Waldman Family (Neal, Julie,
Johanna, and Sarah), Directors
Neal and Julie have spent almost 25 summers at Forest and Indian
Acres. Neal was a camper during the '60s and '70s and
also served as the Head Counselor of Forest Acres, as well as
Program Director. Neal and Julie met at camp in
1976. Their children, Johanna and Sarah, have spent
almost every summer of their lives at camp since their birth and
currently serve as part of our head staff at camp.
Neal left Forest and Indian Acres in the late '80s to help develop Summer Discovery Pre-College Programs and Musiker Tours. The Waldmans are so happy to be back home full time at camp.
Newman Family (Geoff, Lisa,
Melissa, Paige, and Nicole), Directors
Geoff and Lisa have more than 20 years of summer camping experience
as campers and counselors at a camp in the Pocono Mountains. Both
Lisa and Geoff attended the University of Maryland. Along with
their three children, Melissa, Paige and Nicole, they make their
home in Castlerock, CO. Both Lisa and Geoff are active in
the community by coaching and spending countless hours supporting
the fight against Juvenile Diabetes. Lisa and Geoff bring a love of children and education to
camp.
Michael "Moe" Burness,
Assistant Director
Moe, as he is known around camp, is a veteran of Indian Acres. He
began as a camper in 1967 and has since worked as a counselor, unit
leader, program director and head counselor. He is a graduate of
Boston College and resides in the Hartford area. Moe's enthusiasm
for camp life is obvious from the energy he puts into the
leadership of camp, whether teaching, playing or coaching. His
years as a camper gave him a deep love and respect for the camp and
its traditions, which he is passing on to new generations of
campers.
Mary Beth "Bert" Wiig,
Head Counselor, Camp Forest Acres
"Bert" is another long time member of the Indian and Forest Acres
community. Bert began her Forest Acres career in 1978 as a
counselor and quickly became a treasured part of the camp. She
moved from counselor to unit leader to program director, and then
to head counselor. Bert and her husband Mike, the Forest Acres
hiking director, met at camp. They return each summer with their
children Lauren and Eric. The family resides in Minnetonka,
Minnesota, where Bert is a guidance counselor and varsity softball
coach for the high school. She has a Master's Degree in Counseling
and is President of the Minnesota Peer Group, an organization for
children. Bert's creativity and talent in working with children are
key ingredients in the smooth administration of Forest
Acres.
Jeremy Aron, Head
Counselor, Camp Indian Acres
Jeremy has been at Indian Acres
for more than 20 years. He
started as a camper and has served as our basketball director and
athletic director. Jeremy holds a Master's Degree in
Education and understands every aspect of camp life. You
often find him just talking to campers or giving a few one-on-one
basketball tips. Jeremy breathes Indian Acres and would
live at camp year-round if he could. In the "off season,"
Jeremy resides in suburban Boston and visits with families and
schools.
C.J. Law, Equestrian
Director
C.J. joined the Indian and Forest Acres community in 1986. As
program director and equestrian team coach at Mount Holyoke
College, Law's teams have been consistently ranked among the elite
programs in the Intercollegiate community and has won many
Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championships in
her tenure at the school. Her extensive Equestrian background
includes her experience as a junior and intercollegiate rider,
graduation from the Equestrian Degree Program at Averett College,
where she subsequently taught and has since studied with
internationally recognized professionals in Dressage and Combined
Training.
Of the more than 50 counselors and staff members, half are college students and half are professional teachers and coaches. Counselors are carefully selected through personal interviews for their love of and ability to relate to children in a consistently caring, enthusiastic, and supportive manner and for their qualifications to teach in one or more activity areas.
Staff Training
All
staff members go through an intensive precamp orientation developed
from more than seventy years of counselor training at Indian Acres
Camp for Boys and Forest Acres Camp for Girls. More than half of
the staff members return each year. Careful staff selection and
training ensure a caring, supportive and encouraging environment in
which campers grow, learn and have fun.
Whether supervising, counseling, coaching or teaching, staff members provide sensitive leadership and quality instruction. An M.D. and an R.N. are resident members of the camp staff. A hospital is only 10 miles from camp.