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  • Summer 2018

Introducing Pemi’s 2018 Staff…

Pemi staff 2018
Pemi’s 2018 staff during pre-season, on the summit of Mt Cardigan

Administration

Danny Kerr – Director: I am originally from New York City and will always think of myself as a New Yorker, though my wife Julia and I have now lived in New Hampshire for almost ten years. During the summer, when not doing the director thing, I look forward to coaching baseball, teaching guitar, and just hanging out with our campers. I am looking forward to my 46th summer at camp, 25th as a camp director, and ninth at Camp Pemi! Let the games begin!

Kenny Moore – Associate Director: This will be my 20th summer at Pemi as a member of the staff and 26th summer in total. I thoroughly enjoy my year-round role at Pemi, overseeing a few areas from Alumni Relations to Buildings and Grounds, to the Pemi Program and the Counselor Staff. My wife, Sarah, and I are excited to have our son Winston join the Pemi family this summer and have already started to indoctrinate him on being a Cleveland sports fanatic.

Tom Reed – Consulting Director: I have spent well over fifty summers at Pemi—as a camper, counselor, head of staff, and director. After roughly four decades heading up our trip program, I have passed the Trip Vulture’s clipboard to son Dan Reed, who will be the fourth-only ongoing Head of Trips since 1908. In my new position as ‘Consulting Director,’ I will continue to write and organize the weekly Newsletters, lead mess hall singing, help out with HMS Pinafore, pen the odd anonymous Bean Soup article, and shamelessly promote my forthcoming novel, Seeking Hyde. Oh, I used to be a professor of English literature and film at Dickinson College, but that was then….

Allyson Fauver – Administrator: This year, I am continuing to help with parent support and Forms (everyone’s favorite), mainly during the off-season. My favorite form is the Camper Questionnaire, where I get to read what campers are looking forward to, concerned about, and what they think makes a great counselor. Fun fact: I am learning to bugle, because–bugling!!! Unexpected benefit: increased lung capacity and aerobic power. Unanticipated challenge: tarnish. My grandfather (Al Fauver) used to play a silver tuba. I live in Bozeman, Montana, but return to New Hampshire and Maine whenever I can, and always look forward to my time at Pemi.

Heather Leeds – Administrator: I have been teaching and working with children for over 25 years. I am currently the co-director of a rural elementary school in western Massachusetts, and live at Northfield Mount Hermon with my husband and 3 children. For the past 11 years, I’ve enjoyed spending the summers working in the Pemi Office.

Kim Malcolm – Administrator: This is my 27th year at Camp Pemi. During the off-season I live at Northfield Mt. Hermon School with my husband, Charlie, and 2 children. I am also a physical therapist.

Dottie Reed – Administrator: Hello from my 31st (?!) summer at Pemi, where I enjoy being a member of the team that manages the administrative and communication responsibilities of the Pemi season and orchestrate the postings of our Thursday/Sunday photos. Though I’ve been handing tasks off to eager and capable hands, I continue to relish every minute of involvement with our campers and staff as we share summer months in this gorgeous place! Tom and I will be at Pemi until the leaves fall in mid-October, at which point we’ll head south to Sarasota, Florida where we relish daily outdoor living and an abundance of cultural events and opportunities.

Cabin Counselors (CC) and Assistant Counselors (AC)

J1 – Zach Leeds (CC): This will be my 10th summer at Pemi and 3rd on staff. I’m from Gill, MA and am part of the large Northfield Mount Hermon crew at camp this summer. I am majoring in Neuroscience at Colgate University where I am also a member of the alpine ski team. This coming fall I will be studying abroad in Copenhagen. I am excited to coach soccer and baseball this summer.

J1 – Johnny Seebeck (AC): This will be my first year on staff at Pemi but my 10th summer at camp (I attended camp for nine years including the Pemi West program). I just graduated from Walter Payton College Prep and will be attending Caltech next fall. This year I hope to share my love for photography, drawing, and a multitude of different sports with campers.

J2 – Per Soderberg (CC): My name is Per Soderberg (pronounced pear, like the fruit). I am 19 years old and studying mechanical engineering at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute Indiana. I’m from Sarasota, Florida (as of the beginning of 2016), however, I have spent most of my life in upstate New York. This will be my 11th summer at Pemi. I hope to teach on the archery range, the arts and crafts building, and the woodshop. I like to draw, paint, and make things out of whatever I can find.

