Dear Camp Jeanne d’Arc Community,
We have lots to share in this issue of Blue Sparks! Sandy and Randy Abbott celebrated ten years of Puerto Rico reunions, we have a great interview with alum Marisa Pujals, a recap of camp parties, a fun top five reasons the Adirondack are best, and words of remembrance for two legendary Jeanne d’Arc alum. So, cozy up with a cup of tea and a fluffy blanket, and harken back to the days of summer camp with us!
Best,
Liz Bateman Rambo
History of PR at Camp
This year, we celebrated ten years of Randy and Sandy visiting Puerto Rico! Over 75 people were welcomed by CJDA alum Caroline McConnie and her family including fifteen returning campers, six new campers about to begin their JDA journey, five prospective families, and three alumni!
As we reflected on this milestone, we wondered about the history of Puerto Rican campers and CJDA. The origin of Camp Jeanne d’Arc included the desire to bring together girls from all over the world. This desire, in part, came from worldwide political unrest as Camp Jeanne d’Arc was founded on the heels of World War I. CJDA founder, Ruth Israel McIntrye (or “Colonel,” to JDAers), felt passionately about the beauty of our common humanity and wanted to create a place where true friendships across borders could form and thrive. She believed these bonds could be agents for worldwide change!
According to Colonel’s daughter-in-law and longtime CJDA owner, Fran McIntyre, “Colonel’s dream was to bring together girls from different countries so they would get to know one another… Her first ‘foreign’ campers were Cubans. It was easy for them to get to Miami and board the train to New York.”
While Cubans were the first international campers, the culture of international inclusion was growing at Camp. Fran noted, “From there, campers began to learn about CJDA in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela etc. Colonel got her wish! (With lots of help from alum!).”
Continue here to read more about how Camp Jeanne d’Arc has welcomed campers from Puerto Rico for decades!
Alum Spotlight Marisa Pujals
I was so happy to connect with Marisa Pujals about her summers at Camp Jeanne d’Arc in 1993 and 1996. She had always heard her mom’s stories about camp and when she began her own camp journey, she felt like she was “living a story.”
Marisa’s mother, Maribel, spent several summers at CJDA in the 1960s and her great aunt Teresa de la Haba even prior. They shared with Marisa stories of cabin life, the beautiful Adirondack landscape, learning new things, and growing in confidence. She told Marisa about long standing CJDA traditions like 4th of July and Campfire plus all the wonderful friends she had made.
As a young nine-year old, Marisa decided to spend her entire summer with a group of ten friends from Puerto Rico at camp, and when she finally found herself in the Parrot cabin, everything her mom had told her was true, and even better than the stories! Her cabin mates were from all over the world- Canada, Mexico, US, France and more… all there to have a blast and meet new friends.
Camp Jeanne d’Arc instilled a sense of belonging in a true global sense. Marisa told me that “my first summer I was there for seven weeks! Camp became a second family to me, a family that celebrated me for who I was and welcomed me from day one.” It was also a safe place to try new things and discover hidden talents. Excelling in new activities like archery and riflery, participating in camp talent shows, singing campfire songs, and making life-long friends was a great journey of self-discovery. Camp was not only fun, but also a special space to build a young girl’s confidence.
Confidence was a key driver of Marisa’s success in life. She graduated from Villanova University with degrees in finance and marketing and started her career in marketing at Procter & Gamble. From there, Marisa carved a professional space in advertising and brand strategy in New York and leading advertising agencies in Puerto Rico. In 2010, Marisa became a mom to Elena, and Alejandro in 2015. She later moved to Chile for a couple of years with her family to continue taking advantage of professional opportunities. In 2021, they moved back to Puerto Rico, where Marisa now leads her own strategy consulting firm.
When Marisa’s daughter, Elena, reached camper-age, she too was eager to repeat history and spent her summer at Camp Jeanne d’Arc, like her mom and grandma! As a fourth-generation camper, Elena will go back for her fifth season as an Owl! Marisa believes the best gift she could give Elena is spending summers at CJDA.
