maria
Winter Edition 2016
Page 5
Micah News
This month, we’ve had a change
in our administration at Camp
Micah. Steve Monge, one of our
four assistant directors, has
decided to move on from yearround camp work. Steve came
to camp twelve years ago as our head of tennis
and quickly moved on to athletic director and
eventually year-round assistant director.
Camp Micah has been fortunate to have Steve
as part of our upper administration for a long
time now. His creativity, love for Micah, tennis
expertise, and leadership of Color War have
added so much to our community. Steve’s
commitment to the Micah philosophy has
helped him to continually find the best staff for
Micah campers.
We will miss him at camp and in the winter
office. We wish him all the best in his new
endeavors. The Monges will always be part of
our Micah family and we are pleased that
Steve will visit Kate (an assistant director at
Micah) and his son, Ethan, at camp throughout
the summer.
Drumroll please…when Micah campers and
staff arrive at camp in Maine this summer, they’ll
see a new activity that’s certain to be a fast
favorite. Micah will soon have its own “ninja
course,” similar to training courses for American
Ninja Warrior, for those that have seen the show
on television. Once the building of the course is
complete, we’ll be posting pictures and having
a contest to name it! Watch for more news in
the coming months!
Our beloved Ken Wadness (2006 2015 Head of Hiking), pictured
here on a recent winter hike on
Mt. Katahdin, shared with us an
amazing photo/video project he
spent around two years and 200 hours
completing for Baxter State Park’s Visitor Center.
There are even a few pictures of Micah
campers in the program. If you’d like to check it
out, visit Ken’s site:
https://kenwadness.smugmug.com/BaxterState-Park/My-First-Gallery/
(password: chip)
The video can be found by clicking on the first
thumbnail. Feel free to also flip through the
collection of gorgeous pictures. We’re so lucky
to have Ken and all of his talents at camp!
Ben Berkon (founding camper,
B15 2002, 2004 - 2006 general
sports staff) is a published
journalist. We were so proud to
see his article about Jenrry Mejia, former New
York Mets pitcher, on the front page of the
New York Times’ sports section. Ben has now
been published more than once in the New
York Times!
Eli Dershwitz (B15 2011) has
certainly accomplished a lot
since his days as a camper! Eli,
a member of Harvard’s fencing
team, has been collecting gold
medal after gold medal over
the past few years as a
member of the US Fencing
Team - Men’s Saber. We’ll be
watching this spring as Eli
continues on his quest for a spot on the US
Olympic Team . Good luck, Eli!
Congratulations to Zack
Einhorn (B15 2014) for placing
1st in the 200 freestyle at the
Maryland High School State
Swimming Championship!
Max Goldman (B15 2013), a
survivor of T-Cell Lymphoblastic
Leukemia, developed a new
app this fall called Fingerstik!
This free iPhone app helps
people
going
through
chemotherapy track their height, weight, and
blood counts. It also calculates ANC and
does conversions automatically.
Steven Izen (B15 2005) has been
spreading his message of balance
through the business he created Lokai bracelets. Lokai’s message is
to find your balance within life’s journey of
success and setbacks. The bracelets
incorporate elements sourced from the
highest and lowest points of the earth: Mt.
Everest and The Dead Sea. His bracelets have
become an international sensation and can
be found on the wrists of our campers and
celebrities alike. Steven donates a portion
from each sale to charitable causes...what a
Micah mensch!
Winter Edition 2016
Page 6
Camp Countdown
With just a little over three months until the start of first session 2016, the Micah winter office is busy planning for our 16th
summer, and that includes hiring amazing staff to make each moment of the summer memorable. See how many of
the names you can find below! We couldn’t fit ALL the amazing staff members that are coming back to Micah for
the summer of 2016 but here’s a sneak preview of who you can expect to see back in 04009 (even some familiar
names of former campers and staff rejoining our community after being gone for a few summers!)
