Our Outreach Center

This time of year, we're all about life in Bakersville at Camp Spring Creek and honored to have counselors, tutors, and campers from all over the world. But in the bigger picture, part of what we strive to do is make Orton-Gillingham instruction and tutoring available to all children, regardless of financial need...and especially to those children in our own backyard of Western North Carolina. To that end, Susie works throughout the school year to train Mitchell & Yancey County Public School teachers in Orton-Gillingham tutoring methods. This training is often funded by grants, donations, or a combination of both. Following training, Susie makes extensive classroom visits all over the tri-county area, assessing teachers and students alike. The end of the school year is an exciting time for our Outreach Center, as we've gathered enough results from classroom visits over the course of a semester to see the details on paper. Here's a quick look at some before and after grade points in Riverside (Mrs. Barrier) and Bald Creek (Ms. Willis) Elementary classrooms. "DSPT" stands for Diagnostic Spelling Potential Test. To learn more about our Outreach Center training opportunities, click here.

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Week Two: Reflections

There's so much to report on the last two weeks of fun and learning, that we're opting for a list of notes on camp life. Here's the scoop:

  • Weather update: It's been a little cooler and wetter than other years, but everyone is staying active, healthy, and warm.
  • Wildlife update: Not much going on this high up in the mountains, but Mimi the camp dog and Jazz (the neighbor's dog) are holding down the fort. The deer graze at lower elevations, but we have plenty of rabbits and squirrels. Each night, the fireflies are simply amazing...but so far, the campers have all been asleep by the time they come out. In other news, Crumpets the box turtle has been returned to the wild, after much coddling and adoration.
  • Scenery: The Super Moon this weekend was INCREDIBLE! "It was the size of a dinner plate," Susie observed.
  • Camp Songs: The most often repeated Camp Spring Creek song is the "Announcements" song. If you don't know this one, rest assured that your kids will come home with it stuck in their heads forever.
  • Weekends: The first weekend was spent at Wilson's Creek for tubing. The second weekend, everyone camped out on Friday night, then campers went to Huskin's Waterfall and then went bowling in town. They spent Sunday relaxing.
  • This coming weekend all the campers are a-flutter as they prepare for the Summer Dance. This year's theme? Beach Time!
  • The Junior Boys are rulers of the Cabin Inspection award this week, having outscored everyone else in camp. They were awarded with popcorn and a movie (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief). The Junior Boys also benefit from a visit from Susie every night, as she reads to them from The Dragon Rider.
  • The Trial of Pages is unstoppable this year! Week One, campers read a combined total of 2,648 pages in 47 books. Week Two, they read 3,756 pages in 57 books. Amazing!
  • Last but not least, Olson van der Vorst continues to be seen dashing here and there--rumored to appear more than one place at a time--on the tractor, running the weed whacker, and generally maintaining the entire side of the mountain. He can fix things when they break, fix other things before they break, and keep everything tip-top. He's basically a Super Hero, but we don't think the campers have figured that out yet. Shhhh!

Orton-Gillingham Tutors: What It Takes

This summer we have approximately 7 Orton-Gillingham trained tutors at Camp Spring Creek during any given week. These tutors each have unique and varied backgrounds, but they have all received a minimum of Associate Level Training and prior practicum experience. Susie hires, assesses, and mentors the Camp Spring Creek tutors and she has also trained most of them through our Outreach Center in Spruce Pine. (Some tutors came to us already certified!) When asked what it takes to fill the very important role of tutor at Camp Spring Creek, Susie explained: "I like our tutors to be outdoorsy and to be the kind of person that enjoys the whole child, instead of just the tutoring...I also look for an array of different personalities when I hire tutors for Camp Spring Creek. At the start of each summer, I then match each child with the best personality fit amongst our tutors."

Here's what our returning tutors have to say about what they learned in training, and advice to future tutors:

Sara: "I took the training to help me with my own dyslexia and by the end of the training I knew how much it was helping me and wanted to help all children so they wouldn’t have to struggle the way I did. The most challenging part of the training was realizing that as much as I wanted to learn everything right then and there it was going to take time.  So I had to step back and not be such a perfectionist."

