The Walt Street Journal Winter Edition 2013

Letter from the Directors .......................page 2

Alumni Feature: Mike Shiffman ...........................................page 3

Staff Feature: Ashleigh Streng ........................................page 4

Tribute to Aaron Beckerman .................page 5

Camper Updates ...................................... page 6

Recent Alumni Updates ..........................page 7

Reunion Review ........................................... Back

InSIDe ThIS ISSUe....

giggle as he somersaults down the front lawn with his friends, bellow with laughter at a funny skit in our talent show, or hear the excitement in his voice as he vividly describes the view from the top of Mt. Piermont. We try to imagine which of today’s Upper Campers might one day become Walker’s

counselor, and therefore become the most important person in his universe.

Walker’s experience at camp will be his own unique experience, complete with his own lifelong

memories, and yet, it will mimic the experience of so many who have come before him. The faces change over the years, but the life changing impact of camp remains the same. Since camp began in 1948, thousands of parents have made the decision to send their children to Walt Whitman, and then witnessed their child grow in self-confidence and respect for others at the same rate that child outgrew his or her shoes each year. They have watched their children develop their sense of resiliency, and an understanding of what it means to be a part of something bigger than one’s self.

As Camp Directors, what gets us out of bed each summer morning is the joy we derive from watching this growth take place with our campers. We’re privileged to watch the growth, and to know that camp is doing its own small part to help our campers assume their role in the world one day with a sense of confidence and a desire to help others. We can’t wait to have Addison, Cole, and now Walker, have this experience as well. - CWW

n every sense of the word, it is winter at Camp Walt Whitman. The ground is covered by a thin layer of snow, the lake is frozen so solid that

neighbors are driving their trucks into the middle of the lake to stay warm while they ice fish, and it is quite cold. When the wind chill factor recently dropped the temperature to -20°, longtime CWW Maintenance Director, Lew Chase, called our NY office to let us know “it is wicked cold at camp.” But, summer is approaching quickly. In fact, we have now passed the date on the calendar where we are closer to the start of Summer 2013 then we are to the end of Summer 2012. What a wonderful thought!

During these winter months, we spend our waking hours (and with Walker’s birth in January we have plenty of waking hours) discussing camp and all that we hope to provide for our campers. We look at Walker, as we did Addison and Cole, and imagine what his life will be like as a camper in a few years. Everything Walker does seems wreathed in a special glow (well, almost everything), and the concept of parting with him for even a few minutes seems inconceivable. And yet, in 7 short years, Walker will walk across the front lawn of camp, from our house to the Junior Lodge, and become a Walt Whitman Junior Camper. Just like thousands of Junior Campers before him, Walker will enjoy singing our camp songs, dancing our camp dances, and learning life lessons every day of the summer. We can’t wait to hear him

A LeTTeR FRoMThe DIReCToRS

The whole Dorfman family together celebrating the arrival of Walker.

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Walker Shea Dofrman.

“The faces change over the years, but the life changing impact of

camp remains the same.”

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One of Shiffman’s favorite memories was when his Upper Camp bunk challenged Senior Camp to a game of Soccer. They spent days practicing drills, extra periods planning strategies and plays, and any free time with their counselors preparing for the big day. “In the second half we found ourselves down 2-0, but it didn’t feel that way. We were still working as a unit and truly believed that we had the potential to win.” Nearing the end of the game, the score was tied 2-2. The boys of bunk 8 were determined to compete, and Senior Camp was feeling the pressure. “You could see it in their eyes, they couldn’t believe how well we played together.” In the end, Senior Camp scored a last minute goal and came away with the victory. However, Bunk 8 walked away from that game with so much respect for each other, and so much respect from the Senior Campers, even though they were younger. “The closeness that we formed with each other over something as silly as a soccer game was indescribable.” It was moments like that at camp, when Shiffman realized that while he knew he’d always be competitive, sometimes there was more to gain from competition that just winning.

