Learn more about our wonderful 2008 summer staff!!

Alex D., Counselor

Plantation has been part of my life from the time I was 6, going to see my older sister on visitors’ day, until I was 16 when I finished with a fabulous year as a CILT. It has been two years since I have been to Plantation, and believe me, that is two years too long! I am so excited to return and see if I can redeem my status as friendship bracelet master, horseback riding guru, and capture the flag addict. Coming to Plantation when I was a camper was the highlight of my summer and I made some of my best friends there and continue to talk and meet with them on a regular basis. Plantation allowed me to be myself and explore activities that I probably would not have otherwise been engaged in.

A little bit about me: I am from Palo Alto, California and finishing my first year as an undergraduate at a school down the street called Stanford University. I enjoy all sports including running, soccer, football and ultimate frisbee. I love the outdoors and hiking, which we will get plenty of this summer, and my favorite hobby is scuba diving. I am ecstatic to meet all of you soon and know we will make this summer memorable.

Alex S., Counselor

My name is Alex, but to any of you who are returning, you probably know me as Stikey, and I have been a die-hard Plantationite for seven  years. I was twelve when I first boarded the bus that would lead me up the coast and to the farm, and in the few hours I was on the bus, I made amazing friends. I couldn't help but go back every year to see  the familiar faces and to meet new people. I was so incredibly lucky  to have this magical place to go in the summer where I could be outdoors and interact with the animals and nature, and now I am itching to go back for my eighth summer!

Art has always been a major influence in my life, which is why I hung  around the silk-screen and friendship bracelet activities. I am  currently finishing up my freshman year at The College of Santa Fe,  and since they didn't have a major in macrame, I settled for studying  to get my BFA in Graphic Design. I am originally from Palo Alto, California, and was so fortunate to live in an area where I could  spend time with friends from camp all year round.

I look so forward to seeing you again, or meeting you for the first time! I'm positive my co-counselors and I are forming a really solid staff, which means this summer is going to ROCK. Get excited.

Amy, Counselor

Hello! I am currently finishing up my freshman year at University of Colorado at Boulder. I am majoring in kinesiology and sports medicine with a double minor in communications and languages. I absolutely love it here in Boulder, but I must say, I desperately miss the California weather, and having a large body of water nearby.

I was born and raised in Burlingame, California (just 20 minutes south of San Francisco) and I spent most of my summers at Plantation. It all started when I went to visit my older brother, Nate, on Visitor's Day. My parents had to practically drag me to the car when the day was over. I knew from that moment that I just had to go to this camp! That was in 1995, and when the summer of 1997 rolled around I found myself sitting on the bus and bubbling over with excitement. I started as an eight-year-old and went all through camp, including the Campers In Leadership Training program as well as the Counselors In Training program. This will be my second year as a full on counselor and my eleventh summer on the farm. I just can't seem to stay away!

Camp has, and always will be, a huge part of my life. I did so much growing up during those summers and I continue to grow each time I step foot on the farm. Over the years I have learned so much and made many life-long friends. Plantation has shaped me into the best person I can be and I am looking forward to creating a similar experience for each and every camper. I am very excited to be back this summer and can't wait for camp to begin!

Brett, Counselor

G’Day guys! I am a 23 year old Aussie. I would say, “Let’s throw another shrimp on the bar-b” but I’m a vegetarian so let’s throw another soy snag on instead. I am currently living in Melbourne where I work assisting the day to day management of the student accommodation at Monash University.

I moved to Melbourne after graduating from university with majors in political science and history but I originally grew up on the sunny Central Coast of New South Whales. I spent my final years of high school living in Manly on Sydney’s Northern Beaches where my love for the ocean and surfing grew even stronger. I also love snowboarding and just generally being involved with outside activities, especially around water. This is why I am looking forward to spending an American summer at Plantation. This will be my first American summer camp experience and also my first trip to America so I am currently counting down the days. I can’t wait to see you all there soon.

