Our Staff

Helen “Mama Z” Zientek, Camp Director

Helen Zientek, Mama Z, is the camp director. Helen's expertise includes creating and managing day camps for American families in El Khobar, Saudi Arabia. During the school year, Helen is the library media speclalist at Bak Middle School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, FlorIda. Helen's daughter is Emily Zientek, riding director of Grier Summer and the Grier School. Three years ago, the Show Campers began calling her Mama Z and the nickname is now her official camp name!

 

Emily Zientek, Riding Director

Emily became the Riding Director for the Grier School in January 2003. She has been riding and loving horses for twenty years. Emily obtained her Riding Master VI and Teaching Master III from Meredith Manor International Equestrian Center, and she rode the professional Hunter/Jumper circuit for four years. Emily is an accomplished event rider, and she has shown places such as Rolex and the Kentucky Horse Park. Emily has been to riding camps all over the world, both as a camper and as a counselor. She also has experience traveling with children on the circuits camps. Emily loves girls who love horses, and she's anxious to work with your daughter this summer.

 

Laurie Cave, Director, Grier Summer Art Portfolio Program

Laurie is a native of Pennsylvania and the head of Grier's art department. Her father was an artist and art professor and her mother was a costumer. Her childhood was filled with the scent of linseed oil and the crunch of taffeta. Long hours in studio were an early way of life for the whole family. Laurie's formal art study took place at the Ivy School of Professional Art.

 

Her first “art job” was art editor of the Seattle Sound News in the early 70’s. This was quickly replaced by the more adventuresome occupation of welder at Lockheed Shipyard. Discovery and life-long learning are important to Laurie. Workshops at the Torpedo Factory, College of Santa Fe, Bennington, and University of the Arts are a few of her favorite learning experiences.

 

Laurie was a three year Artist in Education resident at Tyrone Area High School, a Pennsylvania roster artist in the early 90's, and started teaching at Grier in 1993. She is still professionally costuming and is a current working member of IATSE local 636 where she is senior wardrobe person. In the past eleven years, her work in professional theater has given her opportunity to work on great shows such as Les Miserables, Ragtime, Porgy and Bess, Cats, Peter Pan, and to work with great companies such as Bolshoi Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, American Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Ballet Met, and New York City Opera. Husband Michael, daughters Hannah, Ajia, and Shalah (Grier grad '99), share her philosophy of life. Don’t be a spectator, be a catalyst!!

 

Jocelyn Hrzic, Director, Grier Summer Dance Program

Jocelyn is a graduate of Point Park University with a Bachelors degree in Dance. After graduating, she was invitied to dance with Maxine Sherman’s dance company in NYC, and continued her dance training with a scholarship to the renowned Steps on Broadway. She was Dance Captain and DIrector for Norwegian Cruise Lines for four years, and also danced with Royal Caribbean and Theatre West Virginia.

 

 

Other Staff

Counselors are college-age women with proven child care and/or recreation experience. Specialty staff are experts in the areas of riding, performing arts, fine art, and swimming. The director interviews each applicant to determine leadership potential, attitude toward working with children, and ability to teach activities in the camp program. All seasonal camp staff are certified in First Aid and CPR. A criminal background check is completed for every employee before the summer begins.

 

Each counselor is assigned with another staff member to a unit of six or eight campers. We maintain a 1:4 staff to camper ratio, and the maximum number of campers we accomodate at one time is 100. Counselors and specialty staff live in the dormitories with the campers.

 

Qualified nursing staff are responsible for administering all medications and attending to campers’ other medical needs.