D I C H R I S C R O W L E Y B E N F R A N T Z J Z H D
L A L L Y R A X F Z Y D I E S O N I T S U A J X A W L
O Z N L L H R L D S N E V A L K X E L A H J B N N H A
U T J I D A A E J A V R D C O W E N D Y O A N R C R W
I R O Z E L H K C I N S E R Y N O H T N A A Y T Y J S
S A S M N L G C O H R I C N Y C D Y H A H L I N A X S
B W H A I D A Q S E T O E O T N A A A L C V E C A O O
R H G I C L L N V T N I C L A A L L E B O I O X G C R
A C E S A C L L D N T E M L G P R V E C B B N R A T G
V S L E Q N I U O E V O M S E A I A S B G Y E O Y O T
E K L L M S M R H A R A G R A N R O L E E T G T M I T
R A E A Y H O R D X S S N C S R M B R Y C S T E B L A
A Z R L N B R E T Z E E O O A N U R E H A I R S F L M
M Y I B B K E N N Y E L N N E Z I A E R K K K I H E W
C M H A L E Y E A G L E A J Y E P N L A M O T Y G A N
E N A R F A S E K I M E L L E I N A D H E A T H E R E
Find these names vertically, horizontally, diagonally, forwards, or backwards. Good luck!
Abby Gefen
Alexa
Alex Hull
Alex Klavens
Anthony Resnick
Austin
Ben Frantz
Bret
Caleb Esrig
Chris Crowley
Connor
Daniel Anderson
Daniel Garber
Danielle
Dave Coyne
Denica
Elliot Cox
Emily Silver
Gretchen
Haley Eagle
Hannah Levinson
Heather
Ian
Jacob Gerrie
Jen Moscovitch
Jon Halpern
Josh Geller
Kayla Ratner
Kenny
Kitty
Laura Smith
Liz Maisel
Louis Braver
Mary
Matt Grosswald
Mike Safran
Monica
Sam Land
Sarah Gallimore
Shae
Shayna
Toma
Wendy
Zac Gottschall
Zak Schwartz
Winter Edition 2016
Page 7
H-A-Double P-Y...your birthday’s
here so don't be shy!
December: Emily Adler, Ariel Aguirre, Abby Alepa, Emilie Alpert, Jeremy Arbesfeld, Andrew Cerel, Jordan Chastanet, Max
Chizmadia, Zachary Cohn, Kyra Esrig, Alec Feldman, Hannah Fiarman, Hannah Finn, Marc Finn, Sofi Finn, Lily Fogelman, Jonathan
Gamson, Charlie Goldsmith, Sophie Handrahan, Shaina Hershenow, Jack Hitter, Trish (Lara) Huntress, Brent Huot, Maia Kaplan,
Brooks Karofsky, Alex Kolodney, Jacob Levinson, Jenny Lipof, Elliot London, Jaden Odorczuk, Maria Papagno, Jason Payer, Nate
Rottenberg, Micah Rysman, Sonya Schloss, Bella Schreiber, Max Schreiber, Hanna Spivak, Dan Switalski, Kayla Talcoff, Ethan
Taubman, Georgia Waltzman.
January: Noah Adelstein, David Adler, Zoe Adler, Isaac Appel, Kitty Baker, Caleb Barer, Jordan Barr, Taylor Barron, Nadav
Berkman, Sarah Conroy, Matthew Drooker, Hannah Duston, Sofia Egol, Isaac Feinberg, Sam Gerrie, Chloe Ginsberg, Noah
Glassman, Ella Goddess, Alexa Gordon, Sam Gragg, Abby Gurevich, Noa Hart, Mallory Herron, Riley Herron, Juliet Katz, Alex Land,
Ruby Leif, Ryan Leif, Jake Messinger, Jennifer Moscovitch, Andy Moss, Sofia Mukamal, Alec Nevins, Hayes Pollard, Lila Raff, Max
Raff, Ari Reith, Sophie Rich, Benjamin Rosenzweig, Jake Rossow, Zachary Sickles, Justin Silver, Alana Siskind, Lucca Smith, Noah
Stanton, Eva Stern, Nicole Turetsky, Tyler Turetsky, Josh Wecker, Noah Weinberg, Sarah Weinberger, Max Winshall, Danielle Wolk.
February: Ella Arovas, Noah Berkson, Shoshana Blumenfeld, Brian Borghesani, Calvin Bumby, Benjamin Cohn, David Coyne, Ariana
Defranc, Estelle Feinberg, Lanie Fineman, Gefen Finn, Morgan Fusco, Joshua Gans, Nancy Garber, Megan Gibson, Morgan
Goldberg, Maya Golden, Bella Hauser, Noah Jacobson, Adam Joseph, Erica Kleeman, Roman Littmann, Ben Noe, Jayla
Odorczuk, Julia Patkin, Marin Pearlstein, Arielle Rabinovitz, Alexa Roos, Ariela Rosenzweig, Abigail Russman, Madeline Saphire,
Sarah Schwartz, Rachel Shatz, Edward Sherr, Sophie Shnayderman, Dan Simmons, Dava Sitkoff, Jared Sokoloff, Jordan Sokoloff,
Olivia Syat, Ben Wecker.
