It was a beautiful day of reunion, reconnection, and remembering! It was wonderful to see everyone who came out for the gathering — and we missed those of you who couldn’t make it!
So much gratitude to our storytelling host and coach Sheela Clary and all our amazing storytellers:
- Ravi Seibald, age 7, has been attending camp since 2023, starting as a Forest Kindergartener, and is now in our homeschooling program.
- Noah McCarter started as a homeschool student in 2002. He quickly became a leader in the community and stepped into the role of Summer Camp director after a decade of learning, playing, and teaching. His story was about being chased by an (imaginary) mountain lion.
- Valentina Luccardi was one of Flying Deer’s earliest summer campers and returned as a counselor in the early 2000s, soon becoming a beloved instructor. She’s now a mom of two and traveled from New Orleans to be part of this event.
- Nathaniel Walcott joined our homeschool program in 2011 and became a skilled peer mentor and instructor. He shared what’s it’s like to go back to a regular classroom after homeschooling at Flying Deer.
- Meg Agnew and Cindy Parrish are parents of former Flying Deer students and were participants in our Women in the Woods program. They have supported and inspired new programs at Flying Deer and nurtured its growth for the past 25 years. They told the story of supporting Flying Deer’s move to our home in East Chatham.
- Devin Franklin joined the Flying Deer team in 1997 and has been a dedicated mentor, friend, and community member ever since. You can read his story of Flying Deer’s beginnings here.
- Liam O’Gara started as a camper in 2009, graduated from the Sacred Fire rites-of-passage program, and became a cherished member of our staff.
- Marigold Matlin, age 10, has been a summer camper since 2020!
- Esme Ruiz, age 15, first came to Flying Deer as a camper at age 4! She’s now a staff member and a participant in our Luna Moth girls’ rites-of-passage program. She told us about a black bear sighting in the woods with Flying Deer!
- Tes Reed’s daughters began attending Flying Deer programs in 2003, and Tes started teaching her own programs in the woods soon after. She has served as a Flying Deer board member and staff member, and is currently the co-director of Luna Moth program. Tes spoke about the gifts she has received from Flying Deer.