Alexis Grillo, Author at Chewonki

From Residential to Remote – A Story of Academic Adaptation

Foundation, Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki / By Alexis Grillo

The abrupt, nationwide shift to remote learning this spring was more than unexpected, it was stunning. But perhaps we shouldn’t be shocked by what came next: Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki, a program designed around experiential, place-based pedagogy and deeply connected to the physical location of Chewonki Neck, successfully adapted to a remote academic environment. …

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The Remote Frontier: How to Camp Online

Camp Chewonki for Boys, Camp Chewonki for Girls, Camp Chewonki Leadership Expeditions, Foundation / By Alexis Grillo

There’s knot tying contests, arts & crafts, campfire singalongs, and penpals. It’s summer all right, but not like any summer Chewonki has seen before. That’s because, for the first time in 115 years, Camp Chewonki isn’t happening on Chewonki Neck, it’s happening in three hundred-plus households across the country. We wrapped up the second full …

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A Safe Return to School

Chewonki Elementary and Middle School / By Alexis Grillo

This Friday, our board of trustees approved a plan to reopen our schools for in-person programming this fall. “Health and safety is paramount at Chewonki,” says Keith Crowley, Vice President for Education Partnerships and Risk Management. “Families expect us to provide the best care for their children and we take that trust very seriously.” The …

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Heirloom in the Veggie Patch

Chewonki Outdoor Classroom, Farm and Food Systems / By Alexis Grillo

Wiscasset, Maine. A family heirloom lost on Chewonki Neck last spring was recently returned to its owner, and the unlikely tale of lost-and-found is worthy of “clove” attention. Madison Cooper, a rising eighth-grader from Wiscasset Middle School, was mulching garlic seedlings with her classmates on Salt Marsh Farm during a visit to Chewonki in early …

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Cooking for our Community

Farm and Food Systems, Sustainability / By Alexis Grillo

Fresh food is central to the Chewonki experience – students and campers help our farm team generate nearly 1/3 of the meat and produce needed for the 78,000 meals we serve in a typical year. Planning and preparation for this summer season began months in advance – far before the Covid-19 pandemic swept the United …

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Can the Impact of Environmental Education be Measured?

Chewonki Outdoor Classroom, Traveling Natural History Programs / By Alexis Grillo

Chewonki Science Educator Jessica Woodend is working with Teach ME Outside on their new Environmental Education (EE) Evaluation Collaborative. The group was formed earlier this year to better understand the impacts of outdoor education in Maine schools. Teach ME Outside works in partnership with Maine communities to ensure that all Maine youth have access to …

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Ultimate Granola for Crunchy Folks

Alumni & Friends, Farm and Food Systems, Foundation / By Alexis Grillo

You asked, we delivered. Now you can enjoy these kitchen classics from Chewonki at home. Included recipes: Biscuits and Gravy Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake Butternut Squash Gnocchi Chewonki Chewy Granola Bars Chewonki Chocolate Chip Cookies “Farm” Hot Sauce Lemon Bars Packout Bread Special thanks to Bill Edgerton, Chewonki Kitchen Manager, for these recipes [pdfjs-viewer url=”https%3A%2F%2Fchewonki.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F08%2F2020-August-Chewonki-Cookbook-Draft-2.pdf” …

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A New Year of Learning Begins

Chewonki Elementary and Middle School, Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki / By Alexis Grillo

Less than one week from today, Chewonki will welcome thirty-four elementary and middle School students to campus for their first day of school, and forty-two high school juniors for their first day of Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki. We couldn’t be more excited to greet this amazing group of learners next week when they arrive …

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Alumna Talks Wealth, Class Privilege, and Chewonki

Alumni & Friends, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Foundation / By Alexis Grillo

Olivia Woollam, an alumna of Semester 38, is using her class privilege to support the redistribution of power and resources in her hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana. Woollam’s passion for social justice work is buoyed by a firm grasp of her personal values and the ability to build authentic relationships – both of which she …

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Hiking the Hundred-Mile Wilderness

Camp Chewonki for Boys, Camp Chewonki Leadership Expeditions / By Alexis Grillo

Shane Killen has an eye for adventure. A junior at Carnegie Mellon University, he’s spent ten summers at Camp Chewonki for Boys, first as a camper, then cabin counselor, where he earned notice for his vivid photographs of Chewonki wilderness expeditions. When a close friend and roommate (and novice backpacker) expressed interest in exploring Maine …

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