Tamarack Farm Newsletters

August 10, 2024 

Well time is flying, and my apologies for not posting in a while—there’s so much going on at Tamarack Farm!  

We just got back from an overnight at Merck Forest and Farmland in Rupert, Vermont. Merck is a nonprofit with aligned values to F&W, and we’re really excited about this partnership. The whole camp went, grouped by immersion. This allowed our campers to experience a different angle on the same subject matter that their Immersion is focused on. Our Carpentry and Construction Immersion learned about timberframe building principles and worked to cut and piece together a timberframed outhouse. Our Agriculture and Homesteading Immersion took part in a chicken harvest and processed the birds. After doing a deep dive in their subject areas, we ate dinner together and then Immersion groups hiked out to beautiful cabins for smores and a sweet cozy evening.  

Last night we had a lively town meeting. Campers brought topics such as: 

• Norms and parameters for political discussions 

• Extended rest hour on Chill Days 

• Renaming a cabin (originally called Penc, at some point renamed Shingles, which devolved into “Pringles,” which seems too linked to consumerism for a lot of folks here) 

I was impressed by their commitment to the process and procedures of Town Meeting. We lost power for a few hours as the remnants of a tropical storm blew through the Plymouth Valley. We gathered in the dance barn and our moderator used a headlamp to see when folks were raising a hand. It was cozy and extra special. Reaching consensus can be challenging and tedious, but last night we were generally in agreement and things moved along giving us a sense of accomplishment. We ended silent meeting singing a song that has been sung at TF for decades: 

We are going, 
Heaven knows where we are going, 
But we know within. 
And we will get there, 
Heaven knows how we will get there, 
But we know we will. 
It will be hard, we know, 
And the road will be muddy and rough, 
But we’ll get there, 
Heaven knows how we will get there, 
But we know we will. 

As we filed out of the dance barn we noticed the farmhouse lights were glowing and the clouds were clearing. Truly a beautiful moment. We gathered in the dining room around the piano and sang together, while a crew of us did dishes that had been waiting for the power to return. The hum of the Hobart (our beloved industrial dishwasher), the boisterous singing, the enthusiastic guitars, piano, and drums shaking the dining room felt like peak camp.  

We’re heading into our final week of the summer, and we as individuals and a community have all the feels. There is excitement about the big programming—All Camp Game, Banquet, Dancefree, and of course Fair! The Carpentry and Construction Immersion is cruising on the cabin with an increasing sense of urgency that seems to be bringing them together. Eco and Art are collaborating on cyanotype printing extravaganza this morning. Eco has been out in the woods designing and building educational signage (including a beautiful new kiosk up at Ninevah) encouraging public engagement and connection with conservation land. On Tuesday the Arts Immersion is hosting MOFA (Museum of Farm Arts.) They are staging a fashion show of their wearable art (bags, masks, silkscreens, so much fabric and fiber!) The Agriculture and Homesteading Immersion is prepping to host a TF Daily Greens table at Fair. Today they are working together to develop different salad dressings to showcase the beautiful greens we’ll be serving! The CAP campers are working with their mentors at Timberlake, Firefly Song, and The Barn Daycamp. They are also prepping for leadership roles at Fair!  

While there is the busy hum of excitement and productivity, there is also a sense of preciousness as we realize that our community will say goodbye to this place and each other in a week. I know it’s hard, but I think there is real value in saying goodbye well. Camp works because it is an intentional temporary community—it is intense and transformative. And I think we need to go through the whole arc to receive its gifts.  

We have created something beautiful here—I am so proud of Tamarack Farm. Thanks for trusting us with your incredible teens!  

July 31, 2024 

Session two is underway!  

The second session is always an adjustment. There is always a sense of anticipation and uncertainty as we say goodbye to our first session campers and get ready for the next group. Who are the campers we haven’t met yet? How have the campers returning from last summer developed? How will our full session campers mesh with the incoming cohort? 

