Nature Summer Camp Staff

Camp Co-Directors

Jeff Mazur, (he/him) Environmental Educator

Jeff is a curious naturalist whose enthusiasm and wonder for nature is infectious. Jeff leads his programs with a joyful heart, intentional communication, and a high level of physical energy. Being outdoors with children and fostering their sense of adventure and play in nature is his passion, and it shows, as kids flock around him, eager to play.

Prior to joining the Hitchcock Center, Jeff worked for Mass Audubon as a teacher/naturalist and created his own afterschool program called “Into the Woods” for the Lexington Montessori School. When not at the Hitchcock Center, Jeff can be found spending time with his wife and children, in the woods keeping a keen lookout for mushrooms, swimming at Puffer’s Pond, biking or tending his garden.

Monya Relles (they/them) Environmental Educator

Monya has been working at Hitchcock Summer camp since 2019. Some of their favorite summer camp activities are parachute games, sun prints, and catching and studying pond critters. Monya is especially interested in integrating environmental justice and climate change education into their lessons. Monya organizes dances and fosters kittens in their free time and if they’re lost, you can almost always find them dancing or outside in the sunshine.

Alanna Johnston-Rutledge (she/her or they/them) Environmental Educator
Alanna began working at The Hitchcock Center as a camp counselor in the summer of 2022. Growing up in Western Mass, she had a love of nature from a young age. She studied art and education and has spent the past eight years working in childcare as an educator, nanny, and as a behavioral therapist in California public schools. She is also a landscape painter and especially loves sharing art with the children she works with. Alanna also loves writing, travel, swimming, reading, and spending time with animals of all sizes and shapes.

Camp Counselors

CHICKADEE CAMP

Fiona Jarvis (They/She)

Fiona is thrilled to be returning to the Hitchcock Center for their second year this summer. In past years, Fiona has worked as a counselor at an urban farming camp in their home neighborhood in NYC, and as a child caretaker striving towards empathetic trauma informed care hinging on natural/artistic themes. She has been described as an enthusiastic communicator for plants and animals, and loves approaching the outside world with curiosity and a willingness to notice the small details. Fiona is a visual arts student at Hampshire College, and they love drawing and making up silly songs and stories!

Virginia Wardlaw (They/them)

Virginia is very excited to return for their third summer as a Hitchcock Camp Counselor. In addition to working as a counselor Virginia grew up as a Hitchcock camper, and junior counselor. Virginia is entering their fourth, and final year at Hampshire College focussing on Environmental Education. When they are not in class, Virginia enjoys participating in local community theatre, and birding around the Connecticut River Valley. Virginia is looking forward to exploring the Hitchcock Center nature trails, tromping about the Nature Discovery Play Yard, and making meaningful memories this summer.

CHIPMUNKS

Fiona Jarvis (They/She)

Virginia Wardlaw (They/them)

GREY SQUIRRELS

Luca Lauer (they/them)

Luca grew up going every year to a summer nature camp in their small Massachusetts hometown, and fell in love with being outdoors! A graduate from UMass Amherst with a Masters in Teaching Italian, they have 4 years of experience teaching language, and they are looking forward to combining their love of the environment for their love of educating. Outside of camp, you can probably find them dancing, foraging for fruit, or playing board games with their loved ones. In their first year at the Hitchcock Center, Luca hopes to inspire the same love of the natural world that originally captivated them many years ago.

Adam Mazur (He/Him) (Sessions 2 & 3)

Adam is returning to the Hitchcock Center for his second year as a counselor. Adam can often be found prancing through the fields outside of his house in Amherst and swimming in local ponds and rivers. He has been going to the Hitchcock Center since he was a Red Fox, and has since been a CIT and JC for the Grey Squirrels. Adam has also volunteered teaching kids in preschool through third grade (including in Guatemala). Adam is a rising sophomore at Wesleyan University, where he enjoys studies environmental science, immigrant rights, dance, ceramics and more. He is looking forward to spending another summer with the Hitchcock community.

Alexa Pirnie (She/Her)

Alexa started with the Hitchcock Center in February and is thrilled to see what this summer will bring! She’s spent the past four years working as a SPED Paraprofessional locally in Springfield, and Phoenix, Arizona. She’s enjoyed spending her summers teaching art classes to children. Alexa is passionate about working with children and bringing creativity into everything she does- whether it’s through nature, face painting, or balloon twisting! Alexa is very outgoing, enthusiastic, and loves spending time outdoors. When she isn’t gardening or spending time with friends and family, you can find Alexa at home with her cats, who always keep things interesting.

