Over 350 combined years of Ivy League Day Camp experience
Rick Schmid, our Head Counselor will be making sure that everyone has Big League Fun in 2010. Rick has done it all at IL. He drove a bus, was the Athletic Director, Special Events Coordinator and Group Leader before becoming our Head Counselor. In total Rick has been with Ivy League for 31 years and loves every minute of it! Rick has been in education for over 26 years and is currently the Director of Athletics and Health & Physical Education Supervisor in the Keyport School District. He enjoys spending time with his family at the beach. His wife Tammie has worked at Ivy League as an Athletic Specialist and currently is an ILDC Fantasy Camp Counselor. His children, Justin and Kaitlyn have grown up at Ivy League and Justin will be working at Ivy League this summer in athletics.
This is Audrey Gold's 24th year at Ivy League. Audrey spent 5 years as a Counselor and this will be her 19th year as our Spirit & Special Events Coordinator. During the winter you will find Audrey in the office preparing for the summer, booking lots of terrific trips and fun entertainment. Big League Fun does not happen on its own. Audrey and her husband Mark have two children Brad and Amanda. Both have enjoyed many memorable years of Big League Fun at Ivy League.
Janis Ventre returns for her 12th summer at Ivy League. Janis worked 5 years as a counselor in the Pre-School Division. This will be Janis' 7th summer at Ivy League. This summer she will be the leader of the Mini Day Division and the Pre-School Division. Janis has been teaching for 12 years and is currently teaching in Staten Island, NY. Janis and her husband Roy have 2 children, Scott and Melissa, who both attended Ivy League. Her son Scott will be a senior counselor this summer.
Monica Tobio is back for her 9th summer. She served as the Music and Movement teacher for 2 summers and this will be her 7th summer as the Lower Division Leader. Monica has been teaching for 19 years and is currently teaching 3rd grade at Clark Mills School in Manalapan where she was chosen Teacher of the Year for 2007. Monica and her husband Joe have 2 children, Courtney and Matthew, who both attend Ivy League. They are all very excited to be at camp. In her spare time, Monica enjoys good music, songwriting, and spending time with family and friends. She especially loves the Ivy League friends that she’s made over the past couple of years.
Sharon Katzanek is our Middle Division Leader. Sharon will be back for her 19th summer of Ivy League Fun. She was a Middle Division Counselor for 8 years and this will be her 11th summer as the Middle Division Leader. Sharon has been teaching for over 21 years and is currently teaching in Elizabeth, NJ. Sharon and her husband Stu have 2 daughters, Kate and April, who both attended Ivy League. Sharon loves to collect earrings. You will always be able to tell what is going on at camp by looking at Sharon's “ears”.
This is Jeff Sheiner’s 6th summer at Ivy League. For Jeff’s first 2 summers he was a Water Safety Instructor and an Athletic Specialist. Jeff returns to us for his 4th year as the Leader for the Upper Division. Prior to working at Ivy League he was a Group Leader for 11 years at a local private day camp. Jeff presently is a Special Education teacher in Franklin Township where he has taught grades 4-12. He has been teaching there for the last 28 years. In the evenings Jeff works with developmentally disabled adults, which he has been doing for the past 24 years. Jeff is married and has 2 daughters. Jeff is an avid skier and exercise enthusiast. He also enjoys photography and reading. He looks forward to camp every summer. He fully believes that a positive camp experience can have a helpful, long lasting and beneficial impact on all his campers.
Lindsay Singer is the Division Leader for the Grads. She has been a part of every program here since she was born, making this her 26th summer at IL! She has been a counselor for the Upper, Grad, and Post Grad divisions in the past. This will be her 5th summer as the Grad Leader. She loves coming to camp everyday and looks forward to the exciting trips. During the school year Lindsay teaches 6th grade Science and Social Studies at Pine Brook. She spends her free time playing soccer and going to Broadway!
Howie Gandelman will be back for his 9th summer of Big League Fun. Howie heads up our CAP Program. Coming from New York with his family to the area, he brings 27 years of fortified experience. His experience ranges from being a superb counselor, outstanding counselor trainer, and a well-rounded supervisor, that includes directing a Sports Camp. In addition, Howie is not the only one in his family enjoying the Big League Fun; his daughter Erynn and son Isaac experience the enthusiasm as well.
Eric Silverman is the Division Leader for the L.I.T.’s. This is his 25th summer at Ivy League. He has been a Senior Counselor in Lower, Middle, and CAPS divisions. During the school year, Eric teaches 5th grade in Monroe. His favorite pastimes are reading and watching the Mets, Jets, and Devils.
Gloria Lemonick, our Office Manager, started working at Ivy League Day Camp 40 years ago as a part time typist. She has held the position of Office Manager for 37 years. She lives in Manalapan with her husband Charles (Chick) to whom she has been happily married to for 52 years. Her 3 children grew up at ILDC as campers and staff. Now her grandchildren love attending camp.
Neal Felsen, our long time Transportation Director is now in his 39th season making sure that our campers arrive and get home safely every day. He is a retired New York City High School teacher and has spent more years working at Ivy League then he did in his “real” job. Both of his daughters, Becky and Mara attended and worked at Ivy League. His 2½ year old granddaughter, Deana is very special to him. When he is not at Ivy League, he spends time “tearing up” some of the finest golf courses in the world.
This is Meryl Fischer’s 18th summer at Ivy League. She has been the Creative
Supervisor for 3 years and the Handicraft teacher for 15 years. Meryl’s two children, Matthew and Genna, grew up at Ivy League. During the winter Meryl teaches at the Ivy League Pre-School.
Frank Gualtieri serves as our Camp Athletic Supervisor and is in his 17th season at Ivy League Day Camp. He spent 11 years as a Sports Specialist prior to accepting the Sports Supervisor position. Frank is a Health and Physical Education teacher at Freehold Township High School and is a Baseball coach for the Freehold Patriots. A former college baseball pitcher, Frank lives in Brick and loves all sports, going to the beach, the gym and working with children.
Valerie Rogers returns to camp for her 6th summer. Her first two summers at Ivy League were spent teaching mini day, pre-school and lower division campers to swim. This will be Valerie’s 4th summer as the Waterfront Supervisor. Valerie has been a Water Safety Instructor for over 21 years, and has worked for the American Red Cross as a Health & Safety Director for numerous years. She still volunteers for the Jersey Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross. She has been a teacher for the past 14 years, and is currently teaching 5th grade in Keyport as well as coaching Keyport’s Middle School Field Hockey team and running the Student Council. Valerie spends her free time playing softball and rugby. Her daughter Kristina loves being a camper at Ivy League and asks throughout the winter when she can go back!