Philosophy & Differences
- What is Adirondack Camp’s philosophy?
- How is your philosophy accomplished?
- What can Adirondack do for my child that not all others will?
- How competitive is Adirondack Camp?
- Who are your ideal campers?
- Where are you located?
Owners & Director
Our Campers
- How many campers do you take each session?
- What is your age and gender breakdown?
- From where do Adirondack's campers come?
- What percentage of eligible Adirondack campers repeat each year?
Our Staff
Our Facilities
Health & Safety
- How does Adirondack address the health and safety of its campers?
- What about waterfront safety?
- What about off-site safety on trips and in the wilderness?
- Is there a hospital nearby the Camp?
- In case of emergency, how are parents notified?
- What about the food?
- Does Adirondack make provisions for special diets?
Cabin Life
- Is there a required uniform?
- What do the cabins look like?
- What if my child doesn’t know anyone in the cabin?
- What if my child misses home?
- What if my child wakes up in the middle of the night?
- What if my child forgets to bring an important item or clothing to Camp?
- How can I get in touch with my child or else his or her counselor?
- When can I visit?
- Is there anything we have not asked that we should ask?
- Why is it you folks at Adirondack Camp do what you do?
Philosophy & Differences
What is Adirondack Camp’s philosophy?
Our traditional summer camp philosophy is to build strong young hearts and character by encouraging and instilling self-confidence and independence in a child through personal achievements and recognition -- all under the guise of having outrageous fun.
How is your philosophy accomplished?
First, create a safe place (physically, emotionally and psychologically) that encourages children to take risks in exploring their true selves. Then, co-develop with each child a series of individual challenges that can lead to small and large accomplishments -- that will stay with a child for life. Structure the days to enable increasing choice, challenge and responsibility. Leave a good part of the days to the comradeship of cabin life, impromptu discoveries, jam sessions and campfires under the stars. Choreograph the events to preserve spontaneity and wonder. Impart with each instruction and with each small act of friendship and support the qualities of sharing, creativity, cooperation, growing, effort, courage, responsibility, leadership, independence and spirit. Emphasize, in one breath, family and community, in the next – individual growth and self-respect. Organize everything under the guise of having fun – but never forget how serious the mission is.
What can Adirondack do for my child that not all others will?
At Adirondack we believe in serving the “whole child”. This means we want to reduce the fragmentation that already exists in a young person’s life and enable our campers to be – at least outside of the school year -- less busy, less formally structured, less overtly competitive, less caught up in a daily litany of drifting remote control attention spans, more open to committing meaningful chunks of time to matters that interest them, more attentive to the simpler things in life, and more open to the spontaneity and wonder that surrounds them.
We want to focus less on obtaining the perfect video taped power-serve or being supremely entertained by a dive in the Red Sea as the be-all or end-all -- but, rather, as we teach the game of tennis or organize assaults on the High Peaks of the Adirondacks, we will strive to employ these experiences as steps along the way toward a greater objective – that being, the well rounded young person, who can string together a series of personal accomplishments built, one on top of the other, and that touch, broadly, as much upon assimilated values and equal respect for both the individual and community as well as upon acquired skills in individual sports and activities. This would be, then, for every child in our care, the greater objective – to deliver home at the end of the summer a confident, integrated young person of strong heart and character, who can’t stop talking about all the different events and people at Adirondack that have made such a difference in his or her young life.
This attitude, however, toward enabling our children to develop into fully integrated members of society with strong value sets and confident, realistic perspectives of self flies in the face of this increasingly popular assumption that continuing fragmentation in our children’s already fragmented lives is a healthy trend. At Adirondack, however, we simply will not subscribe to this theory that more is better when it comes to fragmentation.
