Volunteer and Community Service Programs Photograph Collection

The Lawrenceville School Camp--initially known as the School Summer Camp-- was established in 1897 "for the purpose of giving deserving poor city boys an outing for two weeks, under the care of a Leader, and a half dozen Lawrenceville boys." The camp has taken place in several locations, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

The Lawrenceville School Camp was officially incorporated in June, 1929. Documents in the collection are quick to emphasize that the School itself did not support the camp financially. Instead, the camp was able to run through donations from students, faculty, friends, and alumni.

Two faculty families oversaw the camp for much of its existence in the 1900s. George Schonheiter, his wife Bertha, and their three children lived at and ran the camp from 1940 to 1968. In 1968, Edmund Megna, a member of the French Department, was asked to fill the role of Camp Director. Megna stayed in this position until 1984. During that time, he and his wife, Patty, held many events to raise money for the camp.

After Edmund Megna retired in 1985, a permanent camp director could not be found. In 1985, faculty member Ken Felker and his wife ran the camp for the summer but found the responsibility too much to continue past that season. In 1987, alumni and former camp counselor Jeff Hoisington offered to run the camp. Two years later, following the co-education of Lawrenceville, female students were allowed to work as camp counselors. Hoisington stayed as camp director until 1990, when he was replaced by David E. Schorr from the Lawrenceville Math Department.

In 2005, David Donahue, Assistant Dean of Admissions, became the camp's director. Currently, John Hughes, the Director of Experiential Education, serves as camp director. The camp received its largest single donation in 2011 from Lazare Capital Management, thanks in part to one of the company's directors, William Burchfield '74. Other fundraising events have continued to support the camp, including the Annual Big Red Race and the annual James T. Adams '65 Memorial Golf Tournament.

Other community service opportunities are available on campus. Indeed, Lawrenceville requires community service for graduation and offers three types of community engagement: Lawrenceville Community Action Project, the Martin Luther King All-School Day of Service, and one-time events. Students who complete over 200 hours of community service may apply to the OVAL (Outstanding Volunteers at Lawrenceville) Society. Students with over 400 hours may apply to join the McClellan Society.