Camp Susan Curtis - Helping Students Succeed

Walter Wallace, Maine Principal of the Year in 2015, has worked in education for over 16 years. He recently served as the principal of Brunswick Junior High School in Brunswick, Maine, and founded WB Education, LLC, an education consulting company, in early 2019. Walter Wallace supports Camp Susan Curtis, which is also in Maine.

Camp Susan Curtis provides a free outdoor residential experience for boys and girls aged 8 to 17. Students who qualify for free or reduced lunches attend the camp and learn and improve skills they need to succeed in school and life, such as collaboration, critical thinking, and teamwork. Campers attend with other students their age and participate in programs such as art, wilderness and sports skills, and team building.

Former and current Camp Susan Curtis participants may attend extended programming offered by the camp. This programming teaches students how to apply to colleges and universities, helps them choose a career path, and helps students develop many other skills with the goal of leading them to achieve success as adults.

Maine’s Camp Susan Curtis Low-Income Children a Taste of the Outdoors

Children
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Selected as Maine’s 2015 Principal of the Year, Walter Wallace is the president of the WB Education consulting firm in Cumberland. A longtime middle and elementary school principal, Walter Wallace also supports Camp Susan Curtis in Western Maine.

The camp is operated by the Susan L. Curtis Charitable Foundation. Susan was the daughter of Governor Kenneth Curtis and Pauline Curtis and died during his term. Out of sympathy, Mainers sent in donations which helped launch a nonprofit group provided tuition-free outdoor recreation to children from low-income families. Established in 1971, its mission is to build confidence, character, and leadership skills.

Each summer some 500 youths gather at what the American Camping Association calls one of New England’s most beautiful locations. Occupying 100 acres of conserved land, Camp Susan Curtis houses guests in log cabins equipped with complete bathrooms, electrical services, and porches.

Rated one of the cleanest bodies of water in the state, Trout Lake’s 88 acres allow campers to hear loon calls and enjoy swimming, fishing, kayaking, and canoeing. More than eight miles of trails connect the shore to views of Allen Mountain and the Three Mountains Range.

A nearby ropes courses permit low- and high-level skills workouts and include a new climbing tower. Alford Lodge features a spacious gymnasium for all-weather fun and serves the dining area. Sports fields and an arts and crafts center complement a fully-equipped theatre.

Trends in Digital Literacy

Learning
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Brunswick Junior High School Principal Walter Wallace is responsible for supervising a staff of over 80 personnel and overseeing the curriculum and daily instruction of the Maine junior high school’s students. As principal of this school in Cumberland, Maine, Walter Wallace not only guides the daily operations of the school, he is also responsible for making sure that technology is incorporated into the curriculum. Trends in digital literacy show that more and more school administrators, across all grade levels, are adapting technology to classroom learning.

Of the main trends in technology and student learning, gaming technology has a growing role. More than being relics of prior classroom computer games, these games move beyond students simply answering questions in programs that test their critical thinking skills. At the same time, students are given feedback, which helps target and improve particular skill sets as well as identify areas in need of improvement.

Another trend in technology in the educational setting is blended learning. Blended learning allows students to take ownership of their education by allowing them to decide the direction and pace at which they learn. This approach requires less actual instruction time on the part of the educator and is discovery based.

Smart technology and redesigned work spaces are impacting student instruction as well. Smart stations are replacing conventional chalk boards and are providing teachers with a fully-functional platform for imparting lessons and accessing the internet. These smart classrooms include Smart pods, which replace traditional seating. Moreover, as opposed to the traditional classroom setup with students facing the teacher at the head of the class, today’s classrooms are organized in ways that promote collaborative learning. This technology has even transformed the way content is often delivered, for example, turning a classroom lesson into a virtual field trip.