We are thrilled to announce that Janessa Schilmoeller '05, '06, '10, '11 will serve as Camp Director for the 2016 Camp Rising Sun sessions. Janessa brings a Rising Sun array of experiences that will bring vibrancy to her role as Camp Director. She is a professional educator, has served as a counselor and Assistant Camp Director at CRS, has run non-CRS summer programs, and has traveled the world extensively.
Janessa was a first year camper at Clinton in 2005 and second year camper at Stendis in 2006. She returned to Camp first as a journalism counselor in 2010, and as Assistant Camp Director the following year. Janessa brought to Camp a critical lens to international issues, was an excellent role model to campers, and a sensitive leader to staff.
Throughout Janessa’s time in college, her leadership experience grew in her role as an America Reads Program Coordinator. There, she trained and supervised 70 tutors in multiple sites, nurturing their development and managing the program. In 2010, Janessa studied abroad in Amman, Jordan, focusing on the role of stereotypes and prejudice in obstructing the peace process. After college, Janessa taught in Windhoek, Namibia, on the topic of religion and social change in Southern Africa.
Janessa holds an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on Multicultural Education. Her research interests include multicultural service-learning, dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline, and critical pedagogy. This research has been presented at conferences sponsored by the National Association of Multicultural Education (NAME), the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), and the Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Conference (EQRC).
While not working with Camp, Janessa is a technology teacher in Las Vegas, Nevada. As the lead technology teacher, she advises staff members on the effective integration of multicultural education and technology in school-wide curriculum and instruction. She is also responsible for the school’s accreditation process and serves as a school administrator.
In addition, Janessa has studied and worked in various countries in the Middle East and Southern Africa. She notes that, "My experiences abroad have challenged me to think critically about my identity, in terms of race, class, gender, and nationality, and act with intention moving forward as I continue to reflect on what it means to be an educator and a leader in our interconnected world."
It is our great pleasure to welcome Janessa back to Camp. We will benefit tremendously from the professional and life experiences that she has earned both inside and out of Camp. We look forward to her leadership and wisdom. Please join us in celebrating Janessa’s accomplishments and welcoming her into her new role as Camp Rising Sun Camp Director.