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The Fall Festival 2022

The Fall Festival is Saturday! Highlights:

Helloooooo Shibley Day Camp!!! It’s that time of year again. The air is cool and crisp. The leaves are starting to turn warm hues of red, yellow, orange, and crimson. Pumpkins, witches, ghosts, spider webs, and various other Halloween décor fill our porches. The beloved Halloween movie Hocus Pocus airs almost daily on Freeform. And, most exciting for us here at Shibley, it marks the return of our annual Fall Festival. It’s hard to believe that it’s been over two months since our grounds were filled with the sounds of happy Shibley campers singing, zip-lining, climbing, swimming, and playing sports. As a new year-round member of the leadership team, it honestly feels a little lonely without you all here with us…

So, I’m thrilled to invite you on Saturday, October 29th from 1pm to 4pm. Since Halloween will be just days away, we encourage everyone to come dressed in costume! We’ll have hayrides and a pumpkin patch where campers can pick their own pumpkins and decorate them at Arts & Crafts. Weather-permitting, King, Franklin, and the rest of our Shibley tortoises will be available for photo ops. Our friend Mother Goose will be roaming the grounds, ready to tell a tale or two.

If that weren’t enough, we’ll have visits from a few of our favorite Shibley friends, including mainstages, Super Soccer Stars, World Tae Kwon Do Academy, Sylvan Learning of Port Washington and MyStyle Camp. Plus, campers will have access to some of our most popular summer activities, such as the Green Giant, Gaga, Air Bungee, and Zip Line. Due to the popularity of Air Bungee and the Zip Line, all campers will receive a ticket at check-in, valid for either one (1) ride on the Zip Line (for 2nd Graders and older) OR one (1) Air Bungee experience (for all ages). Be sure to visit these busy attractions early, as the lines will close promptly at 3:30pm.

We have also partnered with Island Harvest, a member of Feeding America, to host a Healthy Food Drive here at Shibley during the Fall Festival. Did you know that here in the United States, 40% of people live more than 1 mile from the nearest grocery store, which can make it difficult to access healthy foods? So, in the spirit of our GREEN Values we live by here at Shibley, we encourage families to bring donations of non-perishable goods, baby essentials, household items, toiletries/personal hygiene items, and pet supplies. We thank you in advance for your generosity toward this worthy cause.

We can’t wait to see everyone’s smiling faces on Saturday! I’ll be there, of course, so please come up and say hello if you see me!

Shibley Shibley,
Peter

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Day Camp to Sleepaway Camp: When, Why & How?

I am a camp person. I have been my entire life. I started at day camp when I was three, then I was off to sleep away camp at age 8 and I stayed there through the age of 16. As soon as I was old enough, I became a counselor at a sleep away camp. After a short stint in the corporate world, I made my way back to day camp by way of Shibley! On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is my husband. He never went to camp. He spent his summers hanging out with friends and family. When he was old enough, he spent time at his father’s shop to learn the business. He didn’t know what camp was all about until he met me.

Early on in our relationship I planted the seed of our kids going to day camp and also one day going away to sleepaway camp. I mean, that’s just what you do…when it’s time, you send your kids to sleep away camp, no questions asked, right? Well, not according to him. “What do you mean you want to send our children away for the summer? We had kids so that we could do things with them, not to send them away!!!” He and I clearly had two different points of view.

I introduced my husband to camp life when our oldest was in nursery school. Our children started at their pre-school camp, moved on to the town camp and then when the oldest was entering 2nd grade it was time for “real camp”, so we toured a few and chose Shibley for all three children ranging in ages from 3-years-old to 7-years-old. I also signed on as a group leader. This was a completely new world for my husband as he had never seen anything like this. It wasn’t just the incredible facility or awesome activities that caught him by surprise, but how the children were making friends, trying new things and displaying independence and confidence that he hadn’t seen before.

There is no way that we would be able to give them this type of experience on our own. Camp is focused on building skills that schools do not teach. The impact in just the first summer was huge. Camp helped our children to ease into the upcoming school year feeling great about who they are and feeling confident to take on any challenges that the school year may bring.

