Greetings from Pemi!

Somehow we’ve already arrived at the last week of the summer. Next week you’ll receive the season’s final newsletter that details all of our end-of-season festivities along with some wrap-up thoughts on Pemi’s 118^th summer. Today’s newsletter will be a relatively brief effort, as I try to squeeze it in while also enjoying every remaining minute that we have together as the Pemi 2025 community. Read on to learn more about the end of our Week 6 activities and then the Pemi Week events that have been completed thus far (along with a description of what “Pemi Week” means for those hearing that term for the first time).

Before getting into those details, however, I want to begin this newsletter by bookending the start of the first newsletter of the summer. In that introductory newsletter, you met many members of the 2025 Pemi staff, specifically the directorial team, cabin counselors, program staff, and Health Center staff. We introduce these more “camper facing” staff members initially as they’re the people you’re most likely to meet on opening day and who are most likely to be interacting with your camper directly. They’re not by any means, however, the only, or the most important, people working at Pemi.

Today I’d like to introduce, and offer immense thanks to, the members of our kitchen team and our buildings and grounds crew. These individuals quite simply make Pemi possible. The kitchen team takes on the immense responsibility of feeding 220 people three times a day, while balancing dietary restrictions, allergies, and culinary excellence. As far as I’m concerned, they do it better than any other camp kitchen around. We’re spoiled with our food at Pemi.

Our buildings and grounds team began their work for Pemi 2025 in the waning days of summer 2024, and they’ve hardly ever stopped since. They put in long hours throughout the fall, early winter, and spring to complete complex projects, check the safety and soundness of our facilities, and repair casualties of the summer wear and tear. Once we all arrive for the summer, they continue on with this work while also troubleshooting the myriad issues that can arise as we stress test our campus for eight straight weeks. It’s a massive job, and they do it with grace, professionalism, and the full Pemi spirit.

It’s hard to offer enough superlatives to describe these two crews, but truly none of the magic that happens here at camp would be possible without their work. It’s only fitting that we cap off the in-season newsletters by sharing their staff bios and thanking them for all they’ve done for Pemi this summer!

Pemi’s Kitchen Team

Tom Ciglar – Head of Dining Services: During the winter I live in Rindge, NH with my wife Anna, and our son Jon and work as an educator. I’m looking forward to my 21st season at Pemi.

Michael McMurray – Chef: Hello, Camp Pemi! I am returning to camp for my 8th year in the awesome Pemigewassett kitchen to fuel your summer fun. During the off season I work at Nute Middle/High School in the Special Education department. I live in Milton Mills, NH. It is a small village of about 250 people and is part of Milton, NH. I am looking forward to another great season at Pemi!

Andrew Winell – Chef: My name is Andrew Winell. I am a chef from Pennsylvania. I have been working as a chef for over 30 years. Currently I work at Council Rock High School North in Newtown, Pennsylvania. I have summers off now so that is a perfect opportunity for me to work at Pemi. I used to go to camp when I was young, and I enjoy the camp life. Hopefully everyone at Pemi will enjoy the food that I prepare for you every day! Looking forward to having a great summer in New Hampshire!

Nancy Cushman – Chef/Baker: My name is Nancy Cushman. I live in West Fairlee, Vermont. This will be my 18th summer at Pemi. The rest of the year I work in a small elementary school with 3rd grade. At camp, I will be helping prepare breakfast and baking all the yummy treats the staff and children get to enjoy.

Jason Farina – Chef: Jason joins the Pemi kitchen for the first time this summer. Jason is an experienced chef and a Wentworth resident who we’re thrilled to have as part of the team.

Julieta Zaragoza – Kitchen Staff: I am Julieta Zaragoza, I am currently a psychology student in Mexico, I am 24 years old, and one of my favorite hobbies is visiting new places with my friends and family, such as a small town, museums, or restaurants with different themes. At the same time I love spending my time in natural places doing sports activities or yoga, and preparing desserts for my family and friends to try. I enjoy reading, cycling, dancing, and traveling. I consider myself an outgoing woman who is a good friend and is always willing to talk and understand others to build new perspectives in life and different types of relationships.

Luis Sosa – Kitchen Staff: Hello, I’m Luis. I’m from Zacatlán, this summer I’m working in the kitchen, and I plan to share my knowledge in the kitchen and in some sports such as swimming, hiking, and climbing.

