A traditional summer camp for boys ages 7 to 15 in Waterford, ME
Staff Profiles
Will Alexander
Activities:
Lacrosse
Years Experience:
8
Hometown:
Cape Elizabeth, ME
Cabin:
Eagle's Nest
Joining the staff ranks this summer is long-time Birch Rocker Will Alexander. Will has been a loyal and faithful Birch Rocker since he was born. A young man committed to the ideals and values of the Rock, Will will use his talents on the field for a variety of activities including lacrosse.
A senior at Cape Elizabeth H.S., Will is a member of many varsity teams and also volunteers for his local fire department. Will is a certified lifeguard and graduate of the MWA program. Will has two other brothers at BRC! Will is a ski instructor at Sugarloaf USA.
Ryan Boothby
Activities:
Tennis
Years Experience:
7
Hometown:
Brewer, ME
Cabin:
1
Ryan joins the counseling staff of BRC after a successful CIT season and many summers of being a star camper. Ryan attends Brewer High School and his family has a long history of active service to the entire Birch Rock Community.
Versatile, athletic and always enthusiastic, Ryan will be on the field and working with the campers on team challenges, sportsmanship and skill development. Ryan will be in the Lower Camp area.
Jake Cahill
Activities:
Swimming and Kayaking
Years Experience:
7
Hometown:
Hopkington, MA
Cabin:
The Hilton
Jake is an outstanding Birch Rocker. His innate ability to listen, learn and reach out to help others makes him the perfect facilitator for our youngest campers. He is a senior at Westminster Academy and is captain of the varsity swim team.
Jake has been a camper, MWA graduate, CIT and now in his second season of staff. He is a certified Lifeguard and highly skilled swim instructor. Jake is a master on stage and shares a deep commitment to BRC. Jake will be teaching all levels of Red Cross Swimming this season and will also paddle the shores of Lake McWain.
Josh Church
Activities:
Woodshop
Years Experience:
9
Hometown:
Arundel, ME
The Birch Rock Community is delighted to have Josh back along with his wife Leila. Josh is a “Jack-of-all Trades.” He will be using his talents, creative spirit and ingenuity crafting some great projects in the Woodshop with the campers this season.
Josh works as an independent contractor, painter and landscaper in the Kennebunk/port areas.
Matt Clifford
Activities:
Swimming Head
Years Experience:
12
Hometown:
New York, NY
Cabin:
Pete's Palace
Get ready to splish, splash and enjoy the core fundamentals of swimming skills and being a true BRC gentleman. Matt Clifford returns to BRC for another season of top quality American Red Cross Swim Instruction and facilitation of the Long Distance Swimming Program.
A recent graduate of Brown University in RI, Matt speak a multitude of languages, is versatile in all forms of entertainment and delivers a story better than Mr. Rogers himself. This past year, Matt has been working on his Master’s in linguistics in Spain. In addition to the swim program, Matt also oversees the Senior Camper Program.
Joe Cohen
Activities:
Mountain Biking, MWA, and Campcraft
Years Experience:
8
Hometown:
Walla Walla, WA
Cabin:
2
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeee’s back! We are delighted Joe is returning with his talents and experience to head our Mtn Biking program and Campcraft. This past summer, Joe led trips for Camp Nor’wester in San Juan Islands in Washington State.
Joe attends Whitman College in WA majoring in history where he is captain of the rugby team. He is a certified Wilderness First Responder, CPR, Lifeguard and has extensive Wilderness Trip experience from BRC and other various venues. Joe hopes to pursue higher education as a teacher and/or Wilderness Professional.
Mike "Mystro" Davis
Activities:
Program Director, CIT Director, Riflery, and Music
Years Experience:
3
Hometown:
Auburn, ME
Cabin:
Lion's Den
Mike,“Mystro”, returns to Birch Rock Camp this season as the Program Director. He is also very excited to serve as the CIT Director again. In addition to guiding the CIT’s, Mystro will support the riflery program as well as initiate a bit of music around camp.
In the off-season he serves as music teacher for Sherwood Heights Elementary School in Auburn, Maine. Mystro, his wife Sue, and two sons Nicholas(10) and Caleb(8) are excited to return to Birch Rock for a third season. Mystro is completing his Master’s in Education Administration.
Sue Davis
Activities:
Art Director and Camp Store Manager
Years Experience:
3
Hometown:
Auburn, ME
Cabin:
Lion's Den
Sue returns to the BRC community for her third summer after serving as the Art Director. Thanks to her extraordinary creativity and artistic talent, Sue leads one of our most popular activities here at BRC.
Sue is a School Counselor for Fairview Elementary School in Auburn, Maine. Sue has her Master’s Degree in Education and Counseling. Sue is a Camp Mother and manages our camp store. Sue and Mystro reside here on campus.
Sam Deeran
Activities:
Trip Leader
Years Experience:
10
Hometown:
Falmouth, ME
Cabin:
The Kennel
Sam is back after a one-year hiatus. Sam ventured out West to Los Angeles where he made a crack at doing stand-up comedy. Now it’s off the freeway and into the free air of trip leadership at BRC. One of our prominent MWA graduates and campcraft gurus…..Sam is a certified trip leader and Wilderness First Aid master.
A native Mainer, Sam is a senior at Colby College where he is an English and American Studies Double Major. He also heads up the Colby Improv troupe. We look forward to his performance on Saturday night.
Rich Deering
Activities:
Alumni and Community Director
Years Experience:
39
Hometown:
South Portland, ME
Cabin:
Swordfish
Rich started attending Birch Rock at the age of 9. His mother was sure that he would come running home and instead he signed up for more. Rich was a camper for 6 summers before he moved into the staff ranks. He worked his way up from teaching Swimming to Waterfront Director to Head Counselor. Then after a few summers off, Rich returned as the Assistant Director for Brad Smith before taking over as the camp’s Director in 1995, a position he held until 2001. At this point, Rich used his amazing business talents to turn the organization of the camp’s business around. Thanks to Rich the camp has never been so strong.
Rich is a Maine native and a graduate of Colby College. He also earned a Masters in Adult Education and Counseling at the University of Southern Maine. Rich is responsible for the marketing, alumni development, external affairs and helps facilitate the Birch Rock community. He is the past President of Maine Youth Camping and a long-time member of the American Camping Association. Rich is also a Realtor with ReMax By the Bay covering residential real estate in Greater Portland and Western Maine.