As the children got older, I would always talk about sleepaway camp as an option and my husband would always have the same response…” No! Why would I send my kids away? I will miss them too much.” But this is not about us, this is about them and what they will get out of the experience. Lucky for me, Shibley offers the perfect introduction to the sleepaway camp experience with our annual sleep away week to Club Getaway (SEE LINK BELOW FOR MORE INFO). The trip is run during the summer and attended by Shibley campers and staff who spend the first few weeks together at Shibley, getting to know each other. It was a perfect introduction for my 8-year-old and 9-year-old who had both expressed interest in going away. They were nervous but excited! We sent them off on Monday and they returned on Friday asking for more! I knew it was time…

In the Fall we started to talk about plans for summer 2023. Over the holidays we spent time with family and the kids got to see their cousins who had just finished up their summer at sleepaway camp. Our oldest went right up to my husband and said “I think I want to go to sleepaway camp. I think I’m ready”.  This was something that my son had thought about and it was his decision. My husband couldn’t say no.

Luckily for us Shibley is affiliated with some of the best sleepaway camps in the country. There are single gender camps, co-ed camps, full summer camps and camps with shorter sessions. Each is unique, has its own “vibe” and program offerings. We ultimately picked a co-ed camp with full summer and session options so that the children could all go together and ease into the experience, if necessary. My daughter was not quite ready to spend an entire summer away from Shibley so she attended for 4 weeks and returned to Shibley for 4 weeks as well. My son spent the full summer (7 weeks, eeeek!!) at sleepaway camp. They will both be returning for summer 2024 and my youngest will be joining them for at least 4 weeks.

I am happy to discuss our camps and why it was so important to us to provide this experience for our children. Reach out any time – hayley@shibleydaycamp.com or 516 621 8777.

SHIBLEY SHIBLEY!

SLEEPAWAY CAMP INFO ZOOM – 10/25 – 7:30PM

We would love to tell you more about our affiliated sleepaway camps! Join us for a Zoom with the directors. RSVP in your CampInTouch account (in forms & documents) or by emailing info@shibleydaycamp.com.

Read more about our camps: https://www.shibleydaycamp.com/thinking-about-sleepaway-camp/

Sleepaway Savings Account Info: https://www.shibleydaycamp.com/summer-camp/sleepaway-camp-savings-account/

Shibley’s Annual Sleepaway Week: https://www.shibleydaycamp.com/summer-camp/program/sleepaway-week/

 

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(Re)Introducing Peter – New Full-Time Team Member

My name is Peter Strecansky, and I am elated to join the full-time team at Shibley! This is a dream come true for me. Shibley is practically in my blood.

My uncle, Jeff, was a Shibley camper in the 1970s and later served as a tennis instructor. My mom, Phyllis, was a Shibley group leader for almost two decades, and my aunt, Gina, served as a Shibley lifeguard and swim head for almost three decades. I began as a Shibley camper in 1990 in Junior Boys 2B. I still remember the location of my exact cubby in our current Lego Room. My younger sister Michelle (2022 Head Nurse) and I eagerly waited for each summer at camp.

During my college years, I worked summers at the Shibley Theater.  I also worked in the Shibley office during pre-camp in May and June. I am a proud graduate of Hofstra University Honors College and earned degrees in English and Secondary Education as well as the distinction of Magna Cum Laude.

While at Hofstra I participated in an internship at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL as part of the Disney College Program and I returned to Disney World full-time after graduation.  I worked in Park Operations, as a Character Performer, Parade Performer, and Puppeteer. I received invaluable customer service training during my time at Disney World, which I continue to use to this very day.

 

In 2009, I was offered the chance to travel the world with a touring production of Disney Live!, where I performed in cities across the US and fifteen countries in Central and South America. We performed in both Spanish and Portuguese. I also worked at Disney Cruise Lines as a performer aboard the Disney Wonder.

Shibley came calling again in 2013 — as I told you, it’s in my blood. I spent two years working as Assistant to the Camp Director and as Director of Special Events but two years later I left again to pursue a position at Delta Air Lines as a member of In-Flight.

 

In 2022 I was invited back to be co-director of Sleepaway Week. With some time banked up at Delta I was able to commit to the entire Summer and served as Shibley’s Creative Arts Supervisor. I oversaw the areas of Drama, Dance, Art, Nature/Science, and Cooking. I played an active role in planning, coordinating and executing special events. The biggest thrill for me this summer, however, was seeing camp through the fresh eyes of my nieces, Lily, Sadie, and Maddy.