About Sebago Leadership Camp

Sebago Leadership Camp helps boys in grades five through eight advance in the qualities essential to any man of character: a strong faith, a spirit of service, a commitment to excellence. Our campers learn about what it takes to be a leader and to grow in maturity in a fun and supportive atmosphere.

The camp is sponsored by Sebago Leadership Camp, Inc. The spiritual activities of the camp are entrusted to Opus Dei, a Personal Prelature of the Roman Catholic Church. To learn about other programs for young men, please visit the Chestnut Hill Center website at chestnuthillcenter.org.

Camp Staff

Andy O’Meara

Camp Director

Andy O’Meara has been involved in the camp since 2008 as a teacher and mentor.  For many years, he ran the Counselor-in Training (CIT) Trip, now known as the Launch.  Andy also serves as the Executive Director of the Association for Cultural Interchange.  Before joining ACI, Andy practiced tax law in downtown Boston for 28 years, most recently serving as the Chief of the Litigation Bureau for the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.

Raymond Le Grand

Assistant Director

Raymond Le Grand has been involved in the camp since 2015 as a teacher and mentor, and for several years was the leader of the Launch program for entering high school freshmen. He also serves as the Director of Operations for Sparhawk Academy, a new school for boys in grades 3 through 8.

John Paul Lechner

Camp Staff

John Paul Lechner has been involved with the camp since 2019 as camp director, mentor and teacher.  He is the leader of the Launch Program for entering high school freshmen.  John Paul currently teaches at Sparhawk Academy.  Before moving to Boston, he worked at The Heights School, where he taught mainly English, Latin, and Spanish in the 7th grade and mentored scores of boys in his nine years there. He enjoys his newfound adventures in gardening and tending chickens.

Tom Keefe

Camp Staff

Tom Keefe is the Director of Admissions for Sparhawk Academy.  Tom lives in Millis with his wife Maggie and their three children. Tom spent many years helping to run the Sebago Leadership Camp, including as Chief Operating Officer in 2015. Tom previously worked as a Data Solutions Manager at Wayfair since graduating from Harvard College in 2015 with a degree in History and Literature.

Jim Golden

Camp Staff

Jim Golden has been involved for many years with the camp as a teacher, including last year.  He is currently a fourth-grade teacher at Sparhawk Academy.  He previously taught at The Heights School in Potomac, MD.  He is a graduate of Saint Anselm College in Manchester, NH where he earned a BA in Liberal Studies in the Great Books. He also has an MA in Ethical and Cultural Studies from the National University of Ireland, Galway, and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Prior to teaching at The Heights, Jim spent ten years working at State Street Corporation in Boston serving as a financial services operations manager. He and his wife Gabriela have four boys. Jim has played guitar with several rock bands over the years.

John Dempsey

Camp Staff

John Dempsey rejoins the camp for the third year in a row.  John is a professor of history at Westfield State University.

Matthew Reilly

Camp Staff

Matthew Reilly recently began his teaching career at Sparhawk Academy after graduating in 2022 from the University of Navarre in Pamplona, Spain. He grew up in Vienna, VA and graduated from The Heights School in 2018. Matthew has done extensive volunteer work with children at various clubs and camps in both Spain and the US, including work as a Teaching Intern at The Youth Leadership Foundation in Washington DC.

Fr. John Grieco

Spiritual Director

Fr. John Grieco is a priest of Opus Dei and lives in Newton, MA. We are happy to have him returning as our Chaplain. He enjoys music and makes a mean stromboli.

Dr. John Barravecchio

Camp Staff

Dr. John Barravecchio practices Internal Medicine in Hyde Park and once again will join us as our camp doctor.

Founders

The founders began the camp in the summer of 2005 as a way to help prepare boys to become leaders and serve society. They are professional men who have many years of experience running character-building activities.

Dave Reilly

Dave is the father of seven. Dave and his wife make their home in Medfield, MA. He enjoys spending time with his family as well as golfing and cycling.

Jim St. Thomas

Jim is the father of four and lives in Cumberland, RI. He is a Senior Vice President Commercial Banking at Santander Bank, based in Providence. Jim enjoys exercising, golf, and working on home improvements.

Bob Sylvain

Bob lives in Newton and served as the day-to-day director of the Sebago Leadership Camp for fourteen years before passing on the torch to the next generation. He helped start Sparhawk Academy, an independent school for boys in grades 3 through 8, and now serves as its first head of school. He enjoys playing the banjo and guitar.