J2 – Pierce Haley (AC): I am a rising senior in high school and this will be my eighth summer at Pemi. I recently left my hometown of Boston to spend my spring semester living and studying in Washington, D.C., but I’m excited to be back to work as an assistant counselor. I love to sing, play guitar, row crew, and hike, and I plan to teach music, and a bunch of other things over the summer.

J3 – Nicholas Gordon (Co-CC): I am super excited for my 10th summer at Pemi! I am from Hopewell, NJ (just down the road from Princeton). I just graduated from high school and will be heading to New York University next year. I will likely be spending most of my time in the Nature Lodge this summer helping teach all the usual nature occupations with some new ones sprinkled in! I’ll also hopefully be participating in and/or helping with this year’s Gilbert & Sullivan production. I can’t wait to meet all of you and I hope we have a great summer!

J3 – Kai Soderberg (Co-CC): My name is Kai Soderberg, and I’m from Sarasota Florida. I’ll be starting my freshmen year at St.Lawrence this coming fall where I will be running track and Cross country. I am exploring the pre-med track in hopes of becoming a doctor. This will be my 10th year at Pemi and my second year on staff. I enjoy running, archery, art and I have started to play the guitar. I’ll be helping out at the archery range, art world, and track. I’m very excited to start the 2018 season!!!

J4 – Jack Davini (CC): I am from Plainfield, NH, and I am excited to join the Nature Program and Junior Camp. These places were formative in the values I hold today. This will be my first summer on staff but my ninth with Pemi. My personal interests are in storytelling, local agriculture, and public design.

J4 – Thaddeus Howe (AC): After four years as a camper, I will add a fifth this year on staff! I am a rising senior at Northfield Mount Hermon School, a boarding school in Gill, Massachusetts, where I row crew, and am a DJ and co-manager at campus radio station. I am from Newton, MA, and am excited to spend another summer on the shores of Lower Baker. This summer I will be helping out down at the archery range and on the lacrosse field!

J5 – Harry Cooke (CC / Division Head / Bean Soup Editor): This marks summer number nine at camp, my third on staff. A New Yorker and now a senior at Dickinson College, I was fortunate to spend the prior year studying abroad in London and Norwich. I will instruct occupations in the nature and music departments as well as coach swimming during Tecumseh prep week. I look forward to ruling – erm – running Junior Camp, a role that returns me to the very cabin where I began my Pemi career in 2007!

J5 – Sam Stone (AC): I am 17 years old, just graduated from NMH, and I live in Warwick, Massachusetts. I have never been to Pemi but I have heard much about it from my peers at school. I love reading, hiking, and playing soccer or Ultimate frisbee. I’m looking forward to spending my summer with you all!

J6 – Daniel Bowes (CC): I am a lifelong resident of Washington D.C. I recently finished my first year at Lehigh University in the College of Business and Economics. I am excited for my ninth summer at Pemi, and second on staff! Last summer, I helped out with lacrosse, basketball, and swimming. I plan to work again in these program areas, and am sure to learn and try some new things along the way!

J6 – Gaelin Kingston (AC): I just graduated from high school, and will be attending Wesleyan University in the Fall of 2018. My main hobbies where I live in Putney, Vermont, are soccer, ultimate frisbee, and pretty much everything outside. I will play college soccer, and intend on studying environmental science among other things. I am a very outgoing, excited person, and am looking forward to the opportunity of working at Pemi for the first time this summer.

L1 – Ed Hunt (CC): I’m from Buckinghamshire in England and am currently studying Accounting and Finance at the London School of Economics. I play hockey and soccer, as well as music too. This will be my first summer at camp. I can’t wait to get started!

L2 – Donald Turvill (CC): I’m from Edinburgh, Scotland, and this is my first year on staff. I’ve been hearing about Camp Pemi for several years from my cousin Andy MacDonald. I’m very excited to be spending a summer in the beautiful state of New Hampshire and the very scenic Camp Pemi. I have just finished my second year studying Journalism, however my main passion lies in music, which is what I will mainly be teaching and helping coordinate at camp.

L2 – Andrew Kanovsky (AC): I am from Briarcliff Manor, New York, and I just completed my junior year at Briarcliff High School. I look forward to contributing to a number of areas this summer, such as soccer and lacrosse on the athletic fields and photography in the nature department. I am very excited to be back for my tenth year at Pemi, my first on staff.

