If You Take a Closer Look

By Will Chalfant & Joe Frankenfeld
October 26, 2026

“Will!” yells Kyle Gaffney from atop his perch on Eagle Island. Will is the final Arcadian to depart the village for “solos,” a weekend long event where each student takes some time to be alone with themselves all across the conservation easement. Kyle already has his tarp set up as well as his sleep system. “You want to stop for dinner?” asks Kyle jokingly. “I'm all set,” Will responds, having just housed a peanut butter and banana tort in preparation for the two mile walk to his solo location under an imminent sunset. 

Solos are not only an opportunity to take time physically but also mentally away from the hustle and bustle of the village and life in general. Pete Pettengill's essay, Eileen Visser's leaf project, Mark Sturges's web feature—none of that matters for now. All that does matter is nourishment and serenity. As students embark on this journey, it feels fitting to take a closer look at the individuals who make up this place called Arcadia. Over the past two months, we’ve written a lot about our community as a whole, but that community wouldn’t exist without the unique and dynamic personalities that have come together to shape it, so without further ado, we bring you the 2026 Arcadians.

There is a wide variety of academic routes that lead folks to the Adirondack Semester. Take Spencer Kavanagh, a cybersecurity major in his junior year. In the front country, Spencer enjoys cooking and computers. He is a member of the esports team on campus and has spent his last six summers working at a restaurant near his home on Long Island, specifically on Fire Island. When Susan Kavanagh, Spencer's mother, was asked about when she heard of her son's interest in the program, she remarked, “I was completely shocked and in awe.” She went on to say, “Spencer is not typically an outdoorsy person and was skeptical if he'd even be chosen due to his interests.” Spencer brings a unique set of skills and curiosity to the village as he quickly became the local expert on ferns. His craftiness in the kitchen is unrivaled. He even took his talents to the sauna wood stove where he roasted corn and peppers for his delectable salsa. Everybody loves when it's Spencer's night to cook.

Speaking of loving their night to cook, Emily Helterline, aka the Boss, is an absolute workhorse once she sets her mind on a recipe. She is called the Boss because of the way she dictates her own destiny. This was certainly the case in how she went about applying for the Adirondack Semester. She heard about it from a friend, liked how it sounded, and applied early decision. No questions asked. Emily is a sophomore from Block Island, Rhode Island. She is familiar with tightknit communities, having graduated high school with only eight other students. While different from the sandy beaches on Block Island, the Massawepie property has given Emily's ambitious spirit an opportunity to flourish. In the words of her father, Dave Helterline, “Ever since she was a little kid, she's always had this sense of adventure.” Indeed, this sense of adventure is infectious. From day one at Canaras, she has been mobilizing the community to branch out and try new things. Whether sleeping out on the dock, playing dominoes, or learning some new songs on the guitar, you can rely on the Boss to make it happen.

Emily's yurtmate Peyton Hunsicker is also quite the go-getter. Peyton is a senior preparing to enter the next stage of her life. She will graduate this spring with a double major in Environmental Studies and Psychology, along with six years of experience in the Vermont State Parks system. She is very passionate about this work. Her girlfriend and coworker Wendy Ainsworth stated, “Lots of conservation and maintenance goes into the parks. She loves it and is very good at it.” Peyton is often applying her studies to everyday conversations in the village. A few weeks ago, Peyton mentioned that you are likely to gain social credit after doing something that disrupts social standards, such as burping or farting, two common happenings in the village. On top of that, Peyton taught her lesson on the backpacking trip about the biophilia hypothesis, which states that humans are innately connected to nature due to its healing tendencies. Peyton has mentioned how beneficial this semester has been thanks to her immersion in nature. You can often find Peyton on the South Dock basking in sun and solitude.

