The staff is specially selected for their leadership qualities, professional experience, and strong desire to share their profound passion for the natural world with the children. There is a 1:8 ratio of senior staff to children. We pride ourselves on the individual attention we give to each child. Our staff ensures that each camper experiences activities in which they find success. The staff include environmental educators, certified teachers, arts and crafts specialists, musicians, actors, storytellers, counselors, and counselors-in-training, Many staff were campers themselves, and return to contribute to the camp community.

Camp Director Kate Fox and Camp Manager Ed Helbig were honored to recieve Orange Environment's annual Environmental Education Award for their work at Free Spirit Nature Camp. More Info Here

Picture of Camp Staff from August 2007

Staff

Ed Helbig is the Lead Teacher at the Watershed Learning Center during the school year. At camp he is the Camp Manager, responsible for all aspects of the physical facility.He is looking forward to sharing his extensive map and geographic skills with campers, having traveled and hiked all over the region for many years. He is also an accomplished musician and singer-songwriter, and shares his passion for music with campers, especially at "All Camp Circle". Ed offers hiking, map skills, plant identification, basic woodworking, and drumming and music. He organizes outdoor construction and maintenance, and coordinates transportation for camp. He has an MAT in history and BFA in music.

Ed was the recepient of a 2007 National Endowment for the Humanities scholarship to study John Steinbeck in Monterey California.

Sara Cavanaugh is thrilled to return to the camp staff this season. Sara is graduating from SUNY Cortland this spring, and plans to enter the MA program in Outdoor Education at Cortland in the fall. She is the camp "Games" expert and has been known to play 50 games in a day. She has been a part of camp since the beginning, as her mom, Ellyce, founded camp in 1989. Sara is a collegiate basketball star, recently breaking the school career points record. She is from Hastings-on-Hudson.

Gabriel Jasmin joins the FS staff for his fifth season as Senior Counselor. Gabe is an accomplished musician, and in addition to sharing his music with campers, he plays with several bands. He is a student at SUNY Purchase, and is best known for his guitar & trumpet playing. He also works at the Town of Wallkill Boys and Girls Club and has coordinated their after-school music program. At camp Gabe's favorites include games, paper maiche masks, firebuilding, outdoor cooking, making kites, hiking, and writing songs with campers.

Dan Purcell is returning again in 2008 as Instructor of the Running Deer. He is a recent graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy at which he majored in Acting. Dan has been involved with camp almost since the beginning, when he was a Leaping Frog himself. He is versed in many different aspects of camp from directing traffic and answering phones, to leading a Free Choice and playing a game of Food and Water. Dan is currently living in New York City, but is from Warwick, NY where he graduated from High School. Dan is very much looking forward to the beginning of the camp season and making new camp friends.

Danielle Marse is returning for her second summer at Free Spirit Nature Camp as an Instructor. She is from Montgomery, and is a Senior year psychology student at Eastern University, who will be graduating in June. She has a growing interest in environmental issues and concerns. Danielle has experience coordinating character development activities with junior high and high school age adolescents. She will be serving as a counselor to the Laughing Coyotes and as a mentor to the CITs.

Tanner Wilcox will be on staff again this summer. He is a graduate of Middletown High School. Campers love Tanner's silliness and his ever-present smile. He is a musician, and will be touring this spring in Florida and Wisconsin. We are looking forward to his contribution to camp singing and silliness! He also writes and sings original songs with camp kids. In this picture he is playing a used car salesman in our "Mad Max" living theater production. His camp favorites include hiking, sewing recycled clothes, jewelry-making and visiting the cows. Welcome Back Tanner!

Sarah Kelso and Alyssa Sable will be joining the Free Spirit Staff this year.

Sarah will be a junior counselor. She is graduating from Pine Bush High School this spring. She enjoys swimming on the Pine Bush Swim Team, plays the clarinet, and loves animals. She will be a lifeguard at camp too.

Alyssa has been attending Free Spirit since she was a Leaping Frog. This year she will be a CIT, and also a lifeguard. She swims in Pine Bush. She plays the flute, and is skilled at many crafts, including friendship bracelets, sewing, and beading. She leads origami and sewing and weaving activities, often with Sarah.

We are fortunate to have Mena Messina - a local professional Jewelry Artist at camp this summer. She will be our Artist in Residence for the first two weeks of camp. Her Pathway offering is always popular and the jewelry she helps campers make is amazing.

More information about Mena here