When I’m Not At Camp…is a new series of blogs that will highlight staff, alumni and campers and give us a peek at what they do when they are not at camp. Read on for our 1st entry…

When I’m not at camp, as the Director of Lake Owego, I am a teacher at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. This past week was Founder’s Day, where the whole school comes together to celebrate Felix Adler, the founder of the school. As I was listening to the outgoing Senior Class presidents talk about their passion for the school community, it started to push my mind to think about the love our campers have for camp. The two seniors focused on the theme of “Spreading the Orange.” Orange is one of the school colors and they talked about what it means to be a member of the Fieldston community. As a teacher, the way I spread the orange is to push my students in the classroom but I make sure that I maintain a nurturing environment that recognizes students as individuals. Upon graduating from Fieldston, students are prepared to enter the best colleges, but more importantly, they understand what it means to become an active member of their communities.

At Owego, we pride ourselves on “Spreading the Blue.” In my role as the camp director, I work to make sure that our campers and counselors are walking the walk. We push our campers to try new activities, solidify skills in sports that they already play at home, and learn the value of healthy competition. Beyond the high standards we have for all of our activities, we push our campers to become better versions of themselves. We welcome all campers and counselors that we might initially see as different from ourselves and find those connections that help to maintain a strong camp culture.

Summer At Owego- 2014

Kyle Silver, Director