Month: October 2023

by Alanna Schaefer

It had been fifteen years since I last stepped onto the beautiful green oasis called Shibley Day Camp, home to some of the most special and formative childhood memories I have. Time’s a funny thing: when I returned to interview for a group leader position before last summer, everything felt exactly the same and yet very different at the same time. I parked at 50 Pool Drive, walked up the steps to the summer office, and I was home.

The nursery bunks where I began my camp journey nearly 25 years ago stands tall. The Dining Hall, the Junior Adventure Park where the Golden Gate Bridge once stood, the pools, the fields – it’s all there but somehow better and more beautiful than I ever remembered it. 

In the wake of Camp Jacobson’s abrupt closure after summer 2022, I found myself back at Shibley where I had grown up. I had spent eleven summers away, and so it was a no-brainer that I would come back to Shibley to find comfort, solace; and a home and family for this summer and beyond.

Randi Chase was my group leader in 2002 and so it was fitting for her to be the person who hired me back, and who made my homecoming official. She was our great matriarch during my favorite camp summer going into second grade and now I would have the same privilege as group leader for the second grade boys…21 years later. Shibley, both frozen in time and perfectly contemporary, has a way of transcending the time-space continuum, and it all felt just right. 

There are no words that can accurately capture what it felt like to return to this magical place and there are no words that can accurately capture what it felt like to rejoin this summer family and return to my original summer home…our GREEN galaxy among the trees. Shibley is filled with some of the best humans I’ve met and the rest of the world melts away while we are at camp. Nothing else is as joyous or as important from late June through August.

With some of my very best camp friends in tow, I look forward to continuing this second chapter at Shibley. There is no place like Shibley, and there is no place like home. It is nothing short of magical to be back where my love of camp began and where I found my passion for working with children developed. It is nothing short of magical to be able to do this work alongside the people I love and value most. 

So yes, if it wasn’t abundantly clear, come Summer 2024, I’ll be again with you, Shibley Camp.

With October upon us, I find myself reflecting on the recent summer season and thinking about improvements for next year. As camping professionals, we excitedly embrace the long workdays of  summer along with the organized chaos of the few months leading up to it. While I am always sad when camp ends and miss my campers tremendously, it is also a time to rejuvenate and focus on other valued aspects of my life.

Many of you know that I am a proud grandma to 2 yummy kids! My grandson, Brody, attended his first day of kindergarten in September and it was quite a special day. I found myself thinking about him all day at work, hoping he was enjoying this brand-new experience. I called him after school to see what his first impressions were; he was full of excitement, sharing details about new friends, a new playground, and the ices he was able to buy in the cafeteria all by himself!  It’s truly a blessing to watch my family’s next generation experience these beautiful milestones.

Another thrill of my September was accompanying my granddaughter, Ryan, to her first pre-school separation class in her toddler tots program.  The separation process of the program is slow and steady.  Every week of the month, the toddlers are exposed to different components of what will be their daily routine- new classmates, their teachers, the classroom environment, introductory songs, playgrounds, and specialty staff. During this time, caregivers provide support, encouragement, and comfort. By the end of the month, caregivers are asked to leave the room with the hope that their toddler feels safe and comfortable with their teachers and surroundings.

The goal is to create consistency within the toddlers’ daily lives alongside fostering confidence, self-discipline, and cooperation. In turn, these skills allow children to adapt to unfamiliar settings, learn flexibility, and navigate changes that arise all the time in our lives. Enrolling toddlers at this age into programs such as these helps nurture these fundamental skills.

When my children asked if I could attend a few of these sessions and be part of this experience, I, of course, happily said YES! This was an opportunity to help my own children while getting insight into what Ryan’s year would look like. Watching Ryan explore her classroom helped me see what she gravitates to.  What books intrigue her? Will she build a tower made of blocks or knock the tower down? Is she territorial with what she has in front of her, or will she share? Does she jump right into an activity or stand back and watch for a while? Will she use her voice or body language?

The best part for me was carpet time, where the children either sit by themselves or in their adult’s lap and engage with each other through song and movement. To my delight, Ryan curled into my lap and I could feel her body relax in my arms. What a joy and euphoric feeling. This beautiful moment of connection was priceless and I look forward to watching Ryan grow into her feelings of safety and security as we all adjust to our new fall routines.

This year after summer our Assistant Junior Camp Director, Melissa Slansky joined our full-time team to work with Hayley and focus on refining and improving every aspect of the Junior Camp Program. In addition, Melissa programs all the off-season events for our camp families. She also books and runs our incredible birthday parties and promotes camp with our Shibley Street Team at fairs and festivals. During summer she is an experienced and knowledgeable resource for our Junior Camp Group Leaders.

This is how she got here:

Shibley Shibley! Camp is one of my fondest childhood memories. As a result, I wanted my own children to have their own camp memories. In 2019, I was offered the opportunity to become a group leader at Shibley. I quickly accepted without hesitation or knowledge of what the job would entail. As a mother of four children, I figured overseeing campers and counselors would be simple and natural for me.