The inclusion and joy that Mike Shiffman experienced at camp still resonates with him. “Camp taught me to get out of my comfort zone, challenge myself, and that it’s never too late to start something. Because of camp I’m open to accepting people for who they are. I take that ‘euphoric’ camp feeling and try to apply it to my life every single day. If I’m happy everyday, I can figure out the rest.” - CWW

atching a game on TV, tracking scores, and following which players are being drafted, sounds like what many of us would describe

as a typical lazy Sunday afternoon. However, Mike Shiffman happily describes this as part of his job; and he is far from lazy. As the Senior Coordinating Producer for ESPN’s SportsCenter, “Shiffman” (his camp nickname) is constantly following sports. He oversees content that SportsCenter broadcasts, and describes his job as non-stop. “Sports and sports news is going on every waking hour. So it’s important for me to find a balance between my work life and my personal life.”

Shiffman could have never imagined that his dream job would become a reality. As a child he participated in as many athletics as his family could make time for. He has always loved playing sports, and accompanying this love, is a fiercely competitive nature. Shiffman didn’t make his way to Camp Walt Whitman until he was 13 years old, and he flourished in the camp environment where he could be outside, learn new games, and hone his skills in basketball with his friends. Camp was his dream play land. What Shiffman may not have realized at the time, was that camp was also teaching him valuable life lessons that he would carry with him and draw upon later in life.

His first summer on Cape Moonshine Road, Shiffman found himself in Bunk 8. While others might have viewed coming to camp as ‘the new kid” at age 13 as a scary proposition, Shiffman quickly decided it was the best decision he’d ever made. He describes his first summer at camp as incredible. His bunkmates immediately accepted him, brought him into the group, and included him in everything. It was clear right from the get-go that CWW was a place where everyone was included, where kids could come from different places, but where everyone had a place. “When I was at camp, there was far less of the trying to impress people situations that I often experienced at home with my school friends. You are who you are at camp, and that is enough.”

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WAlumnI FeATure: Mike Shiffman

Spending quality time with his boys.

mike with his wife Jen.

enjoying another day on the courts at camp.

They get their competitive nature from their father.

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t was Ashleigh Streng’s initial journey to camp, as a water-ski instructor in 2006, that eventually

came to launch her, literally, all over the globe. Having heard many inspiring accounts of fellow staff members’ travel and life experiences, Ashleigh was anxious to see the world. Ashleigh spent the next six years visiting 27 countries. Along the way, she skipped the touristy sightseeing, in order to immerse herself in the culture. Highlights included hiking a volcano in Antigua, volunteering at an orphanage in Guatemala, biking through Holland, teaching English in South Korea, and riding elephants in Laos. Along the way, she created enduring memories and friendships and always found a way to make a return to camp part of her adventure.

Ashleigh has spent all six of her summers at camp in Senior Camp with our oldest campers. She will be returning to Senior Camp this summer for her second summer as the Senior Camp Director. “I love Senior Camp,” Ashleigh exclaims. “I love the challenge of working with older kids as you never know what they are going to throw at you. You get to help campers learn to handle situations, both the positive and the negative, which lays the groundwork of how they handle life situations as young adults.” Ashleigh gets to see

this tangibly as the campers she worked with during her first summers are now counselors at camp. “To watch kids grow and learn because of camp, and then to see them come back and become phenomenal staff members is incredibly

rewarding. You know people have learned something when they are able to teach others later.” Ashleigh has served as a teacher, mentor, and friend during her time in Senior Camp. She possesses a unique ability to create meaningful, trust-filled relationships with campers and staff alike, and challenges them to be the best version of themselves throughout the summer and into the year.

To anyone who knows Ashleigh, it’s no surprise that she is a dreamer, as evidenced by a poster that hangs in her office which reads “Make No Little Plans.” However, in addition to dreaming, Ashleigh is a doer. Her exemplary work ethic is evident whether she is painting cabins during pre-camp or creating a volunteer program for our senior campers to give back to our camp and local community. Ashleigh has a vision for the culture of Senior Camp, “I want Senior Camp to be a place where campers are inspired to grow and evolve. I want our campers to develop authentic friendships.”