At the end of the first session, Tamarack Farm was a buzzing, integrated community with established norms. Each day offered different, special, end-of-session programming such as banquet, a dance party, and a touching closing ceremony. As this session’s campers arrived and settled in, I watched the awkward hellos and group games, facilitated conversation at meals, and generally tried to get a sense of how the group dynamics would fare. 

It didn’t take long for uncertainty to turn to cautious optimism, and then to outright pleasant surprise. The full-session campers welcomed their new peers without condescension. The second-year Farmers stepped in where they had left off while simultaneously demonstrating the maturity they had gained over their time away. Campers completely new to TF, and in many cases even completely new to F&W, slowly began to step out of their shells and connect with others, campers and staff alike. 

We have also had a strong start from a program perspective. Every camper was placed in their first or second choice of immersion. Afternoon choice activities have included crate climbing (congrats to Dash for breaking the summer record with a score of 18!), a hike to Black Pond Shelter with some hide-and-seek games thrown in, and theater and improve games including skit creation for our upcoming  Postum House (our open mic/variety show). We also had a lovely opening candle ceremony during which we all stated our intentions for the session.  

Although second session arrival was just days ago, it already seems like we are well in the swing of things. I can’t wait to see the heights of our campers’ achievements and the extent of their personal development over the next few weeks.  

• Thad Gibson, Tamarack Farm Assistant Director 

July 21, 2024 

A note from Matt “Sharkie” Overholser, Tamarack Farm Program Director: 

Tamarack Farm has reached cruising altitude, and the vibes couldn’t be higher. Over the past few days campers have climbed mountains (3 in a day), swam a grand circuit in a mere two and a half hours, and began wrapping up their immersions. Leaving camp can be hard, and this group is savoring every remaining moment.  

Program, Program, Program! 

This is the big week! Evenings are packed full of fun activities, tea on the porch, and songs at the top of our lungs. On Saturday evening our community worked together on “MOFA” (Museum of Farm Arts) to needlefelt patches to be turned into a quilt. Campers were asked to needlefelt a design based on what “Tamarack Farm means to them.” We had a wide range of offerings that will be compiled into a piece that will last many more summers, even after our campers graduate to staff or whatever great thing they will do in the outside world. Once we’d wrapped up MOFA, there was much frolicking on the lawn to some of our favorite songs.  

The night following MOFA we had our Banquet! Our staff created an amazing and immersive experience, transforming the basement of the Farmhouse into a dark and spooky cave! The campers were sent through the caves to see vignettes from a story we have been slowly telling all summer. The theatrical experience culminated in an escape room mystery they had to solve to find freedom. Once they had made it back into the beautiful daylight, we had quite the feast on the lawn. Our kitchen crew made some amazing Indian cuisine and topped it off with some of the most beautiful flower-adorned cheesecakes I’ve ever seen!  

Looking ahead we have just a couple nights left in first session. Tonight is our big dance party, “Dancefree” where the campers will get to hear the sweet, sweet sounds of recorded music for the first time this summer. Following Dancefree we have Interdependence Day where campers will get to see friends and former staff from other F&W camps. We will offer up a song to the broader community, enjoy a huge F&W fire, and end the evening with a Contra Dance. 

 As the crescendo of the session approaches, spirits are high and we couldn’t be happier with this group of fantastic campers! Each camper bringing their own spirit to our program and having a deep impact on both their peers, our staff, and the wider Tamarack Farm community.  

July 14th

Camp-time is strange—both endless and accelerated. It’s hard to believe we’re at the half-way point of our first session. On one hand it feels like we just got here, and on the other it feels like we’ve always been here.  

Group development: we’re right on track! 

I love how groups are more than the sum of their parts—they become their own entity. And just as we can track the development of the individual across a lifespan, we can also track the development of a group from start to finish. You may be familiar with Tuckman’s model of group development: Forming, Storming, Norming Preforming, Adjourning. Our farmers have moved through Forming and Storming and are in the Norming/Preforming stage. (I predict that in a week, with four or so days of camp left in first session, we will begin to see signs of Adjourning.) We see this in the ways that campers are taking on leadership roles: working together to maintain our community spaces; taking ownership of parts of programming like singing, and generally, as they might say, “vibing.”  

