ExploreStar All-Star Team
Ryan Walter, ExploreStar Coordinator
Hello! My name is Ryan Walter and this summer I will be the ExploreStar Coordinator, which basically means I’ll be in and out of workshops all summer directing campers to their workshops, answering questions, and making sure that everything goes smoothly. This is my third summer in the ExploreStar program, and my second summer as ExploreStar Coordinator. In past summers I have taught the Digital Movie and Film Critics workshops. Throughout the school year I am a librarian in the Sidwell Upper School. When I’m not at Sidwell, you can find me throughout DC at live music venues, or in my apartment cooking, watching movies or playing guitar. I’m looking forward to another fun and productive summer with new and returning campers.
Michael Auger, ExploreStar Cartooning Instructor
My name is Michael Auger and this summer I will be teaching Comics/Cartooning in the ExploreStar Program at Sidwell Summer. This will be my second year teaching this course and I hope to have as much fun as I did with my last class. I have also taught art to grades K-8 at St. Bartholomew school in Bethesda as well as private art lessons to both children and adults. I make a living as a full-time freelance artist and you can see examples of my work online at http://www.arty4ever.com.
Tiffany Anderson, Mind Games, Paperback Writers, Number Skills
My name is Tiffany Anderson and this summer will be my first with Sidwell! I just graduated from American University with a B.A. in Psychology and I will at AU for another year to get a Master's degree in Teaching Elementary Education. I absolutely love traveling and spent a semester abroad in Rome my junior year of college. I traveled all over Italy and spent time in France, Sweden, Ireland, and Greece... and just visited Costa Rica over Spring Break! In my spare time, I take pictures- lots and lots of them. But, there's nothing that I love more than being with children, and that's why I can't wait for summer! Get ready to challenge your mind and have a ton of fun!
Santha Bundy-Farah, Early Risers Coordinator and Science Instructor
Hi, my name is Santha Bundy-Farah and this summer I will be the Early Risers Coordinator and a teacher of various science workshops for ExploreStar and Explorer Day Camp at Sidwell Summer. I have been working during the summers at Sidwell for the last 6 years in various camps. Currently I teach 8th grade Meteorology, Chemistry and Geology, in Montgomery County Schools. Prior to that, I taught 14 years at Sidwell Friends School. I have 3 children and 2 small grandchildren. My favorite hobby is doing anything related to science and watching CSI and all Law and Order shows. I look forward to familiar and new faces this summer! I promise we will have fun!!!!!!
Sara Covington Dickson, ExploreStar Cooking Instructor
My name is Sara Covington Dickson and this will be my first summer working with Sidwell Summer as a Cooking instructor for the ExplorerStar program. I'll start my first year of teaching high school social studies in the fall and I'm currently getting my Masters in Education from GW University. In my free time I enjoy spending time with friends, cooking, being outdoors, exploring the city and traveling.
Jennafer Curran, ExploreStar Rescue 911 Instructor
Hi! My name is Jennafer Curran (but please call me Naffer), and I am thrilled to be joining Sidwell Summer this year! I will be leading the Rescue 9-1-1 workshop in the ExploreStar program, and I am the Sidwell Summer CAP Director. I bring a passion and dedication to this program along with 27 years of combined camp and teaching experience. I am a Life Member of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, where I have been an active volunteer for 11 years as an EMT-B and Emergency Driver of ambulances and medic units. I have been a CPR and First Aid instructor for 8 years. I also have an MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and, before coming back to my first love, summer camp, I had taught ESOL and Spanish to Kindergarteners, seniors in high school, and every grade in between. I’ve also had many stops along the camp experience trail from being a camper all the way up to being a full-time camp director.
Chris DeWitt, ExploreStar Creative Writing and Journalism Instructor
Years with Sidwell Summer: 2008 will be the first!
Chris DeWitt is a recent graduate of American University, where he majored in Communication Studies and minored in German language. He will be teaching the journalism workshop for the whole summer and a creative writing workshop for part of the summer. Chris wrote extensively for the AU paper, the Eagle, working up to music editor in his first year, and eventually Managing Editor for Entertainment. He is also songwriter and guitarist for the band Sweet Teeth, which is active in the DC area. Check them out here: myspace.com/bearclawtx
Pamela Ehrenberg, ExploreStar Creative Writing Instructor
Greetings! My name is Pamela Ehrenberg, and I'm excited about my first Sidwell Summer, where I'll be teaching creative writing. I'm the author of two young adult novels: Ethan, Suspended was published last year by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, and Tillman County Fire will be published by Eerdmans in late 2008 or early 2009. I'm also an AmeriCorps alumna, a former DC junior high English teacher, and a consultant for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. And I'm mom to almost-three-year-old Talia, whose adventures in the garden, on the playground, and in the swimming pool provide much inspiration. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone this summer--in the meantime, you can check out my website, www.pamelaehrenberg.com, and Ethan's (star of Ethan suspended): www.myspace.com/ethansuspended.