L3 – Jamie Nicholas (CC): Hi! I’m from Cornwall CT and currently at Saint Lawrence University. I am 19 years old and was last at Pemi when I was 13. I spent five years as a camper at Pemi most of which were full-time sessions. In my summers away from Pemi I was either playing soccer or working as a fly-fishing guide. Soccer, baseball, and the outdoors are my passions and I hope to share these passions with campers and my fellow counselors!

L3 – Nick Markosian (AC): I am a first time Camp Pemi staff member haling from Park City, Utah. I plan to work specifically with lacrosse and on the water or wherever else I am needed. People tend to tell me I am intimidating due to my size. I stand at 6 foot 4 and weight 210#, but I am a goof and like to have fun. I just graduated from high school a year earlier than scheduled so that I can spend time traveling, working, and trying to solidify the area of study I want to focus on before attending college. I enjoy snow skiing Utah’s killer snow. My favorite resort is Snowbird, where I have worked as a Junior Ski Instructor. I also enjoy mountain biking, boating, water sports, and playing lacrosse. This last year I picked up playing the bass guitar, and joined a band. Our band competed and won a local Battle of the Bands. I also play the alto, baritone, and soprano saxophones. If I could live on one food the rest of my life it would be popcorn, which also happens to be something I am very good at making (not in the microwave). I am excited to be a part of Camp Pemi this year and hope that I add to the experience of others who are there with me.

L4 – Wes Eifler (CC / Division Head / Bean Soup Editor): I am from New Canaan, CT, and am a 5th Grade teacher in Potomac, Maryland. This will be my 15th summer at Pemi. I will be coaching baseball, writing Bean Soup, and serving as division head of the Lowers.

L4 – Reed O’Brien (AC): I’m from Wilton, Ct, and I will be entering my senior year in high school. This is my 10th year at Camp Pemi where I have previously been a camper for 8 years along with going on Pemi West the year before. I hope to teach archery, track and field, and other activities. Cheers to another year!

L5 – Ben Ross (CC): I am from Brookline, MA. I just graduated from BB&N in Cambridge, MA where I rowed and wrestled, and in the fall I’ll attend Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME. I was a camper at Pemi for four years, and I went on Pemi West. This year will be my second year on staff. I can’t wait for another great summer.

L5 – Nolan Katcher (AC): I am returning for my first year on staff after six as a camper and one on Pemi West. I am from Needham, MA and this coming year I will be a senior at Needham High School where I will be playing on the cross-country and track and field teams. I look forward to helping out in athletic and nature occupations.

L6 – Patterson Malcolm (CC): This will be my 12th summer at Pemi and second on staff. I graduated from Northfield Mount Hermon School last spring, and decided to take a gap year before attending Swarthmore College. Over the last year, I have studied Mandarin in Taipei, Taiwan, and worked for Senator Jeanne Shaheen in Washington DC. In the fall I will begin studying engineering and playing soccer at Swarthmore. I return to Pemi this summer as a counselor, soccer coach, and baseball coach.

L7 – Ned Roosevelt (CC): This summer will be my 10th on the shores of Lower Baker Pond. I am a rising junior at Wheaton College where I am majoring in Business. I am also am a member of Wheaton’s tennis team. I compete in both doubles and singles. I look forward to meeting you all and extending the same warm welcome to you that I received back in the day. I’ll be helping out with the sports program, focusing mainly on tennis and baseball. See you on the courts and on the fields.

U1 – Cole Valente (CC): Hello! I am from Princeton, New Jersey. I am a retired swimmer and water polo player. I love to be outside and love to eat and to try new things. I returned to Pemi last summer, 2017, as a counselor after three great years as a camper, and I can’t wait to be back this summer!

U1 – Kevin Heynig (see bio under Program Staff)

U2 – Henry Day (CC): I am from Canaan NH and I go to St. Lawrence University. I am on the baseball team and hope to major in Business and Economics. I was a Pemi camper for 4 years and my last year was the first time in a while that we beat Tecumseh. I plan on being a baseball coach.

U2 – Victor Daiber (AC): My name is Victor and I am from Berlin, Germany. I was a camper at Camp Pemigewasset for 3 years. I am currently in my gap year between high school and university. I will start studying mechanical engineering this fall. I did spend this year doing multiple things, for example, I was working as a volunteer in Cordoba, Argentina for 7 months as well as doing an internship in a mechanical engineering company in Germany. Right now I am really looking forward to teach soccer or to be at the waterfront in Pemi.

