A Professional, High Quality Staff

We think that the individuals that make up our staff are the most important component in producing a quality camp program. Many of our instructors are certified teachers who teach in area schools during the winter. Others are local artists and scientists who have experience working with children. All have an enthusiasm for their field and sharing it with your children. Most of our counselors are previous DaVinci Experience® campers who have returned to participate in our Counselor-In-Training Program and Junior Counselor Program. All of our staff undergo a thorough background check and are personally interviewed by the camp director/owner who also talks to all their references.

There are experienced adult teachers at each site. We accept a maximum of 24 campers at the Cousins Island site, 32 campers at the South Portland and Freeport sites, and 48 at the Falmouth and Cape Elizabeth sites. Campers are divided into smaller groups by age. Each group of 16 is lead by an experienced adult teacher, who is assisted by a teen-age counselor. Our staff to camper ratio is 1:8. (top)

Staff Profiles 2009

Director: Judy Crosby
Judy Crosby is a certified, experienced teacher and camp director. She has taught K-college levels. Judy 's main summer office is at the Falmouth site. She visits all sites regularly when they are in session.(click on director to the left for more info)

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Lead Teachers

Our teachers are Ann Bragdon, Megan Wilkins Dubois, Brigid Franey, Jaime Jamieson, Rosalee Lamm, Donna Mead, and Avery McGill. Six of the seven teachers are returning DaVinci staff and they bring a wealth of experience to our camps. They were chosen for their special interest and abilities in science and art, but most importantly all have a wonderful way with children and believe in a child centered curriculum.

Ann Bragdon will be returning again summer. She was a teacher in New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina she and her family to moved back to Maine. She has also been teaching at Schoolhouse Arts the past couple of summers as well as at the Falmouth DaVinci site. This summer she will be teaching the junior camper group Amazing Africa session.

Megan Wilkins Dubois is returning for her 7th year at DaVinci Experience Camps. She has been the lead teacher and program director of our York site. She has also taught at Freeport, South Portland and Falmouth. She is a certified teacher with a BS in Environmental Science and is pursuing a masters degree in Education. She is employed at Cape Elizabeth's Pond Cove School and has years of experience as a science camp instructor and camp counselor. She also teaches DaVinci Experience After School Programs at Pond Cove during the school year.

This summer Megan will be teaching Fantastic Flight and Knights & Princesses at our Freeport site. She will be the lead teacher for Eyeballs & Goo-What's Inside of You and Emergency Vet in Cape Elizabeth and Lost Civilizations and Crime Lab in South Portland. She has taught most of these topics before. Megan has been promoted to Assistant Director of DaVinci Experience this year and will be supervising the Cape Elizabeth, Freeport and South Portland sites.

Brigid Franey is returning to DaVinci Experience this summer. She taught at our Falmouth site last year and will be the lead teacher at our Cousins Island site this summer. Before being hired as the chemistry teacher at McAuley High School, she was a substitute teacher in the Falmouth and Saco public schools. She has also been a Teaching Fellow at Smith College Campus School in MA. She has her B.A. in Chemistry and Philosophy from St. Olaf College and her Masters in Elementary Education from Smith College. Brigid is the former program coordinator and teacher naturalist at Ferry Beach Ecology School and will be bringing her naturalist experience to our island programs. She will be also be teaching Island Explorer, Island Habitat, Creatures of the Deep and Ocean Commotion at our Yarmouth site.

Jaime Jamieson is the licensed preschool owner of Waiting to Grow Preschool in South Portland where she has taught the past seven years. Prior to that she was a substitute teacher in the Scarborough schools for three years. She is currently working on her Masters degree in Early Childhood Education at UNE. She will be teaching the younger campers at the South Portland site this summer.

Rosalee Lamm is new to DaVinci Experience this summer. She received her B.S. in Geology-Physics-Math from Brown Universtiy and her Masters in Earth and Planetary Sciences from M.I.T. She has been employed at Waynflete School in Portland this past winter. She has also been a tutor at Berwick Academy. She has organized and coordinated science workshops for children with the Museum of Science and M.I.T. We are glad to welcome her as our teacher for the junior age group at the Falmouth site for the summer.