At Adirondack we live, instead, on a peninsula made of bedrock; and that makes us stubbornly committed to what we have. While our methods have undoubtedly modernized with the times, our mission, like the bedrock around us, remains unabashedly unchanged. We need the additional time with your children. They need the holistic approach we provide. Those educators and child psychologists, who advise parents to try and find zones of constancy in the busy, already fragmented lives of their children, would agree with our position. We don’t promise to “out-baseball” the one-week baseball clinic. Indeed, we won’t. We can, indeed, match the Red Sea dive in sheer fun and breadth of experience. In both instances, we will focus on them not as end-alls or be-alls, but rather as steps along the way. This is why every week at Adirondack counts, why one plus one plus one plus one adds up to six or eight and not just four. This is why, at Adirondack, it isn’t really about taking the activities – as good as the staff is in teaching and coaching them. And they are good! It’s about activities, for sure, but it is also about down time, hang time, island time, campfire time, special days time, story time, blue-white time, sing time, friends’ time, laugh time and on and on – with one week-full building mightily on another. And when all is said and done, under the guise of having fun, it is all about a successful foundation laid for your child to experience the exhilaration of extraordinary personal growth and happiness for each of his or her summers on this magic rock.
How competitive is Adirondack Camp?
Adirondack Camp’s primary focus is on the success of the individual within the greater Camp community. Campers are encouraged to chose their own programs and to challenge themselves to their fullest potential. Campers may also choose to challenge each other in various optional competitions such as Fencing and Tennis Ladders, soccer’s “World Cup” tournament, inter-camp competitions, and our own intra-camp Blue/White competitions. Blue/White incorporates all activities and all age groups, so each child has the ability and opportunity to positively impact his/her team throughout the summer. We don’t call these “color wars”, because they are not. Competition is good (and important to our curriculum), so long as the fun and enjoyment of the experience is not lost and the values of spirit, effort, courage, leadership, cooperation, respect and good sportsmanship are preserved and strengthened.
Who are your ideal campers?
The ideal Adirondack Camper is a child who is intellectually curious, environmentally adventurous, enjoys the out-of-doors, is friendly and kind, and strives above all to have fun.
Where are you located?
Adirondack Camp is located on its own wooded peninsula on the eastern edge of the Adirondack State Park [wikipedia], atop the crystal clear waters of northern Lake George [wikipedia] in upstate New York. We are 4 hours drive from Boston and New York City, 3 hours from Montreal, 6 hours from Philadelphia. Bus transportation is made available to and from New York City and Tarrytown, NY. Airport transportation is also available from Albany, NY, Burlington, VT and Boston, MA airports.
Owners & Director
Who are the current owners?
The Levitch-Goodwin Family have owned and operated Adirondack since 1979. Alex went to camp as a boy, as did Alex and Linda’s daughter Shawn. Linda is primarily responsible for overseeing the day-to-day Camp operations. Alex has pursued an international business career; and is currently writing his first novel. Our owners live full-time on Camp property.
Who is the Camp Director?
Matt Basinet, a former camper and counselor, has been directing Adirondack Camp since the 1990’s. Matt has been associated with Adirondack Camp for over 27 years and was a camper with the owners’ daughter through the 1980’s. Matt teaches at Greenwich Country Day School in Connecticut and lives at Camp with his wife, Nina, and their two children, Jack and Anna, in the summer.
What is the Director's background?
In addition to being an Adirondack Camp Alumnus, Matt has a BS from Boston College and a MAT from Columbia University. He has dedicated his life to the field of education and all professional camp endeavors.
Our Campers
How many campers do you take each session?
Around 185 boys and girls, roughly equal in numbers, at any one time. By today’s standards, this is a relatively small size for a major summer camp. It is, however, large enough to promote a diverse camper body as well as broad selection of Water Sports, Land Sports, Adirondack Arts and Wilderness Adventure- “4 Camps in 1”. At the same time, the number is small enough so that everyone knows each other by first name. That is very important to us. There are roughly 100 summer camp staff members in all to support this number of campers. A majority of our summer staff lives with our campers in our traditional open-air cabins. Typically, you will find three counselors in each cabin along with anywhere from eight to sixteen campers, depending on the age of the campers and size of the cabin.
What is your age and gender breakdown?
We are a residential co-educational summer camp for boys and girls age 7-16. About half our campers are Junior and Intermediate (ages 8-12) and about half are teenagers. Each summer varies, but we tend to have a roughly even split of boys and girls.
From where do Adirondack's campers come?
Northeast Region: 60% (Middle Atlantic thru PA/NJ/NY/CT/MA/New England)
Other US: 25% (CA, FL, TX, LA, IL, MI, TN, OH….)