Another person you can often find on the South Dock is Izzy Kinsella, with a paintbrush in hand. Since the canoe trip, Izzy's watercoloring skills have been well advertised in the community. With descriptions fed to her by her cook group, Izzy drafted up the first and only anthropomorphized image of Mr. G. This is fitting, as Izzy will hopefully be graduating this spring with a major in Anthropology. (She'll have a chock full schedule of four Anthropology classes once back on campus.) As mentioned before, there are many unconventional academic routes that lead to the Adirondack Semester. For most, the Adirondack Semester is the first time a St. Lawrence student takes part in off-campus study. For Izzy, it's her fourth. She spent a month studying in London after her first year; her sophomore fall was spent on a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) semester in the Mexican desert; and her junior spring was spent in Madrid, Spain. Prior to Izzy's adventurous college experience, her mother, Giselle Potter, wouldn't have thought her daughter as the type to partake in such endeavors. She went so far as to say, “If we all took a family hike, she [Izzy] was the least interested.” Potter added that as a young child, Izzy hated being outside in the cold. She stayed true to this when it came to choosing her NOLS location in the balmy desert. This dislike of the cold can be seen as Izzy is often standing mere inches away from woodstoves, spending her time in a 250° sauna, or sharing body heat in the form of a hug.

One of the most common recipients of these Izzy embraces is none other than a sophomore, Evie Hopper, Izzy’s similarly sized yurtmate. Standing at a sturdy 5’3”, Evie makes up for her small size with her bountiful energy and enormous smile. Although her major is undeclared, she has taken an interest in Environmental Studies along with Math and Public Health. She spent this past summer on campus working with and learning about the local food systems that everyone is now so fully immersed in here at Arcadia. As for Public Health, she seems to be less engaged here on this semester, going the entire backpacking trip without washing her hands. That's 10,080 minutes, rounding out Evie's interest in Math. When Evie is feeling hesitant about a task, she finds a way around it, 3.14 style. This is cosigned by her mother, Kathleen Hopper, who reflected on her reaction when seeing what came with living in the yurt village: “I felt excited, and when I learned a little bit more about it, I was surprised.” She went on to say, “Evelyn [Evie] has despised hauling wood” and “she went out of her way to make it an unpopular chore at home.” Despite her past, Evie has been a willing wood and water hauler thus far. Evie is always down to lend a hand, hopping in for an extra dish line or sitting down for a thoughtful chat. In the words of Evie's mom, “At her core she is a people person.”

Rounding out the White Pine yurt is senior Will Chalfant. Will hails from Northampton, Massachusetts, but has spent a considerable amount of time being raised in the Adirondacks and looks at the park as a second home. He grew up in a family full of musicians, which has led him to pursue a degree in Music and share it wherever he goes, especially when out in nature. There are few times that Will walks into the kitchen without picking up his guitar. Will was especially called to the public guitar at Johns Brook Lodge on the backpacking trip. While his group enjoyed a nice water break, he sat down to play the semester's anthems: The Band’s “The Weight,” John Prine's “Angel from Montgomery,” and Cab Ellis's “She Put That Man Over Me.” Along with his Music major, Will is pursuing a Performance and Communication Arts degree stemming from his passion for connecting with people face to face. This was a major contributor in his desire to apply for the semester. His mom, Katryna Nields, recounted how one day “he came home from seventh grade and wept because he felt he couldn't make friends without a phone.” Will felt great relief upon arriving at Arcadia when everyone wanted to play Bananagrams with him, and nothing more important could be found on a screen nearby.

When prompted to reflect on his favorite part of being on the Adirondack Semester, sophomore Luke McChesney also expressed A fondness for a phone-free environment. Luke grew up in rural Vermont, spending much of his childhood outdoors. He learned how to hunt and fish from his dad, and after mid-semester break he brought venison from home to share with the village. Luke is a caring individual who always wants the best for those close to him. It is not only people that Luke holds close to his heart, but also the land that has helped shape him into the person he is today, a steward of the outdoors. In the summer, Luke runs his own landscaping company, McChesney Mowing and Maintenance (free estimates). He loves the hands-on learning opportunities the semester offers. For instance, on a class trip to Whiteface, Luke collected around ten different leaves for an upcoming project. In the words of his mother Phoebe McChesney, as a child Luke was “always very active and loved learning that way.” Despite coming into the semester with a torn ACL and meniscus, he has not allowed that to hinder his positive and goofy demeanor. You don't want to make eye contact with Luke if something is worth a chuckle; he'll catch it on its way out and his cheeks will puff up like balloons.

