To close out May, we continue our Alumni Spotlight Series highlighting Carole Paterson (Staff ‘91-’95). Carole is a science teacher living outside of Pittsburgh with her family and we are thrilled to share what she’s been up to since she left Camp.
Read on to learn more about her work and how her time at Camp impacted her. 
Tell me what you’re doing – where are you? What’s happening in your life?
I am currently outside Pittsburgh in Ligonier, which is next door to the home of Mr. Rogers and also home to Arnold Palmer, and I’ve been here for 22 years. I’m about to get married in August and have a blended family with my son, Hunter who is 16, and what we call my ‘bonus boys’ Liam and Rhys – they’re in 1st and 3rd grade. We live in this great neighborhood near my parents and future in-laws are down the street. It’s a beautiful, active community with lots of recreation around.
I work at an independent K-8 day school; wrapping up my 10th year! I teach science, I’m a 6th-grade advisor, and I (no surprise) run the summer program! I’ve been working on different programs, specifically values-based programming; so that’s SEL learning, designing our advisory program, and student support. I wear a lot of hats in an independent school, which I learned when I transitioned from public school.
I also just got admitted to graduate school at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, where I’ll be earning my Master’s in Education Leadership and the goal is to be in more leadership roles in the future. I love to learn and build relationships so I’m excited to be back in school. I’ll be there in the summer and also doing that virtually – I’m so grateful that things can be on Zoom!
I’m also involved with the Wow in the World podcast. It’s from a company called Tinkercast, and I’ve been an education consultant with them and found new pathways to engage with them. If you don’t listen – listen to it, especially parents!
So many amazing things! Have you always been in teaching?
I went to work at a YMCA summer camp and outdoor education center. I was there for 5 years in outdoor education and then became the Associate Director of Camp Programs. I originally wanted to go into camping, because I grew up at camps in NE including Wawenock. I was young and kept coming up against barriers; being a young woman was a barrier. I recognized that it wasn’t going to work at that time and thought ‘What do I need to do to gain the experience and knowledge so I CAN do this?’ I transitioned into non-profit doing conservation and environmentalism work but realized I couldn’t support myself financially and felt the drawback of not teaching kids. So I got my teaching certificate and worked at a school in the area for 7 years before transitioning to the Valley School, where I am now.
What an interesting path! What are some of the challenges you faced along the way? How did you navigate those?
I was so determined not to be a teacher, but every stone being placed in my path was leading me that way. Eventually, you have to recognize in yourself what you’re meant to do and lean into it and know that. Your compass spins as you’re wobbling through the question of ‘What are my next steps?’. It was nice when my compass straightened out and I knew that teaching was what I wanted to do. You have to go through moments of wobbling around.
There’s the plaque in Ussher that has the component parts of Wawenock spirit – I have a photo of that and I would look at that when I felt myself wobble. This is cheesy, but I would say, “June, Lillian, Syd – give me a sign!” and constantly looking for that grounding force that Wawenock is.
That definitely resonates! It’s good to hear the compass straightens out. In all of those things, what are some milestones or things you feel proud of?!
My son – watching him grow up and turn into the person he is. I’m also excited about my fiance, who has been a great ‘compass straightener’!
With my school, and this is how camp comes into my work, I’m big on legacy and leaving a place better than you found it. When I work for an organization, I think ‘What’s my legacy? What will I leave behind? How will people take my contribution and make it go further?’ Our school has a fabulous, mission but didn’t have strong core values. When we had a leadership transition, I took the reins of the team that ended up writing the core values. Watching that team come together and grasp the pieces of the school’s history and direction of the school and put them into words is beautiful. Watching people be proud of that, and seeing it take off – I’m very proud of that.
I’m also proud of getting into graduate school and figuring out what I want to do for my Master’s Degree. I’m really happy that it’s grounded in my values. The work I’m doing and what I’m trying to accomplish – the values-based idea and going back to that.
What advice do you wish you knew when you were just starting out this journey? OR what advice would you give others?
- Build your community of people around you and lean into that. Identify who is going to help you move forward. You don’t need anchors, you need sails. Look for people that challenge you as friends and can be truthful and honest with you.