U3 – Andy MacDonald (CC / Division Head): I can’t wait to return for my fourth summer at Pemi! I look forward to adding to my experiences and memories of the last three summers. For 2018, I’ll be the Upper Division Head and Charlie Malcolm’s number two for the camp athletics program. As well as this, I’ll be involved in soccer, tennis, canoeing, waterfront and shop occupations. As always, I eagerly anticipate the campers mocking my Scottish accent and shouting Shrek quotes at me. I love it. I’m counting down the days until the campers arrive. Each summer I’ve had at Pemi has been better than the last 🙂

U3 – Will Adams (AC): Hi! This is my 9th year at Pemi and I’m excited to be back for another season. I’m really looking forward to my first year as a member of the Pemi staff. I hope to coach soccer, play guitar, and hike as much as I can. I can’t wait to be back and see everyone there!

U4 – Emmet Flynn (CC): Hi, I am currently a rising sophomore at Notre Dame University. I plan to study either computer science or math. This will be my first summer at Pemi. Some of my hobbies include climbing and running, and I love anything involving the outdoors. I look forward to helping out with lacrosse and track this summer.

U4 – Sam Papel (See bio under Trip Leaders)

U5 – Julian Hernandez-Webster (CC): I am from New Jersey, and am a rising senior at Bucknell University. This summer at Pemi will be my second as a counselor, and my seventh in total. I love to play and teach soccer and swimming, and I expect to be on the field and on the beach a lot of the time. I am excited to see what this season will have to offer!

U5 – JP Gorman (See bio under Trip Leaders)

S1 – Nick Bertrand (CC): I will be returning for my 12th summer this year, 3rd on staff. I am a rising junior at Case Western Reserve University where I am studying biomedical engineering and play for the varsity soccer team. At camp I am looking forward to coaching a collection of sports including soccer and baseball. Looking forward to another great summer at camp!

S1 – Nick Davini (See bio under Trip Leaders)

S2 – Will Meinke (CC; Division Head): I’m excited to be spending my twelfth summer on the shores of Lower Baker! I grew up in Westport Connecticut and spent six years as a Pemi camper and five on staff. This year I will be working mainly on the ski boat as well as helping out on the soccer field. Can’t wait for another memorable summer!

S3 – Matt Kanovsky (CC): I am from Briarcliff Manor, New York, and just finished my sophomore year at Harvey Mudd College in Southern California studying computer science. This will be my 13th summer at Pemi and my fourth year on staff, which means I am running out of original ideas for my staff bio. This summer, I am excited to teach nature and photography, as well as to give advice on making sound investments and when campers should restructure their portfolios.

LT – Nick Hurn (CC; Head of Staff): This year will be my third summer at Pemi, and I’m excited to be back on the shores of Lower Baker Pond. When not at camp I study at Manchester Medical School in England, and I love to go hiking in my spare time. You’ll be sure to find me around art world, the lake, and the woodshop, and this year I’m excited to be taking on a new role as Head of Staff.

Trip Leaders

Nick Davini – Trip Leader: I recently graduated from the University of New Hampshire, where I studied anthropology. This coming fall I’ll be a manager at a nonprofit that works to end human trafficking. I’m looking forward to leading the canoe program this season, marking my tenth summer at Pemi and my sixth on staff. I feel at home outdoors, and some of my best memories were made on Pemi trips.

JP Gorman – Trip Leader: This will be my third summer as a trip counselor at Pemi. I come from a farming background in rural Ireland where I am in the process of beginning a dairy farm partnership with my father. I spend my free time playing soccer, woodworking, bashing the piano keys, and herding goats in the Sierra Nevadas. One of those may be bending the truth a little but the other three form the basis of my role at camp when I’m not leading trips. I can’t wait to be back!

Sam Papel – Trip Leader: I’m from Nashville, TN, and I am very excited for my 13th summer with Pemi! This will be my second year as a trip counselor, and I’m looking forward to an even better 7 weeks of hiking. I also help out in the woodshop, on the ski boat, and on the Ultimate field.

Fiona Walker – Trip Leader: I hail from Portland, Oregon and recently completed my Junior Year at Kenyon College where I am currently studying Psychology and Anthropology. This will be my second year at Pemi as a Trip Leader. I’ve always been an outdoor enthusiast and love sharing the joys of hiking and backpacking with Pemi Campers. I also look forward to helping out with swimming and track & field as well as assistant coaching 10s baseball.