Brit, Counselor

Hiya! My name is Brit and I recently graduated from Green Mountain College in Vermont with a degree in Environmental Studies and Outdoor Recreation. I have recently found a passion for farming as well and am planning on continuing a career in farm-based outdoor education and recreation.

I am originally from the more rural eastern shore of Maryland and found my way to Vermont via a couple Outward Bound trips I was able to do in high school which sparked my passion for the environment. Once at Green Mountain I found myself spending semesters exploring the field of recreation in Alaska, as well as spending a summer doing a NOLS semester in Teton Valley. It wasn’t until I needed an internship the summer preceding my last semester of college that I stumbled upon Plantation.

So it is that I was able to attend my first year of summer camp in 2007 at the age of 21. It’s strange wandering into such a tight community with loads of history feeling as an outsider. With my travels this has happened quite a few times but Plantation offered a different experience. There was no awkwardness that usually comes with breaking into a community, there was just acceptance. I knew from the first interview that I had that Plantation was a special sort of place and I am very happy to be spending another summer farming and playing with kids; I can’t think of anything better☺.

Brittany, Staff

Hi! My name is Brittany. I was born and raised in Alaska, and still claim to be Alaskan, even though I moved to Portland, Oregon nearly 7 years ago. I have a degree in biology from Lewis and Clark College, and have always loved animals and spending time outdoors.  This will be my 5th summer at Plantation.

I feel incredibly lucky that I discovered this wonderful place called Plantation. I'll never forget arriving on the farm for the first time (late and in the middle of dinner because my flight had been delayed) and all the fabulous times I have enjoyed there since. From day one I felt like I was welcomed into the Plantation family. My only regret is not having known about Plantation years earlier, so that I could have come as a camper. I love the amazing location, the animals, the energy of camp and, best of all, the friendships I have formed with campers and staff alike.

After four years as a counselor, I took a year off to try out the 'real world'. But I just couldn't get camp out of my head, and have come to the realization that the 'real world' should be just as fun and magical a place as Plantation.

Carl, Counselor

Way back in 1988 when I was a junior at Pomona College I made my first (and only) trip to the career planning office.  There among all the professionally typeset flyers for summer internships at accounting and insurance offices was a hand-drawn poster featuring a goat and a hollowed-out redwood tree furnished with a bed and stove.  I rode that goat to Plantation for ten of the next fourteen summers while in the off-seasons I built a career as a freelance journalist and a self-employed used and rare book dealer.

As a kid growing up in Michigan I thought I knew what summer camp was all about—every summer I’d gone to YMCA camp for fun and to Boy Scout camp to work toward becoming an Eagle Scout.  But Plantation was something different and special.  At Plantation, campers chose what activities they wanted to do.  There were male and female counselors in every campsite. Campers got individual attention from counselors.  Campers got to mingle with each other instead of being herded around in a clump all summer long.  There were loads of games and sports but no one cared who won or lost.  At Plantation I took a lot of satisfaction in giving kids the kind of summer experience I couldn’t have even dreamt of when I was a camper.

My final four years at Plantation I coordinated the Camper in Leadership Training (CILT) program. I am returning to that job after eight years away in San Francisco managing a small independent bookstore that has finally succumbed, along with too many others, to unfriendly changes in the economy and technology.  I want to make the absolute most out of one last summer in the woods before starting classes as a first-year law student at the University of San Francisco in the fall.

If we’re lucky, my beautiful and talented wife Sarah will overcome her fear of spiders and join us from time to time to help with dramas, campfires, and whatever else John and Kelly need.

Christian, Counselor

G’ Day, I am Christian and I am from Sydney Australia. I am currently working in radio on a music based station as a presenter and coordinator. I have just finished studying on air presenting at the ‘Australian Film, Television and Radio School’ and television presenting and NIDA. I also host a Breakfast program three mornings a week.

