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 are personally interviewed by the camp director/owner.

There are experienced adult teachers at each site. We accept a maximum of 20 campers at the Cousins Island site, 32 campers at the South Portland, York and Freeport sites, and 48 at the Falmouth site. 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 2008

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, John Dickerson, Megan Wilkins Dubois, Brigid Franey, Jaime Jamieson, Donna Mead, and Avery McGill. Five 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.

John Dickerson is returning for his 3rd year at DaVinci Experience. He and his wife moved to Maine in June 2006. John is a graduate of Rhode Island College with a B.A. degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in general science.He is employed at Crooked River School in Casco as a guidance counselor. He has experience teaching 4th, 5th and 6th graders at Francis J Varieur School in Pawtucket, RI. He also loves the outdoors and has camp experience as the head instructor for 2 years at Youth Advanced Sailing Camp in Alexandria, Virgina. While in Virginia, he was a teachers' assistant at the Mary C Greer Elementary School and worked with first graders. He will be also be teaching Island Explorer, Island Habitat, Creatures of the Deep and Ocean Commotion at our Cousins Island site .

Megan Wilkins Dubois is returning for her 6th year at DaVinci Experience Camps. She has been the lead teacher and program director of our York site. She has also taught at Freeport 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. Megan will also be teaching the junior group of Teepees & Totem Poles, Moon Mission, Mission to Mars, Kitchen Chemistry, Leonardo's Art Making and Rainforest at our Falmouth site. She will be the lead teacher for Sea Pirates at our Freeport site and for Emergency Vet in South Portland. She has taught most of these topics before. The space camps are favorites of hers.

Brigid Franey was a Teaching Fellow at Smith College Campus School in MA. this year and spends her summers in Maine. She has also been a substitute teacher in the Falmouth and Saco public schools. Before coming to DaVinci Experience, Brigid was the program coordinator and teacher naturalist at Ferry Beach Ecology School. She has her B.A. in Chemistry and Philosophy from St. Olaf College and her Masters in Elementary Education from Smith College. She will be teaching the junior group of Picasso to Pop Art this summer in Falmouth. She started out as an art major and loves sharing her enthusiasm for art with young children.

Jaime Jamieson is the licensed preschool owner of Waiting to Grow Preschool in South Portland where she has taught the past six 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 Emergency Vet and Ancient Greece at the South Portland site this summer.

Avery McGill is also returning for her 3rd 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. As well as substitute teaching , she has been coaching soccer at Waynflete and coaching ice hockey and lacrosse at USM this past year. 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 3rd 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 this summer will be at our South Portland site teaching Emergency Vet and Ancient Greece.

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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 junior at USM this fall.

Falmouth High School students, Elyse Rioux, Nate Rioux, and Alexis Kramer are all returning to the Falmouth camp site this summer. Elyse Rioux (7th summer), Jacob Leighton (3nd summer) and William Laliberte (5th summer), a Deering High School student are all former DaVinci campers. Elyse and Alexis are also EMT's for Falmouth Rescue and are graduating seniors in June 2007, as is Will Lalliberte.

Lindsey Barton, a graduating senior at Deering High School student, will be returning for her 4th summer. 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

Congratulations to all our DaVinci counselors who are graduating June 2007: Lindsey Barton, Sabrina Corey, Alexis Kramer, William Laliberte, Elyse Rioux, and Carolyn Young!

DaVinci Experience was represented at the Maine Science Teachers Conference. Judy Crosby and Cara Mangini attended workshops and visited with past DaVinci teacher, Pierre Paradis. They came away with lots of new ideas to energize our 2007 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)

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: Rachel Schwartz (who taught in York and Falmouth) has returned from Africa and also got married this fall.

Lorna Bullard has joined our year round staff as an administrative assistant. Debbie Demers retired in February and is spending winters in Florida.