The same cannot be said about Eric Kniple, a chronic giggler in an occasionally disruptive fashion. Eric is a junior and member of the men's soccer team on campus, which made for a tough decision last spring when he made the choice to attend the Adirondack Semester rather than staying on campus or the soccer season. Eric brought his foot skills to the village, frequenting a hacky sack even on field trips. He would have loved to bring a soccer ball, but due to tight packing restrictions and his long journey from Davidson, North Carolina, he could not make the space. No one was more excited than Eric when a soccer ball made it back to the village after a biweekly town run. He was so enthralled with juggling it he completely forgot to bring the Nalgene bowls for the group's trip to the farms of Keeseville, New York, that weekend, his one-and-only cook shift responsibility. When Eric's long legs are crammed into the twelve-passenger van, his juggling is replaced by drumming, a trait he picked up from his father, Jeff Kniple. Jeff remarked, “I pick my cars based on the drummability of the steering wheel.” Therefore, he drives a Honda Civic. Prior to the semester, Eric had completed a one-month NOLS trip in Wyoming along with a three-month winter backpacking trip in Utah. He entered the semester with an impressive skill set and breadth of knowledge, most impressively his bow drilling (or friction fire) abilities. Eric also has a strong affinity for rock climbing and works at a climbing gym during the summer months when he's not playing semi-pro soccer.

Krish Gupta shares this affinity for rock climbing and will resume his position as manager of the Munro Family Climbing Wall back on campus in the spring to finish off his junior year. Close friend Julia Hahne, when reflecting on her outdoor experiences with Krish on campus, stated that “Krish was always wanting to get outdoors and go rock climbing, in South Colton or anywhere he could find a crag.” This was apparent as he scoured the easement property with haste, looking for somewhere to get his ropes up. Krish is very attentive of his hand- and foot-holds on a wall, as well as the well-being of others. He always makes a point to check in and ask folks how they are doing when he gets a moment alone with them. This is a question that can often go unasked amidst the many happenings around the village. Krish has lived away from his home in Nepal since he was 12 and has explored many parts of the world in that time. Before moving away for academics, Krish was avidly engaged in archery in Nepal and will be putting on a clinic for us at the Massawepie archery range this coming Sunday. With so much bouncing around in these last few years, when asked where he lives, Krish definitively states that Arcadia is his home

Over the last few months, Junior Kyle Gaffney has also spent lots of time away from his home just outside Syracuse. Kyle spent this past summer building a house and working at an RV park in Valdez, Alaska, while living out of a tent in his cousin's backyard. When it comes to risk management, Kyle has a long list of things he'd do before he draws the line. When planning the backpacking trip, Kyle was insistent on the group summitting Mount Colden via the Trap Dike. In the words of Alex Shoumatoff, a Harvard graduate and former staff writer for The New Yorker, the Trap Dike is “one of the most spectacular climbs in the Adirondacks, but it's a bit hairy in a few places, and if you fall to your death, don't blame me.” Kyle's father, Mark Gaffney, said, “Young Kyle was always adventurous and on the go, always getting himself in trouble, too.” Present-day Kyle is not much different. In the kitchen, Kyle has been working on his guitar skills along with his baking skills. His signature dish is the “pudge pie.” The vision is a peanut butter and jelly cinnamon roll; the result is a whole lot of compost. Kyle has a great sense of humor and always knows how to keep a moment light. On the whiteboard calendar that sits in the kitchen, Kyle took it upon himself to write in satirical daily happenings on days with nothing scheduled. Among his entries are “Izzy gets a mullet” and “Izzy eats a rock,” followed by “Izzy poops out rock” five days later.

On the flip side, sophomore Joe Frankenfeld has excelled in the art of baking thus far. Serving as the group's “floater” for the first half of the semester, he was often left with no other task than to craft up something sweet and delicious. His cookies are top notch, along with his newly patented macaroons. The cakes have been on an upward trajectory, starting with a gooey, heavy, creamless mess to a darling beat cake of which the Arcadians left no crumbs. Beyond baking, Joe has spent the semester staying fit and active, getting up nearly every morning at 5:00am to run six miles around the lake. In the words of his mother, Sara Frankenfeld, “Joe loves a routine and exercise.” She also stated that she's impressed Joe has maintained consistency in many fields, which includes academics. He is undecided on his major but hopes to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies, and the lesson he taught atop a class trip to Whiteface was impeccable. Joe also finds time for laughs, bounding around in matching pairs of 52x30 overalls with Luke McChesney. The only thing that he can't seem to find time for, but hopes to in the near future, is building a double decker couch for the village.