Valeria Mopan Giraldo – Kitchen Staff: Hi! My name is Valeria. I’m from Colombia, and I’m very excited to spend my fourth summer at Pemi creating new memories.

Aldo Rodriguez – Kitchen Staff: I’m Aldo, I’m 23 years old, and I’m from Tlaxcala, Mexico. I’m studying chemistry, and this is my second year at Pemi. I love sports like soccer and basketball. I’m excited to have new experiences and meet new people. I hope I can share all my energy so we can all have a great summer.

Josue Rosales – Kitchen Staff: My name is Josue Rosales, I am 23 years old, and this is my first year at Pemi. I am happy to be living here this summer and working in the kitchen.

Alexa Toscano-Lee – Kitchen Staff: Hi! I’m Alexa, and I’m excited to be part of the Pemi kitchen staff this summer. I’m from San Diego, California, but I currently live in Puebla, Mexico, and this will be my first summer at Pemi. I enjoy being part of a team that keeps everyone happy and fueled for summer fun! I am an anthropology undergrad who loves reading and all kinds of crafts, like sewing. I’m looking forward to a fun summer and becoming part of the Pemi community!

Alessandra Loeza Valdez – Kitchen Staff: Hi! My name is Alessandra, and I’m from Mexico! This is my third summer working at Pemi. I’m currently a Junior at Arkansas State University (they have a campus here in Mexico!), and I’m majoring in Biotechnology and working in getting a minor in Chemistry! I’ll be part of the Kitchen Staff, and I hope to have a nice time working and meeting new friends! In my free time, I really enjoy listening to music, playing videogames, reading, writing fiction stories, and playing with my dogs. I’m really excited to be joining Camp Pemi again for this summer!

Buildings and Grounds Team

Frank Roberts – Head of Buildings and Grounds: Frank has been a member of the Buildings and Grounds team since 2017 and has been Head of Buildings and Grounds since 2022. Frank’s favorite aspects of Camp are “the incredible and passionate people [he’s] met and worked with,” and he loves, “the interesting, varied, and challenging nature of the work.” A New Hampshire native, Frank was a longtime Boy Scout and attended the University of New Hampshire, where he studied macroeconomics and international affairs. Frank and his wife Erica live nearby Pemi with their daughter Hazel and son Dylan.

Connie Ball – Housekeeping: Excited to be back for my 5^th summer season as a cleaner at camp Pemigewassett, looking forward to seeing all of the returning staff and campers as well as new. Cheers to another awesome summer on Lower Baker.

Phil Benoit – Buildings and Grounds: This will be my fourth year back at Pemi, and I am so excited for the season. I love it here and hope to be here for many years. This season on the maintenance crew we hope to work on some of the older cabins and just maintain the beauty it already has here. I personally have many ideas for the future and hope to implement them throughout the upcoming seasons.

Michelle Contreras – Housekeeping: Hi! My name is Michelle and I’m from Puebla, Mexico. This is my second summer at Pemi and I’m so happy to be back! I’m part of the amazing housekeeping team, helping keep camp cozy and clean for everyone. I love music, singing, and spending time in nature. One of my favorite parts of Pemi is the sense of community and joy that fills every day – I’m thrilled to be part of it again this summer! I’m excited to make more beautiful memories, share smiles, and help keep the Pemi magic going strong. If you ever need a hand with anything, I’m always happy to help.

Nik Groleau – Buildings and Grounds: My name is Nicholas (Nik) Groleau, and I’m passionate about spending time outdoors whenever I can. I live in Wentworth, New Hampshire, just five minutes from Camp Pemi. I enjoy quality time with my family and dogs, especially during our outdoor adventures. My favorite activities include hiking, paddleboarding, and floating down the river. This will be my first summer working at Camp Pemi in the Buildings and Grounds Department.

End of Week 6 & Start of Pemi Week

The end of week 6 marked the culmination of our structured activity periods for the summer, along with the end of intercamp sports, daily nature field trips, and overnight hikes. In typical Pemi fashion, we had events right up until the last minute, taking advantage of every chance to engage in cherished camp activities. This included a group of Uppers and a Lower who headed off to Greenleaf Hut: Nicholas Kusik, Finn Gaughan, Julian Park-Jacobs, Declan Powers, Nolan Shah, Kirin Clark, and Finn Shapiro along with counselors John Kingdon and Paul Schwaegler. That same day the boys of Lower 1 – Casey Vaz, George Kingdon, Arthur Johnson, Jacob Modzelewski, Max Fox, Oscar Mulholland, Niam Santiago, and Flynn Baggish, joined by their 15-year-old waiter Manfred Creane and recently returned Pemi West camper Leo Martin – climbed Mt. Cube. Our final group to head out for a hike this summer was Upper 5 to Mt. Moosilauke. The group of Tyson Madkins, Will Dennis, Sam Weber, River Morgan, Sam Chapin, Emmet Greene, Graeme Newman, Finn Gaughan, Emmitt Baggish, and Danny Follansbee enjoyed one of the best day hikes in New Hampshire, and Finn even had the rare chance to hike both the Franconia Ridge and Moosilauke in the same week!