I have a very artistic family and have been brought up in the thick of the arts. I love to create and when I have time I sculpt, ill try my hand at anything. I have been in several exhibitions around Sydney and help out the family when they host certain events. Speaking of family, when I was five my mother had triplets. So for most of my life I have been living in a kind of summer camp.  They are 16 and so much fun.

This will be my third year at Plantation. Originally I was going to work hard and study this year, however Plantation has an invisible pull and I was drawn back for another summer. The friendships and experiences I have gained at Plantation have shaped who I am today. It is the experience of going ‘bush’ (Australian for no power, no indoors , no phones, no computers) that you are able to be yourself not hide behind work or behind technology, you need to think and I find I have connected more with myself in America then in Australia, and I have Plantation to thank for that.

Also Plantation is the most fashionable place, IN THE WORLD.

Del, Nurse

Hello Everyone!  My name is Del and I am the camp nurse for first session.  My home is Plains, a small town in Western Montana.  As a child I experienced the magic of Plantation as a camper.  I am a graduate of UC Santa Cruz and during my college years I worked as a counselor at camp and in the high country of Yosemite National Park.  After college I spent a year as a “VISTA” volunteer and then returned to school to earn a degree in nursing.  In my community, I work as the school nurse and care for 500 children ages K-12.  I also teach CPR/1st Aid for the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross.  In a lucky turn of events nine years ago I returned to Plantation to be the camp nurse and have been returning ever since!

John and Kelly mentioned in a recent email the challenge of being a counselor and saving the world one child at a time.  As camp nurse I will be proud to be saving the world one bandaid at a time.  I keep returning because I strongly believe in allowing today’s youth the opportunity to step back from the pressure of the competitive every day world and be free to experience different and fun activities and interesting new people in a safe, accepting environment. I was able to experience camp as a child and it still has an impact on my life. I want to do the same for the children of today.

George, Counselor

I cannot remember a time when Plantation was not a part of my life.  I started attending visitors’ days at Plantation as a seven year old in 1995 when my sister was in Miller’s Gulch. Intrigued by this universe, I was ecstatic to get on the bus for my first summer as a camper in 1998.  Two years in the unit of Sequameadow led to two years in Earwig, which led to two years in Deep Woods. Before I knew it he was a CILT.  Plantation had taught me to love ping-pong, overcome homesickness and break out of my shell.  I knew I would have to go back as a counselor and help keep this magical world alive.

My first summer as a counselor in 2007 was a blast.  My favorite part of the summer was watching my two units, Sunny Hill and Earwig, each come together and create a loving community. I try to carry this Plantation spirit with me to school at Middlebury College in Vermont, where I am an American Studies major.   As a sophomore at Middlebury I am in involved in various campus organizations including the ping-pong club I am in the process of founding.  A native of San Francisco, I enjoy my studies at Middlebury but can’t wait to get back to California and begin a new adventure this summer at Plantation.

Jan, Counselor

I'm a California girl, 4th generation. I am a mother to a 17 year old boy and a 10 year old girl.  I am also a part-time physical therapist.  That leaves time for gardening and being outdoors and volunteering at the schools.

As a Campfire girl, I went to my first week away in fourth grade.  I remember meeting the different girls and making a name tag of wood and moss and alphabet macaroni! And there is nothing better than singing around a campfire!

Jonathan, Counselor

My name is Jonathan. I was born and raised on the South Shore of Massachusetts and lived on a little 'Hobey Farm' where we had a couple of horses, a few goats, dogs and cats.  I love animals and working outdoors.  In high school I did track, soccer, and fencing.  I attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where I graduated this past December with a Bachelors degree in Aerospace Studies.  I currently live in Burlington Vermont.

Julia L., CIT

Hi! I was born and raised in San Francisco and am a senior at International High School. Mostly all my after-school activities involve the application of the creative mind: piano, tap dance, and theatre, among others. Other hobbies include baking, riding my bike, and horseback riding. I love being outside, so last summer, I spent a month backpacking in Wyoming through the National Outdoor Leadership School.

