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After 10 wonderful years of service at Starfish, Camp Director Adam Sparks is moving on to pursue a passion for education administration. He has accepted the position of Director at the Lowell Collaborative Preschool Academy - a federally-funded prekindergarten school serving four- and five-year olds who live below the poverty line. We are so proud of Adam and excited for him as he takes this next step on his path of educational leadership.
Of his new role, Adam says "this is an opportunity for me to build a school from the ground up, to coach and mentor teachers, to provide community assistance for parents, and more. My background is in education; I am a certified teacher, and my work here at Camp Starfish has prepared me well to take on the challenges facing me in my new position. And, you can bet that I'm going to sprinkle a little dose of Camp Starfish on the Academy!"
Adam reflected on his time at Starfish, saying "for ten years, Camp Starfish has played an integral role in my development as a leader. The children Starfish serves have left an indelible mark on me both personally and professionally. Though my departure from Starfish's year-round team is bittersweet, you can rest assured that my connection to Camp Starfish doesn't end here."
Indeed, Adam was
and remains
a key part of the transition to a new Camp Director for Starfish. He will be at the upcoming October Weekenders respite and the Halloween Hurrah, and will no doubt be seen around camp assisting with staff training and visiting campers in 2016.
Executive Director Emily Golinsky has been at work behind the scenes to ensure that the camp program, staff hiring, and myriad other responsibilities that Adam managed remain in good hands. "Adam is an inspired leader," Emily said. "The Lowell school system should be proud to have such an administrator on their team. And, Starfish is lucky to welcome another talented and experienced Director to our team as well." While the entire Starfish family will miss Adam, we are simultaneously thrilled to introduce our new Camp Director, Doug Sutherland! Doug is a veteran face in the New England camp community, an active member of the American Camp Association and an Instructor for the ACA New Camp Directors' course. With over 20 years experience teaching, evaluating, and facilitating a wide range of educational and team building programs for children, adults, and families, Doug brings to Starfish a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm for helping all children access camp experiences.
Doug comes to Starfish most recently from Camp Nashoba North, where as Assistant Director he had responsibility for 80 staff and 160 campers. Additionally, he provided year-round support for camp-wide operations including health and food services, site management, staff hiring, and camper/family communications. Of his new role, Doug says "I am very excited to be a part of the Camp Starfish family. I believe camp gives campers and staff the opportunity to grow, learn and experience in a supportive and fun environment. My goal is to continue this tradition of excellence that campers, staff and everyone involved have brought to Starfish."
Doug will be supported in these efforts by Starfish Assistant Director Jamie Ingram, who has officially re-joined the summer team for 2016 - her 7th year at camp! Jamie spends her off-seasons in South Carolina and works remotely with Starfish to provide critical support for the camper enrollment, staff hiring, and administrator training components of year-round operations. "Adam has been a fantastic mentor and leader, and I am excited to see all that Doug will bring to the role of Director. 2016 is going to be a fantastic year for Starfish and I'm glad to be a part of making it happen for our campers, families and staff."
Amongst these changes, Starfish is continuing to run great fall programs! Everyone is invited to the Halloween Hurrah, at camp in Rindge, NH on October 17th from 4-6 pm. Adam, Doug and Jamie will be there, as will over 20 staff, 30 volunteers, and lots of campers, families and friends! To get tickets for the fun, click on the picture to the right or visit
http://2015csfhurrah.eventbrite.com/
.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with me at the year-round office (by phone at 978-637-2617 or by email to emily@campstarfish.org). If you'd like to thank or wish Adam luck, or welcome Doug, they can be reached at adam@campstarfish.org and doug@campstarfish.org respectively. We look forward to hearing from you.
Smiles from the Campfire,
Emily Golinsky
Executive Director
Camp Starfish
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