Avery McGill is also returning for her 4th year. She will be teaching all of the senior group's sessions once again at the Falmouth site. She is also the lead teacher for our Extended day program. Avery has her BA in physics and a minor in education. In the winter she teaches physics for the Gray School Department. She has also coached soccer at Waynflete and ice hockey and lacrosse at USM. Before spending her summers with us, she spent several summers as a teacher and counselor at Vermont science camps.

Donna Mead is also returning for her 4th summer this year. During the school year she teaches at Pine Grove Montessori School in Falmouth where she has been employed since 2003. She has also worked at Breakwater School in Portland . Before coming to us summers , was the art teacher at the Portland YMCA Creative Expressions Camp. She has taught at our Falmouth site and South Portland site.

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Teenage Assistant Counselors

Our counselors are young people who have a special interest in science, art, and/or working with children. Some have been volunteers in our DaVinci Experience After School programs. We are pleased that the following counselors are returning this summer:

Elise Young is returning to the Cousins Island site. She was a camper on Cousins Island for years before joining our staff and becoming a lifeguard. She is a graduate of Greeley High School. Elise is a going to be a senior at USM this fall.

Falmouth High School students, Tess Wrobleski, Nate Rioux, and Connor Scannell are all returning to the Falmouth camp site this summer. Elyse Rioux (8th summer), Jacob, Leighton (Freeport High School-4nd summer), Jonathan Ofiara, (Scarborough High School-3rd summer) and Misty Przybyl (3rd summer- Deering High School) and Connor (2nd yr.) are all former DaVinci campers. Elyse is also an EMT's for Falmouth Rescue and attends University of Mary Washington in the pre-med program.

Lindsey Dubois , a Yarmouth High School student, will be returning for her 3rd summer at Cousins Island and Falmouth. We are still in the process of assembling our team for this summer, but are pleased that the majority of our staff from last year are returning.

****If you did not see your favorite teacher's or counselor's name from last year, it does not necessarily mean they aren't returning.  It just means they have not finalized their summer schedule with the director yet. (top)

DaVinci Experience Staff News

DaVinci Experience was represented at the Maine Science Teachers Conference. Judy Crosby and Cara Mangini attended workshops . They came away with lots of new ideas to energize our 2008 camp season.

Congratulations to Bonnie Anderson for being named Portland Museum of Art Docent Emeritus. Bonnie is very deserving of this honor. She has been an enthusiastic and dedicated volunteer in our community for years. She is a talented educator and a caring person. (top)

Camp director, Judy Crosby attended the 2008 National Science Teachers Conference in Boston for four days last March. She participated in NASA workshops and has lots of new ideas for Moon Mission and Mission to Mars weeks in Falmouth. She also learned some new activities for integrating science into our Sea Pirates theme in Freeport. She loted the Chemistry sessions that included art and color theory and is bringing back fun activities to include in Kitchen Chemistry and Picasso to Pop Art weeks.

She also attended the Maine Youth Camping Assn. 2008 annual meeting. She shared new ideas at the DaVinci Experience Staff Training. She is also a board member of the Maine Youth Camping Association and on the Education Committee.

Judy Crosby and Nancy Marino traveled to Paris in April with the Portland Museum of Art docents and visited at least 2 museums a day. They saw school children and their art projects at the Paris Museum of Modern Art. They have inspiration for lots of new art projects and brought back wonderful resources such as puzzles, books and games to share with campers taking "Making Impressionist Art" and Island Artist- Leonardo's Art Making this summer.

Personal Notes: Cara Mangini (who taught at Cousins Island and Falmouth the past two summers) is getting married this summer and going to Italy. We will miss her and wish her the best!

Gwenne Oberg of Cumberland Foreside has joined our year round staff as bookkeeper and administrative assistant.