While in the midst of hectic college-fever, I feel so lucky to be able to channel my positive energy into thoughts of working as a CIT this summer for Plantation, as this camp has been a part of my life for the past 8 summers, 7 as a camper, 1 as a Camper in Leadership Training. Not a day goes by when I don’t think of Plantation because of its overwhelmingly strengthening impact on me.  I love Plantation and I plan on spending many-a-summer there!

Julia S., CIT

Hello everyone! My name is Julia and I am extremely excited to be working at Plantation this summer. I am currently a senior at Palo Alto High School, and I will be attending Whitman College in the fall. 

I spent last summer doing a month-long backpacking trip with NOLS in the Rocky Mountains, as well as traveling around Scotland with my family. Despite all the fun I had backpacking and wearing kilts last year, I missed the farm and I am really eager to come back and spend my fifth summer hiking, tie-dyeing, singing, playing guitar, barn dancing and enjoying the magic of Plantation. I can’t wait to see you all there! It’s going to be an amazing summer!

Kelly, Counselor

Hi! My name is Kelly, and in the summer I'm simply K-Mo. What began as the potential solution to avoid confusion among the Kelly M's of camp my first summer on staff quickly developed into my summer identity, a simple moniker that reminds me to rise to the Plantation challenge of living in my truest form. 

I am currently an Art History major finishing my sophomore year at the University of California Santa Barbara. I grew up in Menlo Park California, just south of San Francisco, and was lucky enough to have attended Plantation as a camper, a childhood adventure that developed into a life long love affair!

Looking back its hard to image what my life would have been like without Plantation, my four summers as a camper and two on staff have been integral experiences in the development of who I am and the values I choose to live by. This will be my seventh summer at Plantation, and I am as excited and giddy as it if it was my first! I love to create whether it is art, garden, cupcake, or smile, and I embrace every opportunity to be silly, sing loudly, and kick up some dust at a barn dance! I cherish my time outdoors and Plantation's dedication to foster a positive relationship with nature. Grass becomes carpet, sky becomes ceiling, and a simple trail in the woods becomes the path of an odyssey.

Plantation is where I learned about enthusiasm, the desire to embrace every moment with positive imagination and the commitment to smile, the one attribute I attempt to embody in my everyday life and echo every morning on the farm. As a second generation camper I am fortunate enough to be able to experience the impact that Plantation had on my mom's life and by returning each summer I hope to keep the Plantation traditions alive, sharing the magic of Plantation with each generation to come.

Lilli, Counselor

¡Hola! ¡Buenas Dias! Me llamo Lilli Myers. I am 21 and have been traveling for 3 years since high school in San Francisco, California.

Ahorita, estámos en Chalmita, Mexico, teaching English and gardening in a Montessori primary school. Nestled high in these sentient mountains, I sleep under a tree and live and work in an international community called Nierka. We are learning traditional Mexican dancing and partaking in ceremonial Temascales or sweat lodges. 

Before Mexico, I traveled around the states as a WWOOFER ( Willing Working on Organic Farms), digging in the soils in North Carolina, Ohio, New York, Washington and California. And tasty fresh out of high school, I journeyed to the Lovely and Divine New Zealand for one year, tramping, swimming, living in community and organic gardening. Wahoo! 

As a little person I was a silly camper and CILT at Plantation Farm Camp and loved milking cows and writing plays. My sister is Lizzy Myers, who was a camper and CILT as well, and loves to barn dance. I am excited to make many good friends with all the counselors and campers!

I daydream of summer: harvesting lettuce with children in the garden, singing Grateful Dead songs after morning porridge, communal foamy tooth brushing;  walking across the foggy front lawn as children work on friendship bracelets, care for kittens, nest in mother goose and drink lemonade in little wax cups; stoking shower fires, riding horses, racing sweatily towards the yellow ribbon hanging in a tree during capture the flag, improvising theater shows and enthusiastic barn dances with high flying leg kicks to Louisiana Saturday night; the mattresses, cozy sleeping bags, photographs taped to the wood in our tents and waking up early for morning yoga.

