Program Description

Camp Treetops

Summer Program
Lake Placid, New York


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For More Information, Contact
Karen Culpepper, Director
Camp Treetops
P.O. Box 187
Lake Placid, New York 12946
518-523-9329 Ext. 112
Fax: 518-523-4858
http://www.camptreetops.org
E-mail: ctt@nct.org

Type of Program: Residential summer camp offering diverse traditional activities with a progressive philosophy; integral farm and garden program, including horseback riding and animal care; studio and performing arts; day and overnight wilderness trips; waterfront activities, including swimming, canoeing, kayaking, and sailing; emphasis on community as well as individual growth
Participants: Coeducational, ages 8–14; Junior Camp, ages 8–11; Senior Camp, ages 12–14
Enrollment: Junior Camp, 75; Senior Camp, 90
Program Dates: Full seven-week session: June 27–August 15, 2009; four-week option for first-time 8- to 11-year-olds: June 27–July 26, 2009
Head of Program: Karen Culpepper, Camp Director

Location

Camp Treetops sits within the Adirondack Park, which includes 6-million acres of wilderness and ample space to experience the beauty of lakes and mountains. The 225-acre campus, just outside the village of Lake Placid, includes a lake free of motor boats, a large organic garden, and a working farm.

Background and Philosophy

Established in 1921, Camp Treetops was a pioneer of the concept of the coeducational, culturally diverse summer camp for children. Directors Helen and Doug Haskell were informed by the progressive values of educator John Dewey, and the Treetops philosophy is still the same as it was more than eighty-five years ago: to provide a place where children can explore their imagination, develop strength, and gain self-confidence. Camp Treetops’ seven-week program offers children the essential experience of time: time to try new things and learn the skills needed to do them well, time to enjoy the leisure of an unplugged summer, time to listen to the sound of early morning birdsong, and time to watch the organic garden that they care for every week grow and produce food that they then eat. There is a diverse offering of in-camp programs, an extensive wilderness trip program, and meaningful work on the farm and in the camp community. Children choose and plan most of their own activities beyond the required swimming and riding classes. A daily work program in which staff members and campers all participate emphasizes collaboration and community accomplishment. Treetops enrolls campers and hires staff members from varying ethnic, religious, national, economic, and geographic backgrounds.

Program Offerings

The waterfront: Waterfront activities are offered on Treetops’ own lake. Skills are taught for their intrinsic value as well as to prepare children for longer trips or more challenging conditions.
Swimming: Each child is placed in an appropriate American Red Cross swim class and attends a swim class for one period every day except Sunday. Swim classes are taught with an emphasis on safety, skill development, and fun. In addition to instructional classes, general swims are part of the daily schedule.
Canoeing and kayaking: Most children learn basic safety and paddling skills on Treetops’ lake. As children become proficient, they may participate in day and overnight trips on the many lakes and rivers in the Adirondack Park.
Sailing: Expert instruction is available. Many of the sailboats are moved to the Saranac Lakes in midsummer to provide greater challenges and the opportunity for the campers to go on day and overnight sailing trips.
English riding: Treetops owns its own stable and horses. In addition to the required weekly lesson, many children choose to ride more often. Campers have two riding rings to choose from, plus the camp’s own trails and nearby Clifford Falls, where Treetops has the use of another barn, a corral, and trails that lead into the backwoods. When campers have learned to saddle, bridle, and care for their mounts and have demonstrated adequate equestrian skills, they are eligible for an overnight riding trip to Clifford Falls.
Hiking and rock climbing: Treetops’ unique location offers a wide variety of mountains and trails to hike and excellent places for rock climbing, including its own distinctive climbing wall and a small cliff with many established routes for top-roping. Treetops offers a range of trips, from short, easy hikes for beginners to more challenging hikes for the most rugged and adventurous camper.
Overnight trips: Overnight trips last from two to five days. They vary widely in difficulty in order to accommodate beginners, seasoned veterans, and all those in between. In addition to the hiking, climbing, and riding trips, children paddle or sail in nearby lakes and rivers, swim in little-known prime swimming holes, explore, or gather flora and fauna for the nature rooms.
Crafts and the arts: Both Junior and Senior Camp divisions have a well-equipped ceramics studio, a woodshop, and a weaving room. Children participate in batik, photography, knitting, candle making, painting, drawing, and other crafts. Campers make their own music, whether by singing before mealtimes, practicing instruments, or performing in informal concerts. They enjoy participating in plays, practicing their own dance and gymnastics routines, and square dancing.
Work program: Treetops depends on group sharing and individual contributions to foster responsibility. An extensive work program involves all children in daily chores and the physical care of the gardens and animals. Although barn chores may be the most arduous and demanding assignments, they are usually the most popular jobs.
The farm and gardens: The farm provides children the opportunity not only to watch the ways of horses, ponies, cows, pigs, chickens, llamas, sheep, and goats but also to care for them. Children help to harvest vegetables that appear on the table that day. The greenhouses mean that, even at an elevation of 2,000 feet, campers relish home-grown tomatoes. The farm is just that: a working farm. The chickens produce eggs and are harvested for the pot. The flowers that are grown grace the tables or make crowns for a special event. The lesson of sustainability is taught. Food scraps go to the pigs or to the compost heap, which in turn nourishes the garden soil. The experienced farm and garden managers and well-trained farm interns instruct children as to the whys and wherefores of composting, weeding, thinning, mulching, and companion planting.

