By Ethan Walshe
Editor-in-chief

As easy as it is to think that teachers only exist for nine months out of the year, it is simply not true. During the summer months many Westford Academy teachers take on other jobs, be it for the additional income or to stay busy. Psychology teacher Scott Cruikshank is one such person.
During the summer months, Cruikshank works as a counselor at Concord Academy Summer Camp as the drama specialist. Children ages three to twelve years-old attend the camp for eight weeks and participate in a number of activities from arts and crafts to canoeing to gardening.

Cruikshank began working at the summer camp in 2008 and has worked his way up to being a co-head specialist at the camp, which means he is in charge of the other specialists as well. He has been working at summer camps in general since he was sixteen years-old.

As the drama specialist, Cruikshank sees anywhere from three to six groups of kids each day and leads them in a variety of what he calls “fun drama exercises.”

“We do a lot of skits. They put on costumes that we have and I’ll just make up a story and they have to act it out, or we’ll play some games,” said Cruikshank.

Sophomore Christine Moon attended the camp when she was younger and was a Counselor in Training last summer. In fact, she took some classes with Cruikshank while she was there. She remembers her experience with “Drama Scott” as he is affectionately known at the camp as a positive one.

Each day, kids at the camp have the choice of going to art or to drama after swimming.

“I think I picked drama most of the time … because it was loads of fun,” said Moon.

Drama seems to be a favorite choice of many of the camp’s attendees, as “the kids love going to drama,” according to Moon.

Cruikshank recalls one particular time when a young boy had to choose between going into drama or dance, which was a tough decision, according to Cruikshank. Both were out of his comfort range, as he was very sports oriented. The boy picked drama, had a great time, and then continued going to drama all of the time thereafter.

“It was kind of a touching moment,” said Cruikshank.

Cruikshank hopes to keep working at the Concord Academy Summer Camp as long as he is in Massachusetts and needs a source of summer employment.

“I very much enjoy my job. I don’t see it as a job, I see it as just having fun, which is really what jobs should be,” said Cruikshank.