Welcome April to our amazing team of summer tutors! With 15 years of teaching experience and a passion for helping readers grow through the Orton-Gillingham approach, she brings adventure and creativity to camp. From hiking the Appalachian Trail to singing at Carnegie Hall, she’s excited to learn, explore, and make memories with campers this summer!
Tell us about where you’re from!
I am a Florida Conch. I presently live on a sailboat in Indiantown, Florida. My husband and I are adventurers, and he is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail while I am at camp.
How did you become interested in tutoring and Orton-Gillingham?
I love helping struggling readers and writers. I have been teaching English for 15 years, and I started tutoring students who needed help in my classes. Susie was my first Orton-Gillingham Fellow, and she started my training when we met in 2023. I will finish my Orton-Gillingham Associates in the fall of this year. I have seen the Orton-Gillingham approach change my students' lives over the years. It empowered them to grow, learn, and reach their dreams.
What might campers be surprised to learn about you?
I spent twenty years teaching music and drama. I founded Beginnings Music Academy to give young people a place to perform year-round. I directed shows ranging from Cinderella, Jr. to The Sound of Music. I also sang at Jimmy Buffett's 50th birthday party as a member of a Caroling Company. In December 2025, I sang in a chorus at Carnegie Hall for the first time. It was SPECTACULAR! I love music too.
What made you want to spend your summer at Camp Spring Creek?
I hiked the Appalachian Trail last year with my husband. That 2000+ mile hike was one of the highlights of my life. The opportunity to combine my passion for helping students improve their reading skills and going on adventures with them sounded inspirational!
What are you looking forward to the most this summer?
I can't wait to meet the campers. I know we'll make memories while white water rafting, hiking, and reading together.
What do you do during the school year?
This year, I taught 8th and 9th-grade writing at Treasure Coast Classical Academy. I have taught every grade level, preschool through 12th grade. I am currently a part-time Clinical Supervisor for student teachers at Western Governors University, too.
What is your favorite book or series that you’ve read?
My favorite book is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. But I love them all. I am currently reading True Spirit by Jessica Watson, On Trails by Robert Moore, and Homer's Iliad. I love learning, so I read a variety of genres, and I am always looking for book suggestions.
How would your closest friends describe you?
My closest friends describe me as an adventurous book nerd who writes. They were shocked when I decided to hike for 2000 miles and live in a tent for seven months last year. I wear dresses most of the time, and they couldn't imagine me staying dirty for that long.
What is the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Just keep moving your feet 'til you get there.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My three children are my proudest accomplishment. They are all hard-working, healthy, and happy adults now.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I don't have a lot of free time right now, but when I do, I visit my friends and family all over the country. I love to travel. I am traveling to California to visit my husband on the PCT before camp.
Ask me about the time I…came face to face with a 500-pound black bear in New York or about the time I met a pod of 50-ton whales off the coast of Rhode Island.
