About North Country School & Camp Treetops
Located on the outskirts of Lake Placid, NY, Camp Treetops and North Country School sit on a 333-acre campus amid majestic mountain peaks in New York State’s Adirondack Park. Since 1921 and 1938 respectively, we have been nationally renowned for pioneering educational programs rooted in progressive practices and experiential learning. Both Camp and School guide children to engage the natural world, take on intellectual and physical challenges in a nurturing community, and cultivate independence and creativity.
Camp Treetops is an overnight summer camp for children ages 8-14 years old, which nurtures an inclusive community with an emphasis on values that remain vital to this day: child-centered education, the fostering of self-reliance and self-confidence, living in harmony with nature, and preserving a child’s world through a summer unplugged.
Position Overview
Come farm with us!
As a summer farming fellow, you will work in all aspects of our educational farm at the height of the growing season. Our goal is to engage you in every interconnected piece: from starting seeds and cultivating crops in our gardens, to caring for livestock and managing rotational grazing plans. Throughout the summer, you will work closely with campers, leading them through daily barn chores and integrating them into the daily rhythms on our farm.
You will be an integral part of sharing the joy of meaningful work with campers over the summer while connecting them to the value of food and farming.
What You Will Do
Leading children through twice-daily barn chores is a primary role of this position. Together, our community will harvest chickens, stack hay in the barns, care for a variety of animals, including pigs, sheep, laying hens, turkeys, and horses, and harvest, wash, and pack various vegetables from our gardens for the kitchens. We typically grow over 30 varieties of annual flowers and over 25 different annual vegetables and herbs. You will spend time preparing fields and planting, as well as working to tend tomatoes and cucumbers in our 100-foot greenhouse. Additionally, farmers will operate our rotating drum composter to transform food waste from the camp into usable material in our gardens.
Each week, you will offer 1-2 hour-long activities with campers in the camp you are working in (Junior 8-11 or Senior 12-14). These are focused on farming and the natural environment here in the Adirondacks. Activities can be whimsical and based on your personal interests, while connecting the farm to our campers’ experience. You will participate in and help lead weekly community mornings, where a large farm-related job takes place with the help of the whole camp community.
How You Will Spend Your Time
Farm Chores 25%
Woven into your daily farm tasks will be educating campers and counselors throughout the summer during twice-daily farm chores. This includes helping to lead campers through chores across the farm: in the barnyard, pasture, compost, and garden spaces. As part of this, you will manage tasks, including daily harvesting of vegetables, fruits, and herbs; caring for a variety of animals, including pigs, sheep, laying hens, meat birds, and turkeys; and washing and packing various crops for use in our kitchens.
Daily Farm Tasks 60%
Working closely with other members of the farm team, the bulk of your work will revolve around everyday tasks vital to the farm’s annual maintenance and success. You will…
- Varied and seasonal farm tasks and projects
- Prepare fields to seed, plant, and cultivate various crops
- Harvest, wash, pack, and process vegetables from our gardens for use in our kitchens
- Tend to crops, including tomatoes, cucumbers, and various herbs, in our greenhouses
- Operate our rotating drum composter to transform food waste into usable material for our farm
- Make improvements to rotational grazing spaces and fencing
- Care for chickens, turkeys, sheep, and pigs
- Use farm equipment such as weed whackers, mowers, and various hand tools
Camp Activities & Events 15%
Daily life for campers revolves around a series of counselor-led activities each morning and afternoon. As a part of this, you will help to lead 1-2-hour-long farm-based activities. These should connect the farm to the camper experience, but can be whimsical and tied to your personal interests. Every week, you will also participate in and help to lead weekly “community mornings” every Monday during which the entire community contributes to a large farm-related task (i.e., picking potato bugs from our crop of potato plants, stacking firewood for maple sugaring, etc.), in addition to cooking a weekly Garden Harvest Lunch with campers and counselors. Throughout the summer, you will assist with special community events such as our community-wide Chicken Harvest, Farm Fest, and other traditions.
Skills You Bring to Our Community
- Applicants must be age 21 and up
- Prior gardening or livestock-related experience is helpful, but not required
- Clear verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Organizational skills and attention to detail
- Must be able to lift 55 lbs, kneel for long periods, and be comfortable with repetitive tasks. There are often long days spent doing physical work in a range of weather conditions
- Ability to work long hours outside in various weather conditions
- Night and weekend work
- Prior experience working with, or a willingness to learn how to operate farm equipment
- A driver’s license and a clean driving record
The Values You Bring to Our Community
- An upbeat attitude, able to find joy in simple moments, willingness to laugh and have fun. We work closely together, and camaraderie is part of the joy of farmwork. Communication is vital for understanding instructions and maintaining a comfortable work environment
- A strong work ethic, timeliness, and an eye for detail and efficiency
- Proactive and forward-thinking, both in daily farm tasks and your own education. Even if there is no explicit instruction happening, there are always opportunities to learn
- Eagerness to be a part of a summer camp community focusing on place-based education
- Willingness to step outside of your comfort zone and find value in hard work
The Benefits of Working Here
Summer farming fellows receive a monthly stipend of $1,800 a month plus housing and all regular meals.
Ultimately, this farm internship can be your stepping stone. This is a great opportunity to learn more about growing food for your community and farm education. We’d like to be your guides in that journey!
How to Apply
To apply, please send your resume and responses to the following questions to :
- Tell us about yourself: your interests, your longer-term plans, and why you want to work on an educational farm
- What do you hope to learn?
- What is your previous work experience on a farm or in a school?
- How do you prefer to learn new information?
- Please include a resume.
- Please provide 3 references from a previous work experience.
Our Mission and Values
North Country School and Camp Treetops strives to create a community that gives children the self-confidence, knowledge, skills, and values to lead satisfying and productive lives while contributing to their world.
We are a values-driven community and seek to have a positive impact the world around us by living out our core values on and off campus:
- Cultivate Community: We believe in the inherent value and contributions of every person, and in fostering connections to build and nurture a strong, inclusive community.
- Walk a Mile: We believe that understanding and honoring every person’s unique worldview, experiences, and challenges is at the root of empathy and compassion.
- Dig Deep, Keep Growing: We believe that by setting ambitious goals, working hard, and persevering, we build strength and character and set a course for lives of growth, purpose, and fulfillment.
- Stay Curious: We believe in the power of creativity and wonder. We believe that curiosity about ourselves, other people, and the world around us leads to growth, innovation, and sometimes unconventional ideas.
Our Planet, Our Job: We believe in individual and collective responsibility for our planet, and in leading by example as a community that works to respect, protect, and restore the natural world.