Jennifer Omartian to direct AGBU Camp Nubar
Reveals plans for summer 2009
artian-to-direct-agbu-camp-nubar
Published: Wednesday April 08, 2009
New York – AGBU Camp Nubar has announced that Jennifer Omartian will
serve as the 2009 Camp Director. Jennifer first came to Camp Nubar,
located in the Catskill Mountain Region of New York, in 1993 and she
has returned yearly ever since. She began as a counselor for several
years before going on to serve as Activities Director, Girls Head
Counselor, and Assistant Director. No other director in the 46-year
history of Camp Nubar has spent more time at the Catskill camp than
Ms. Omartian, which is a clear indication of her passion for the
facility by idyllic Lake Arax.
The new Camp Director grew up in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, where she
attended St. Mark Church in neighboring Springfield, MA. She graduated
from James Madison University where she received her master’s degree
in Middle School Education. Ms. Omartian now resides in Virginia and
attends St. Mary Church in Washington, D.C. AGBU: What are your goals
and hopes for the summer?
Jennifer Omartian: Preparation is crucial for a safe and fun season. I
will ensure that counselors are prepared, qualified, and ready for
another successful summer.
I hope to see campers and counselors work alongside one another, to
grow as individuals and into one family. Campers learn from their
counselors, but counselors learn from their campers as well. Every
session has a unique blend of people from different places. I look
forward to seeing how each session will create its own set of memories
using the same resources and facilities.
AGBU: What are your favorite aspects of camp and do you have any
favorite memories?
JO: I love the anticipation that surrounds camp. Throughout the year,
campers and counselors anticipate the following summer, the friends
they will be reunited with, the bonds they will form and the memories
they will make. When camp begins, the campers and counselors anxiously
wait for their favorite camp event, whether it is an evening activity,
a carnival, or Color War. Throughout their camp careers, campers count
down the summers until they finally become a counselor.
I also love seeing the camp family within the greater Armenian
community. It is such a wonderful feeling to walk into church, a
basketball game, or a picnic and see campers and counselors so eager
to see each other and talk about camp.
My favorite camp memory was watching my very first group of G1 campers
mature every summer and then serve as counselors.
AGBU: What is your current occupation and what do you enjoy about it?
JO: I teach sixth-grade social studies in Fairfax County, Virginia. I
love the diversity at my school and the many challenges that it
presents on a daily basis. I teach students from all over the world
and it amazes me how they blend together and learn from each other
while maintaining pride in their own identity. I see this same sense
of pride in our campers. Camp Nubar excels at encouraging campers to
build a sense of pride in their personal and community identities. I
look forward to another amazing summer at Camp Nubar.
Founded in 1963, AGBU Camp Nubar is a first-rate modern facility that
has been highly ranked by the American Camp Association, American Red
Cross, and American Academy of Pediatrics.