Program Staff and More…

Andy Bale – Visiting Professional: I was born and live in Harrisburg PA and since 2013 I’ve been a full-time Lecturer of Photography at Dickinson College in Carlisle PA. I was a photography team member for the Ese’Eja Cultural Mapping Project, supported by a National Geographic Genographic Legacy Fund Grant, and the photo editor for the documentary style book, Ancestral Lands of the Ese’Eja, the true People. This will be my fourth or fifth time at Pemi and I’m looking forward to expanding the photographic vision of the energetic campers.

Scout Brink: Hello! I will be on the Nature Staff this summer, spending most of my time in the Nature Lodge though I hope to be on the archery range now and then. This will be my second summer at Camp Pemi, and I am so excited not only to see everyone again, but also to meet new faces! I have my undergraduate degree in environmental science and am currently getting my Master of Arts in Teaching, for 7-12 graders. When not busy at Pemi, I will be exploring the White Mountains.

Steve Broker – Visiting Professional: I am a retired high school science teacher and university administrator. I taught for 25 years in the New Haven, Connecticut Public Schools. I served also as associate director of the Wesleyan University Graduate Liberal Studies Program and as director of programs for the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. I was adjunct lecturer at Quinnipiac University, University of New Haven MES Program, and Yale Teacher Preparation Program. My interests include historical archaeology, colonial gravestone symbolism, antiques and decorative arts, and the study of birds. This is my sixth year at Pemi. My father, Tom Broker, was waterfront director at Pemi in the 1930s.

Steve Clare – Head of Archery: I live in Cornwall, the extreme SW of England. I’m a freelance teacher, supporting schools with specialist lessons. I’ve coached youth soccer teams for 9 years, most recently my son’s U18s team. I coordinate a weekly community soccer programme for players aged 5 – 11. This will be my 4th summer at Pemi as Head of Archery & 13s soccer. I’m keeping additional responsibilities quiet this year, so I don’t get roasted in Bean Soup. Still have the burns from last year!! As always, I’m looking forward to playing my part in the Pemi family for another summer.

Larry Davis – Director of Nature Programs and Teaching: I will be in my 49th year as Pemi’s Director of Nature Programs and Teaching. I hold AB and AM degrees in Earth Sciences from Washington University in St. Louis and a PhD in Geological Sciences from the University of Rochester. I am Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of New Haven (but will be officially retired as of the end of August). Besides geology, my areas of special interest include: caves, wild foods, waterfalls, and getting children away from their screens and into the outdoors. I play the flute, tell Down East stories, and love cooking.

Jim Dehls – Visiting Professional: I first came to Pemi 59 years ago and have been in touch ever since. I was here for eight years as camper and assistant counselor. I am now a Hospice Music Therapist and my whole life revolves around family and music. In recent years I have gratefully served as a music visiting professional. I still love to perform G&S that I first learned at camp. Great to be back.

Michaella Frank: Back for another spectacular Camp Pemi Summer! This will be my fourth year teaching basketball and music (ukulele & guitar). I’m looking forward to teaching kids to express themselves through music and to ROCK the shores of Lower Baker! I’m from Avon Lake, OH but Camp Pemi is where my heart belongs.

Cara Grime: I’m coming to teach in the woodshop at Camp Pemi for the first time this summer all the way from my home in Chester, England. I am currently studying for a BA in Music Technology and Criminology at the University of Liverpool. At university, I work in the backstage team of the Student Theatre group, am an officer cadet in the University Royal Naval Unit, and play for the Women’s Rugby League team. I am also a big fan of country music, do dog showing with my Wheaten Terrier, Carrie, and most of all I am really into my woodworking and arts & crafts having made a dining table and activity box for children in the past. I’m so excited to be working in the woodshop and can’t wait to meet all of the amazing campers and most of all I really hope you enjoy all of the activities and being in the woodshop as much as I do!

Kevin Heynig: Hello! I’ll be returning to Pemi for my third summer as a Nature Instructor and I am really looking forward to it. I am from Michigan, and have a close connection to the Great Lakes. I am a field naturalist with experience in many different ecosystems including the northern forests of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, as well as the high desert and alpine forests of central Idaho. I plan to teach in depth insect, plant and ecology occupations this summer. Look for me in the Nature Lodge!

Chloe Jaques: Hello Everyone! I am from London, UK and have just completed my History degree at the University of Nottingham. This will be my second year on the shores of Lower Baker. At Camp, you will usually find me around the waterfront. I can’t wait to make the most of this summer and enjoy everything Pemi has to offer.

