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Jess Jeffery RN
Co-Creator/ Counselor
Jess Jeffery has lived and worked in the Adirondacks for 18 years. She worked as a backcountry ranger in the Eastern High Peaks Wilderness Area for 7 years. Has worked and lived at North Country School for 7 years as a nurse and houseparent. She started the Outdoor Leadership Program this year and is the head of the Equity and Inclusion student group who have worked diligently to build this camp. She is certified in Wilderness Advanced Life Support and teaches Wilderness First Aid and CPR/ First Aid.
Mirna Valerio
Guest Speaker/ Educator
Mirna Valerio is a native of Brooklyn, NY, a former educator, cross-country coach, ultrarunner, obstacle course enthusiast, and author of the recently published memoir, A Beautiful Work in Progress. Although she began running in high school, she recommitted to the sport after a health scare in 2008. It was then that her love for running and all its attendant benefits were reignited. She soon started her blog Fatgirlrunning, about her experiences as a larger woman in a world of thinner athletes. Mirna's athletic story was featured in the WSJ, Runner’s World, on the NBC Nightly News, CNN, on the CW Network, and in the viral REI-produced documentary short, The Mirnavator. Her writing has been featured in Women’s Running Magazine, Self Magazine Online, Outside Online, and Runner's World Magazine. Most recently, she was chosen as a 2018 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year.
Erica Burns
Educator
Erica grew up on a hobby farm in the Genesee Valley, where her family raised sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, cattle, and horses. As a child, she learned to ride both English and Western, participating in Pony Club, small rodeos, and 4-H. These formative experiences were transformative and have influenced how she has chosen to raise her own children. Erica holds an associate’s from SUNY Cobleskill in equine studies, and a bachelor’s from Franklin Pierce University in business management. While living in Saratoga Springs, Erica rode and groomed polo ponies, and worked on a 300-horse thoroughbred farm. For the past five years, Erica has lived in Keene with her husband and children. At North Country School, she hopes to help develop a healthy, well-rounded herd that will be used for a majority of the year, as well as a program where students can combine the fundamentals of riding with the important details of daily horse care and basic health understanding. She would like our students to have the rewarding experiences associated with riding, but also to learn to care for and be compassionate towards the animals they are learning to maneuver and partner with. For Erica, it’s a big picture: health, riding, and a solid relationship with the horse.
Tess Faller
Educator
Tess grew up in rural New Hampshire and fell in love with gardening at a young age. Since her early teenage years, she’s worked on organic farms in New England, the Pacific Northwest, and abroad. Her passion for farming has led her to study biodynamic agriculture in Ireland, practice permaculture in Argentina and Chile, and teach students of all ages about organic growing. Before joining the North Country School and Camp Treetops community, Tess spent five years managing College of the Atlantic’s Beech Hill Farm, a 73-acre organic production and educational farm in coastal Maine. In between farm seasons, Tess has worked as a middle school teacher and has taught yoga in the Bahamas, Ireland, New York, and Oregon. When she’s not out in the garden, she enjoys reading, hiking, swimming, drawing, drinking coffee, and spending time with her cat Huckleberry and her extended family in the Adirondacks.
Ellie Rabinowitz
Educator
Elie graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a BA in psychology and in Spanish language, literature, and culture; he has taught Spanish and English as a Second Language for grades 6-12 in Arizona and Massachusetts. In 2011 he earned an MA in education from the University of Arizona. Elie has coached middle and high school sports (baseball, softball, and cross-country) and co-led international and domestic trips for students. He is joined at NCS by his wife Becca Miller. Elie loves being outside, whether hiking, paddling, backpacking, or skiing, and is also passionate about all things food: growing, preparing, and eating.
Inyene Bell
Co-Creator/ Counselor
Inyene Bell is an 8th-grade student at North Country School. She has a passion for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and is part of the DEI student group that has worked diligently to create this camp. She also created the Independent EI class at her school so she could have more time to work on the camp and to make her own school more inclusive. She is a student in the Outdoor leadership program and is CPR certified.
Courtney Allen
Educator
Courtney earned her bachelor’s in theater at the University of the South and her master’s in educational theater at New York University. She began teaching theater during summer camp, then moved to the classroom. Since 2003, Courtney has taught theater, English, ESL, and social studies in public and private schools in Pennsylvania, New York, and Florida. She also founded Vital Voices, a non-profit theater program for at-risk youth in New York City, and has built theatre programs that focus on cross-curricular connections. During her teaching career, she has built theatre programs and created theatre curriculums that focus on cross-curricular connections and social justice. When not teaching or directing, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband Chris and daughters Rosalie, Claire, and Eleanore.
Lydia Collins
Guest Speaker/ Educator
Lydia N Collins is a medical librarian and educator dedicated to increasing health awareness in communities of color. She has always enjoyed exploring the outdoors, yet in recent years became ill which limited her mobility. Although often challenging to enjoy the outdoors, Lydia finds ways to do so and challenges others to do the same.
Marcos Fernandez
Educator/ Counselor
I was born In New York City, making it difficult to connect to Nature. I was fortunate enough to have parents that wanted to go camping. I joined with Nature when my father and mother took my brother and me on weekend camping getaways. I enjoyed walking in the woods while pretending to be an explorer with my brother. As I got older, my parents decided to send us to North Country School during the academic year and Camp treetops in the summer. At NCS, students go on a trip every Saturday. Students go Hiking, Rock and Ice Climbing, Skiing through the weekend program. One time I even went out into the Adirondack park to be “Zero Heroes” camping in below zero weather because I thought it would be fun. Because of North Country School’s weekend program, I grew more confident in the outdoors and myself. My connection to the outdoors only grew when I left NCT. I made it a point to participate in an array of outdoor education, which ultimately brought me to Northland College. I would go to graduate with a BS in geology. I have an immense appreciation for the NCT campus, and I hope to pass on the stoke I have for the outdoors with others from all backgrounds.
Peggy Merkus
Chef
Chef Peggy Jenice Merkus was born in Suriname, South America. She started cooking with her dad when she was 8 years old. Chef Peggy uses the freshest ingredients as possible and every meal is made with love. She enjoys watching the sunrise and nature walks which allow her to relax and regroup.
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