Tracy: "I was a school librarian for several years and always promoted reading but did not know how to teach reading especially to our struggling readers. I actually met Susie while applying for the Office Manager position. We both quickly realized I would be a much better tutor than office manager. I learned so much in the training and found working at camp last summer to be so rewarding that I wanted to come back again. I have moved to New Jersey and will live at camp this summer. I commuted last year from Bakersville."

Week One: Reflections

DSC02046What's it like to spend a day at Camp Spring Creek? For campers, a typical daily schedule might look like this: Week 1: Schedule

7:00am Wake up!

8:00am Breakfast

8:30am Silent reading time

9:25am Classes begin, rotating every 50 minutes throughout the morning

Period 1: Typing

Period 2: Art

Period 3: Math (M, W, F) or Woodshop (T, Th)

12:25pm Lunch!

1:15pm Afternoon classes begin, rotating every 50 minutes until suppertime

Period 4: Tutoring

Period 5: Swimming

Period 6: Outdoors

After suppertime, evenings are spent playing all-camp games, having a campfire, or participating in special cabin activities.

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Pilot Orton-Gillingham/Camp Counselor Program

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This summer, we're thrilled to announce the pilot launch of our new Orton-Gillingham/Camp Counselor program to benefit Mitchell County children who cannot otherwise afford Camp Spring Creek or one-on-one OG tutoring. Two of our international camp counselors, Lilja and Grace, have completed the 70-hour Associate Level Training in Orton-Gillingham methods and will donate 1 hour a day for 4 weeks tutoring a local child. As of this week, two children with dyslexia started coming out to Camp Spring Creek in Bakersville to spend an hour in a one-on-one tutoring session with Lilja and Grace. After tutoring, the children get to stay an additional hour and join the other campers in a fun activity such as woodshop, arts & crafts, or swimming.

Lilja and Grace with their OG materials

Summer Begins!

DSC01983 The campers arrive today, Sunday! We've put the finishing touches on all the new structures, swept the cabin floors, readied the pool, made a thousand trips up the hill to the boys' cabins, (tough job!), and given Mimi the camp dog a runaround of the place. Well, she actually ran a lot more than we did. We're thrilled that everyone is coming. Travel safely our way and get ready for an awesome summer!

We usually blog on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but all summer long we will also post a Sunday Photo Collage created weekly by Nina van der Vorst (shown below), so stay tuned for pics of your fave campers, tutors, counselors, and all the fun we're going to have. Make sure you've subscribed (on the right) to get our updates via email, and click on the "accept subscription" email message when it arrives in your inbox.

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In Their Own Words: Moving Memories

If you're like us, you get a little teary-eyed when you think of some of the many moving moments that happen every summer at Camp Spring Creek. But so many of these moments are only seen by one or two people, though the impact is long lasting. We asked some of folks to share meaningful memories of the little things at camp, and here's what a few of them shared with us: Lilja (OG trained counselor): "One of my stand out moments was witnessing how much progress the campers made in reading and writing. To be able to follow the campers from day one till their last at camp and see how much improvement they had made, was a great experience."

Sara (OG tutor): "Last summer I had a particularly stubborn student but by the end of camp he realized that we were there to help him and were not going to give up trying to help him.  He is coming back this summer and I can’t wait to see how much progress he is going to make this summer."

Tracy (OG tutor): "I had wonderful experiences with all of my students last summer. Knowing that I helped them become better readers and gain confidence in themselves is what makes me want to come back."

Bald Creek Elementary

Earlier this month, Susie spent some time visiting Bald Creek Elementary School in west Burnsville. Susie was there to complete assessments in Laura Davis' 1st grade classroom (assistant Lisa Hunter), Jessica Duncan and Ashley Willis' 2nd grade classroPhoto Tour of BCES 012oms (assistant Missy Toomey), as well as touch base with a volunteer named Dusty. These educators all received our Associate Level Orton-Gillingham Training through grants awarded to us by the Janirve Legacy Foundation and the Wal-mart State Giving Fund. With this training, teachers were able to return to their classrooms and teach OG-specific language skills to the entire class. Bald Creek Principal Sherry Robinson had this to say about the impact of the training in her school:

"The Orton-Gillingham training has been invaluable. Both teachers and teacher assistants have learned teaching strategies that specifically target weaknesses in phonics and phonemic awareness. They have learned how to 'marry' our K-2 Letterland Phonics Program with the OG strategies and therefore instruct students in a manner which is developmentally and sequentially correct. The training, which Susie van der Vorst delivers, has equipped both teachers and teacher assistants with the background knowledge needed to confidently and competently focus on specific skill weaknesses. As a result of this training and quality instructional time, our 1st and 2nd grade students have made one to two year gains in their reading levels over the past eight months."