Ashleigh is a dreamer who works hard to make dreams a reality. She not only leads by example, but by inspiring others to recognize their importance to the community.

Ashleigh continues to empower staff in the off season. Her latest adventure started after camp when she moved to New York to join our year round team as one of our Staffing Directors. Like most things she takes on, Ashleigh has fully embraced this new challenge with dedication and determination which allowed her to quickly find success in this new role. Ashleigh shares her love of camp with applicants and her enthusiasm with those she has already hired. We are excited for summer 2013 knowing that our new staff will be influenced by someone we truly consider an ambassador of Walt Whitman as Ashleigh embodies the essential values of camp. - CWW

Hiking machu Picchu.

Celebrating Halloween with her Korean students.

STAFF FeATure: Senior Camp Director...

With former camper, now staff member, Chelsea Shapiro.

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“To watch kids grow and learn because of camp, and then to see them come back and become phenomenal staff

members is incredibly rewarding. You know people have learned something when they are able

to teach others.”

Ashleigh Streng

He used to come down to the waterfront on Mondays, in the afternoon. Mondays are special days at Camp Walt Whitman. Everyone sleeps in. They eat donuts late in the morning. Groups of children move slowly amongst the trees. There are places to be but it’s ok if you’re a little late.

A short time after lunch each Monday, my assistant waterfront director and I would always vacuum the pool. These were some of my favorite hours at camp in my decade there: the lake was often quiet in the early afternoon sun. Vacuuming a pool is a slow process. There’s nothing to be done about it. We would tell each other stories of our non-camp lives as small breezes lifted off the lake.

It was at this time, more Mondays than not, that Aaron would appear from the trees on the other side of the big green lawn. He always wore knee-high black socks, a faded t-shirt, black swim trunks, and a towel over one shoulder. And a grin. Aaron’s wide grin was of the highest caliber: three parts warmth and one part mischief. He would grin from across the lawn because he knew no one was supposed to be swimming, and that is exactly why he came at that time. He would be grinning because he knew I would never say no to him. We would stop vacuuming, grinning back at him.

“Mind if I?” He would say, angling his head toward the lake in the way of an old man who knows that his question is mostly symbolic. His voice was always hoarse, and had a peculiar way of starting high and reedy and descending to a baritone rumble. Aaron had a good sense of the space around words, and often his rumble would roll into a silence he had cast over his audience.

We’d nod. Down at the bench now, Aaron would disrobe, his strong old body bright in its whiteness against the deep green of the lawn and the dark lake. Often the knee-high socks came off last, to my delight. We would watch him swim, plodding through crib 2, his surprisingly-muscled arms moving like a paddleboat. Not fast, but getting there.

After, and back on land, he would simply put his towel over his shoulder, still dripping wet, and talk to us, making no motion to dry off. The water would gather in the white hair above his large ears. It would gather in the white curls at his neck. The sun would collect there too with the water. Aaron would stand in the sun on Monday afternoons by the white pool fence with the water and sun in his hair and he would talk with us.

Yet for a man who truly loved to talk, who delighted in the hiss and pop of a debate, his was also a mastery of the quiet moments. Aaron knew how to sit next to sad children in a way that gave them permission to be sad. Many times I would be spending a few evening moments watching the light die over the lake, and I would turn and Aaron would be a few steps behind me, watching also, a day’s glory fading on his open face.

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Aaron Beckerman of Cape moonshine road

And perhaps it was that face that did it, why everyone loved him. There are few faces as warm. Aaron’s face always appeared about to smile: a consequence, no doubt, of a lifetime of conspiratorial laughter. He wouldn’t look at you as much as regard you. Aaron would look at everyone this way: eight-year-olds boys, camp directors, teenage girls, sports coaches and counselors. All of us know what it was to be regarded that way by Aaron.

