Alexis Grillo, Author at Chewonki

Reunited and It Feels So Good

Alumni & Friends, Foundation / By Alexis Grillo

Last Wednesday, Chewonki Alumni & Friends gathered at Lamplighter Brewing’s newest taproom to happily celebrate spring’s return, rekindle relationships, and sample Lamplighter’s yummy beers and charcuterie boards. The festive occasion – our first since the onset of Covid – was attended by over 40 alumni and former staff members.

Adorable Baby Animal Alert

It’s lambing and calving season at Chewonki Salt Marsh Farm and we’d love to introduce you to our farm residents. Plus, aren’t you curious to hear a sweet lambing season highlight from Megan Phillips, our Farm and Woodlot Manager?

Chewonki ABCs from 1934

Alumni & Friends, Camp Chewonki, Foundation / By Alexis Grillo

In our early days, Chewonki campers could earn writing “credits” by submitting content to founder Clarence Allen’s monthly family bulletin, called the Chronicle. Campers reported on camp adventures and wrote jokes, poems, and short pieces of fiction (most of which borrowed plot elements from the era’s action/adventure films).

Allen included Chewonki ABCs in the August 19, 1934, Chronicle edition. It is unattributed, and likely written by a camper.

Owl In a Day’s Work

Foundation, Traveling Natural History Programs / By Alexis Grillo

“Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother, who grew up on a farm,” says Wright. “One day when I was about ten years old, I asked her if she’d ever wanted a different career, and she said she had wanted to be a veterinarian.” Life got in the way, though, and Wright’s grandmother never got to pursue animal care professionally. The story moved Wright. “I’ve always felt connected to my grandmother; we share a deep love for animals. From that day on, I’ve always wanted to be a vet –to fulfill both of our dreams.”

Protected: The Amazing Lamb Campaign Draft

Foundation / By Alexis Grillo

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

An undated photo from our early days, likely the 1930's

Read “A Woodchuck’s Dream” From 1928

Alumni & Friends, Camp Chewonki / By Alexis Grillo

Read the delightful story, “A Woodchuck’s Dream,” an unattributed short story published in one of the earliest Chewonki Chronicles, circa 1928. In the story, a Woodchuck group (the moniker for our youngest campers at the time) is enchanted away from their cabin in the middle of the night by a stupendous discovery. But, their wonder quickly turns to terror as they confront a monstrous foe in the woods.

Watch: BIPOC Mentorship Program Panel Discussion

Alumni & Friends, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Foundation, Maine Coast Semester at Chewonki / By Alexis Grillo

Watch the recording of Program Spotlight: Connecting Students and Alumni Through Our BIPOC Mentorship Program. We created this program in 2020 to provide additional support for Maine Coast Semester students who identify as members of underrepresented communities by pairing them with near-peer mentors.

Meet a Mentor: Jhovaé Irving

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

Jhovaé Irving is an alumna of Maine Coast Semester 48 and one of our BIPOC Mentorship program volunteers. We created the mentorship program in 2020 to provide additional support for semester students who identify as members of minoritized racial groups by pairing them with neer-peer mentors. Irving says volunteering has been a learning experience for her as well, “I’m in awe of how differently [my mentees] have approached uncomfortable topics. They’ve shown me how to be braver and speak up a little more, even if it’s on a thorny subject.”

Explore Our 2021 Trip Destinations

Foundation / By Alexis Grillo

We were all over the map in 2021! We invite you to explore this fun, interactive google map to learn more about the many places we hiked, snowshoed, paddled, swam, and studied last year.

Training with the Best to Prepare for the Worst

Foundation, Staff News, Workshops / By Eric Duffy

According to Greg Shute, Chewonki’s Director of Northwoods and Coastal Properties, it was 1992 when Chewonki first hosted a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) course taught by Wilderness Medical Associates International. Since then, Chewonki remains one of WMAI’s longest-standing hosts, and the “Winter WFR at the Wonk ” is considered one of the more challenging courses around. That’s mostly because of the weather, but it’s balanced by Chewonki being known as one of the warmest and most welcoming host sites anywhere on the circuit.