Gavin Glakas, ExploreStar Landscape Painting Instructor
Gavin Glakas grew up in Bethesda, Maryland and started drawing about the time he started walking. He studied medieval history and painting at Washington University in St. Louis and the Slade School of Fine Art in London. Following graduation, he spent a year in Athens, Greece, working as an illustrator. Glakas has won numerous awards for his artwork and his paintings have been exhibited throughout the U.S. The artist currently resides in Washington D.C., where he paints full-time and is represented by Discovery Galleries of Bethesda, MD. He also teaches a figure painting course at the Yellow Barn in Glen Echo, MD, and has taught a landscape painting course at the Sidwell Friends School each summer for the last six years. Click Here for samples from his gallery.
Beth Hetzler, ExploreStar Visit Latin America, Passport to Paris, Global Cuisine, Sight See Spain, and Beginning Spanish Instructor
Beth Hetzler is a PhD student in international relations and a private tutor for middle and high school students in the DC area. She tutors in French, and Spanish as well as other academic subjects and standardized test preparation. She has a bachelor's degree in French and a master's degree in Latin American Studies, and she speaks both French and Spanish fluently. She has lived in five countries, including Colombia, where she was a Fulbright scholar. She has also taught high school French and Spanish in DC, and worked for the United Nations and other non-profit organizations in the DC area. This will be her third summer teaching workshops for the Sidwell Summer program, and she is very much looking forward to returning. In her free time, she enjoys participating in triathlons and reads everything she has time for. She will be teaching Visit Latin America, Passport to Paris, Global Cuisine, Sight See Spain, and Beginning Spanish.
Brian Riley- Green Architecture and Leadership 101 Instructor
Years with Sidwell Summer: 2008 will be the first!
I'm excited to be working my first summer at Sidwell! I recently graduated from American University with my Masters in Teaching Elementary Education, and I'm excited to start my teaching career in the DC area in August! I've had a number of different experiences working with summer programs, including working for the my hometown's (Norwood, MA) Recreation Department for three years. In my spare time I enjoy watching sports teams from the greatest sports city in the world, Boston, MA. Go Red Sox! I am thrilled to be joining the Sidwell team for the summer, and look forward to meeting my campers with a smile each and every morning!
Jeff Schimelfenig, ExploreStar Mock Trial Instructor
Hello! My name is Jeff Schimelfenig. I am an attorney and this is my second summer teaching Mock Trial in the ExploreStar program. This summer, join me in experiencing what it is like to be a trial lawyer in the Courtroom. Have fun discovering how a real trial is conducted. Compare the TV and movie lawyers with the real life courtroom, as you argue your case before a Judge. When I am not in the courtroom at Sidwell, I work and live in DC. I am originally from Pennsylvania. In my free time I enjoy showing my 27 nephews and nieces our Nation's capital when they come to visit.
Aimee Tomko, ExploreStar Scrapbooking Instructor
Hello, my name is Aimee Tomko. This is my 3rd summer teaching at Sidwell Summer, and my 15th year teaching scrapbooking. Throughout the year, I am at home with my 3 children, or volunteering at my children’s schools and their after-school activities. For samples of my scrapbooking work, you can visit http://www.mycmsite.com/sites/Aimeetomko
Michelle Volberg, ExploreStar Fashion Design Instructor
Hi! My name is Michelle Volberg and I will be returning this Summer for my third year teaching fashion design in the ExploreStar program. This summer I am offering a new workshop which will introduce students to fashion drawing using a live model and a sewing workshop where students choose from a variety of sewing projects based on their imagination, and sewing skills. During the school year I am currently enrolled in a master's program at George Mason studying International Commerce and Trade Policy. My past employment as a Fashion Designer for Zac Posen and Joe Boxer respectively compelled me to study global value chains in production and design. In my free time I enjoy sewing, consulting with fledgling designers, drawing, painting, and yoga. I am very excited about this summer, and look forward to teaching some new concepts!
Dave Woods, Bioblitz Instructor
I’m Dave Wood, and I’ll be running a five-day bioblitz July 28-August 1 (9:00am-12:15pm) for ExploreStar. This is my second summer working with the ExploreStar program. Throughout the year, I teach 8th grade environmental science at Sidwell and lead its summer trips to Alaska and Hawaii. When I’m not teaching, I like to camp, hike, and explore wild places.
