Camille grew up on a farm where she learned two lessons: you must “work with the soil you’ve got,” and with support and consideration, you can “bloom where you are planted.” Majoring in Spanish, studying abroad in Mexico and Spain, and pursuing an MA in Teaching the Gifted and Talented, Camille came home to Quincy to cultivate all farm kids with a unique perspective on language and roots.
Part of that relationship that Camille has with her hometown includes her “passion to be a positive impact.” Serving on the 2014 Levy Steering Committee and promoting the $108 million-dollar bond campaign, Camille organized community-home meetings for young couples as well as the farmers who would bear a large amount of the bond’s tax burden. With their support, the bond passed at 64%. Camille is also involved with Habitat for Humanity, through which her students have both seen life-changing events and benefited first-hand through supplies donated for her enrichment units from the Habitat Store. She is planning a service-learning project through Habitat in the future.
At Pioneer Elementary, Camille serves as a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Enrichment Teacher, providing opportunities for ALL students. Her approach is inspiring, says her principal. “Students in her Enrichment and Highly Capable Program come from poverty, ELL, and Special Ed backgrounds, and her ability to bring out the best in ALL students is an absolute pleasure to watch.” For example, Camille facilitated Pioneer’s first international collaborative project, which involved over 40 schools in 7 countries to create a “Big Friendly Monster” for display in each participating school. She also led a team to “Destination Imagination,” a student-led, creative problem-solving competition.
Giving her students challenging tasks and having high expectations, Camille communicates with them in a way that reinforces their progress and helps them develop “confidence within their struggle.” She often hears students say, “I’m being gritty!” and thereby knows she’s on the right track. “If every kid leaves Pioneer knowing what a civil engineer, a sculptor, or a chemist is, and if a few aspire to those careers in the future, I will have done my job well.” Camille hopes that every student leaves Pioneer with understanding, excitement, and STEAM!
