ALL Teachers have been trained on the unique social and emotional needs of gifted students! It is our goal to create an enriching environment that is sensitive to their learning preferences!
Michelle Tucci: Owner and Director – Michelle is a gifted education specialist at the elementary and middle school level. She has 23 years of experience teaching at every grade level from second through eighth, and holds degrees in Elementary Education, Biological Sciences and School Leadership. Camp IDEA is her “brain child” and she hopes to bring to your child an enriching and exciting experience that they can remember and return to year after year! Her favorite part of camp is seeing familiar faces return each year, and watching her teachers bring their ideas to life!
Jenna Rentzel – Jenna is a National Board Certified Teacher who has had experience teaching at third, fourth and sixth grades as well as in a gifted setting. In her past twenty-five years of teaching she has assisted with curriculum writing, and worked to support teachers seeking NBCT certification. Jenna is also an aspiring children’s author as well as a huge Doctor Who and Sherlock fan!
Jenny Christmas – Jenny is currently a middle school teacher with fourteen years of experience. She has taught in 5th grade and assisted in almost all grades at the elementary level. Jenny has been with Camp IDEA since its inception, nine years ago. Her interests include: dressing in costumes, planning and going on awesome adventures, reading biographies, and The Walking Dead! If you dream of a class, she’s willing to teach it! Her favorite part of Camp IDEA: Watching kids come find their people! She also loves camp activities that involve the ALL of the campers! (Mr. Shown’s Battle Bots, Homie G’s performances, or of course The Hunger Games!)
Dominique Mobley – Dominique is currently a middle school civics teacher and has previously taught third and fifth grade. She moonlights as a superhero on weekends, and holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in elementary education. Dominique is an original Camp IDEA staffer and a certified yoga instructor!!
Valerie Groninger -Valerie has a BA in Elementary Education, holds a Reading Specialist certificate and has a BA in Theatre Arts/Acting. She has worked with gifted children for the past twenty three years and has been a drama teacher in Mt. Laurel School District for the past twelve years. Affectionately known as “Homie G” by her students, Valerie has been bringing charisma and a flair for the dramatic to Camp IDEA for the past five summers.
Thomas Shown – Tom is currently a seventh grade mathematics teacher, and has previously taught computer skills. He is a technology consultant for many school districts in the area, and is the founder of Teach Smart NJ. Tom is our resident technology expert and you can find him battling robots and making Mrs. Tucci do crazy and embarrassing virtual reality explorations whenever he has time.
Jenna Passaro – Jenna is an amazing asset to Camp IDEA! She has seventeen years of teaching experience in Pre-K, First and Third grades. She holds a Preschool-Grade 3 Certificate and a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. We are excited to have her back again, and can’t wait to see her in action!
Demi Jaep – Demi is a former teacher Alloway Township School who has a Bachelors degree in Psychology and Elementary Education, and is currently a mom of FOUR amazing kids. She is a high energy and enthusiastic teacher who enjoys creating fun and engaging classes. Demi is a Camp IDEA original and is beyond excited about another fun experience!
Dana Rupert – Dana has spent 25 years as a classroom teacher, 19 of which have been as a language arts teacher. She is certified to teach elementary education from Kindergarten to fifth grade, and is a highly qualified middle school teacher in science, social studies, math and language arts. In addition, she is certified in special education for ages 3-21 and a reading specialist! We are happy to have Dana on staff at Camp IDEA.
Michael J. Brodzik – Michael is joining us for a second summer at Camp IDEA and brings his art expertise with him. Michael is a certified Math teacher currently working at the middle school level, but is also an up and coming artist that is bringing his talent to our campers. In addition to teaching, Mike creates original art, designs clothing lines, logos, websites and fonts. We are lucky to have him! Please visit his website at https://michaeljart.co/ for more information.
Amanda Esposito – Amanda is new to our Camp IDEA staff this summer and is currently a 6th grade Social Studies teacher in Pitman. She enjoys traveling and bringing her knowledge and experience to her students!! We are so lucky to have her on staff this summer.