Reunion Weekend 2025 - September 5-7 

Whether you are a Leaf member or not, please join September 5-7, 2025 at Camp Airy.

Reunion Weekend is open to alum who have been inducted into the Order of the Leaf or are at least three years beyond their CIT summer or their first summer on staff.

Registration is open! 

Tinyurl.com/Leaf2025

Greetings  and salutations from Baltimore and Thurmont as we get ready to commence our 101st summer at Camp Airy.  And what better way could there be to celebrate the start of our second century than by cutting the ribbon on our new dining hall!?!

We are proud to continue our trend of high retention of both staff and campers. There is a wonderful culture at Camp Airy, and Leaf one of the great role models of our special camp spirit. It really does feel like home.

As always, we appreciate help in spreading the word about two upcoming events… Camper in Training day on Sunday, July 13, and Order of the Leaf reunion weekend on September 5-7, 2025.

I would be remiss if did not give a shout out to the year-round Airy-Louise team that has helped us get ready for this summer, as well as the Order of the Leaf officers who are always ready to support Camp through its projects and outreach.

Hopefully our paths will cross on the hill in the near future.

Best, 

Marty

Leaf Shabbat Across the United States

Throughout the past few months, members of the Order of the Leaf have been hosting small-scale community shabbats for members of the Camp alumni family. We partnered with OneTable, an online and in-person community empowering people to find, enjoy, and share Shabbat dinners. This partnership enabled us to provide funding for these dinners. 

Ultimately, we've engaged over 50 individuals across five different cities/communities. In LA, New York, Baltimore, DC, and Alexandria, we've been happy to bring together alumni. 

This continues our goal of bringing Leaf to you and your communities throughout the year. 

-- Dan Alpert

Pickleball Palooza!

Imagine the sweet pinging of yellow, holey spheres, the backdrop of the most beautiful venue in the state and being amongst friends for a few hours of exercise, fun and laughter. Everyone stayed hydrated and satiated with an assortment of healthy and sweet snacks.

The Order of the Leaf held its first-ever Pickleball Day at Camp Airy on June 1. The event was a huge success. Players of all ages and levels turned out for a beautiful day of play, skill building and socialization. 

Thanks to everyone who attended! We're hoping to make this an annual event!

-- Linda Esterson

Here's to Summer 2025!

Leaf’s Mission Remains Sweet and Cheesy

As we all know, working at Camp Airy is one of the best experiences that one could have.  However, even a great job like working at camp can be difficult at times and tiring as counselors are asked to care for campers 24 hours a day. Therefore, the mission of the Order of the Leaf for the past several years has been to show the staff our appreciation for their outstanding work making the next generation of campers have the best summers imaginable.

During the year, Leaf sponsors several events to raise money for these staff appreciation efforts.  All the proceeds from the spades league, Leaf and Lager, the pickleball event and others help to pay for our contributions to camp.

Some traditions never change at camp and Rocky’s pizza is still going strong in Thurmont.  Leaf will buy pizza for a special staff appreciation event in Week 6 that all the staff look forward to all summer.  Also, during turnover, Leaf will provide a special dessert to celebrate the staff and the new inductees to the Order of the Leaf.

As a seasonal staff member, I get to witness firsthand the impact of these staff appreciation efforts. The staff really do appreciate the gesture and the positive vibes permeate throughout the mountain. And they are always hungry, so food is always a good choice..  Thank you to everyone who made a contribution this year.  If you would like to make a donation, you always can follow this link.

-- Adam Clay

Dr. Josh Fine has been cleaning up awards and nominations this year like it’s Olympic inspection.  Josh is a principal in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) at Flower Hill Elementary.  He recently won the Mark Mann Excellence and Harmony Award for the 2024-25 school year.  This award goes to an MCPS administrator who has shown exceptional performance in promoting academic excellence, positive human relations and community outreach. Under his leadership at Flower Hill Elementary - students are thriving. All students are making impressive gains in reading proficiency, there’s been a huge drop in suspension rates, and teacher retention rates are significantly higher this year.

In addition to winning this award, Josh is also a finalist for The Washington Post Principal of the Year.

“My approach to school leadership was very much learned at camp,” Josh explained. “From the values we learned on the mountain to the creativity it inspired.  Nurturing individuality, building a family-like atmosphere, and challenging children to further their independence.  At my elementary school we have a `Let’s Make a Deal' assembly. We welcome each other `home' after long breaks. But, most importantly, we value each child.” 

Fine also values his camp friendships.  “Also, my CIT class and camp friends continue to be my professional sounding board, my support network, and, slowly, the only ones that continue to get my humor.  I’m very thankful for the connections I formed at Camp Airy.”

— Adam Clay

Play Ball! Mark Fine Joins Hometown Orioles as 

Chief Marketing Officer

Before joining the Orioles, Mark built an impressive resume in sports with stints at the New York Mets, Brooklyn Nets and most recently, the Professional Bull Riders league (PBR), where he helped grow the visibility of western sports. 

“I loved PBR, the lifestyle has become so popular, but fan intensity in baseball is on another level,” he notes. “Everything you post comes under a microscope.” He has consistently found true joy in marketing and in working for brands people care deeply about.

A proud alum of camp, Mark credits the last four summers at camp (2021-2024) as a volunteer as a key part of his personal and professional balance. “Camp has helped me stay grounded. I’ve met new friends, reconnected with old ones and value those relationships so much,” he shares. 

He also offers advice to those pursuing a career in sports. “It’s a competitive industry, there’s more to it than just working for a team. Be open, have a great attitude, and always be learning.” 

Mark will return to camp July 4th weekend and looks forward to reconnecting with the camp family, once again, for a fifth consecutive summer.  

-- Zach Mittelman

ReLeaf Is on the Way: Order of the Leaf Alumni Reunion Returns September 5–7! 

Treasurer's Report

This year has started off well. Here are some recent highlights:

Leaf Weekend: We just paid the deposit for the 2025 weekend. In the next few weeks we will be sending out the signup form. Many groups of people have already reached out to sponsor activities throughout the weekend. With your help this will be an amazing weekend!

Pickleball Round Robin: On June 1, we hosted the first ever Order of the Leaf Pickleball Round Robin. Thanks to Camp Airy for hosting and those who attended, we were able to raise money for Order of the Leaf. 

Taste of Leaf Cookbook: In the next few weeks we will be sending out the recipe form for the soon-to-be-published Order of the Leaf Cookbook. Feel free to share your favorite recipes!  Once we collect recipes and are ready to print, we will send out the cookbook order form. Anyone who donates a recipe will earn a discounted price for the final cookbook. We look forward to trying out all of the recipes that are shared.  

—Stephen Tonelson

Accounts

Total Cash and Bank $14,196.38

Other Assets $0

Long-Term Assets    $0

Total    $14,196.38

Liabilities

Total Current Liabilities       $0

Total Long-Term Liabilities  $0

Total Liabilities $0

Equity 

Total Other Equity    $0

Total Retained Earnings      $14,196.38

Total Equity $14,196.38

Camp Airy Order of the Leaf Officers 2024-2026

President: Dan Alpert

Vice President: Jason Smulson

Secretary: Linda Esterson

Executive Secretary: Adam Clay

Treasurer: Stephen Tonelson

Members at Large: Zach Mittelman, Ryan Pine

Want to support the efforts of the Order of the Leaf? Make a contribution today.