Camp Walt Whitman is named after a great American poet, but the poetry at camp lived in Aaron. He would stride to Titus Hall along the road with a thick book under his arm, head down. In Titus, standing above a sea of restless young bodies waiting for a play to start, Aaron would read. The poems would come up into the huge dark room on his hoarse voice, rising on the reedy notes and running through the canyons of young people when the notes lowered to the baritone. There were nights when the entirety of Camp Walt Whitman listened to him read poems, all of us motionless in the hot New Hampshire night. All of us held in the spaces Aaron found between the words.

At the end of my first summer at Walt Whitman, as the hundreds of crying youngsters were being ushered onto buses homeward bound to cities in the south, I felt a tug on my arm. Aaron was at my elbow, ready to say good bye. I opened my arms to hug him. While my arms were out, Aaron took my face in both of his bumpy hands. He kissed me on the mouth, as I had only seen gangsters do to each other in movies. He leaned back. He looked at me hard for a long moment, and said “I love ya.” He grinned a little more, a sad version, a little extra crinkle at the edge of the eyes, and patted my cheek roughly with one hand. Then he walked away from the madness at the buses, toward the trees and the house he shared with the woman he called “Annie.”

I loved him, too. I shall so miss that open face.

Josh Holland. november 28, 2012

A aron Beckerman was a longtime Whitmanite, and a man who devoted his life to others. Aaron passed away this past November at the age of 88, having spent the past 25 summers at Walt Whitman. The following article is a tribute written by Josh Holland, CWW’s longtime Waterfront Director.

Aaron during monday morning meeting with Ann.

Aaron’s grin was of the highest caliber: three parts warmth

and one part mischief.

CAmPer uPDATeSOur campers are involved in hundreds of different clubs, sports, and activities. We love to get updates from them throughout the year of all the exciting things going on in their lives. Here’s a few we’d like to share with you!

In September, mia Gelb hosted a Bunk 14B reunion for a birthday sleepover. Almost all the girls were able to come and everyone had loads of fun. lexi Orlinsky recently had a Bat Mitzvah which some of her bunkmates attended. What might be even more exciting for her is that Lexi’s favorite team in the whole world, the Baltimore Ravens, won the Super Bowl! Across the Atlantic, in Madrid Spain, Paula moreno Cortes has joined the volleyball team at school and has even been chosen to be part of the European Youth Parliament in Madrid! Paula has also been able to meet up with Sansoles Bravo, Pia Petrement, Graziella Bernar, and maria Antonia lorenzo since returning home from camp. elizabeth nelson is doing fabulous in 6th grade in San Diego. She has downloaded the countdown app to her phone to count down the days until she returns to camp! In September, Campbell murphy was able to make a trip to Washington DC and even got a tour of the White House gardens and kitchen with Sam Kass, the White House Chef! Campbell has also seen Kelsey, marina and Talia a number of times throughout the winter. elena Giddins, who will be new at camp this summer, spent her winter break in Florida visiting family and spotting alligators! She also performed with mackenzie Gray at the American Youth Dance Theater Holiday Recital at Hunter College’s Kaye Playhouse in New York City. Before the winter reunion, Bunk 16A had a sleepover at Jessica Becker’s house where they ate chicken nuggets and lit Hanukkah candles. rachel Sherman, Alyssa, and Hannah went to Mount Snow for Martin Luther King weekend. They had lots of fun and were so happy to see each other again. Jayden Seidman spent the New Year visiting Charleston, SC and learning all about the city’s amazing history. She