Sadie Bromberg (She/Her) (Sessions 1, 4, & 5)

Sadie is thrilled to be joining the Hitchcock Center for her first year this summer. In past summers she has worked as an Intern with Montana Fish & Wildlife Parks, and has almost a decade of combined work at SHOW Circus Studio and Circus Smirkus summer camps. Sadie is a recent graduate from Skidmore College with a degree in Political Science and Environmental Studies, an ultimate frisbee lover, avid baker and chef, and outdoor enthusiast. She is looking forward to fostering a supportive and engaging camp environment this summer!

RED FOXES

Sarah (Sar) Vener (she/they)

Sar is thrilled to be joining the Hitchcock Center for their first summer! Growing up in upstate New York, surrounded by the Adirondack Mountains, they developed a deep respect and love for the natural world. They are passionate about sharing that love by creating joyful, exploratory experiences in nature for children. In the past, they have worked as a camp counselor, ski instructor, zip line guide, and classroom teacher. In Sar’s free time, they can be found running, reading by the Mill River, hiking in the White Mountains, and spending time with friends and family. They look forward to a summer full of joy, wonder, and gratitude.

Julie Cozine (She/Her)

Julie is excited for her first year as a Nature Summer Camp counselor following years as a junior counselor, counselor in training, and camper herself here at the Hitchcock Center! Julie has also assisted with the Nature Play Afterschool Program for several years. With a love for the outdoors from an early age, she is now pursuing a degree in environmental science. Julie enjoys going on long hikes, camping, tending her garden, creating art, and playing softball in her spare time. She looks forward to sharing her love of nature with this year’s campers.

Scout Wittmier (They/them)

Scout is excited to join the Hitchcock Center for their first year this summer. Scout has worked as a counselor at several summer camps, and last year was a nature counselor who enthusiastically led hikes and taught campers about wildlife and plants. They just graduated with a history degree at UMass Amherst, and are returning to complete a master’s program in education. Scout’s favorite past times include wandering the woods, drawing, playing guitar, and caring for their spoiled bunny.

BLACK BEARS

Sadie Bromberg (She/Her) (Sessions 2 & 3)

Christopher Aas (He/They/She)

Christopher has been coming to the Hitchcock Center since they were 6 months old (a big fan of nature storytime), and has stuck around ever since. They have been a Junior Counselor over the past Summers and vacation weeks and a Counselor-in-Training prior to that. Christopher is very active, training in Kung-Fu for the past 8 years, and likes to stay on the move. In the Fall, they will be starting their first year at Pomona College in Southern California, with an interest in studying theater, biology, and psychology. But first, they are excited to be returning to the Hitchcock community, this time as a counselor.

Isaiah T. Brown (He/Him) (Sessions 1, 4, & 5) Environmental Educator

As far back as he can recall, Isaiah has been immersed in the wonders of nature. Growing up in the biomes of New England, learning and immersing in nature through Mass Audubon and Scouts BSA, he has developed an appreciation for the beauty and creativity of the natural world. A recent graduate of Hampshire College focusing on environmental science/studies, and with experience as a Scouts BSA Nature Counselor, Isaiah is eager to re-explore the world of environmental education. If he’s not spotting birds of prey in the sky or buried in the woods identifying animals, Isaiah is always active! He understands the importance of movement, always finding ways to nurture his physical well-being. When it comes time to relax, meditating, eating food, listening to music, and spending time with his friends and family are grounding and help to recharge his center. In his first year at The Hitchcock Center, Isaiah’s hope for this Summer is to foster the same wonder and excitement he has found in nature in the minds of this year’s youth.

LEADERSHIP TRAINING CAMP

Isaiah T. Brown (He/Him) Environmental Educator

Monya Relles (they/them) Environmental Educator

TEEN ADVENTURE CAMP

Isaiah T. Brown (He/Him) Environmental Educator

Monya Relles (they/them) Environmental Educator

Camp Support

Katie Koerten (she/her) Education Director

Since first becoming a summer camp counselor at Hitchcock in 2007, Katie has instructed just about all the educational programs Hitchcock has to offer, from elementary school field trips to college orientations, summer camp to teacher professional development. Katie is especially proud of founding and instructing a nature play afterschool program called Girls into the Wild, serving as a space for 4th – 6th grade girls and other children of marginalized genders to play, be wild, and explore nature. As someone who is in daily awe of nature, Katie strives to
infuse curiosity and amazement in all her programs, no matter the audience.

One of Katie’s core beliefs that she leads with in all projects is the understanding that all people deserve to feel a sense of belonging in the outdoors, and at Hitchcock. Whether it’s in local classrooms, at community events, on Hitchcock’s grounds or in our offices, Katie champions work and ideas that unpack and dismantle barriers of access.

Share this page with friends!