International: 15% (Italy, France, Canada, UK, Venezuela, Japan, Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Holland, China, Mexico, Columbia….)
What percentage of eligible Adirondack campers repeat each year?
75%
Our Staff
From where and how do you select your staff?
If children are our life force, our staff is some combination of brain and heart. One can have a philosophy. One can have the facility and the offering. Without caring, experienced staff members with a high degree of love for children, a keen sense of urgency and accountability and pied piper qualities – there is no true summer camp experience.
At Adirondack we are blessed with a core leadership group of educators and childcare specialists, most of whom are parents as well, who care greatly about children and who are deeply committed to the principles upon which we stand. This group meets several times during the off-season to plan for the next summer and forms the nucleus of the nine day long leadership training course that all of our staff must attend each year before Camp begins.
We recruit approximately 35-40% of our counselor staff each year. Typically, these are young adults, usually college and graduate students or else recent graduates. Often they may be Adirondack alumni, as well. Typically, they manage to find us, though we do subscribe to various resume services. A healthy number of applicants apply from abroad -- from as far away as New Zealand. Selection criteria are high in all instances. Apart from the normal background checks and referencing, a staff applicant to Adirondack will need to survive multiple interviews aimed at understanding much more about that applicant than his or her fencing or water-ski teaching skills. The emphasis is on common sense, quick thinking, role modeling, mentoring and motivational capabilities, maturity and selflessness, hard work ethic (it is 24/7 at Adirondack) and, of course, above all -- love for children. Authoritarian role models need not apply.
The range and number of applicants grows each year. It is still slightly harder to be admitted to Stanford as compared to Adirondack, but only slightly. We are immensely proud of our men and women, who make this choice -- above all the other choices they have – to make a lasting difference in a child’s life.
Our Facilities
What sort of facilities does Adirondack offer?
We are traditionally, unapologetically, purposefully and proudly RUSTIC. We have no central air, no concrete enclosed swimming pools, no roofed sports palladium, no TV or games room, no cell phone reception, no vending machines, no electricity in the cabins, no urban center, no paved road. The cabins we sleep in, with the exception of the oldest girls, are open-air, pine cabins. We go to sleep looking up and out at the stars, through where you would expect the upper part of the wall to be. We sleep under mosquito nets. When it rains, we pull canvas shades down and fall asleep to the sounds of raindrops falling on them. The cabins are situated in cabin “lines” – one for the girls (not including Ranger Rock for the oldest girls), a smaller line for junior and intermediate boys and one for senior boys. Each cabin line is served by its own modern bathhouse; and every cabin line has extraordinary views. That is the point! At Adirondack, we celebrate, each day, the nature and extraordinary beauty around us. We are custodians of a special place where less is more – and which, despite the infusion of millions of dollars over the years, looks in many ways the same as it did a half century and longer ago.
Please don't mistake this traditional setting with disrepair or antiquity. Adirondack Camp maintains no fewer than ten designated boating and swimming areas on its extensive mile and a half waterfront. It sports a fleet of over seventy-five watercraft: everything from two big horsepower Nautique water-ski boats to half a dozen Flying Junior competitive racing sailboats and all else in between to support our many water sports activities. On the land activity side, the Camp maintains basketball, true-surface tennis and beach volleyball courts, along with its Olympic regulation fencing pavilion, a video publishing lab, indoor and outdoor stages and our giant, historic Dining Hall, with its eight foot sections of individually paned windows that can all be lifted up and opened at one time and where this writer once sat as a boy watching rain come down on one long side of the building and sunshine on the other.
Health & Safety
How does Adirondack address the health and safety of its campers?
We have a separate infirmary with a Registered Nurse on staff 24 hours a day. All of our camp counselors are certified in American Red Cross first aid and CPR and our back-country staff has advanced emergency medical training. We are also under the jurisdiction and in compliance with the stringent guidelines of the New York State Department of Health affecting all areas of Camp.
What about waterfront safety?
Every member of our swim staff has been certified for American Red Cross Lifesaving with the waterfront module and Water Safety Instructor in addition to the general first aid and CPR certifications. Campers all take swim tests, are rated in any one of five categories of proficiency, receive personalized swim instruction and are restricted from certain swim areas and other activities pending meeting minimum swim criteria. There are also a handful of commonsense rules that govern -- such as, life jackets on at all times when in boats or buddy swimming and only in supervised areas.