also joined her school’s fine arts club and began hip hop dance and ballet lessons. 2013 will be Jayden’s first summer! Sarah Korn hosted a mini reunion the last weekend in January with Sydney, eve, and lindsay. They were all elated to see each other! Practicing her skills on the mountain, Sammie Godwin has been skiing a lot and recently moved up a level! Sammie also met up with Sophie rosenthal in NYC. Speaking of mountains, ethan and Shelby Bernstein went to Vail, Colorado over December break and, while they loved the snow, are anxiously awaiting summer! Another avid skier, Cole Beckerman took a break from the slopes to go on a family trip to Botswana where he went on a safari. Kate Startsev and her school robotics team took second place in the regional F.I.R.S.T. Lego League Robotics Competition, and went on to participate in New Jersey state finals. Tori Fuerst is psyched to announce that she recently took her driving test and passed! She will get her driving permit in February on her birthday. Dylan litt is celebrating his Bar Mitzvah at Temple Sholom in Greenwich on February 23rd. He’s excited for his bunkmates to be there to celebrate with him! Carly Goldstein, melissa miller and Ashley rosenberg, who all live in Chappaqua, NY, play on the same travel soccer team, The Cosmos. They recently won their division and the team finished their fall season undefeated. Congrats girls! Near Chappaqua in Armonk, Danielle Cronin is dancing in Competition Company at the Armonk Center for Dance and has upcoming competitions in New York and Massachusetts. eli Goldfeder just got back from Lana’i, Hawaii where he tried SNUBA (a cross between scuba and snorkeling) and loved it! He stays busy at home playing lots of soccer on the JV team at his school. Former Senior Camper, Kate Schulman just appeared in her high school production of the musical “Starmites.” She has also been volunteering at a local elementary school and can’t wait to return to CWW for her CIT summer. max Cohen competed in the 2012 Reflections Program run by the Viola Elementary PTA and won for his Photographic entry of a Lady Bug and her newborn babies. He was also invited to participate in the Young Authors program. Harry merzin heads to Washington DC in February to meet with his congressman and senators to advocate for the re-authorization of the MD-CARE ACT which helps children with Muscular Dystrophy. Harold Oppenheim has been playing in the Montgomery Youth Hockey Academy and can hardly wait to be back at camp. -CWW

michael Athanassiadis is becoming a huge miami

Heat fan!

Bunk 16A had a sleepover.

Campbell murphy touring the White House gardens.

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Jess Hassman (95’,96’,97’) just came off a two year stint of rehabilitating old homes in Dubuque, Iowa with a school program that helps “at-risk” students gain real world skills. Jess just got married and went back to school for Technology Education.

Currently living in NYC with his wife rachel (95’), son Harris and daughter Sarah, Stan Horowitz (1980’s and 1990’s) runs his own small law practice that focuses on Real Estate as well as Trust and Estate work. Last summer Stan and Harris visited camp and enjoyed all that CWW has to offer: a hike up Piermont, swims in Lake Armington, many rounds of Frisbee Golf and of course ice cream at Fat Bobs.

David “Beiner” Helfenbein (90’s) graduated from UPenn in 2008 before working for Secretary Clinton in the Senate and the United Sates Department of State in several positions, including as the Secretary’s Coordinator for New Media. He will be graduating from Washington University Law School in St. Louis in May. David recently saw Shawn Fandel in Florida who will be graduating from law school shortly as well.

Currently working in Reality TV, Scott Brofman (80’s & 90’s) recently finished his 7th season working on “The Biggest Loser”. He enjoys helping people make a positive change in their lives. His wife, son (3), and daughter (1) are very proud of him.

Josh Holland (2000’s) is currently running the Global Leadership Forum in Montezuma, NM at the United World College. Additionally, he recently started and continues to successfully run a Waterfront Leadership School each June. He misses everyone from his years at CWW; those who used to be upper campers, and Lew Chase specifically!

Currently teaching 8th grade English in Washington, D.C., Shawn Gardner (2000’s) lives with his partner, Chris, and continues to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research, screening, and treatment. To date, Shawn’s Team Heather – a team in the Global Race for the Cure – has raised over $402,000 for the cause. Last year Shawn was named 2012 “Co-Survivor of the Year.”

liz mannis (1990’s & 2000’s) is in her final semester of grad school at the University of Texas and loves working in media relations primarily with the football and tennis teams at UT. She was able to come home to NY for the holidays and see family and friends from her days as a camper and counselor at CWW.

Julia reich (1990’s & 2000’s) is living in Brooklyn and recently finished nursing school. She is currently working at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center as a nurse.

Todd Politz (97’-99’) has been married for 8 years and has a future CWW camper named Samantha (5). He is LSU’s Director of Digital Media and has maintained LSUsports.net on behalf of the LSU Athletics Department since his last summer at CWW. Todd keeps up with many CWW alumni via social media, often vacationing with Kipp Mayeux, and escapes “work” to tailgate with The Roys.

