Month: January 2023

It is officially 2023 which means we are less than 6 months away from camp!!!!  Our year-round staff have been busy planning our summer calendar, enjoying the day-to-day evolution of our new Galaxy pool, and hiring great new seasonal staff, who will care for our campers all summer long.

Parents are more excited than ever to send their children to a screen free & back to nature environment, where kids can hone in on their social skills and have the opportunity to do the activities they love as well as try new things.

As our camp grows, we must also add to our superior summer leadership team. Meet a few of our new additions.

PROMOTIONS:

Melissa Slansky, a Junior Camp group leader who started at Shibley in 2019, will now become the new Junior Camp Assistant Director.  Melissa will be working directly with Hayley Burrows, our Junior Camp Director. Melissa’s spirit, charismatic personality and love for camp will serve the Shibley community well. As a mother of 4 children, she has seen it all and has the knowledge and experience we need to assist our group leaders and counselors in taking wonderful care of our campers.

“I am very excited to join my Shibley family in a new role this summer. Very few experiences compare to the summer camp experience. It is incredibly rewarding to help children develop confidence and independence while building friendships and exploring new experiences. I look forward to working with our amazing and nurturing staff so we can become the strongest team of role models for our Shibley campers.” – MELISSA

Victoria Bader, Group Leader for our Senior girls since 2017 will take on the role of Senior Camp Assistant Director, working directly with me in senior camp. Victoria is an educator and mother of two. She will provide support to our Senior camp staff, campers, and parents.

“Camp is the best! You make best friends, try new things and spend your summer outdoors. This rings true for children and grown-ups. I feel extremely lucky that I can share in this experience with my own children, campers and peers. I truly believe the best leaders come from hands-on involvement. The years I have spent as a group leader navigating the position on a daily basis has given me the tools and insight to best support new and seasoned group leaders. I bring with me humor, familiarity and warmth to this new position. I am looking forward to the summer of 2023 so I can grow as a leader and make an impact in a new way on our Shibley community.” – VICTORIA

INTRODUCTIONS:

I am excited to welcome Ariana Goldklang to our Shibley family. Ariana will be our second Assistant Aquatics Director and she will work with returning Aquatics Director, Jamie Haberstumpf, and returning Assistant Aquatics Director Gladys Lozano.

Ariana Goldklang comes with tremendous experience under her belt.  She has been the Aquatics Director at Camp Jacobson for the past 5 years. She safely implemented a swim program for camp during the difficult Summer of 2020 that allowed instruction to take place and campers to have fun and safely socialize and play in the pool with peers. Ariana is a school counselor in Queens and a natural born leader.

“What makes camp special for me is watching campers develop skills, try new things and feel confident in their abilities, in and out of the pool. What I hope to bring to Shibley is my love of swimming and what it does for kids, physically, mentally and emotionally. I hope to bring creativity to swim instruction because even in the most unpredictable of situations, there is always a way to help kids learn and grow in the pool. I also bring with me my passion for working with kids and my love of the camp environment and community!” – ARIANNA

Finally, I am happy to introduce you to Marci Kamberg, our new Director of Parent Communication and In-Season Staff Training. Marci has worked for 15 years at Camp Jacobson. The past 5 years Marci has been part of the senior leadership team as a Division Head at camp.  Marci is also a lead teacher in the Sid Jacobson JCC Nursery Program and a mother of two. She has a stellar reputation with camper families as well as the staff she trains and works with.  Marci will be a tremendous addition to our Leadership team.

“Looking back to my childhood, I have incredible memories of my many summers in both day and sleepaway camps. They are truly some of my most precious memories of my childhood. I worked my way up from CIT to group leader and in most recent years I have been a part of the leadership. I truly believe that camp is about making lifelong friendships, trying new things and having fun. There is something magical at camp where special things happen every day. There is nothing better than seeing campers’ excitement when the magic happens; learning to swim for the first time, trying a new food, being the lead in a performance, getting their first hit on the ball field or getting creative at arts and crafts.  All of these things and so much more are what puts smiles on children’s faces and brings joy to my heart. I am looking forward to bringing my positive high energy, love for children, and desire to have fun every day into the Shibley environment.  I want to inspire each child every day so that they enjoy camp as much as I did.  My wish is to help them to make life long memories that they will recall with big smiles on their faces for years to come.” – MARCI

I am so excited for summer to begin so I can see Melissa, Victoria, Ariana and Marci in action.  They are incredible individuals who will add so much experience and expertise to our program.  We at camp are very proud and grateful to welcome them to our Shibley family.

SEE YOU SOON! WITH SHIBLEY LOVE – RANDI

It was incredible to see how much had changed at Shibley Day Camp during my seven-summer hiatus, from the vast improvements throughout the grounds to the expansion of activity offerings. One change that really resonated with me was the implementation of GREEN values, in an age where we continue to become more and more socially conscious, environmentally aware and active, and focused on the importance of embracing and celebrating diversity and inclusion.

According to Shibley’s website, Our Shibley community is guided by our GREEN values: Generosity, Respect, Empathy, Endurance & Nurture. And boy, is it true! I had the opportunity of learning about, experiencing, and living by Shibley’s GREEN values during Summer 2022 – from our GREEN Fridays to GREEN assemblies and the reenforcement and demonstration of these values as a part of each camp day.

We are GENEROUS — givers of our time, our resources, our kindness, and our spirit. We have ENDURANCE — we see that life is not just about the destination, but also the journey. We will push ourselves, encourage each other, and stop at nothing to achieve both our individual and team goals using all resources available to us. We NURTURE — we see camp as a place to learn, to make mistakes, and to grow, all in a safe, supportive, and loving environment. However, If I had to pick the two GREEN Values that are  most meaningful to me, I’d choose RESPECT and EMPATHY.

I believe that the foundation of any successful team, group, classroom, cast, relationship, etc. is mutual RESPECT. It’s the “Golden Rule” — treat others as you want to be treated. Much of the conflict we face in our daily lives can be addressed just by putting this simple principle into practice. Think: “How would I want to be treated if in this situation myself?”

From a young age, we have an instinct to EMPATHIZE with one another. In other words, we seek to acknowledge and feel what someone else is feeling without passing judgment. The more we try to understand and relate to each other’s emotions, the greater our ability to foster love, kindness, and connection in our society.

Camp is the perfect place to learn and practice these values and the skills that go along with them!

CLICK HERE for more information about our GREEN Values