What about off-site safety on trips and in the wilderness?
Members of our Wilderness Adventure staff each have extensive backcountry experience and a minimum of Wilderness First Aid. The team is overseen by our licensed Adirondack Guide and advised by local guides and outfitters. Every trip takes a complete back-country medical kit and a copy of each camper's medical history and emergency contact information. On all trips that may include water exposure a certified lifeguard is also in attendance.
Is there a hospital near by the Camp?
Yes. Moses-Ludington Hospital is located nine miles from Camp, in Ticonderoga -- approximately a 15 minute drive. We are also on the local 911 Emergency Medical System.
In case of emergency, how are parents notified?
As soon as possible by telephone.
What about the food?
Our food is nutritious and well prepared by a professional chef. We have a daily soup, salad, and fruit bar and bi-weekly cookouts. Good camp chefs are worth several gold bars per pound. Each cabin eats family style with their cabin group
Does Adirondack make provisions for special diets?
We do our best to accommodate lactose intolerant and vegetarian diets, but ask that you please contact Camp to discuss your child’s dietary needs.
Cabin Life
Is there a required uniform?
Campers and staff "dress for dinner". Campers wear a navy blue t-shirt and shorts from Retreat (our pre-dinner flag-lowering ceremony) through the end of the evening. Campers are encouraged to wear clothing and footwear appropriate for current weather conditions. A camper may be asked to change if their choice of attire is inappropriate for the occasion (e.g., string bikini, low-hanging blue jeans, or lack of rain gear).
What do the cabins look like?
Most of our traditional wooden cabins are 40x40 foot square layouts with cathedral ceilings and bunk-style beds. Trunks and footlockers are used for storage of personal belongings and campers sleep under individual mosquito nets at night. Our cabins are “open-air” without screens and have roll-down canvas blinds when it rains. This wonderful out-of-doors environment ensures that campers will hear the wind rustling through the trees and waves lapping against our shorelines; and, given the right viewing angles, fall sleep looking at the stars. There is a modernized bath house for each line of cabins, complete with lights, showers, sinks and toilets.
What if my child doesn’t know anyone in the cabin?
Your camper will be welcomed and introduced all around and taken on a tour by returning campers within the first hour of his or her arrival. Ever watchful and involved counselors, a Camp creed of inclusiveness and the very physicality of Camp (which reinforces a strong sense of a protected, nurturing, safe place) will ensure that cabin bonding occurs and new friends are made by the end of the very first day.
What if my child misses home?
Our counselors are sensitive to the emotions experienced by campers who miss home. It is not unusual, at any age and even for returning campers to miss home, sometimes tremendously for the first few days. They are kept as busy as possible with extra “TLC” to help them through this potentially difficult time. Counselors, along with the Chief Camper Advocate, will also work with parents (behind the scenes) to help with the camper’s positive adjustment. Often, the best helpers are cabin mates. Everyone is different and we adapt the “cure” to the child. Our success rate is, fortunately, practically 100%.
What if my child wakes up in the middle of the night?
Counselors live in cabins with campers and are always there for campers who may wake up in the middle of the night. Counselors rotate evening duties to always ensure presence 24 hours a day.
What if my child forgets to bring an important item or clothing to Camp?
Mail is picked up and delivered on a daily basis and if your child forgets something we can make arrangements with you to purchase it in town.
How can I get in touch with my child or else his or her counselor?
Parents are encouraged to write letters and emails. Include camper name and cabin and mail to campers@adirondackcamp.com. Parents may also fax letters or schedule a time to speak with their child on the phone after the first week. Communication, via the telephone, is kept to a minimum to ensure a camper’s immersion in our Camp environment.
When can I visit?
We have one visiting day for parents and siblings during the season. Please see the Session Dates for more information.
Is there anything we have not asked that we should ask?
Yes, why don’t you ask us why it is we do what we do?
Okay. Why is it you folks at Adirondack Camp do what you do?
It’s the perfect job. Actually, it's better than just a "job", it's a lifestyle! We live surrounded by natural beauty and we get to spend our days dreaming and bringing big smiles to the faces of children!