Chris Johnson – Head of Tennis: I am very excited to return for my fifth year as Head of Tennis at Camp Pemi. My wife and kids will once again join me at camp and I am very excited to have my son spend his first full summer in junior camp! I reside in the Cleveland area during the year where I teach 4th grade and coach high school girls and boys tennis. I was fortunate this fall to coach my school’s first-ever individual state tennis champion to go along with our three team championships. I look forward to coaching all ability levels this summer on some of the finest red clay courts in all of New England!

CJ Jones – Head of Swimming: I’m Charlotte, from England, and this is my fourth year at Pemi! Cannot wait to get back to the shores of LBP to resume my position as head of swimming – and am hoping for less dramatic weather this year. Looking forward to seeing the returning staff and campers again and to finding new ways to contribute to the Pemi family! There’s no way I’d rather spend my summer.

Deb Kure – Associate Head of Nature: After studying Geological Sciences at the University of Rochester, I attended the Nature Instruction Clinic at Pemi – its inaugural season, and now at its 25th Anniversary! That led to outdoor science instruction work through trips programs, natural history museums, and outdoor schools throughout the U.S. ever since! My husband Brian and I are excited to learn a new region, as we moved just before camp from southern NH to Reno, NV! Very glad to be in my 11th summer in the Nature Program at Pemi.

Charlie Malcolm – Director of Athletics: I have been spending my summers on Lower Baker since 1976. My Dad attended Camp in the 1930s and his counselor was Tom Reed Sr. Since the early 1990s I have been Camp Pemi’s Athletic Director. When I am not at Pemi I teach history and coach soccer and baseball at Northfield Mount Hermon School. The NMH soccer team has won several New England Prep Championships (NEPSAC) and many of the players have gone on to work at Pemi. I am joined at camp with my wife Kim and our two kids, Patterson and Victoria.

Molly Malone – Head of Waterskiing (2nd Session): I am working with the waterski program for my 4th summer. My passion in life is slalom skiing as I train in the gym year round for it, and ski every moment possible on a private ski lake. I flew to Florida for 48 hrs this past March to get on the water! My day job is a HS orchestra teacher, and I’m active in our community orchestra where I am a violin section leader and occasionally play piano. I am excited to be back in such a fantastic community surrounded by incredible views!

Hattie McLeod – Bugler: I can’t wait to be back for my second summer at Pemi! I’m excited to return to my position as timekeeper of camp, by taking control of the bugle once again! I will also be helping in canoeing, music, and swimming. I am from a small town near Windsor, UK (where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle just got married!) and I will be graduating from the University of Oxford, UK with a BA in Geography after summer. I look forward to seeing old faces, meeting new ones and having another great summer!

Deb Pannell – Head of Art: During the school year, I am a fifth-grade teacher at Mark Day School in San Rafael, California. In my leisure time, I enjoy creating a wide variety of art and craft projects, cooking, taking long walks along the ocean, and reading. In addition to teaching art at Pemi, I have enjoyed being a Pemi parent as well. I am looking forward to another wonderful summer with the Pemi boys!

Taiko Pelick – Pianist: I am originally from Gainesville, Florida and currently reside in Arlington, Texas. I am an adjunct professor of piano at Mountain View College and Tarrant County College, as well as a collaborative pianist for the music departments at the University of Texas at Arlington and Texas Christian University. This is my first year at Pemi and I am excited to be joining the staff as the camp pianist!

Dan Reed – Head of Occupations / Head of Trips / Bean Soup Editor: I have been fortunate to spend nearly every summer of my life at Pemi. I began my years on Lower Baker as the roaming toddler of Tom and Dottie Reed, and have spent subsequent summers in a medley of roles: camper, Pemi West participant, assistant counselor, cabin counselor, trip counselor (at both \ Pemi East and Pemi West), division head, and now Head of Occupations, Head of Trips, and Bean Soup editor. As always, I look forward to passing along the joys and passions I developed as a camper to the current generation of Pemi boys. Thanks largely to my summer experiences at Pemi, I’ve joined the other family business – teaching – and teach English at Loomis Chaffee in Windsor CT, where I also coach squash and tennis, and where this fall I will take on the role of Dorm Head.

Brian Tompkins – Head of Woodshop: a sculptor, dry stone mason, and former teaching snow pro, I was shaped and formed by camps as a kid, then burnished at ‘Camp Dartmouth.’ I have lived and breathed stone and trees and have steeped in their very physical culture up here ever since. I come to Pemi’s venerable wood shop from nearby Norwich, VT and hope to inspire designing minds and to safely guide the good work and instruction.

