Dear Parents of Timberlake Campers, I am delighted to have our Lodge Directors introduce themselves to you.
First Lodge Director (9-10 year olds)
My name is Eric Sargent and I will be returning to Timberlake as the First Lodge Director for a second summer of magic, fun, and growth. Farm & Wilderness always has been like a second home to me and I hope this summer it will become like a second home to your children (if it isn’t already for returning campers).
Before working at Farm & Wilderness, I was a counselor at an arts day camp on the Connecticut College campus for three summers where I worked with kids of all ages. Along with getting splattered with paint and learning new songs, I gained an appreciation for working in the camp environment.
During the school year I am currently studying Environmental Studies at Goucher College in Baltimore. In April, I returned from a semester study abroad program in Monteverde, Costa Rica. I gained an understanding of the country through both social and natural disciplines. While at Goucher I have also participated in a variety of youth volunteer programs connecting the college to Baltimore city schools. I will be returning to Goucher this fall to finish my senior year of college and conduct an independent project to start a ropes course on campus.
I was a camper at Flying Cloud during the summers of 2005 and 2006. The experience gave me a stronger sense of self confidence,
as well as a new approach to time. Having the opportunity to come back and work at Farm & Wilderness has allowed me to see these same kinds of rewarding changes in campers. I look forward to seeing how your children will grow in this inclusive, challenging, and playful environment.
I’m really looking forward to this summer and to communicating with you along the way. If you have any questions, or information you would like to share feel free to contact me by email at Firstlodge.TL@gmail.com or if you need to reach me by phone you can call me at the TL Office (“The Bat Cave”) at (802) 442-2316
Eric
—
Big Lodge Director (11-12 year olds)
My name is Molly Bilick and I am the Big Lodge head for summer 2014 here at
Timberlake.
This will be my first summer at Timberlake and I am thrilled to be joining the Farm & Wilderness family. I have previously worked at overnight and day camps in California.
During the academic year, I am a graduate student at Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College where I am half way through my masters degree in Clinical Social Work. As part of my studies, I work in a high school doing individual counseling, mediation and crisis intervention. I also led workshops and facilitated groups with the young people.
I am incredibly excited to be at Timberlake this summer. The ideals held by Farm & Wilderness have been important to me throughout my life and I feel honored to be at a camp that practices these values. I can’t wait to share what I am sure will be a fantastic summer with your children.
As we begin the summer together, please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns or general information you wish to share. I am thrilled to be working with Big Lodge this summer and I look forward to speaking with you. If you need to contact me please feel free to call the Timberlake office at (802) 422-2316 or email me at Biglodge.TL@gmail.com.
Thank you,
Molly Bilick
—
Senior Lodge Director (13-14 year olds)
I am honored to be returning to Timberlake for the 2014 summer. Last summer was my first year working for Farm & Wilderness. When I accepted the position of trip staff last year, I only vaguely knew what to expect. The only thing I knew for sure was that I would be responsible for planning and leading groups of campers on backpacking trips over the Appalachian Trail. I was thrilled to combine my passion for the outdoors with my career as a teacher.
Not unlike new campers at Timberlake, I felt a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and uneasiness. Would the other staff members accept me even though I was, on average, ten years older than them? How would I manage being detached from technology for the entire summer? What would I do if the food was horrible? Why are we supposed to be silent at a meeting? All of these questions and more circulated in my head like a tornado as I pulled onto Farm & Wilderness Road in bucolic Plymouth, Vermont.
It did not take me very long to realize that all my questions and anxieties were unfounded. Beginning my work at Timberlake felt like meeting up with long lost friends and family. Though each person was a stranger, I felt like everyone shared core values and a vision for Timberlake. This unwritten bond made the new people I met feel familiar — even though I had just met them. Community, hard work, passion, respect for what makes each of us special. Exploration, learning, friendship and a passion for nature are the bonds that made me feel akin to my new colleagues.
This year, I am returning as the Senior Lodge Director. My goal is to create a unique, fulfilling experience for all of my campers. I want to get to know each of the Senior Lodge campers on a personal level and help them realize their potential as a Timberlake camper and to grow into a person they can be proud of. In my eleven years in education, I have always held learning through exploration and constructivism at the core of my teaching philosophy. And to this day, I have not found a better place for this type of learning to happen than at Timberlake.
I look forward to communicating with the parents of Timberlake Senior Lodgers and to begin building new bonds.
Best Regards,
Sean Banks