Liz, Counselor

My name is Liz, and I am currently finishing up my sophomore year at the University of Oregon as a pre-marine biology major. I grew up in Eugene, Oregon, so I’m a big fan of rain and trees. My experience with Plantation started before I went there as a camper: my grandparents knew Abe and Eve Crittenden, the camp founders, and began working as counselors when my mother and two uncles were very young. My mom started her camp experience as a bandit and eventually worked her way up to bandit-sitter and counselor when she was older.

Many of my family’s fond memories and stories told around the dinner table have been related to camp, so it was already ingrained as a sort of magical place before I attended. My grandparents surprised me with the gift of camp tuition when I was in seventh grade, and I loved the experience so much, I managed to come back for three more years. Now, I’m super excited to return as a counselor with every intention of helping make camp as amazing for the campers as it was for me! Woo, Plantation!

Lucy, Counselor

Hello and Happy Summer! I am greatly looking forward to coming back to Plantation for my fourth summer. My name is Lucy. I am originally from Connecticut and will be graduating from Wheaton College in just a few short weeks. While at Wheaton I majored in Art History with a minor in African Diaspora Studies. Along with interests in these areas I am also very passionate about music. I have been singing forever and picked up the guitar when I was seventeen. After camp I am hoping to move to San Francisco and pursue a career in music.

I am so excited to meet new faces and see old ones this summer. As I sit in the library, piled up with work, I can’t help but daydream of redwoods, barn dances, and gulch hikes. This summer is going to be full of amazing adventures and I cannot wait to have the opportunity to take part in another fantastic summer at Plantation with the help of a great staff and even greater campers.

Lydia, Counselor

I'm Lydia Russell-Roy. I am currently a sophomore at Carleton College in Minnesota, but I grew up outside of Boston. I just recently declared myself a Biology major with a French and Francophone Studies Concentration. I have studied French for a long time but my interest in francophone studies increased when I spent this past winter in Mali, West Africa. I lived for three months with a family in Bamako, the capital city. I have always really loved traveling, but have never done it in the summer, because summer is reserved for Plantation.

Summer 2008 will be my tenth summer at camp and my fourth on staff. I love camp, everything from morning singing, to chores, BARN DANCES, reflections, and sunsets in the Alpine Meadow. Growing up with Plantation's philosophy of inclusion and enthusiasm has greatly affected the person I am growing up to be. I can't wait till June when I drive down the hill and return to my summer home where I get to sing, play and create the magical atmosphere that continues to have such an impact on me.

Katie, Counselor

Hola! My name is Katie and I am currently finishing up my senior year at the University of Washington in Seattle with a double major in Political Science and Spanish Literature. This coming fall, in order to stall having to get a real job, I am entering into a graduate program in Public Policy, with a focus in NGO Management and International Development. Eventually, I hope to work for some kind of international Human Rights organization.

Originally, I am from a tiny town in Montana where I learned to hike, ski, backpack, horseback ride, and just fool around in nature. I love the outdoors and am super excited to spend the whole summer running around and living outside. I also spent a summer in Yosemite National Park where I worked as a rafting guide (if any of you have seen the Upper Merced River, you'll know not to be too impressed), but I also picked up kayaking and – much to my mother's dismay – rock climbing.

This summer at camp will be my first as a counselor, but as a kid I spent five summers in a row at Plantation along with my brother and sister, and several of my cousins. My mother and her siblings also attended camp when they were kids, with my grandmother serving as one of the original counselors…so I have a lot of family history here. I remember as a camper how much I loved being a part of the diverse and positive community that is Plantation and I can't wait to rediscover that connection.