March: Max Butterfass, Hilary Cameron, Simone Caplan, Naomi Checoury, Layla Cheifetz, Claudia Coplein, Noah Disick,
Gretchen Egan, Alex Egol, Jordan Esrig, Dillon Frechette, Shira Gamson, Alexa Garfinkle, Jacob Gold, Lila Goldstein, Danielle
Grosswald, Kendall Huot, Noah Kleinlehrer, Emily London, Alanna Margulies, Cassidy McGoldrick, Mark Morton, Jacob Nevins,
Jacob Noe, Emma Nollman, Sophia Ofer, George Patsouris, Ethan Rosensweig, Gabe Samuels, Chad Schuster, Zak Schwartz,
Abigail Shusterman, Emily Silver, Laura Smith, Julian Sofer, Carly Sofro, Madison Talcoff, Zachary Vincent, Jonah Weingart, Sam
Weitzen, Sue Woron.
“Like” Camp Micah on
Facebook to keep up to
date on exciting news
and important info.
Stay Connected
Follow @campmicah
on Twitter during the offseason and throughout
the whole summer.
Follow campmicah04009
for great throwback pics
and
amazing
shots
throughout the year.
Welcome New Micah Campers!
Ariel Aguirre
Maddie Ali
Sydney Banker
Asher Berry
Simon Berry
Samuel Bregman
Ethan Burack
Harry Casper
Jacob Casper
Madeline Chase
Coco Cohen
Samuel Cohen
Gabriella D'Angelo
Leah Farb
Noah Farb
Samantha Feinberg
Alec Feldman
Lucy Feldman
Hannah Fidler
Lanie Fineman
Lily Fogelman
Samantha Frankel
Zachary Frean
Aden Garf
Asher Grossman
Benji Harris
Daniella Hazan
Jacob Hershenow
Lilly Kabat
Benjamin Kalis
Talia Kalis
Olivia Kaplan
Brooks Karofsky
Abigail Kranis
Ruby Leif
Ryan Leif
Mirabel Levin
Joshua London
Julia London
Jake Messinger
Aidan Moldof
Brandon Moldof
Sarah Moskowitz
David Mukamal
Ellie Mukamal
Jaden Odorczuk
Jorja Odorczuk
Marin Pearlstein
Hayes Pollard
Braden Popper
Samuel Quentzel
Jane Ripps
Elena Rosenzweig
Natalia Rosenzweig
Maya Rottenberg
Rebecca Samuels
Cole Saphire
Hallie Schneider
Sophia Schneider
Hannah Sender
Vanessa Shipley
Joshua Singer
Lucca Smith
Noah Smith
Noah Sohn
Lyla Souccar
Abbie Stolls
Calman Stolls
Tyler Tubman
Jack Wolk
Important reminders
·
·
·
·
For 2016 camp families
It’s time to get started on your forms and paperwork for the summer of 2016! Read through the entire 2016 Parent Handbook,
available by logging into the Camp Micah website, to familiarize yourself with all the new policies for the coming summer and
to review your preparation checklist. Please ensure that all of your required forms are submitted by May 1st (Health History Form,
Physician Form, Transportation Form, questionnaires, and more). Be sure to register with CampMeds (if applicable) and Camp
Trucking. Please contact the office with any questions.
We have just a few open spaces for the coming summer (specifically rising 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade girls and rising 3rd, 4th, and
8th grade boys). Enrollment changes happen regularly so if you have friends or relatives that are interested in attending Micah
this summer, they should call the camp office (617-244-6540) to check on availability right away.
We are wrapping up our staff hiring season and have a few key positions still available. If you know of a college-aged (or older)
potential counselor that you think would be a great fit for the Micah community, please have them contact the camp office or
complete an online staff application on our website.
Want to be mentioned in our next newsletter? Send updates on your own social action projects, lifecycle events, and other
newsworthy items to kate@campmicah.com. Don’t forget to include some pictures!