Jonathan Verge – Head of Drama: I grew up in Lebanon, NH and graduated from Lebanon High School in 2000. I studied Musical Theatre at Syracuse University, followed by training at The Globe Theatre in London. After a professional career in performing, directing and producing in NYC and Chicago, I returned to the Upper Valley where I is now the Director of Choral Music and Dramatic Arts at Lebanon High School.

Wendy Young: I will be spending my first summer on the shores of Lower Baker Pond working on camp programming. No stranger to the summer camp life, I spent all of my summers growing up at a similar boys’ camp where my parents were senior staffers. My last significant camp experiences were as a counselor at the sister camp of my childhood summer home. I am excited to share my love of sports, the outdoors, and creating community with the Pemi boys. During the school year, I serve as the senior athletic trainer at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts and have done so since 1997.

Caretakers of Our Physical and Mental Well-Being

Tom Ciglar – Director of Food Service: This is my 16th season at Pemi. During the school year I am the Director of Operations for Hampshire Country School in Rindge, where I live with my wife, Anna, and son, Jonathan.

Emily Crow – Medical Staff: Hi everyone! This is my first year at Camp Pemi and I am so excited to join the team! I graduated from Colby-Sawyer College in New London, NH this past May with my Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. I am originally from southern NH and love camping and the outdoors. Looking forward to this summer at Pemi and can’t wait to meet you all!

Nancy Cushman – Kitchen Staff: I live in West Fairlee, Vermont. This will be my 12th summer in the kitchen at Pemi. I am one of the breakfast cooks, and I also make all of the desserts.

Sabrina De Stefano – Medical Staff: As the mother, sister and cousin to a handful of Pemi campers, I am delighted to join the medical staff during the second session of summer 2018! I live in Mendham, NJ with my husband and three children: Matteo (12), Noah (8) and Grace (4). I work as a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician at Goryeb Children’s Hospital in both Morristown and Summit, NJ. I am passionate about children’s health, their physical and emotional wellbeing and recognize the importance of nature and play in a child’s development. As such, I consider it a privilege to be part of the Pemi staff and to share my expertise in caring for the campers this summer.

Necati Enoz – Kitchen Staff: I’m 22 years old. I’m from Turkey. I’m studying psychology. I grew up Istanbul. Istanbul is most big and famous city of Turkey. I love sports very much. I am doing a lot of sports. I like playing basketball. When I was high school, I played our school’s basketball team. In my university we have a big olympic swimming pool. I am swimming two times a week. I usually play soccer with my friends. I have a bike group. Sometimes we are going to mountain trip with our bike.

Santy Franco Benjumea – Kitchen Staff: I live in Columbia and my family is mainly formed by my mom, my sister, my brother in law and two aunts. I finished my primary and high school and I did a technic in Marketing and Advertising in Manizales. Now I’m studing at Mariana’s University about to start my second semester. I’m a social person. I like to much travel and know different people, my interests are all kinds of music, movies (in special the horror movies), technology, outdoor walks and the environment, drawing, painting, dancing, most of things related with art. I like food. I like business and to sell things. I sell candies and snacks to my classmates to help me with the materials and copies that the teachers ask us. I spend my free time in fun activities, dance, share with my friends and parents, and I go to travel and swimming too. I love to walk for an ecological pathway. I like to camp too. That is a great experience because you have to work as a team to reach the goal. We have to learn ourselves, how manage that hard situation and how survive without so many privileges. My future plans are begin a fast food business with a friend. I’m gonna study in the morning and afternoon, and I’m gonna dedicate to my business in the nights and the weekends. In a two or three years, I hope to grow my business and will have the first branch. In a five years, when I finish to study, I think in will go to travel and know Egypt, this is my first dream, I want to visit the pyramids and the mythology of that country. After to travel, I think to regress to Colombia, and follow to investing in my business.

Wojtas Gorzynski – Kitchen Staff: Hi, I’m Wojtek! I’m from Poland. I am a student at the University of Technology. I also work as a production planner at 3M company. I’m interested in sport and music. It will be my second year at the camp. This year I will also work in the kitchen. See you at the camp!