At the end of our conversation, we talked about all the tools this generation of girls will need to live successful and fulfilled lives and how Camp Jeanne d’Arc is a great way to invest in our daughters. I could feel the passion in Marisa’s voice as she explained that just as she invests in her daughter’s education, she also invests in her self-esteem, confidence, and in her ability to create a happy, healthy future.
I laughed as I asked – Marisa, can you be my mom?
Thank you for sharing your camp story with us, Marisa. And I couldn’t agree more – camp truly is a gift to our kids!
Camp Jeanne d’Arc Honors Two Legends
This quarter Camp Jeanne d’Arc was saddened to hear of the passing of two CJDA legends, Molly Scanlan Kelly and Judy Noreault.
Molly Scanlan Kelly passed away on August 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. Molly was a camper and counselor at Camp Jeanne d’Arc from 1950-1958. A proud Jolis Coeurs, Molly spoke often of her time at Camp. She loved Chateaugay Lake, the activities, the chapel, but mostly, she loved her Jeanne d’Arc friends. During an interview in 2022, Molly recounted “It all comes down to an old camp song – Camp Jeanne d’Arc is the place to go to make the friendships rare.” And that’s exactly what she valued from her time at camp. She continued to say that she “loves Franny McIntyre,” who was one of Molly’s dearest camp friends. Molly first learned of camp from her Aunt Else Langton, who was a friend of Colonel. Since then, Molly’s sister, cousins, daughters, nieces, granddaughters, and great nieces have spent time as campers. We honor and remember this wonderful woman. Read her obituary here.
Judy Noreault passed away on January 28, 2026 in Plattsburgh, NY. According to her obituary, “Judy attended Northern Adirondack Central School. She was a communicant of St. Bernard’s Church, Lyon Mountain. She worked as head cook at Camp Jeanne d’Arc on Chateaugay Lake for many years.” Many Camp Jeanne d’Arc alumni remember Judy well: “She was lovely, kind, and knew her kitchen! She also helped open camp too- a huge task after north country winters.” We extend our thoughts and prayers to Judy’s family. Read more about Judy in her obituary.
Camp and College Webinar
In our recent Camp & College webinar, we had a wonderful conversation about how the camp experience—especially during the middle and high school years—can be helpful in strengthening your college admissions essays. Meg Joyce, a qualified Independent Educational Consultant, provided lots of pro-tips on how to translate your camp experiences into powerful content for a college admissions essay.
Webinar Recording:
Camp or College Prep Webinar
Presentation Slides:
Camp or College Webinar Slides
We hope these resources provide reassurance and clarity as you navigate the balance between summer opportunities and long-term educational goals.
Want to connect with Meg? You can email her at meg@foreststreetcc.com
Recap on Camp Parties
January was a very busy month for Camp Jeanne d’Arc. We held an ice cream social in Brooklyn complete with soda floats, a special craft, and hanging out with our summer sisters!
The Youth Ambassador Leadership Club (YALC) planned and hosted a reunion in Connecticut where campers came from several states including a few newly-registered first-time campers! Bonus, several alum who are also camp moms got to reconnect and even participate in a good night circle. Thank you YALC!
Lastly, we partied in Puerto Rico! Sandy and Randy celebrated their 10th year of travelling to Puerto Rico for the fun and lively reunion! It’s been so great to connect with you all!!
Top 5 Reasons ADKs best setting for Camp
Camp Jeanne d’Arc, located in the northern section of the Adirondacks, nestled between Chateaugay Lake and Lyon Mountain, is THE ideal setting for overnight summer camp. Do you agree??
Here are the top five reasons the Adirondack Mountain region is best for overnight summer camp!