A cornerstone of the Tamarack Farm program is Town Meeting. While all F&W camps have Silent Meeting, which comes from the Quaker Meeting for Worship, Tamarack Farm is the only camp that has Town Meeting, which comes from the Quaker Meeting for Business. It’s how we make a lot of decisions in our community, using a “fist-to-five” consensus model. Second year farmers serve as moderator, note taker, and time keeper. Everyone who lives at Tamarack Farm is invited, and everyone’s voice is weighted equally. Things can get real in Town Meeting. Importantly, Town Meeting is where the Storming gets processed.  

Working with teens at what we might call “peak adolescence” is such a balancing act. We set parameters and boundaries and then try to give them as much autonomy as possible within that container. I love the way the structure of Town Meeting allows for this. Last night we had our second town meeting of the summer and there was lively debate. I watched campers respectfully disagree, problem solve, and find compromises everyone could live with. The group was Preforming!  

Upcoming Big Events! 

We’re cooking up plans for several big hikes, long distance swims, in depth art projects, and performances. Immersion groups are heading out on an overnight soon! And staff are busy preparing for the end-of-session camp magic. We’re at cruising altitude, or in Tuckman’s terms, we’re Preforming. 

July 10, 2024 

On Thursday night, after a day and a half of orientation and settling into immersion groups, we gathered in the meeting circle for our community opening ceremony. The TF meeting circle is tucked into a clearing with a big old maple tree stretching over it. There is a ring of benches with just enough room for the whole community to gather. In the center there are some rock cairns, a stone bird bath, and an ever-changing array of wildflowers blooming. It feels both intentional and wild. We took turns placing our lit candles in the center of the meeting circle and stating our intentions for the community we were creating. Campers and staff committed to bringing “open-mindedness” “curiosity” “whimsy” “badassedness” “humor” “a strong work ethic” and “compassion.” We sang Crowded Table (originally by The Highwomen) and looked around the circle. 

At bedtime that night, walking through the cabin area there was soft talking, counselors reading bedtime stories, and a cozy vibe. 

This year we have a significant number of second year farmers (returning TF campers) and they have been tone-setting and graciously orienting our new campers. Tamarack Farm is the capstone F&W experience. I love the way our community is a blend of campers aging up from other F&W camps, first-time campers, and second year farmers. Our program goals of Belonging, Leadership, and Growth are evident from the moment campers begin arriving. And our second-year TF-ers will tell you that Belonging is our foundational goal—everyone in our community needs to feel that this place is theirs, that they are seen and valued, in order for this place to work. I am so proud of the ways our second-year farmers having been connecting with our first years to help them feel a sense of belonging at Tamarack Farm! 

On Friday morning we jumped into Immersions. The CAPs have been orienting to the other F&W camps here at Woodward and digging deep into leadership concepts and styles. Carpentry and Construction spent several hours learning to work safely with powertools and orienting to the worksite. They began laying the beams on the footings for the new cabin they are building at TF. Conservation and Sustainability (shortened to Eco) has been learning about native plant species, invasives, and hiking all over. Yesterday morning they removed invasive garlic mustard plants and made hummus with them. Arts has been making beeswax candles, sculptures and has begun needle felting pieces with wool from the farm. Our Agriculture and Homesteading crew got oriented to the farm and immediately took over morning barn chores. They have been working hard moving fences for rotational grazing, managing our TF Daily Greens Operation, and learning about soil health.   

Yesterday was our first “chill day” where campers could sleep in and have a slower day after our first several days of working hard. There was extended morning singing and an extra long silent meeting. One of the things I love about Tamarack Farm is the way we balance meaningful hard work with unstructured free time. I think teenagers are incredibly capable and we can tackle big projects and deep dives here in a way that is truly impressive to witness. And teens need self-directed time too—they need to hang out on the porch or at the waterfront, chatting and making friendship bracelets, practicing guitar, or throwing a frisbee around. I think we strike the balance well here, and it’s been great to see campers really getting to know each other! 

What an incredible first week-- we’re off to a great start!