Our Staff

Counsellors

Our counsellors are selected for their maturity, enthusiasm, caringness, ability to use good judgment and leadership qualities. Our senior counsellors are 18 years and over and the junior counsellors are over 16. They have experience in a camp atmosphere having been previous campers or have worked in camps or with groups of young people. Our camper/counsellor ratio is 3:1 with a junior and senior counsellor per group of six campers.

Arts Instructors

All of our instructors are professional and talented artists. They are also committed teachers who have experience with children and knowledge of their art and craft.

Picture Not Avaialable Nicky Brodie Born and raised in London, England, Nicky has lived and worked in Ottawa for the past 12 years. As a Singer, Nicky has recorded and performed in French and English with Kif Kif, Marcel Aymar, Liquified, The Hammerheads and Rhoizamata.

As an Actor, she has performed with Salamander Theatre for Young Audiences (World of Stories, Beowolf, Excalibur and Tales from the Valley); Broken English Theatre Company (Lord of the Winds, Ghost House, Freedom House); Odyssey Theatre (The Illusion); NAC/Children’s Festival (The Odyssey); Theatre La Catapulte (Dieu L'Amibe); Can Play Productions (Talking With) and St Lawrence Shakespeare Festival (Much Ado about Nothing).

TV credits include: Charbonneau Productions (Coeur de Poisson); Distinct Features Inc (Mann to Mann); Voice credits include Bossy Pictures YTV ( Just Jamie); Ocnus Productions (Kevin Spencer and Butch Patterson); Dynomight Cartoons (The Untalkative Bunny); Radio and Multimedia : CBC Ottawa Morning , Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health (Strong Woman Song) and Health Canada (The Adventures of Doinkel and Binkley).

Nicky has been teaching workshops in schools and at summer camps for Salamander Theatre for the past 12 years. Since 2006 Nicky has worked as a support teacher for children with special needs for The Ottawa Carleton District School Board.

Picture Not Avaialable Lesley Buxton has taught theatre and creative writing for over twelve years, working with students of all ages in Ottawa institutes such as: The Ottawa Little Theatre, Arts Under One Roof, Tournesol Camp, Glebe Montessori, Youth Infringement, and Algonquin College. A graduate of Mountview Theatre School in London, England, she is renowned for her child centred teaching and enthusiasm for experimenting. In 1998, Lesley was a member of The Great Canadian Theatre Company's Playwright's Unit. The following year, her first play Of Grace was produced by Year 1, an independent company. Her poem India, My daughter was part of Transpoetry, a series of poems on Ottawa buses. Her work has been published in: Broken Pencil, Echolocation and The New Quarterly. In 2004, she attended the Wired Writing program at The Banff Centre For The Arts where she worked with David Bergen. She is a columnist with The Kichissippi Times.
Picture Not Avaialable Pixie Cram studied Theatre Performance at Concordia University, before taking up filmmaking in 1999. Since that time she has produced more than 10 short film and video works in a range of styles that includenarrative, animation and music videos.  Her films have shown at festivals and galleries in Russia, the US, and Canada. Pixie has instructed drama and puppetry to children and youth in schools, summer camps, and community centres for more than 8 years, through the Ottawa School of Speech and Drama, Salamander Theatre for Young Audiences, and Orleans Young Players.  She teaches film and video production to youth and adults through the Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa and SAW Video. 

Pixie has studied puppetry with the PuppetMongers in Toronto, and recently completed a month-long apprenticeship with Bread and Puppet Theater in Glover, Vermont.