The only thing standing in the way of the overall duo and the double decker couch is Assistant Director Nate Trachte. Nate has been serving as an Assistant Director for the last four years. As an AD, Nate's work involves forming close bonds and long-lasting connections with members of the community. He does this seamlessly, joining in for singalongs and discussing hot topics such as the Macklemore and Ed Sheeran fiasco, as well as drama and news from the sports world. In the words of his father, Paul Trachte, Nate's work is fueled by his “genuine love and care for people” along with his “willingness to share his expertise.” Once snow hits the ground, skis will be on Nate's feet. After the semester comes to a close, Nate works as a freeride ski instructor at Whiteface. In the winter months, Nate declares the entire High Peaks region to be his playground, having skied many of the natural slides the area has to offer. Here at Arcadia, the entire village is his project. While students are in class, Nate occupies his time with an everchanging to-do list of handiwork and innovation, ranging from installing new woodstoves to building a whole new shelf just for coffee. The semester would not be the same without Nate and his boisterous laugh.

Nicole Panek, the program's other Assistant Director, has an equal impact on the program's ability to thrive. Similar to Nate, Nicole fosters strong relationships with students and takes pride in her work. Nicole has a unique perspective, having previously done the semester in 2018. Students will often beg her for stories of what she got up to as a student and have come to believe that many of the rules currently in place came to be due to 2018. Nicole will be the first to encourage good practice, as she's been doing since she was a teenager in the babysitting world. In the words of her father, Jeff Panek, “Nicole was a very tough babysitter. None of the kids in the neighborhood wanted to get Nicole as their babysitter because that meant no ice cream.” Nicole's discipline and dedication to her work have brought her places you'd never expect. After completing her Master's degree in Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Washington, Nicole traveled to Thailand where she learned to be a yoga instructor before she spent time working in Hawaii. While she has settled down for the time being in Saranac Lake, who's to say where life will take her next? In the words of her father, Jeff Panek, “Whenever she calls, you never know what is going to come out of her mouth.” Although her role as AD may be only one chapter in her long book of life adventures, while Nicole is here, she's the utmost present. She always makes herself available to hear what is on your mind and offer guidance as she sees fit. Nicole offers unquantifiable value to Arcadia and bakes a mean focaccia.

Rounding out the community is Adirondack Semester Director Jacob McCoola. While he spends most of the week on campus doing “computer stuff,” it feels like he never left when he rolls in on Friday afternoons with the mail and CSA delivery. Jake always enters the village absolutely stoked about whatever we have going on. To do this job, one must have a vast and varying skill set. His mother, Joy Muller-McCoola, calls him a “Renaissance man: he builds a little, he cooks a little, he plays music a little. He does everything a little.” Speaking of little, his mother also stated that “Jake has always been great at noticing the little things.” This trait is vital for his role as director, given the varying levels at which college students wear themselves on their sleeves. Fridays with Jake consist of his class “Knowing Nature,” which prompts students to take a closer look at their place in the natural world. Weekends with Jake consist of Settlers of Catan, jam sessions with Jake on the banjo, and whatever else piques the community's interest on a given day. If students are down, Jake is down.

On the Sunday morning after their solos, the Arcadians met back at the village, greeted by a huge, scrumptious brunch prepared in full by Jake. As they gathered on the porch, dropping bags and gear, they shared stories of triumph and tribulation and how they fought through adversity. Around the table, each student dug a little deeper. The experience of being alone for an entire day brought new perspectives to the table and provided insight into how much impact community has on an individual. The great relief felt when seasoned hot potatoes graced the Arcadian plates was indicative of the deep-rooted care each and every member of the community shares with one another. It is beyond important to every now and then take a step back and appreciate the value of the individuals who have come together to form our Arcadian community this semester.