Camp News & Blog

Lessons from Claire

March 20th, 2026

Parents, the words below are my lessons from a camper who has recently passed. I wrote it in a way that I hope will be helpful and thoughtful of our camp family. Please review it before deciding to share with your child. This one may be more for me than anyone else.

Kate and I ‘received the torch’ from the Seffer and Lustig families in 2009. They had built Weequahic from the ground up starting in 1953.

We dug in and started building on the wonderful foundation and traditions (Tribals, Olympics and more) the Seffer and Lustig families created while instituting some of our own (Campfire by Sly Lake, GAC, Swim the Lake and more.)

No matter what, though, no matter who is running camp or how long the sessions or what names of the color war teams are – it’s all about the kids and staff.

The people are what make camp – then, now and forever.

Claire

I first met Claire in her home outside of Philadelphia. Then, as now, we met with every family prior to camp. I remember her being quiet and interested with a twinkle in her eye.

When she told me soccer was one of her favorites, she leaned in and her face got serious and excited. I could tell this young lady was a competitor. Creating a life with Director Kate and spending so much time with Associate Director Sue, I know the type well.

Claire started with three weeks – the Tribal session. After two summers, she was one of the first to switch to ‘Olympic’ session. A few of her friends had moved to Super Six and she had another commitment early in the summer.

This was the first of the lessons from Claire – the courage to be flexible. We had always hoped a camper would change things around in order to make both their busy summer lives and camp work… but we didn’t think it would happen. And for a 14-year-old girl to do it?

Claire knew what she wanted and she just did it.

Saying No

The second lesson happened either that or the next summer. I’m hazy on the timing but not on the lesson.

True to form, this young lady was a fierce competitor at Weequahic. Always first to join a team, compete with other camps or within Weequahic. She wanted to move, to exert herself all the time.

Prior to arriving back at camp late in her time with us, her mother called to talk about her concussions. Claire had dealt with a lot of them. Her mother was (rightfully) concerned and wanted to know how they’d affect her at camp, especially with her athletics.

Now, we were always scratching and clawing to grow camp. At the time, I was definitely a ‘yes’ person, at least to the parents and the kids.

I didn’t want to say ‘no’ to anyone and I didn’t want to upset anyone at any time. So, we accepted her back within some strict guidelines. Claire was on board… kind of.

That summer, I had to say ‘no’ to a lot of her questions. When she came up teary to me, pleading to play and compete, I had to say ‘no’ for her safety. When she enlisted her counselors – who loved the girl – I had to say the same thing.

It’s hard to see anyone who wants to compete and play so badly and tell them ‘no.’ Especially when you want them back as a CIT. But ‘no’ it was, and it was the correct call.

Sometimes (a lot of times, actually) ‘no’ is hard… and correct.

Friendships Across the Bunks

I’ll be honest – I was pretty old-school when we started at Weequahic. When girls used to tell me some of their best friends are boys or guys tell me, ‘We are just friends’, I didn’t really believe them. I’ve read enough about evolutionary biology to be dangerous… and a little cynical of those answers.

Claire taught me differently, especially with her friendship with Budow. They were tight. They were buddies. They loved each other in a way that true friends do, with trust, care and vulnerability.

Their special friendship opened my eyes to see so many others of these friendships at camp between our campers. Funnily enough, when I asked a CIT last summer about what camp had taught them, she answered ‘Guys and girls can really be just friends. I love that about this place.’

Me, too. We humans need connection and care. Claire and Budow represented the best of this.

Final Lesson

When Claire graduated as a CIT, cried her last tears in the Rec Hall and departed camp, I lost touch with her. A wonderful camper, someone who stood out amongst the pack, and… well, I turned my focus to the campers in front of me rather than those in my past.

This was and is a mistake. And one I intend to rectify.

Had we stayed in touch, I would have known about her matriculation to a great university. I would have known about her work within healthcare, her continued connection with Budow, how her faith and connection to Judaism continued to flourish. That she had been sick and that the complications were growing.

Time is doing what it does… moving forward. We will all have hard moments like these in a well-lived life. Sad? At times, of course. And full of beauty and laughter, lessons and love. If we only see the bad or challenging, we aren’t really looking.

We are going to miss Claire. She was a bright light in the world and one who taught me many things. Thank you, Claire. We are better for having known you.

Seeing Clearly: Helping Kids Focus on the Good

March 7th, 2026

We humans are a curious lot. We are capable of working together to create incredible objects of beauty. Petra has withstood the test of time. Neuschwanstein Castle looks like something out of a fairy tale. The Golden Gate Bridge is breathtaking.

Even as ‘individuals’, though we very rarely do anything truly on our own, we can add great beauty into the world. Think of Mother Teresa, Aristotle, Van Gogh and Hokusai.

We are also capable of a lot of darkness. Pick up any history book and it’ll be happy to tell you about all the bad in the past.

But here is the thing: the history books rarely tell the story of the good nearly as much as they do the story of the bad.

Seeing Clearly

The other day, I read a quote I can’t get out of my head:

If you only see the bad, you aren’t seeing clearly.

Just like the history books, we humans want to focus on ‘the bad.’ The test you didn’t do well on. That joke that didn’t land. Those posts that didn’t get enough likes. Wrong notes on the scale, poor shots hit in front of a crowd….

This feeling is not a bug of our human system. It’s actually a feature and, throughout history, it’s been a darn good one. (How long do you think we’d have lasted if we kept trying to feed saber-tooth tigers berries from our hands?)