In Their Own Words: New Counselors

Screen shot 2013-05-07 at 5.41.14 PMWe have a number of new counselors on board this year and while they've never been to Camp Spring Creek until now, they certainly come with their own skills and experiences. We asked a few of them what made them want to come to camp and join our team: Rob Watts (aka Watto): "I have never been to a summer camp as such in England, but I did have a similar experience where I spent the week doing activities but left at the end of each day. That is where I first got a taste for archery. I hope I can share that first experience at Camp Spring Creek, leading the archery program."

Zohn Fleming: "I wanted to have a chance to surround myself with a location that I've never been to, and push myself a little out of my comfort zone. I love the places I've been and have gotten to know well...but I'm always open to trying something new. I have been to a different camp in the Northeast and a few in France, and they all have a very different feel. Some seemed like a perfect fit, while others...I hope that the campers remember me as the fun one--not to say that everyone else won't be equally as fun for the campers!"

In Their Own Words: Why Our Counselors Keep Coming Back

Screen shot 2013-05-07 at 5.29.38 PMWe took some time to catch up with our counselors, who are gearing up for their journey to Camp Spring Creek very soon, and asked a returnee what keeps her coming back for another summer: Sigurbjorg Lilja: "Camp Spring is an amazing place that feels like home. It was wonderful to see how the kids got the opportunity to shine in their own special ways. They got the opportunity to teach each other and build long lasting friendships. To be able to see all this happen is what makes me want to be around and come back to camp. I certainly experienced a lot and discovered so many things as a counselor there. I also made a lasting friendship."

Lilja is returning to us from Iceland for her second summer. She has been a competitive swimmer for over 12 years but now just swims for enjoyment. After completing her degree, she is now a teacher and works as a substitute in primary school. She is also a swimming coach for her local swim team. She enjoys outdoor activities and is looking forward to spelunking again this summer.

New Digs!

-1 It's been nine long months since many of you have seen Camp Spring Creek and it's impossible to keep up with all of Steve's improvements to our facilities. Suffice it to say, you've got to come see it for yourself! But for our fans from afar, or for those wanting a sneak peek, here's a bit of an update. (Above: the new addition on the left side of our main building!)

We've added a new staff storage area for sporting equipment, a camp store, and a staff lounge. We also built a "kid's lounge" that the campers are going to decorate when they first arrive. "I hope that they're going to make decorating it a project, and really make it their own," says Steve (the hard work behind all this exciting news). "The kid's lounge has a ping pong table and a disco ball; even couches and speakers for a rainy day. The campers can get in there and just have a blast."

We've also added a third girls' cabin area and a volleyball court is in process. Oh, and one more thing: a brand new office for Steve. Three cheers!

More pics? Here:

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(New lounge with a soon-to-be screened in porch!)

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(The breezeway)

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Camp Counselors: What it Takes

Our website says that we hire camp counselors who are 21 or older, "with a passion for teaching art, swimming, waterskiing, rock climbing, orienteering, or hiking. Counselors must be good role models for campers and enjoy the energy of children." But talking to Camp Spring Creek co-founder Steve van der Vorst, it's clear there's a lot more to the job than that. "They’ve got to be able to show initiative," says Steve. "That’s one reason we conduct many interviews by phone or Skype. I can usually get an idea for how energetic someone is, and also, how enthusiastic. A lot of young people want to work at a camp, but most camps in America are large and hire counselors that focus on one specialty. We look for people with skills across the board and we're a small camp, so we want someone comfortable with our family-style dynamic."

In addition to hard skills such as a background in art our outdoor activities, Steve also looks for a sense of humor, experience traveling and being away from home, and a willingness to work hard.

