SAS Summer Camp Staff
SAS Summer Camp Staff
SAS Summer Camp participants will have the opportunity to craft their own personal weekly schedules as they select from a variety of instructor-lead sessions alongside traditional summer camp activities. As we continue to build our programming, the following sessions are currently in place:
- American Sign Language - Climbing - Culinary Arts - Dance - Farming - Mountain Biking - Karate - Yoga
- Music Lessons: Banjo, Fiddle, Guitar, Mandolin, Electronic DJ
- Technology: Programming & Game Design w/ Roblox Studio, Tinkercad, Intro to Python, Robotics, Electronics and Circuits
- Pottery - Painting - Theater - Woodworking
Traditional summer camp activities will include:
Biking, hiking, disc golf, arts & crafts, yoga, tennis, swimming, paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, group games, waterfalls and swimming holes, volleyball, dodgeball, strength and conditioning, soccer, and more.
As we continue to add instructors and sessions, we encourage campers to preselect up to six favorite sessions when registering. All campers will have the opportunity to revisit their selections and confirm their choices in the spring. We advise that campers make their selections rather than parents!
Click Here To Register!
Please contact us at sassummer@sasweb.org with any questions you may have. Stay safe and stay healthy!
Meet the staff!
Mallory Grimm
Culinary Arts
Mallory is a graduate of the University of the South and has cooked throughout the northeast; Washington, D.C.; Wyoming; and Tennessee. As owner of the Sewanee catering company, Hen of the Woods, she focuses on local ingredients and seasonal eating to create a profound relationship between the land and food.
Ben Ayers
Music
Ben teaches and plays professionally numerous instruments and is a certified music teacher. He currently is the countywide music instructor for all of Grundy elementary schools. He is enrolled in UTC's masters of education program. Ben is a founding member of the Yellow Dandies and a 2011 graduate of SAS.
Barry Dillon
American Sign Language
Barry and his family live in Sewanee and his son Victor is a rising 11th grader at SAS. A former pastor and high school teacher, Barry has been teaching ASL for five years and is a full-time middle school science teacher at Belvoir Christian Academy in Chattanooga.
Josie Brown
Outdoor Adventure Yoga - Lead Counselor
Josie is an environmental arts and humanities major at The University of the South and is certified in Wilderness First Aid. She brings a wealth of experience with her absolute love of the outdoors. Josie serves as lead female counselor and instructor of outdoor adventure and yoga.
Ben Paty
Woodworking
From Nashville, Ben specializes in beautiful bowls and was recently recognized as a merit award winner for a wooden free-form vase during American Craft Week by the Tennessee Arts Commission. He is an alumnus of SMA, a parent school of SAS.
Speed Baranco
Mountain Biking
A lifelong biking fanatic, Speed is a graduate of The University of the South and head coach of the SAS Mountain Biking Team alongside owning his own real estate marketing firm. A parent of two SAS alumni, Speed also serves on the residential staff and is founding board advisory president of the Tennessee Interscholastic Cycling League.
Bentley Cook
Technology
As an engineering leader and web application developer in a wide variety of computer system applications, Bentley currently works as a developer advocate with Trello. He received his BS in computer science and Russian from The University of the South.
Wesley Smith
Pottery
Lead Counselor
An SAS alumnus, Wesley received a major in environmental art and humanities from the University of the South. He learned to throw pottery at SAS and creates inventory for Hallelujah Pottery while running his own clay business. Much to the delight of our campers, he is taking time off from his North Carolina apprenticeship to return as co-lead counselor and pottery instructor.
Viva Reynolds
Technology
Viva has been with SAS since 2016, currently teaching and serving as the educational technology coordinator. Receiving her PhD from the University of Kentucky, she is the science and technology chair at SAS and recently served on the board of directors for the Tennessee Science Teachers Association.
Cheryl Lankhaar
Painting - Camp Nurse
In addition to receiving her masters of science in nursing from Vanderbilt University, Cheryl has been painting for over 30 years and is well-versed in oils, watercolor, gouache, and pastel. She illustrated the children’s book, The Monteagle Assembly, Kinsley’s Story. As a nurse practioner for 40 years, Cheryl brings an abundance of talent to camp. She is currently an art instructor for Arts Inside and on the SAS nursing staff.
Debbie Blinder
Arts-Crafts
Choreography
Debbie is an artisan and candlemaker who owns her own studio in Monteagle, Hallelujah Pottery - Full Circle Candles. She offers her own works as well as area artists in addition to running a popular arts and crafts day camp for elementary aged children. She studied dance at Stockton University and is excited about sharing her love of choreography and all things crafty.
Jasmine Render
Dance - Hip Hop
Jasmine is a 2014 graduate of SAS and has been on staff since 2020 as Admissions Counselor and DEI Coordinator. Plans for her Mindful Hip Hop include deep dives into music and lyrics along with hip hop dance creativity. She studied mass communications in college and graduated from the University of West Georgia.
Michael
Cimino-Hurt
Karate
Michael has taught Karate and Iaido (Japanese sword) for 26 years at two dojos, and started martial arts programs at three secondary schools. He recently retired from a 25-year teaching career and works in security systems as he continues to pursue writing poetry, composing and recording music, and, of course, martial arts.
Elliott Duncan
DJ Sessions
Lead Counselor
Elliott is a graduate of SAS and is currently completing his bachelor degree at Middle Tennessee University with a major in digital music production and film. He has been working as a dj for the past two years and is excited to be a part of the instructor team in addition to serving as a co-lead boys counselor and lifeguard.
Elizabeth Duncan
Camp Director
Theater
Lizzie has been with SAS since 2002. She served as Director of Alumni & Special Events for 17 years and is now Director of Auxiliary Programs & Special Events where she serves as Summer Camp Director, senior year coordinator, and manager of the school store. She has a BS degree in special and elementary education from Peabody of Vanderbilt University. She studied acting at the Studio Theater Conservatory in DC and with various coaches in Los Angeles, including Michael Shurtleff and Randy Kirby.