By Jesse Herrnson
URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Alumni Committee Co-Chair
When I first came to Sci-Tech in 2014 as a pioneer camper, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious. I had just started to find a home at my other camp, to find people I could call friends. Then, my parents told me about a science and technology camp they thought I’d love and, like many in our community, I was scared by the concept of change.
Now, looking back on thirteen years of camp history and thirteen years at Gov’s, I can safely say that my parents were right. There’s a phrase that’s thrown around a lot at Sci-Tech by campers — “I found my people”. Sci-Tech has provided for me and many other former and current campers a place where they can authentically be themselves, discover and learn new things, and find their people. Camp has changed a lot in our thirteen year lifespan, like how we’ve undergone experimentation in our programming with the evolution of Trip Day to Cohort Day and ultimately Quest Day. We’ve also survived a pandemic with astounding virtual programming and had to contend with staffing changed from generation to generation. We’ve changed how we integrate Judaism and our values at camp. And yet, throughout all the change, that concept of “finding your people”, of creating a space for those who wouldn’t otherwise have it, has never become less of a priority.
This past weekend was our annual Alumni Weekend. As it was our thirteenth summer, we themed the event as a B’Mitzvah party for both our camp and our director, Jayme Dale Mallindine, who converted to Judaism as an adult. We hosted 100 former staff, campers, and others in our camp community, including multiple former assistant directors; we had the honor of hearing Jayme called to the Torah for the first time as a Bat Mitzvah, and she read Torah along with our other two former Directors, Rabbi Dan Medwin and founding Director Greg Kellner. Our wonderful JLife team put together a beautiful service showcasing photos from throughout our camp history and highlighting the memories and traditions that make our community unique.
As our camp reaches the age of Jewish maturity, we are also faced with another scary change: saying goodbye to Governor’s Academy, our home of thirteen years, and moving to the Westtown School in Pennsylvania to merge with our sister camp, 6 Points Creative Arts. This change likely will have large implications on our community, on our culture, and on our traditions as we combine everything we do with Arts. But, as I look forward towards this change, I have nothing but confidence in our community’s ability to face it head on. I find myself reflecting on what Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the URJ, discussed at services this weekend. He spoke about the command “Lech Lecha”, meaning “Go forth”, that God gave to Abraham, and how it is always scary to face a change head on. Moreover, he discussed how scientific progress cannot continue without experimentation and hypotheses. New discoveries cannot be made without constant curiosity and genuine courage. An, it is only when we face that change that we can finally begin to move forward.
Jesse Herrnson is a pioneer camper and former counselor, song leader and program director at URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech. Currently he is the co-head of the Alumni Committee with Sarah Moreno. He is a recent graduate of Wesleyan University and is a software engineer at PWC in Boston, MA.