This year's Camp Spring Creek counselors were recently featured in our Spring Newsletter. Before camp starts, they will travel from all over the globe to join us in Bakersville at the camp for a week of training. By the time our first campers arrive, the counselors have received certifications in lifeguarding, first-aid, and CPR. They've received training about social and creative concerns specific to children with dyslexia. And they've been given "the talk" from Susie about Orton-Gillingham and the educational aspects of our camp.

Stay tuned for words of advice from some of our returning counselors later this month!

My Name is Brain Brian by Jeanne Betancourt

9780780759169This month we're recommending My Name is Brain Brian by Jeanne Betancourt.

This book is for readers in grades 4-6, but many supporters of Camp Spring Creek--adults, too!--will enjoy it. We found this review written by Constance A. Mellon and published by the School Library Journal quite helpful:

"Brian and his fellow members of the Jokers Club hate school. To make it more fun, they create a secret game, winning points for making other people laugh during the day. Brian wins the first point when he writes his name as "Brain" on the blackboard. But it's no joke. He is dyslexic. Betancourt weaves in a good deal of information on this learning disability, but first and foremost, this is a story. Brian, who narrates, is characterized by more than his problem. Not only must he practice new ways to learn, but he must also deal with his father, also dyslexic; with a childhood friend whose behavior becomes increasingly disturbing; and with a girl he hates. As readers follow him through the sixth grade and see the changes it makes in his life, he becomes a real person to them. They will close the book with a sigh of satisfaction. It is written clearly and simply, with an obvious understanding of, and empathy for, Brian. Children with learning problems will relate well to this book; as a presentation of that issue, it's outstanding."

In Her Own Words: Tiffany Stroud

???????? Last month we posted about 5 teachers who took our Associate Level Training at the Outreach Center. One of those teachers, Tiffany Stroud, is also the mother of a Camp Spring Creek camper: Trey. Here is what Tiffany says about the impact of Camp Spring Creek on her son's life:

"Trey had a very life-changing experience. He learned the structure of language in a way that he had not seen before and it really changed his life forever. At camp, he especially liked the woodworking shop and the things that he got to create and the fact that he was trusted with machinery in a very responsible way. He was able to use his gifts to be able to make what he would call 'a masterpiece.' Before Trey went to Camp Spring Creek, written expression was quite difficult and he spent years trying to remember how to form written print letters. After just six weeks of camp, he could write beautifully in cursive."

Classroom Educators' Course: A New Partnership with OpenDoors of Asheville

-1For the past two weekends, we've taken our Outreach Training Center skills on the road to Weaverville, where we conducted a retreat-style training through a partnership with OpenDoors of Asheville. OpenDoors helps at-risk kids, living below poverty level, with a support network of local families who provide mentoring as well as transportation to sports and extracurricular activities, tutoring, and school events. This network advocates for OpenDoors kids in the their schools and helps them gain access to school resources so they can graduate high school and flourish. The training offered to OpenDoors by our Outreach Center is officially known as the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators Classroom Educators' Course. "What we're trying to do," says Camp Spring Creek Director Susie van der Vorst, "is train the teachers, assistants, and exceptional child educators so that when a child needs help, these advocates all have the same language and strategies." This will not only make communication more consistent for the child, but will likewise enhance communication between all the adults in that child's life as they each touch base and work in the best interests of the child.

Eleven participants enrolled in the training, including 8 kindergarten or exceptional child teachers from Buncombe County schools. The other three participants came from across the spectrum: a mother who is also a counselor, a speech and language pathologist, and the new Director of The Augustine Literacy Project.

Part 2 of this training will kick off next year, when the same group gathers to go over assessments and begin their practicums.

Spring 2013 Newsletter

Screen shot 2013-05-01 at 12.17.00 PM Three cheers! Our Spring 2013 Newsletter went out in the mail this week and we're happy to say that it's also available online. View the entire newsletter by clicking here. This season's issue includes a note from Susie, a book review of Smart but Scattered, camp staff bios, grant funding updates, pics of improvements to the facilities (thanks, Steve!), and a camp counselor photo collage that can't be beat!