Enrollment

Since its founding in 1921, Treetops has enrolled children from a wide variety of geographic, economic, religious, ethnic, and family backgrounds. Typically, 18 percent are ethnic minorities. Campers come from approximately twenty-five states and ten countries. An extensive scholarship program means that Treetops is able to enroll children who might otherwise not be able to attend camp.

Daily Schedule

7:00
8:00
8:45
9:45
12:15
1:00
2:45
5:00
6:00
7:00

Barn chores
Breakfast
Clean-up and morning council
Morning activities
Lunch
Afternoon council and rest hour
Afternoon activities
Work jobs
Dinner
Evening activities

One evening each week, campers gather to sing, watch drama productions, or listen to musical pieces on which children have been working. Camp wide square dances, with live music and calling, happen three times a summer.

Extra Opportunities and Activities

The camp program is complemented by field trips to places like the Lake Placid Horse Show, a nearby fish hatchery, the fort at Crown Point, the Paul Smith’s Visitors Interpretive Center, the Wild Center natural history museum, and the Onchiota Native American Museum. Professional artists and craftspeople are brought in as artists in residence. For 15- to 17-year-olds, Treetops Expeditions leads small groups canoeing, backpacking, climbing, hiking, and kayaking throughout North America. Past trips have also traveled to South America and Europe. Treetops also offers an English Enrichment Program for campers who would like to improve their English speaking skills.

Facilities

Treetops has access to the library and other facilities of North Country School, the junior boarding school that shares its campus during the fall, winter, and spring. Children live in large platform tents, lean-tos, or small cabins.

Staff

Because the ratio of staff to campers is 1:3, children can realize their goals and express their individuality. Treetops’ multigenerational staff includes professional educators. There are also seasoned veterans, many of whom are parents themselves, who have been at Treetops for several summers. The staff return rate is typically 75 to 80 percent, and many former campers return to work as staff members. Treetops’ summer staff totals about 75.

Medical Care

Treetops employs 2 full-time nurses, 1 each in the Junior and Senior Camps. The camp doctor has offices 7 miles away at the Lake Placid Hospital. Because Lake Placid—one of two Olympic Training Centers in the United States—attracts world-class athletes, the medical facilities are excellent. In addition, there is a strong emphasis on nutrition at Treetops. The camp grows much of its own food and bakes its own bread. No soda, candy, or junk food is served. Care packages from home are carefully screened.

Religious Life

Treetops is nondenominational. The camp staff works to make arrangements for children who wish to attend services in Lake Placid.

Costs

The camp fee for the 2009 season is $7200. A $1000 deposit is required with registration and is applied to tuition. The fee is all-inclusive, with the exception of transportation to and from camp and incidentals. No spending money is needed, and incidentals are billed to campers’ accounts.

Financial Aid

To make the camp experience available to as many families as possible, Treetops awards need-based scholarships on a rolling basis; applications are available on request or from the Web site. About 25 percent of the campers receive varying levels of financial aid, amounting to 18 percent to total tuition income.

Transportation

Counselors accompany children on buses from Manhattan. Children are also picked up at the Albany Airport and the Saranac Lake Airport. Driving time from New York City is approximately 5½ hours.

Application Timetable

Although applications are accepted beginning in September, there is often a waiting list until all of the returning campers have been heard from. The return rate is routinely more than 80 percent, which limits openings, especially for the older age groups.