Welcome McGuire to our 2026 Camp Spring Creek team! McGuire is looking forward to sharing his passion for woodworking with the campers and seeing what innovative designs emerge from their imaginations. The Woodshop this year is sure to be teaming with energy and enthusiasm for creating!
What do you do during the school year?
During the school year, I attended Appalachian State University studying industrial design with a concentration in furniture design. In school we are tasked with the complete process of design ideation to final fabrication.
What made you want to teach woodshop at Camp Spring Creek?
I have always had an interest in teaching tangible skills to kids which can be used to empower and inspire confidence within them. I look back to all my most pivotal memories, and every single one of them involves a teacher/ mentor, and to fill that role for a young person would bring me immense gratitude.
What are you looking forward to the most this summer?
This summer I am most excited to introduce the process of design to a group of unique campers in order to facilitate the creation of their ideas. I can’t wait to get the kids pumped on design so they can start to build the world they wish to live in.
Who was your most influential teacher? What made them a great teacher for you?
My academic career has been full of amazing teachers, but there is one in particular that comes to mind. My kindergarten teacher Ms.Gaines. I was a very shy kid, always afraid to share ideas or speak up in class. Ms.Gaines knew I was able to articulate ideas, but simply lacked the confidence to do so. She would sit with me for longer than anyone had before to pull out what she knew was already inside. Ms.Gaines taught me what patience meant, not in definition, but in practice.
What is your favorite book or series that you’ve read?
I am a huge fan of the late David Foster Wallace, my favorite book of his is a collection of essays called “Consider the lobster (and other essays)” which analyzes seemingly dull pockets of American subculture, ultimately unraveling as a profound exploration into the American zeitgeist.
What's one of your biggest passions, outside of woodworking, that you hope to share with the campers and staff at Camp Spring Creek?
Outside of woodworking, my biggest passion is the outdoors. Being able to connect with the material (wood) in its natural element brings me closer to the medium and allows me to familiarize myself with the intentions of the tree.
How do you like to spend your free time?
In my free time I love to be outside running, skateboarding, or going for a swim.
Ask me about the time I… ran from North Carolina to Tennessee
What advice would you give a camper trying something new for the first time?
When trying something new it is completely normal to struggle, however, it's the ability to keep coming back where growth and learning occur. So, as long as you are having fun and staying safe, keep trying, because soon it will click.