This post is a press release written for local newspapers, as well as our worldwide blog readership.
Camp Spring Creek Outreach Center, a non-profit organization in Mitchell County, invited approximately 50 Western North Carolina principals, administrators, teachers, and assistants to their annual Appreciation Day.
Over the past several years, Camp Spring Creek has trained 25 WNC teachers and assistants in the Orton-Gillingham philosophy. Thanks to grants funded by the Samuel L. Phillips Foundation, Walmart State Giving Fund, Janirve Foundation, and Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, 11 Mitchell County teachers or assistants received free Associate Level Training. Seven educators from Yancey County and 6 from Avery County were also trained. The materials and training amounted to more than $75,000 in grant funds.
The Orton-Gillingham philosophy, or OG, as it is commonly called, uses a language-based, multisensory approach to tutoring that relies on a student’s problem-solving and creative thinking skills to circumvent processing weaknesses. Although OG is most commonly used for children with dyslexia, the method has been successfully incorporated into learning environments for students of all styles and abilities.
During Appreciation Day, Camp Spring Creek directors and founders Steve and Susie van der Vorst offered a child-free afternoon for guests to eat, swim, and share teaching ideas. Guests were also able to win free OG classroom games, or make their own teaching materials at the camp.