Dear Treetops Families,
Spring is finally in the air! After a winter of bitter temperatures and heavy snowfall, snow showers have given way to rain showers, our maple sugaring season has come and gone, and we’ve welcomed our newest members to the barn: our baby lambs.
Earlier this spring, I had the privilege of visiting some of our new lambs mere hours after they made their way into the world. Also at the barn were our farmers, who were proudly watching the babies and their mom—a first-timer who was doing everything right—doting on her babies and giving any newcomer a suspicious look if they came near her precious offspring. There were a handful of North Country School students there, too, opting to spend their “out-time,” similar to a recess period, watching the baby lambs suckle, nap, and give the occasional spirited hop. The farmers spoke frankly about the birthing process, and we learned what to look for in the expecting ewes to see who might be lambing next. And although the students made some dramatic faces and groans at the vivid description of the afterbirth, I could tell there was a glimmer of appreciation that they bore witness to these real-life moments.
Whenever I have the privilege of spending time with students or campers, I get a front row seat to our educational tradition: place-based learning and experiential education, going strong for over 100 years. In my role as camp director, I often delve into the archives and pore over historical documents and the writings of Helen Haskell and Walter Clark. One reason is that I’m a sucker for history and another is my intention to ensure we continue to run this incredible place in line with our historical mission, values, and philosophy. My recent brief experience in the lambing pen reassured me that the educational philosophy of Camp and School is alive, well, and thriving.
In a 1925 Camp Treetops brochure, readers learn that the Camp setting “furnishes an opportunity for learning by direct contact with nature, instead of through books, teachers, or laboratories, and a freer environment for self-expression”. Although there is certainly a time for “books, teachers, and laboratories,” at Camp and School, we value the indispensable experience of learning by doing and utilizing our incredible campus and the surrounding natural environment. Whether summiting a mountain and learning to identify edible plants along the way, becoming familiar with the lifecycle of a potato bug and the importance of ousting them from the potato crop, participating in Chicken Harvest and processing a living bird into food for our community, and yes, observing the first few hours of our baby lambs’ lives, we understand and appreciate the value of nature’s laboratories in which we have the unique and special opportunity to learn and live.
In our current tech-centered climate in which we are so often viewers or spectators of the content of others, at Treetops and North Country School, children are active participants in their own learning, their own experience, and understanding their own place in the wondrous and complex natural world.
Eagerly counting down the days until I can welcome our campers to Treetops to continue our incredible tradition.
Best,
Hannah Edwards
Camp Treetops Director