Our sports schedule finished with some great opportunities for our youngest boys to participate, as we had back-to-back days of 9 and under sporting events, starting with a 9s soccer BVT here at Pemi on Thursday. Our boys did a great job against talented opposition, with contributions from everyone on the team and especially strong play from Zach Goobic, Sam Moskoff, Griffin Sears, Saleem Usman, Yaseen Usman, Russell Follansbee, Pierce Golay, Henry Matlack, and Winston Moore.The next day our 9s headed over to Walt Whitman for a playday in both basketball and pickle ball, the latter being a pretty rarely played intercamp sport for younger campers. We sent over a group of boys who mostly played in both sports (plus one 10-year-old to help with numbers): Landon Dow, Yaseen Usman, Griffin Sears, Henry Matlack, Winston Moore, Zach Goobic, Rhodin Bernstein, Russell Follansbee, Pierce Golay, and Finn Pike. They had a blast and really enjoyed the chance to jump back and forth between the pickleball and basketball courts. It was a great way to cap off the 2025 athletics season.

Our nature program also wrapped up their off-camp programming with some highlight trips, including a new one to a nearby property that abuts our land. The group of boys who took “The Way Pemi Works” activity, where they learned about Pemi’s environmental footprint, traveled to a building on the Green Woodlands property that is Platinum LEED certified to learn more about environmental efficiency. Alongside counselors Eli Brennan, Nick Gordon, Deb Kure, and Henry Moore, the group included Myles Woolley, Mason Russell, James Wasnick, Wilkes Goobic, Thomas McNelly, and Julian Blaustein. We also had a great, extended early morning birding trip with Casey Vaz, James Wasnick, Walker Seidel, Julian Blaustein, Wills Waitzkin, Devran Efe, and Johnny Thibault; and a trip to the Ely Copper Mine in Vershire, VT with Johnny Thibault and Julian Blaustein to work on their advanced nature collections.

Saturday marked the start of Pemi Week, our Week 7 tradition that includes cabin competition within divisions along with other spotlight events. The week kicks off on Saturday morning with Brad Jones Day, when campers and counselors are allowed to sleep in as late as they want. There’s also a delicious buffet breakfast on offer for anyone who wakes up for it. This tends to be very popular with our younger campers. While no official recognition is given out for latest sleeper, several boys and counselors took full advantage of the chance to sleep in and had to be woken up by cabinmates in order to make it to lunch on time. The afternoon sees the actual competitions begin in the form of Games Day. Consisting of a variety of individual and team events, Games Day is always one of the most fun and popular days of the summer. One boy from each cabin competes in the cold-water musical chairs, Skittles eating contest, and cookie face-off; while teams from each cabin take part in the crabwalk relay, the sack relay, and the egg toss.

In the interest of brevity and efficiency, I can’t detail all of the phenomenal Games Day performances in today’s newsletter, but a few need to be shared. The cold-water musical chairs came down to 15-year-old Alex Fernandez from Senior 2 and Lower 6’s Michael Vitale. Michael and his brothers have been staples of the final stages of this competition for years, leading many to wonder if musical chairs is a nightly occurrence in the Vitale household. When the music stopped, Michael was indeed in the advantageous position and calmly plopped down into the final chair. This year’s egg toss also came down to younger versus older, but this time it was the older duo that prevailed in the final round as twins Adam and Ryan Aronis outlasted Junior 5’s Dylan King and Asher Goldring and Lower 4’s Sebby Richards and Graham Eising. Adam and Ryan’s winning toss was nearly half the length of our soccer pitch, rivaling any Games Day egg toss I’ve seen. For these two longtime campers and baseball stalwarts, it was a fitting and fully deserved victory!