As a child, I enjoyed my summers at day camp and sleepaway camp. I’ve worked at camps since I was a teenager and joined the team at Shibley in 2019 as a Group Leader. I was welcomed onto the leadership team as Assistant Junior Camp Director for Summer 2023. My responsibilities in this role include helping returning and new group leaders transition between activities in a timely manner, problem solving with campers and staff, promoting our Green Values, providing performance feedback to staff and communicating with our camp families. I am available to support our staff at any time. Seriously, I don’t sleep.

I believe that my success as a leader  is due to the open communication that I’ve had with the leadership team, staff, and camp families. After this past summer, I joined the team full-time and took on the additional role of Off-Season Program Coordinator.  It is so much fun to plan events for our camp families and book parties of all sorts for families, staff and the local community.

Prior to joining the Shibley family, I earned a master’s in Social Work and social dedicated my time to working with children. I also met my husband at camp and we have four children of our own. I feel most rewarded when a child discovers something new that they love. “Seeing that joy of discovery and adventure in a child’s eyes is my greatest passion. I love getting to know each child and meeting their individual needs to make their summers at camp a wonderful success!”

Transitioning from group leader to the leadership team has been incredibly rewarding. I love sharing my love for camp with my Shibley family. Every year we get better at what we do. Shibley is family. I am proud to be a part of this family and to play an integral role in the experience we provide for our camp families and staff.  As someone who truly lives 10 for 2, I am super excited to give our campers and staff the best summer ever in Summer 2024!

Ariana Goldklang – Aquatics Director

Shibley Shibley!  My name is Ariana Goldklang and I am excited to be  the new Aquatics Director at Shibley Day Camp after spending 2023 working as the Assistant Aquatics Director.  This will be my 15th summer working in summer camp aquatics. I was the Aquatics Director at Camp Jacobson from 2019-2022. During the school year I work as a school social worker at the Kew-Forest School.

I am so excited to work with our campers again and provide them with a fun, supportive and safe environment to learn new skills and progress in the pool this summer! My goal is to make sure all of our campers learn to swim at a pace that is comfortable for them and to ensure that they feel safe and confident in their abilities in the water. Looking forward to summer 2024!!

Jared Levy – Assistant Aquatics Director

My name is Jared Levy, and I am excited to take on the role of Assistant Aquatics Director. I spent this past summer supervising the new “Galaxy Pool” at Shibley. I welcome this opportunity to foster the growth of our campers as they become confident swimmers. I am a certified and experienced Water Safety Instructor and I’ve taught all Red Cross swim levels. Before my employment at Shibley this summer I worked at another private day camp teaching children how to swim. I have coached many campers in becoming comfortable in the water with basic aquatic skills. Once they are comfortable, I really love seeing them blossom into swimmers with refined strokes.

Outside of Camp, I am a teacher in New York City with experience working in middle and high school. My two young children also spent their first summer at Shibley in 2023 and it proved to be a wonderful and nurturing environment for them. I loved watching them smile as they engaged with friends and participated in all the activities. This summer, I look forward to working with the entire Shibley staff, the parents and most importantly, the campers. Outside of teaching and camp, I love spending time with my family, working out and surfing.

 

My first summer working at Shibley was the summer of 2021, and I went in not knowing what to expect. What I got out of it was an amazing, fun, and unforgettable experience. I met many new people who I am proud to now call friends.

So, with something that great, how could summer two top or match that thrill the second time around? Well, somehow the Shibley magic made it possible, and summer two was just as good, and in some respects, better than the first one.

In all honesty, I almost passed on summer three due to my other work obligations as a Teacher’s Assistant. But something just told me to do all I could to make a Shibley return possible.  I’m happy I listened to that little voice in my head, because summer three was another great one!

This year, I once again returned as an Adventure Park Specialist in addition to working at Morning Care & After Care supervising campers who arrived early and/or stayed later than the rest.

Going into summer 2023 we were told that the number of kids who would attend camp was growing again. When I first heard this would be the case, full disclosure, I wasn’t sure if Shibley would be able to keep its sense of wonder, with all the extra campers.

I’m not exaggerating when I say this was the most successful summer I’ve worked at Shibley. While I did notice a much busier atmosphere, I also saw a dedicated staff of professionals that exceeded all expectations. Everyone put their best foot forward, and made sure, despite working harder, not to lose the sense of wonder that makes Shibley such a special place. It was impressive and important that I also saw a huge increase in diversity amongst campers and staff.

Each summer the last day is always sad. But this is the first year I can remember seeing just as many of the staff crying as the campers. One of my favorite things about working at Shibley are the friendships. Whether they are new ones created, or old ones that began during previous summers, Shibley has an environment that always makes you feel like you are part of a community throughout the whole year, even after summer ends.

I know the Shibley grounds like the back of my hand and there’s a sense of warmth I get whenever I walk the paved path through them. Shibley will always be my summer home. Even if there comes a day when life prevents me from returning for another great summer, I will never forget the memories I shared here, and I will always consider myself a member of the Shibley family.

CLICK HERE TO READ MY FIRST BLOG ABOUT JOINING THE SHIBLEY DAY CAMP FAMILY