Working as a psychologist with a private practice in NYC, Deborah neft (80’s & 90s) lives in the ‘burbs’ with her husband Mike and two boys, Theo and Luke. She loves hanging out with CWW friends Bibi Prival, Liz Mayer, and Alex Socarides.

Since September, Danny Fein has been working full-time on Litographs.com where he is building an e-commerce destination for literary goods. Jack neary (09’) manages the social media for the company. Danny will matriculate at Harvard Business School beginning in August.

Brett rothenhaus is living and working in Manhattan, performing and writing music for young children ages 0-5 (bretband.com). He is still in touch with all of his CWW friends and meets up with them as often as possible.

nathan “Bleecker” Crowe (2000’s) asked his longtime girlfriend to marry him on Christmas Eve and she said YES! He has been teaching in Cairo for the past two years and recently accepted a position at Royal St. George’s College in Toronto, Canada.

These days, Tara Cook-littman (80s & 90s) is volunteering as a food policy advocate and leading a grass roots organization, GMO Free CT which is working to get a law passed in CT that would mandate the labeling of all genetically engineered foods. This summer, her two oldest children will be enjoying their first full summer at camp!

ed Brachfeld (80s and 90s) is still grateful for everything that Camp Walt Whitman provided him as a young boy. He has been living in Paris, France for over 12 years and last year began basing himself in Brooklyn as well. He runs his own production company called Brachfeld Paris/Brachfeld NY which specializes in the creation of print, film and event production for high end fashion and luxury brands worldwide.

Even though it’s been four summers since nick Park (06’-08’) worked at CWW, he still counts it as his ‘happy place’. For the last two years he has been working in the tech startup world, moving from the Silicon Valley to Austin, TX. From Austin to Santiago, Chile as part of a grant program for international entrepreneurs, and most recently to NYC where he is working on developing new types of video games that encourage people to get up and outside.

Steve Abatiell (06’-09’) spent the last 10 weeks traveling through Asia working on a documentary in Vietnam with his father, who is a veteran of the Vietnam War.

Living in Washington, DC where he is the Director of Public Relations for the American Gas Association, Jake rubin (90’s) also teaches a social media class at George Washington University. He and his wife Dana have a 3 year old son Henry and are expecting a daughter in March!

Brooke Bauer (05’-06’) and Alan “Irish” moody (2000’s) are currently living in Al Ain, in the United Arab Emirates. They have 2 children, Lilia and August, and are adopting a new baby from the Marshall Islands very soon. They recently just finished the Dubai Marathon. Congrats you two! - CWW

Finishing the Dubai marathon!

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reCenT AlumnI uPDATeS

Josh Holland with his campers at the first ever united World College Global leadership Forum.

liz mannis showing off her Texas pride.

3 New King StreetWhite Plains, NY 10604

p: (914) 948-9151f: (914) 948-9155

www.campwalt.com

CITS presenting $30,000 to morry’s Camp.

So great to see friends again!

t’s right around December, as Winter is starting to kick into full gear, that it seems like forever since you’ve seen your camp friends, and you find yourself

daydreaming about Square Dances, the comforting warmth of the sun on your face, and splashes of laughter echoing across Lake Armington. Thankfully, each year, this is when CWW Campers and Staff reunite in Westchester to re-live the summer that was, and to start getting excited for next summer! This year, over 200 campers

and 25 staff members re-connected at Purchase College for a few hours of camp bliss. We shared hugs, made buttons, gave high fives, decorated cookies, shared more hugs, danced the padda padda, and smiled fondly on the memories made during the Summer of 2012. In between dancing and hugs, last summer’s CIT’s proudly presented a check to Dawn Ewing, Director of Morry’s Camp. This summer, we raised nearly $30,000 for Morry’s Camp, a huge accomplishment everyone should be proud of! - CWW

CWW Winter reunion was a BlAST!

High fives all around.

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