Pemi Week continued on Sunday with our triathlon in the afternoon. Pemi’s triathlon differs from the traditional format by replacing the biking portion with a two-person canoe leg to end it. The first two boys from each cabin to finish the swim and run sections jump in a canoe and race to the finish. The top finishers for each age group were as follows (first to third):

Lower-Juniors: Elliott Lefebvre, Owen Goobic, Bode Gunther

Upper-Juniors: Charlie Moskoff, Andrew Ramich, Haben McNulty

Lower-Lowers: Jack Moskoff, Walker Seidel, Hunter Blauer

Upper-Lowers: Hudson Eng, Michael Vitale, Brandon Lyu

Uppers: Julian Blaustein, Emmitt Baggish, Devran Efe

Seniors: Johnny Thibault, Miles Whitcombe, Zach Pierson

We’ve also completed our Pemi Week archery shoots, with the following top finishers:

Lower-Juniors: Yaseen Usman, Zach Goobic, Bode Gunther

Upper-Juniors: Charlie Foster, Hibbard Brown, Santi Losada

Lower-Lowers: Jack Moskoff, James Wasnick, Jacob Modzelewski, Timmy Lorig

Upper-Lowers: James Brennan, Jasper Gandhi, Brandon Lyu

Uppers: Charlie Milgrim, Benjamin Welch, River Morgan

Seniors: Connor Smillie, Miles Waitzkin, Will Bixby, Rudi Wei

Additional Pemi Week events that are underway or that we’re still awaiting results from include divisional tennis tournaments, swimming championships, Woodsdudes’ Day, the pentathlon (60-yard dash, mile, high jump, long jump, shot put), divisional sailing, our all-camp ping-pong tournament, and the Pemi Wiffle Ball Classic. Details to follow next week!

Pemi Week also presents several opportunities to celebrate the incredible artists in the Pemi community, with several marquee art events taking place this week. Tuesday night was our second session vaudeville, and it did not disappoint, thanks in large part to the tireless work of head of music Evan Anderson and visiting music instructor David Lien. We had a packed lineup with stellar performances from Dylan Thibault playing piano and singing “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman, Rhodin Bernstein playing an original piece on drums, Jeffrey Eng playing Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” on piano, Sebby Leibel playing variations of several Pemi songs on the drums, Santi Losada playing guitar and singing an original song about a butterfly, Ethan Onysko playing improv piano, Asher Goldring playing keys and singing “Hey There Delilah,” Nick McCay soloing on the saxophone, and a performance from the soundpainting group of Asher Goldring, Ahran Santiago, Charles Golay, Mason Russell, and Casey Vaz. Dylan’s piece set the tone as a stunning opening act, and our closing group, the aptly named Cabin Fever, brought down the house to close things out. This group – 15-year-olds Manfred Creane (electric guitar), Bryce Madom (bass and lead vocals), Connor Smillie (electric guitar), and assistant counselor Leo Ventimiglia (drums) – has some incredible musicians and they supplemented their natural talent with regular rehearsals and jam sessions. Their performance of The Arctic Monkeys’ “Flourescent Adolescent” arguably topped their first session performance of The Strokes’ “Last Nite,” which I’d previously described as the best vaudeville song I’ve seen. This 15s age group is a truly special one in terms of its musical talent, and this was the perfect way for them to cap their Pemi camper years.

Earlier on Tuesday was the opening of the annual art show, a fun opportunity to display much of the incredible art that boys have produced this summer. We’ve had a fantastic visual arts summer under the leadership of head of art Deb Pannell and talented art counselors Ry Dean-Slobod, Archer Knight, Jackson Heller, and more. They’ve helped dozens of boys tap into their creative sides, and it was so impressive to see all that they’ve produced. The art show opening also includes snacks and drinks, giving the feel of a true gallery opening. Based on what I saw, I won’t be surprised if some of these guys do indeed find their works in even more prestigious galleries one day. This year’s dramatic production, Peter Pan, premiered Wednesday afternoon, and I’m excited to get the opportunity to see it tonight. Review to follow in the final newsletter.

With that I’m out of time for this newsletter, as the Peter Pan matinee has just let out. It’s a bittersweet few days coming up as we celebrate all the impressive accomplishments that Pemi campers have earned in 2025. We’ll have our Final Banquet tomorrow, followed by the final Bean Soup and Campfire on Friday – all wonderful culminating events And just like that, boys will head their separate ways, returning home after another magical Pemi summer. I look forward to detailing these final days in next week’s newsletter.

Pat Clare