Mary, Nurse

I was born and raised in Pasadena, California…pretty much a city girl. After I graduated from high school, I talked my way into a job at a small boarding school called "The Farm" which was situated outside of Gualala, California and run by a well known Quaker named Foy VanDolsen. I worked with 13 year old boys, and learned how to work a garden, milk a herd of goats, spin wool from the local sheep, and I fell in love with the northern California coast. 

I have worked at Plantation Farm Camp for lots of years, and through several decades. At first I worked as a counselor, then I returned as the camp nurse once I'd finished nursing school.  I like the community that happens there each summer. I like to see kids getting to be kids, playing hard, and making their own fun. There's something special that happens there.  Life slows down a bit, people get to be themselves, and there really is a place for everyone. 

Currently I work as a public health nurse in Eugene, Oregon. I'm married, and have a 20 year old son who attends the U of O. We live in the older part of Eugene, in a house that's 100+ years old. My work for the county health department has evolved over the years, I have done home visits to work with high risk Mom's and babies, I've worked in Family Planning, and I've run two of the rural satellite clinics for the county. Most of my work currently has to do with epidemiology, and tracking disease out-breaks, and working with Spanish speaking people with Tuberculosis.

I really enjoy the change of focus when I work as the camp nurse at Plantation. I can switch from disease investigation to splinters, and mosquito bites…home sickness, and the aches and pains of hard play. If folks can stay mostly healthy, then there's room for projects…sourdough bread baking, folded paper stars, knitting and wool. I'm looking forward to my summer at camp.  It's hard to wait for second session.           

Sam, Counselor

I'm Sam. I graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, MA a year ago with a BA in Photography and American Studies, and have mostly remained in western Mass since then. Despite the degree, what I've marketed so far have been the various whitewater certifications I picked up through the outdoor program. I've worked as a raft guide and kayak instructor all over the contiguous U.S. on everything from the steep and narrow Class V creeks of New England to the massive power of the Grand Canyon, but never had as much fun as I have for the last two summers at Plantation.

My capers through the outdoor industry have had me working and driving everywhere from my native California to Oregon, Idaho, Montana, across Canada to Vermont, New Hampshire, Tennessee and North Carolina, and back 'round by way of Utah and Arizona. I've put 60,000 miles on my trusty old (more old than trusty, actually) Toyota truck in the last three years, and will finally be flying the three thousand miles to camp this year rather than driving.

Though I wasn't lucky enough to experience it as a camper, Plantation has carved out a special place in my heart in the last two years. The warmth of the community, depth of tradition, and a quickness to embrace everything positive, active, and creative can teach us all something. On top of all that, the place itself is one of the most beautiful I've ever been, and rich with history.

Zena, CIT

This will be my ninth summer returning to Plantation Farm Camp and I am incredibly excited. I was eight years old and one of the youngest campers my first summer. Being away from home for so long was a difficult transition for me to make. However, the summer before, I had visited my sister, also a long time camper, on Visitor’s Day and cried when I had to leave the farm. From that first moment, I felt the magic of Plantation and I return year after year. For me, it’s simply not summer without Plantation.

Plantation provides an escape from urban life and helps me reconnect with my love for nature, animals and the people who become my extended family. The diversity of the staff and campers has helped me become aware of the similarities between my culture and life and someone from a completely different background. This is a concept I have brought back into the “real” world. Being more open and aware has helped me with my own self-discovery and illuminated the world through a different lens.

I am a junior at the International High School in San Francisco. Our family lived in Paris for three years. When we returned to San Francisco I attended a French school to keep up my language skills. I am working towards receiving my International Baccalaureate Diploma.

As I count down the weeks, I imagine the drive up to the farm. It’s like entering heaven itself as you climb through the clouds to the top of the mountain with the exquisite view of the Pacific. I happily anticipate the return to the outdoors and to a farm lifestyle where I can breathe fresh air, see the stars and have a safe freedom to explore. After the summer I always return home feeling more appreciative of things that I might otherwise take for granted.