Her website is: http://www.artengine.ca/pixiecram
Picture Not Avaialable Omar Dabaghi-Pacheco a.k.a ‘Capitao’, has been practicing and teaching capoeira for nearly eight years. He is a student of Contra-Mestre Fabio Cuencas, founder of Dende do Recife capoeira.  With a black belt in karate, a musical ear, and a fascination for acrobatics this Afro-Brazilian art form soon became an irresistible obsession for him.  Omar teaches regular classes for Carleton University Athletics as well as for the City of Ottawa.  While capoeira’s movements are challenging, Omar believes that everyone has the ability to learn.  His most rewarding experiences have been breaking through self-imposed barriers and helping others to do the same.  Dende do Recife capoeira performs regularly in the Ottawa area and has often been a feature of Canada Day celebrations, multi-cultural festivals, and community events.    
Picture Not Avaialable Bill Juillette has been dancing and teaching Hip Hop professionally for over 10 years. He continues to revamp his style and mission by striving for originality, finding new ways to encourage his students – young and old – to be positive and lead a healthy life. As a motivator and role model for his younger students, he never loses focus on the group at large to deliver a powerful class that always leaves a lasting impact. His raw talent and vibrant energy, combined with a dynamic approach to teaching, has lead to developing a unique class atmosphere that is entertaining and fun for dancers of all ages.

 
Picture Not Avaialable Jack MacGregor has been playing drums for over 20 years and has been teaching and performing professionally for more than ten.  Jack has earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts specializing in Jazz Music at Concordia University in Montreal. He has a diverse teaching style that uses both hand drums and drumming with sticks and he believes strongly in teaching his students how to read music. Jack keeps a busy schedule teaching drumming at the Folklore Centre in Ottawa, performing live regularly and recording in various places including Nashville, Tennessee. Jack takes pride in his students accomplishments, but what is most important to him is that they have fun!
Picture Not Avaialable Victor Nesrallah A fixture on the Ottawa music scene for many years, musician, composer and producer Victor Nesrallah has been active as a performing songwriter, appearing at festivals, concert stages and club venues throughout eastern Canada. An award winning songwriter, his compositions have been acclaimed as “finely tuned songs”, praised for their originality and hard-hitting message. A multi-instrumentalist with a fluid and resonant vocal style, Victor draws from the roots to inspire his engaging and energy packed live performances.

His latest CD Based In Blues features eleven originals, which pay homage to a music that inspired and informed this acoustic blues solo recording. The “Rootsy” vibe and laid-back feel have been earning great reviews, garnishing such praises as “one of the best acoustic blues albums released in Ottawa in the last five years”. A seasoned studio professional and sideman, Victor has produced and arranged a number of Canadian independent releases rooted in the traditions of folk and world cultures. Well respected on the Ottawa music scene Victor has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants including the Ontario Arts Council for composition. 

Victor is responsible for starting the guitar program at Glebe Collegiate in Ottawa in 2001 and is currently under contract with the OCDSB. Victor also teaches English literature at Glebe and contributes to the audio recording program at T.A.R.A. in Ottawa. 

Victors website is: http://www.freeflyingmusic.com
Picture Not Avaialable Todd Snelgrove has been teaching for over ten years and holds both a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Carleton University. Todd's teaching method is tailored to the student's needs. He determines each student's current level, discusses their musical goals with them, and uses their personal interests to help them get to their desired playing level. Todd teaches pop, jazz, rock, blues, folk, grunge and country. His own specialty is improvisation and composition.
Picture Not Avaialable Lisa Thomas has been a multi-media artist in the Ottawa area for 25 years. She has exhibited her work in group and solo shows locally and abroad. Schooled in Fine Arts at the University of Ottawa, she has gone on to pursue numerous artistic directions. She has been active as an installation and performance artist, muralist, sculptor, illustrator and painter. Fifteen years ago, she began teaching studio art to children, teens and adults and is now the head instructor at Arts Under One Roof, a Visual and Performing Arts School in the Glebe in Ottawa. She has become known for her open and explorational style of teaching, committed to the ideal of working with small groups of students. She believes that while it is important to teach children technique and formal procedure, it is more essential to be certain that they stay in touch with their creative spirits and their unique visions.

Onsite Nurse

An important member of our team is our camp nurse. A registered nurse that comes with the skills to assist in the safety and well-being of our campers and staff. She is always available when our campers are not feeling their best. She is caring, nurturing and a good listener when they just need someone to talk to.

Camp Director and Other Staff

Check back soon for additional information about our instructors and directors!