Showcased below are just a few of our skilled and devoted specialists! We look forward to having your children experience the joy of our program with all our wonderfully trained professionals.

Sports

John Burdorf, Jr. - John joins the Harbor Haven sports staff for his second year.  He received his B.S. from Montclair University in Physical Education and Health grades K-12 and currently teaches in the East Orange School district. He has experience in Adaptive Physical Education as well.  We welcome John back to Harbor Haven!  

Head of Pool

Elana Seid -This is Elanna’s eleventh summer at the Harbor Haven pool and her first year as the head of swim.  Elanna is American Red Cross certified in lifeguarding, swim instruction, CPR, AED and first aide.  She will graduate from NYU in May with a BS in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology and will begin graduate studies in the field in September 2011.  She also attained a minor in American Sign Language.  Elanna is the treasurer for the NYU chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA.)  Elanna has experience teaching social skills and life skills groups at an elementary school for special needs students in Manhattan.  Elanna has been a competitive swimmer since she was eight years old and has competed on the NYU varsity team for all four years of college. 

Arts and Crafts I

Rhonda Grindell - While completing her degree in Early Childhood Special Education and Psychology at Kean University, Rhonda is also working at Temple Sha’arey Shalom in Springfield in their pre-school.  She works in the classroom but also provides music and creative arts activities. Rhonda is a professional drummer on the weekends with City Sounds Music, a Long Island based band.  Rhonda also plays guitar.  Her creativity in providing the most exciting art projects for our 5-9 year olds is only rivaled by her dynamic personality and energy.  We welcome Rhonda back to Harbor Haven for her second summer!

Music

Joanne Schlacter - We are excited to have Joanne as part of our performing arts team.  Joanne is a board certified music therapist, and also certified as a yoga instructor for the special child.  Joanne works for the Jersey City Public Schools as well as maintaining a private yoga and music therapy practice.  Joanne brings her own brand of “camp music” to Harbor Haven and we love her.

Academics

Lindsay Kleiman - Academics 
Lindsay received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Rutgers in May 2010 and will have completed her Master’s in Elementary (K-5) and Special Education (K-12) May of 2011 also from Rutgers.  Lindsay has had numerous experiences as an intern, substitute and student teacher in special education and inclusion classes.  In addition she is a tutor for a student with some speech and language issues.  Lindsay is very creative and counts arts and crafts as one of her many hobbies.  She has done many varied art projects with her students.

Nature/Wonderworks/Drama

Sharon Vanderlyn - Sharyn received her both her Bachelor’s Degree and Master of Science Degree in Special Education  from Radford University in 2009 and 2010 respectively.  She currently works in the Bloomfield Public Schools.  Sharyn brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to the Nature and Wonderworks (science) and Drama areas at Harbor Haven, having taught science during her practicum experience.  In addition, she will bring her experiences with Reader’s Theatre to enhance our drama curriculum.  Welcome, Sharyn!

Dance

Patricia Toter - Having received her degree in music education in 2003, Patricia is currently a music teacher in the Jersey City Public Schools on the elementary school level.  In addition to her teaching responsibilities she has also produced school theatrical productions as well as piloted a dance instruction program in her school.  In all of her endeavors she believes in the concept of inclusion for all children in the music and dance areas and is pursuing her graduate degree in special education.  Patricia loves the outdoors and all things having to do with nature. This summer, 2010, Patricia will be implementing our new Wonder Works program at Harbor Haven.  This hands-on science based program is sure to capture the attention of campers of all ages!  Way to go, Patty!

Cooking

Nona Seid - Nona has been our cooking specialist for many years (too numerous to count!)  Nona is a certified nutritionist and a great cook!  The children love going to “Nona’s area” and love the great recipes she has for them each summer.

Bikes/Ga-Ga/Pong

Marc Fabiano - This summer will be Marc’s second at Harbor Haven.  Marc is responsible for many children learning to ride a bike with or without training wheels for the very first time.  For the summer of 2011 Marc will continue to run our bicycle riding area, but will also introduce two new programming ideas to Harbor Haven.  Poly Pong, a game similar to ping pong but with multiple players and many variations of the game is one area Marc will run.  The other is a program that he has developed for HH called, “Power Play” which promotes fun and fitness together for our campers ages 10 and up.  Marc received his BS in Health and Exercise Science and recently obtained his Master of Arts in Teaching for Health and Physical Education from the College of New Jersey.

 Social Skills Challenge Sector and Fun Zone 1

Dr. Christopher Mesopotanese - Currently a behaviorist and social skills clinician with the Millburn/Short Hills School District, Dr. Mesopotanese is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) as well as a school psychologist.  He joins Harbor Haven for the first time with an amazing body of work in the field.  He attended Rutgers University where his dissertation entitled, A Parent Training Program for Parents of Children with Autism:  Training for Generalization of Skills from Instructional Sessions to Daily Life, is a published work.  He has been a presenter at conferences throughout the United States and has worked in a number of settings including the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, The Midland School, The Ridgewood Public Schools and The Montclair Public Schools.  He also served as the Executive Director of Quest Autism Programs, Inc. in Wyckoff, NJ.  In addition he currently works for the Social Skills Training Project in Maplewood, NJ, under the supervision of Dr. Jed Baker.   We are very fortunate to have Dr. M join our staff this summer and we know social skills will be hopping at Harbor Haven this summer!

Social Skills Challenge Sector and Fun Zone 2

Shannon Murphy - Having received her MSW from New York University Shannon Murphy joins the Harbor Haven staff as a social skills specialist.  Her previous work included providing individual and group counseling for students in grades K-8 as well as participation in special education services and family meetings.  In addition Shannon had developed behavior intervention plans and provided crisis intervention services.  It is with pleasure that we welcome Shannon to our professional staff. 

Our Therapists

All of the speech and occupational therapists who work at Harbor Haven are fully board certified, school certified, licensed and experienced in working with our population of children.  They work for school districts, therapy centers and privately.  We are lucky to have many of them return to us each summer. 

Speech                                        Occupational Therapy                      Carol Zimmerman                        Regan Lakritz                                     

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