- It’s ok to wobble. I’m writing a paper on ‘the wobble’. Allow yourself the grace to wobble through something – it’s how you calibrate. You’re supposed to fall as a kid and get up. We forget as adults how valuable it is to fall, to fail, to wobble. Give yourself permission to fail.
- For myself, I wish I hadn’t stopped and paused. I wish I’d gone back to camp.
- Reach out! Don’t be afraid to call and connect with me! With Wawenock, we have this thread in all of us and we can understand what it means to have gone to Camp. I love to mentor!
What elements from Camp have helped you? In life? In teaching?
My educational philosophy is based on my work with June from my first summer when I was the head of sailing. I was so nervous to be in charge of staff and a program. It’s scary to be in charge of sailing and kids in boats. I had nightmares about that. I thought, ‘What do I need to do this? What do I want staff to know?’ And it was that I want the kids to feel safe. What I didn’t know at the time was that I was discovering an educational philosophy. That sticks with me. I think about kids in sailboats as kids come into my classroom. I think about what I will do to make them safe and comfortable and then think about what they can learn. This is also related to my interest in social-emotional learning and building human skills first. Those transcend anything that anyone does.
The other thing that I use Wawenock from is when I feel stressed or anxious or defeated or when I don’t want to continue something, I picture myself there on the Point patio in an Adirondack chair listening to a staff meeting, or on the images, or on the beach, or in Cabin 1. I have all these spots, and it’s become an important reminder that people out there believe in this work.
You’ve talked a lot about June and her impact. Is there anything more on her impact or someone at Camp who also impacted you? Or a mentor?
I could have the longest list. I was thinking of Gail White and Shellea Ewig (now Dion) – there are so many from my first year. June, Pat, and Lillian were so influential. I met Syd through my mom and the camping industry; June actually shared a room with my mom at a camping event! That’s how my relationship with Wawenock began! When I was young, we went to stay at Sunset, and I remember playing a game and having dinner at the table in Sunset. There are flashes of so much happiness and joy.
June and Pat were so different! I hear June in my voice when I speak to kids. With Pat – I’m a systems person and Pat instilled in me the propensity to think about that in combination with the emotional piece. Their balance was amazing. Pat was so strong as a person and a woman.
Can you share a favorite memory from camp?
It was so hot one day and so Mandy Morrison (now Chesley), Buffy Small (now Needham), Katie Ewig, Amy McGilvray, and Susannah Sprong – there was a crew of us – we called the Ewigs and went down the road to their beach and Mrs. Ewig held our towels while we skinny dipped! It was a moment of pure joy and return to childhood, and refreshing; we were giggling and laughing. The whole thing took 20 minutes!
Also, we had a staff meeting, and June was reading the book, Frederick, and I specifically remember sitting in that chair. I remember all the sounds and smells of camp, it was near the end of camp and I remember thinking ‘I need to remember this moment’ and I filled my senses with that spot: who was there, the sun, the waves, the cheers from Owaissa.
Another one – Julie Butler and Nani Davis – we were on the row after breakfast and we acted out The Sound of Music and were singing all the songs. I don’t know what inspired it but it was hysterical and we had a blast!
We could go on forever – it’s so fun to talk about! Is there anything else you want to share? Camp or otherwise!
Connect with one another! Keep our community alive and thriving. I’m so impressed with what Catriona and Andy are doing at Camp – they’re cultivating this evolution that’s important for Camp to go through and doing it in a way that’s so anchored in the values and honoring where Camp needs to go.
Reach out if you want advice, listening, or help! I’m overly enthusiastic and always have time to hear people’s stories and I get excited about excitement!
I want everyone to go back to camp! It’s so healthy. It may seem far or not the right time, but after everything we’ve been going through, keep camp alive. Help spread the message about camp – any camp, because children need these experiences that pull them from the crazy pace of life and put them into a pause moment, a moment of play, and moments to be with people in a way that is joyful and authentic.
Want to connect with Carole?!
Connect with her on social media @cjpvermont8 , Facebook is Carole Paterson Wright, or via email (cjpvermont@gmail.com) or reach out to camp for my number!