Sometimes it’s not just our families who make the move to The Wolf School. Did you know we’ve also had staff relocate for Wolf? While a member of the Wolf community since 2010, there’s still lots you may not know about Teacher Assistant and Camp Confidence Program Director, Meg Sutton. Learn more about her in this month’s We Are Wolf interview!

1. Can you share a bit about your background and how you ended up at Wolf?

Working with kids has always been a true passion of mine. Between working at a summer camp, nannying, and spending time with my nieces and nephews, I knew that I wanted to work with kids in some capacity – I just didn’t know what exactly it would look like. I went to college at the University of Maine and received a degree in Psychology with a minor in Child Development. While deciding what path I wanted to take, I was nannying. I was literally around kids all the time – I wanted to be!

One of my best friends from home is married to one of Wolf’s former music teachers. He told me about the school years ago, but at that point, I wasn’t ready to make the move from southern Maine. A few years later, in 2010, he mentioned it again, told me they were hiring and even went as far as giving them my contact information. Everything aligned for me, so I took the chance, thinking this would be a temporary gig while I decided what I really wanted to do. Turns out, this is it. I haven’t looked back since! 

2. What is your favorite part of working at Wolf?

A lot of things, but it all comes down to the kids. These kids are so sweet, resilient, smart, brave, and hard-working. The list could go on and on. They walk in every day with a smile on their face and they are just so happy to be part of a safe, loving, nurturing environment. They trust us and they give us their all. They keep us on our toes, they keep us laughing, and they make us so proud each and every day. Some of them are making friends for the first time, and for some of them this is their first positive school experience. It’s just amazing getting a front-row seat to their hard work, day in and day out. 

3. Can you talk a bit about your role in Camp Confidence? How does it feel to have seen our summer program grow so much? 

It’s crazy to think about how Camp Confidence started. I became the Program Director in 2017 and we took baby steps to grow the camp. With 24 kids signed up, we tried running it for 3 days a week for 3 weeks. It was a huge success and the families wanted more, so the following year, we tested 4 days a week for 4 weeks. Again a success, so we decided finally for Camp Confidence to officially be a 5-week summer program meeting Mondays through Thursdays. 

Prior to Camp Confidence, we offered tutoring over the summer. While it was great for the kids to continue working on their goals, it wasn’t focused on the Immersion Model © which is what we do so well. So we thought, why not do what we do best? Camp Confidence was created – incorporating the Immersion Model © into thematic hands-on game-based/project-based lessons with a traditional summer camp feel. We recognize it’s summer so we make it extra fun and engaging for the kids. 

A lot of our kids might struggle in a traditional summer camp setting, so we bring it to them! Over the years, we’ve partnered with numerous programs around the area – Sail to Prevail, Hockomock YMCA, the MacColl YMCA, Camp Fuller, and Gnome Surf. We get our kids into the community and provide them with some amazing opportunities. We also bring in different enrichments like Makers Art Studio, Professor Gizmo’s Workshop, and Dave Marchetti’s Animal Experiences – just to name a few. Each year, we try to add in a different component or bring in a different enrichment where we can provide the kids with new experiences and open their eyes to something new, maybe even something they’ll really love.

It’s just amazing seeing the program grow from 24 kids to 50 kids (with a waiting list) in a few short years and I’m excited to see where the coming years take us! The kids step out of their comfort zones, and try new things every year – their confidence in themselves improves every summer.

4. As someone who has been here for a while, it must be a really amazing experience to see former students come back to visit (and even volunteer or intern!). Can you talk a bit about that and how that makes you feel?

You hit the nail on the head – it really is amazing! Aside from making me feel older than I’d like to admit, it’s so great seeing former students give back to a place that helped them so much. You can tell how much Wolf meant to them – they remembered us, reached out, and wanted to help. It’s so great for our current kids to see their faces and hear their stories. They were our students and now they are role models to the current students, they connect to them, relate to them, and just get them. Seeing them give back to kids who need the same support they did is just remarkable. I’m just so proud of them and how much they have grown! It’s true – once you come to Wolf, you really do always stay part of the Wolf family. 

5. Do you have a favorite summer tradition?

This is a hard one! I love everything about summer…but my favorite summer tradition is probably heading to Cape Cod. Every year since I met my husband, we make it a point to spend time on the Cape. We continue to do so, now it’s just with our two boys in tow, which makes it extra special. It’s so sweet seeing them enjoying a place we love so much. The lazy mornings, the beach, the ice cream – they love it all!  And it’s a work-free zone, so we really just get to be present!

Meg has certainly become a beloved member of our Wolf School community and we are so grateful for all the work she does to continue to help our students and Wolf thrive! Thank you for all that you do, Meg! To learn more about other Wolf Staff, read some of our past We Are Wolf interviews!