Reed Harrigan – Head of Buildings and Grounds: I grew up in the Washington, D.C. area and graduated from Frostburg State College with a degree in Parks and Recreation. I decided that New England was where I wanted to be and took a job as recreational director at Waterville Estates, a resort community in Campton, NH. I then worked at a local high school, working with special education students and as a seasonal Forest Ranger in the White Mountain National Forest. I began working at Camp Pemi eight years ago, first as a bus driver and maintenance person, then as an instructor in canoeing and kayaking. This is my sixth year as year-round Facilities and Grounds Director.

Ricardo Hincapie – Kitchen Staff: I am from Colombia. I am 23 years old, my hobby is to go to the gym, listen to music and going out with my friends, I don’t drink alcohol, I hate it, and I hate cigarettes too. Also I play drums on my free time. I hope to have best summer I ever had at Pemi and improve a lot of my english level and meet a lot of people from other parts of the world.

Jamie Jackman – Medical Staff: I am attending Camp Pemi for the first time with my two boys, ages 17 and 13, and my 4 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback, named Cali. I was born and raised and still reside in Park City, Utah. Park City is home due to the seemingly endless mountainous terrain to ski and mountain bike on. I have a diverse background in nursing and love my career choice because I get to promote and provide healthcare to a diverse patient base. I have been accepted to Gonzaga Universities PMHNP program, which I will be starting in Spring of 2019. I would best describe myself as a tomboy who enjoys motocross, downhill mountain bike racing, competing in triathlons, water sports, and snow skiing. I seek opportunities to meet and adventure with new people and I am excited to meet and care for the community of Camp Pemi. I want all to know that I am always happy and available to address any concerns of staff, campers, and their families. My favorite food is anything spicy and I often challenge others to eat hot spicy food items to see if they can match my tolerance. I enjoy spending time with my boys, the outdoors, traveling, going to concerts, listening to music, and doing resin artwork.

Danh Le – Kitchen Staff: Hi everyone, My name is Danh, I am from Vietnam, but I am studying economics in Poznan, Poland. I really love traveling and experiencing new things. That is why I am here, this summer at Pemi, to make new friends, try and do what I have not done yet. And this is also the first camp in my life. Hope it will be great. Thank you so much.

Jakub Litkowski – Kitchen Staff: Hello everyone. My name is Jakub and I come from Poznan, a city located in the west of Poland. I am going to be at the Camp for the second time, and I will be really happy to have opportunity to help our chefs to cook meals for all of you. Last summer I was very thrilled, I could get to know a little bit of American culture. I was so impressed, that I decided to come back. See you at Pemi!

Michael McMurray – Chef: Hello Camp Pemi! I am Michael McMurray and I will be working as one of the chefs. I grew up in the Merrick Valley in Massachusetts and I have been living in New Hampshire for 12 years. I live in Milton, NH where I work in the Milton Elementary School in the winter months. I am looking forward to a great summer of hard work and lots of good times at Camp Pemi!!”

Frank Roberts – Buildings and Grounds: This will be my second season at Pemi working with the Buildings and Grounds crew. My wife Erica and I live in nearby Groton NH with our brand new daughter Hazel. We enjoy growing organic vegetables, hiking, and canoeing. Looking forward to another exciting season on Lower Baker!

Marcus Rosa – Buildings and Grounds: I live nearby in Hill, NH, and this is my first year on the Buildings and Grounds team. I love being outside and hiking.

Jon Spivak – Chef: This is my first year as a chef at Pemi, but I bring 40 years experience in food service. I live in Springfield NH.

Sergen Tastan – Kitchen Staff: I am from Istanbul Turkey and this is my first year working in the Pemi kitchen.

Dennis Thibodeau – Buildings and Grounds: This is my fifth season at Pemi and I live in Rumney, NH.

Aaron Warner – Driver: My name is Aaron Warner, and I am from a sleepy, little town in Vermont called Lunenburg. I have been involved with summer camps for many years in a full-time capacity. Within the last year, I decided to change careers, so I am working on my teacher’s certification to teach middle school science. With my summer off, I was delighted to find an opportunity to work at this camp as the bus driver. I look forward to this experience with all of the other great staff and will strive to be the best possible driver for the campers!

Erdem Bulut Yavas – Kitchen Staff: My name is Erdem Bulut. I am from Turkey. I am 19. I study Aerospace Engineering at Izmir Univercity of Economics. I like reading books, watching movies, and observing satellites. Also, I like to travel. I want to learn American and other countries’ culture at Pemi and I want to teach culture of my country. I will try to do my best in the kitchen at Pemi. I am looking forward to work and live at Pemi.

Moose Scoops: perfect end to a busy day of staff training sessions

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