Main Menu

Summit Community

Program News

Travel Club

Our Travel Club Program has resumed for 2011 - 2012!
Home About Us Directors
Directors

Eugene Bell

Senior Director


Gene joined Summit in 1999 after 19 years as the founding director and administrator of a program quite similar to Summit's. He holds a Master's Degree in Special Education from Rutgers University. Since 1972 he has been involved full time in Special Education, first as a classroom teacher, resource teacher and then as a Camp Director and Administrator. His experience includes typical settings as well as experiential.

As a camp director, Gene was recognized by the American Camp Association as a Certified Camp Director (CCD) and has conducted seminars and workshops about special-needs campers, camp administration, and staff training. He is also an accreditation visitor who consults with and visits other camps as they seek American Camp Association certification. Gene and his wife Sally have two boys and their dog, Sadie. They met at camp and worked together for many years. Sally teaches at a special education school in New Jersey, visits camp each weekend during the summer and works on special assignments and is a faculty member for camp's Weekender program.
 

Debs Hugill

Head Counselor/Program Director


Debs joined the Summit community in 1981 and has been with us ever since starting as a counselor and having served as camp’s Waterfront Director since 1985. Debs is uniquely equipped to serve as Head Counselor. Each summer she has gotten to know all of camp's campers and staff in her work at the waterfront and throughout camp. She has been the designer of numerous Camp programs through her years at Camp, is a superb developer and supervisor of staff, and is consistently enthusiastic about the value of our Summit Camp experience to our campers.

Debs lives year round in Florida with her husband Graham and enjoys a very diverse background. A native of Leeds, UK, she has a degree in business and was introduced to the States through advanced studies in sports and aquatics at the University of Miami and her early days as an exchange counselor. She revels in traveling, served for a time as a staff member to her local MP (Member of Parliament), and often found assignments that enabled her to return to camp each summer.

Her passions include diving, squash, tennis, and aquatic pursuits. She shares "I am optimistic, energetic, have high expectations of myself, and am (I hope), caring (which comes from my Mum – she is a nurse)".
 

Maryann Santora

Clinical Social Worker & Admissions Director


Maryann comes to us with over 25 years of clinical experience. She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Early Childhood Education. She received her Masters Degree in Clinical Social Work, and then went on to become a Psychoanalyst after studying at an eight-year psychoanalytic institute. She has a solid understanding of Psychoanalytic, Behavioral and Cognitive treatment modalities.

Maryann started at Summit Camp in the 2007 season. She serves as camp's social worker and is involved in all aspects of our clinical work. She sees our campers on an as-needed basis and provides support to our staff. She is often the first line contact for our parents during the summer. During the off season, Maryann focuses on Clinical Intake Evaluations for camp and reviewing all clinical materials on our campers.

Maryann is also in Private Practice where she treats children, adolescents and adults in individual, couple and family therapy. Maryann is the proud mother of two children, one of whom has special needs.
 

Abbey-Layne Ball

Assistant Director


Abbey joined the Summit community in 2006 as a general counselor with the youngest girls. She became a unit leader in 2008 with the same group, and, this past summer, was the unit leader for the Girls Super Teen program.

Abbey earned an Honors degree in Child and Youth Studies from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Abbey has experience working in a residential youth setting at the Banyan Tree in Northampton, United Kingdom. She also brings a wealth of knowledge from her numerous volunteer and coaching roles.

Abbey provides our leadership team with a different perspective, having worked so closely with both our children and staff throughout the past five years. Her energy and enthusiasm are her trademarks. She has established strong relationships with her campers and their families.

Sara Ratzker

Travel Director


Sara Ratzker is camp's Tour Director - responsible for our summer tours as well as Travel Club, our school year holiday travel program. Sara joined us prior to the 2010 summer season. She manages the logistics of all of our trips, supports the marketing of our programs, and works closely with our tour head counselors, staff, families and travelers. During the school year she visits our tour destinations to evaluate, plan, and organize implementation. During our travel season she travels with our groups to make sure all goes smoothly. In addition to her main travel focus, Sara also assists with other areas of camp including our Weekender and several special projects.

Sara has a great mix of professional training and experience. She was a tour director for five years with one of the most respected teen tour programs, American Trails West. In that capacity, she assisted in planning, managed tours, and directed any issues that required problem solving. As one of her former directors shared, "she knows the needs of the kids and the demands of touring very well... she will be super." Her professional training is an equal match having earned a BS in Human Services from the University of Delaware and an MS in School Counseling from Long Island University. We also know that everyone who has already traveled with Sara has been impressed by her enthusiasm and positive energy.

Stephanie Friedensohn

Registrar/Office Manager


Stephanie Friedensohn is camps' Registrar/Office Manager. She was a member of the administrative staff of the Morris County, NJ, Camp Deeny Riback .She first worked as a unit leader who supervised some 100 campers and 23 staff for four seasons. She then joined their full-time staff as an assistant director who helped plan and supervise all aspects of their camp program. She has significant skills and experience in marketing, outreach, and parent and family communication. She also facilitated new camper enrollments and often led tours of the camp grounds.

Stephanie is Summit's conduit to our campers and their families - an area of great success for her at her prior camp. Her enthusiasm is infectious and concern for the campers is well documented.

Stephanie earned an Associate of Arts in Early Childhood Education at Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ. She is currently pursuing her BA in Business Administration through the University of Phoenix. Stephanie has three sons - one of whom is a camper at Summit.

 
< Prev   Next >