Remembering the bad can be very useful. I remember the time a snake leapt at me from a rock I flipped over one summer in Georgia as a kid. I’ve been very thoughtful turning over rocks since.

Seeing the Good Plus…

If we aren’t careful, though, we’ll let the bad dominate our vision and thinking. And, what we think consistently becomes the story of our lives.

Think ‘I can’t hit that note’ often enough or ‘I’ll never figure it out’ a bunch and… you probably won’t. Or, at the very least, you’ve made it a lot harder to do so.

We have to intentionally flood our thoughts with the good things. I’ve heard some researchers say the ‘recognize the good to recognizing the bad’ should be a 3 to 1 ratio.

Meaning? You need to think of the canteen you got that day + all the laughing you did at the waterfront + the crazy fun evening activity you just enjoyed to overcome the missing home feeling when you wrote your letter home.

It also helps to think of the emotion or feeling when you remember the good. In fact, you should really feel it. Your subconscious doesn’t know the difference between ‘real’ and ‘imagined’ emotions. So, if you are intentional, you can insert really good emotions within your imagination surrounding a successful attempt.

Real Life

I recently played in a golf tournament against a bunch of (old) pros. The 18th hole had water on both sides of the fairway and there was more trouble by the green. In the first round, I made an 8, a quadruple bogey. Not good. Really.

Now, I played the other 17 holes really well. If I went home and thought only about the worst hole I’ve played in competition since high school, I would have missed all the good things I’d done earlier that round.

I chose to do two things that evening. First, I spent time thinking through all the good things that happened that day. Secondly, I imagined playing the 18th perfectly. I even added in the emotion I’d feel for hitting the fairway, then hitting the green in regulation and then making the putt. I imagined (and felt it) 10 times the way I wanted.

All this took effort, intention. And, it made feel great about the day. How’d I play the 18th in the 2nd round? I barely missed the putt for a 3 and finished with a 4 – a 50% improvement!

Make the Effort

Friends, make the effort to see good. It’s easy to see and even fixate on the ‘bad.’ (Though, the ‘bad’ is just there to teach us what to do differently.) And, if you are having a hard time seeing the good, reach out to a loved one and be honest. I bet they can help. You can always call me, too!

It’s a little more than 100 days to start of camp. Can’t wait to get there and focus on the good while learning from the ‘constructive’ with all of you!

Human AI: The Secret to the Best Summer Camp Experience

February 27th, 2026

Artificial intelligence, large language models and more are all the rage now. New tools, new processes, new workflows. AI at summer camp is going to be a real thing.

Director Kate has used Claude and Gemini to develop a new bunk log system that will both improve the info we get from our staff each night (still no screens in the bunks!) and for us to review. We’ve updated our menu, created new guidebooks for staff, improved our inventory controls and more.

I’m sure we are barely scratching the surface of what this new set of tools can do for us. Use cases abound, even at camp in the Pocono Mountains. AI can certainly help summer camp.

However, artificial intelligence is not even close to the most important AI at Camp Weequahic. Here are the top 5 most important AIs for camp… at least at Camp Weequahic!

Authentic Inclusion: Building Friendships at Camp

This is what we all want, isn’t it? To find our group, to be accepted for who we are now and who we are becoming. At Weequahic, we build connections before camp starts with our Pen Pal program. New campers are bunked with other new kids their same age. New kids start building friends quickly thru the activities they’ve chosen together. All of this is done under the watchful eyes of our selectively chosen and personally trained staff. Camp begins and ends with community which is why this AI is number one!

Active Interaction: Getting Kids Off Screens

At Weequahic, we move and play and create with no phones, social media or comparison. Campers interact with each other and our staff and enjoy spontaneity like nowhere else in their lives. (There is a great podcast on those two points with Jeff Leiken.) From the time campers wake up until their close their eyes to dream about the next day, they are actively interacting all over camp.

Attitude Influence: Teaching Kids How to React

Camp is the perfect place to realize that we control our response to actions… and to practice that control. Without the dopamine rush of video games and the phone, our kids have more control over their nervous system and their emotions. With those near-peer counselors modeling the behaviors and responses we want, campers’ attitudes are changed for the better.

Audacious Independence: Building Independence in Kids

Parents want to protect their kids. We have three of them – we get it! The idea of shipping them off to camp is a scary one, especially if you’ve not done it yourself. (More than half of our families have no ‘summer camp’ experience.)

Camp is the perfect place for kids – and parents – to build what feels like audacious independence. They pick what they get, choose their programs, solve their problems, and more. Of course, all of this is in a supportive environment that keeps everyone safe… while allowing kids to expand their comfort zones. This broadens their world, brings happiness and builds confidence. It’s among the great benefits of summer camp.

Always Improving: One Idea at a Time

This one may be for us. We can’t help it – we are competitive with ourselves. This will include new tools like artificial intelligence as well as a lot of old tools: books, paper and pencil, a phone and a whole lot of conversations. Whether we improve how we train our team, the offerings at camp, the message at campfire, the activities… camp should always be improving while keeping the core – the continued growth of our kids and staff – of utmost importance.  

So, there you have it. Five AIs that are a lot more important than artificial intelligence at camp. Do you agree? Disagree? What did I miss? Happy to go ‘old school’ and talk about it any time.

Until then, have a great weekend and may Spring start quickly. The faster it gets here, the faster we’ll all be back together again at camp!