DAVID WOHLSTADTER
Founder; "The Big Cheese"
David earned his Bachelor of Arts degree
from UCLA in 1975. His vision of starting a
series of comprehensive summer art
programs for young children began 15
years ago when he saw a need for an
alternative to traditional summer day
camp programs. He brings his creativity,
enthusiasm and love of children to each
program he created.
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ELIZABETH PARAVICINI
Director
For the past 20 years Elizabeth has worked with children of all ages, through enrichment & volunteer programs, as a director, tutoring, teaching math, science and art! She strives in creating positive, loving and creative environment for kids, because she has a great passion for Education and the Arts! She enjoys providing children with leadership opportunities where they can succeed as leaders and grow as individuals. Elizabeth loves to give back and volunteers with different non-profit organizations throughout different comunities in Los Angeles, that focus on working and inspiring youth. This will be her 17th summer at the Art Camp and 4th year as Owner. She can't wait for another unforgettable summer!
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Nicole Lanzafame
Art Camp 101 Director
Welcome back Nicole! Nicole was our 101 Director 4 years ago. We are super excited to have her back on our Summer Art Academy Team! She has 14 years experience as a Site Supervisor/ Director and 17 years working in the educational field with levels ranging from Preschool to 12th grade. She has worked in diverse communities that comprised of various social, cultural and economic backgrounds. She developed teaching methods tailored to each children's needs as well as identified resources to meet students diverse needs. She has also established and implemented curriculum as well as designed educational activities that engage students in meaningful learning experiences. She provided a safe, positive and progressive environment, emphasized student teamwork while embracing student individuality and mentored staff on leadership and teamwork skills. She focused on empowering the staff and providing reliable, constructive feedback. Along with her many talents, she is also Bilingual in Spanish, completed work towards a Liberal Arts/ Science Associates Degree and accomplished 18 units in Early Childhood Education. Nicole is extremely excited to return back to Art Camp this summer, and join in the fun with everyone! She looks forward to sharing her gifts and passion for working with children!
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Marie Washington
JCIT/CIT Director
Marie earned her Bachelor's in Business from
LaVerne University this year. She received
her AA degree from LAVC in Art History. She is no stranger to teaching and working with kids of all ages. For the past 13 years, Marie has been a valued member of our Art Camp staff which taught her the importance of patience,organization, communication and teamwork. Maries varied background as a supervisor for young teens in LA's BEST program and knowing many of the JCIT's and CIT's at Art Camp from the past, provides her a wonderful starting point as our new Teen Director. Passionate about her new position and its possibilities, Marie can provide a variety of resources that will help our JCIT's and CIT's to excel in their training as future counselors and respected staff members at camp!
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Steven Soto
Assistant JCIT/CIT Director
Steven is passionate about becoming a
teacher. He wants to teach ASL/Deaf Culture,
as well as teach the hearing impaired. He is
looking forward to majoring in Deaf Studies
and minoring in English. He has been a local
Boy Scout since grade school and is an Eagle
Scout. He has taught leadership skills to all
types of Boy and Girl Scouts of all ages for
almost a decade. Steven's teaching of
leadership allows all the youth to see the
potential in themselves. He loves cooking,
theatre, photoshop and filmmaking. For the
past 8 years, Steven has been a camper,
JCIT, CIT, counselor, and now the Assistant
Director for the JCIT/CIT program. Steven is
excited to share his talents for summers to
come. Steven is a great resource and role
model for the JCIT’s and CIT’s to learn to
prepare for the future.
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Matthew Rivera
Office Director
Matt is currently working on finishing up
his credits to transfer from Los Angeles
Valley College to Cal State University
Northridge with a Liberal Studies major. His
goal is to receive his BA and credentials to
be an elementary school teacher. Matt
has a strong passion for teaching and has
worked at an after school program called
Enrichement Educational Experience (E-3)
for four years. He has taught classes such
as geometry, film science, game board
designing, art, volleyball and basketball.
During the year you can find Matt as a teacher/yard aid at Carpenter Community Charter Elemenentary where he assists children with disabilites, handles teachers' office duties, and provides supervision for recess/lunch. This is Matt's 4th year as Office Director with the Art Camp and he can't wait to see everyone again!
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“When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day
what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college - that my job was to
teach people how to draw. She stared at me, incredulous, and said,
'You mean they forget?'” - Howard Ikemoto
Owned and Operated by GoGo Cart Productions, Inc.
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