About – Appalachian Institute for Creative Learning

About AICL

OUR MISSION

We celebrate the life of the mind. We call our campers “motivated learners,” figuring anyone who shows up to take biology, math, or art in July is motivated. AICL creates an environment in which it is safe to laugh and learn, to risk and fail, and to experiment with something outside of one’s competence.

Through outreach and scholarships, we foster a racially and economically diverse community. At AICL, we see everyone as both a learner and a teacher. We encourage social and intellectual interactions that will enable our students to fulfill their personal, professional, and academic potential. Because we build curricula based on the idea that learning is fun and should be on-going, we prepare our students to engage our complex world with insight, empathy, and confidence. When a camper comes to AICL, they have an opportunity to join a community of educators and students who are passionate about learning and creating.

Our Administrative Staff

Chad Watson
Co-Director

Chad has been a part of camp for a long time- first as a camper, then as staff. He has filled just about every role at camp at one time or another. He co-directed from 2002 to 2005, then stepped back into the job in 2011. He lives in The Woodlands, Texas, where he teaches Pre-Calculus and Statistics to high school students. AICLcodirector@appalachianinstitute.org

Jessica Young
Co-Director

Jessica has also been a part of camp much of her life, working in a variety of roles from counselor to camp cook before becoming Co-Director in 2012. She and Chad have overseen the rapid expansion of camp and AICL’s move from Warren Wilson College to Mars Hill University. She lives with her family in Tennessee and looks forward to a future when AICL runs year-round. AICLcodirector@appalachianinstitute.org

Graham Marema
Operations Manager

Since graduating from camp in 2013, Graham has worked as a teacher at AICL and served on the board. She is currently a freelance animator and graphic designer, based in the blue hills of East Tennessee. Her favorite camp disco song is C'mon Eileen. OperationsManager@appalachianinstitute.org

Our Board

J. J. Breazeale

J. J. Breazeale is a former SIGC camper and a mom to a current AICL camper. For the past 15+ years, she has worked in the financial services industry, but has also found time to earn her 5th degree black belt in kung fu, learn to play guitar, and start a music camp for women. She lives in Northern Colorado with her husband, daughter, and two goofy rescue hounds.

Grace Ligon

Grace is mother to a neuro-spicy crew, an avid tea-drinker, an enduring optimist, and a passionate believer in the connective power of AICL to foster belonging and inclusion. With an interdisciplinary background in social work, healthcare administration, and informatics, she is laser focused on building cross-sector partnerships and integrated systems that support access to health and wellbeing for all. Grace lives in North Carolina and can most often be found cooking, hiking, or pretending to be an extra in music videos.

Shelly Twigg

I’m currently the Chief Operating Officer of a digital growth agency specializing in helping organizations grow through strategic marketing, membership programs, and web development. This organization is special to me - not only because of the incredible work it does but because both of my children have had meaningful experiences here that have had a lasting impact on their lives.

Ryan Lee

I am a former AICL camper who continues to reflect fondly on the time I spent there. Currently, as the Director of Science Instruction and the Premedical Program at Harvard Extension School and as a lecturer at Harvard Medical School, I am still inspired by and draw upon my experiences in the special learning environment created at AICL. I encourage my students and mentees to take risks and explore a variety of interests, and I emphasize fostering a diverse and creative community as a key component of student engagement. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking, cocktails, and the show Taskmaster.

Matthew Perkins Coppola

Matthew Perkins Coppola was a rising 5th grader in Nathan's group at SIGC in 1986. After graduation from high school in 1993 forced him to leave Camp to be a college student, he went on to marry, direct a planetarium, become a dad, teach high school physics, and earn a Ph.D. in Science Education. They finally let him come back in 2012 as a teacher and AICL parent (not necessarily in that order). He currently is an associate professor at Purdue Fort Wayne in Indiana.

Wes Cheek

I am currently a doctoral fellow at the Institute of Disaster Mitigation of Urban Cultural Heritage at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto Japan. In my 30+ year involvement with SIGC/AICL I have been a camper, counselor, teacher, director, board member, and parent. It was in my living room in Tuscaloosa that we decided on the name Appalachian Institute for Creative Learning. My son, Musashi, experienced his first year at camp in 2019 and I look forward to both of my children spending their future summers at AICL.

Danbee “Tauntaun” Kim

Danbee “Tauntaun” Kim is a neuroscientist, teacher, and comic book author who grew up in Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, California, Mississippi, and Massachusetts. Her research combines studies of cuttlefish, movement, storytelling, philosophy of science, and the evolution of the brain throughout time and across species. She currently resides in London, UK, with her cats Minima and Ramiro.

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The caring and intelligence of the staff is evident in each person that I've encountered. And one thing that I appreciate about AICL is that it makes room for the kids that are a little bit different, a little bit outside the mainstream. Every kid seems to find their place there. AICL is the highlight of my daughters' summer, and it has been for four years now. I highly recommend it.

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It was the first time my daughter had stayed away from home that long and she didn't know anyone going to camp, so I was concerned she might get homesick. But from the first minute we arrived, she felt at home and I felt my daughter was in good hands. She loved camp and had no problem being away from home.

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The one thing that is difficult about AICL is describing it to others! For my child it was a place where she was encouraged to be her true self, where she learned and saw modeled acceptance and compassion, where she had fun but also learned some skills, and where she met friends she'll have a lifetime. It is really not like any other camp. Where else can you learn how to be a Viking, create your own musical, get tips on arguing, and be chased by zombies - all in the same week?”