Reason 1: Just the right temperature. While the mornings at camp might start off with hoodies and warm bowls of oatmeal, the sun soon peeks through the mountains and temperatures rise. Campers shed their outer layers for bathing suits and t-shirts to enjoy an ideal day full of paddling on the lake, playing sports, and enjoying the fields and trails. Then, when the sun sets, the camp community huddles by the campfire to warm up as they sing and roast marshmallows! It’s the perfect day!
Reason 2: Far away from city lights. Some say you only need to travel 30 miles from a city for the light pollution to be low enough to view the stars. But did you know that astronomers specifically target the Adirondacks for the best view of the stars in the Northeastern US?
Reason 3: Lakes and mountains. The Adirondacks are known for its pristine lakes and accessible high peaks. Lakes like Lake Champlain, Lake Placid, Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake, Silver Lake, and Chateaugay Lake feature crystal clear water and are often calm enough for beginner paddlers and sailors – ideal for camp waterfront activities. The Adirondack peaks are perfect for campers acquiring the love for hiking and feature beautiful birch trees, flowering shrubs, and stunning views.
Reason 4: Unique and charming stops. Driving to and from camp in the Adirondacks isn’t so bad when there are so many amazing places to stop along the way! And families driving the campers to drop-off will often stop in quaint towns like Keene and Saratoga Springs. Or they will tour Mirror Lake and Olympic Village at Lake Placid. They’ll explore Fort Ticonderoga or Ausable Chasm. Parents can visit microbreweries in nearby Burlington, Vermont or go glamping in Lake George. Dropping off campers in the Adirondacks can be a vacation in itself!
Reason 5: It’s just so fresh and so beautiful. There is nothing quite like being surrounded by natural beauty. The mountains against the bright, blue sky, the lakes glistening from the sun, the birch trees and wildflowers peppering the landscapes. And when you breathe it all in, you feel freshly invigorated. There is no better setting than the Adirondacks to create the wonderful, lifelong memories of overnight summer camp!
Am I right??
Thinking about Camp Friendships during “Galentine’s Day”
Our Blog post: Adult friendships Born from Camp explores questions like: Did you ever notice something different about your friendships from overnight summer camp? Camp friends are genuine. Camp friends can be dormant for a long time, but rekindle with ease. Camp friends bring you back to your inner child. And oftentimes, camp friendships have longevity. Why are summer camp friendships more likely to last into adulthood?
Here’s why:
- Shared experiences. Shared experiences breed connection. Memories of a shared place, shared activities, shared challenges, and shared emotions creates a foundation for a trusting relationship.
- No tech, and yes tech! Social media can help people connect, but it can also be quite isolating. A teen might have hundreds of Tiktok followers but very few people she can unwind with, talk to, and share feelings. But on the flip side, technology allows campers to stay in touch over the off-season and after the camp years are over.
- Intentionality. When the summer camp session is over, campers must leave their friends. Campers often feel impelled to maintain their friendships over the offseason. One alumni notes, “There is real intention to stay in touch, which continues today. Knowing that we would see each other the following summer connected us through time and space.”
- Adversity – the only way to get through it is to go through it. Adversity is a part of the overnight camp experience. This adversity may include: conflicts within the cabins, problems navigating shared responsibilities, bearing witness to bad news from home, managing personality clashes, enduring disappointments, etc. While this might be hard, adversity at overnight camp strengthens the bonds of the campers who went through it together.
- Opportunity to be authentic selves! According to one alumni, her camp friendships endured decades partly due to “being able to just be ourselves, take it or leave it!” With less at stake, there is less risk of allowing campers true selves to dictate their actions. Nothing supports stronger friendships than feeling like the person wants to spend time with you just the way you are!
Camp friendships are a unique and powerful type of connection. The combination of shared experiences, the need for intentionality when separated, working through adversity together, and the opportunity to be authentic selves—all magnified by the temporary absence of technology—creates a bond that is distinctively resilient!
Know Someone who Would LOVE Camp?
Go ahead, let them know how awesome Camp is! Connect with Liz@campjeannedarc.com to get them involved in the Camp Jeanne d’Arc community!