From Todd Ormiston

LOOKING OUT, LOOKING

IN BY TODD ORMISTON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

A cornerstone of the North Country School and Camp Treetops experience is our commitment to ensuring our campers and

students connect with the natural world. They experience time connected to the rising and the setting of the sun, the changes of seasons, and the life cycles of the plants and animals in our care. We believe this helps children tap into the rhythm of what’s happening around them and to be able to be in the present moment as a regular part of their day–a rarity in today’s world.

Day to day, I find myself immersed in the work of running Camp and School. But I also have the distinct responsibility (and pleasure) of lifting my head and looking up and out to our community, the educational community, and the world. This gives me the opportunity to pair who we are with the challenges and opportunities our students and campers will face after Camp and School. From my seat, having been here for Camp’s Centennial, COVID’s pause on life, NCS reunions at Friends' Weekend, and the loss of Camp and School stalwarts like Don Rand, Betty Eldridge and Roger Loud, the great chapters of our history stand out strikingly. The eras may change, but the impact is universal and enduring. But how can we respectfully honor our past while charting our future? It’s a delicate balance— and one we’ve honored for years. To me, the remarkable thing about Camp and School is that our values and educational philosophy have remained consistent, even while we adapt our approaches and implementation to meet the needs of the moment. As important as our tradition is, I believe those who came before us intended for Camp and School to remain agile. After all, the progressive education model promotes lifelong experience with an eye on the demands of the future.

As you may know, we are in the final stages of building our new strategic plan. For many organizations, the strategic planning process happens every five or so years. Having launched our last strategic plan in May 2017 and coming out of the pandemic, this is the right time to consider Camp and School’s life cycles to plan for our own growth.

Part of the current strategic planning process calls for us to review the values we consider essential to the Camp and School experience.

Through our work and feedback from our community, we have identified inclusivity and connection; empathy and compassion; ruggedness and perseverance; resourcefulness and creativity; and environmental stewardship and responsibility as essential to everything we do.

When we consider each of these values, it’s evident that our people are indispensable to all our goals. Recruiting values-aligned teachers, counselors, and educators helps our campers and students navigate and thrive in an environment that celebrates the pursuit of the journey. Enrolling students and campers who are active contributors to our community allows them to receive the greatest benefit from the experience. Our broader community creates countless opportunities for cross-pollination and healthy engagement; it is from a position of openness that we learn the most.

A closer look at the way we teach and learn at Camp and School reveals one distinct key to our style of experiential education. In a recent conversation I had with Treetops friends and experiential education experts Ted and Julie Kalmus, we talked about the difference between active and passive consumption in the learning process. A passive learner can only regurgitate what they’ve observed. But “learning by doing” is active. Once children take that step, they can practice, perfect, and explain that material to others.

And being able to express what you have learned and experienced leads to some of the most important life lessons we can give our children: the confidence to embrace difficult challenges, empathy for others, and resilience. And it is no surprise that these and others are built into our values. It’s not magic, it’s intentional.

An early look at the strategic plan reveals outreach through partnerships, new programs that promote our way of working with children, and enhancements to our living, teaching and working spaces. We will also proudly seek to share our style of experiential education with others.

In my experience, the most impactful and sustainable organizational evolution should be centered around the institution's most cherished pursuits and the ways in which they can become more powerful experiences for children and community. Grounded by our past, guided by our values, and led by our people, Camp and School are exactly what children need today. And just as we encourage our children to explore boundaries, learn actively, and chase big ideas, we are doing the same for our beloved Camp and School.

Your input is valuable. Please reach out with your ideas, thoughts, and feedback anytime at stratplan@ncstreetops.org