Our staff consists of qualified, well-trained teachers who are certified in First Aid and CPR. Our student to teacher ratio exceeds the state requirements to ensure your child receives a lot of individual attention. In addition, Rec Place has a Junior Teacher Program that employs high school students who have graduated from the afterschool program. Some years, we also have interns from Wheelock College who bring energy and new ideas, as well as improve our wonderful ratio. Throughout the year, specialists bring enrichment programs to Rec Place, such as karate, kite building, mad science, baton instruction, and gymnastics.
Director
Shannon Whigham
Shannon is in her 9th year at Rec Place! After three years as the primary gym teacher she moved to the Assistant Director’s role for two years, and is now in her fourth year as Director. She holds a Master’s Degree in Sports Leadership from Northeastern University. A three-sport collegiate athlete at Becker College in Worcester, Shannon played basketball, soccer, and softball while maintaining a 3.93 undergraduate grade point average and receiving many awards, culminating in the 2010 Female Athlete of the Year Award. In her spare time, she enjoys spending as much time with her son as possible, generally playing and learning the park and library. Aside from playing sports, she discovered her passion for teaching in her freshman year of high school as a volunteer coach who taught basketball fundamentals to first and second graders. Since graduating from college, she has coached basketball and softball at the elementary school, high school, and collegiate levels and worked as a camp counselor. Shannon enjoys passing on her love and knowledge of sports, teamwork, and leadership to the next generation. She loves being a part of Rec Place!
Founder & Consultant
Nance Miller
Nance Miller is a graduate of St. Lawrence University with a combined major in psychology, sociology, and education. Nance worked at summer camps for 10 years and taught in various countries (including Denmark, Israel, and Montana). She created Rec Place Afterschool in 1985 by combining the best aspects of her camp experiences with some highlights of the Danish afterschool structure. As a child, Nance wished summer camp would last year round. As an adult, she decided that starting an afterschool was as close to year round camp as she could get.
Nance currently plays soccer on two local teams and teaches swimming to adults and children of all ages. She has an amazing husband and two wonderful daughters who both attended Rec Place as children and as part time staff when they were in high school and college. They are now fantastic parents, and Nance is thrilled to be a grandma! (so much fun) Nance has come in to help out on a few occasions and is providing support remotely from her new home on a lake.
Site Coordinator
Dennis Cassidy
Dennis is a musician who moved to Massachusetts from Washington, D.C. He has a M.Ed. from the University of Cincinnati and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. Before coming to Rec Place, he worked at after schools and summer camps in the DC area. This is his eleventh year at Rec Place. In addition to facilitating activities, he will be helping with some administrative tasks for Rec Place this year. Dennis also provides individual keyboard lessons and guitar lessons.
Assistant Director
Kimberly To
Kim is in her first year at Rec Place and is excited to be a part of the team as the Assistant Director. She was born and raised in Boston, MA and has a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She comes from years of experience working in elementary school classrooms, afterschool programs, and summer camps in Belmont. Her hobbies include art and design, sports, travel and trying new restaurants. She is looking forward to helping Shannon assist with the operations of Rec Place and bringing STEM enrichment activities to the program.
Educator
RICO MARINO
Rico is excited to start working with the children at Rec Place. He was born and raised in Italy and he loves learning about new cultures and places. He has a passion for athletics, travel, and everything cooking and food related. Ask him about his homemade recipe for sauce and pasta! He has experience working in both public and private schools and he can’t wait to work with the spirited young people at Rec Place.
Educator
Susan Cammer
Susan came out of retirement to join the team at Rec Place. Her background includes a range of professions from performing as a clown to working as a financial planner. Recently, she has worked in various child care settings. She has 4 grown children and three have spent time as part of the Rec Place Staff. With her plethora of interests and experience, Susan has been a wonderful addition to the staff and has added elements of drama, drumming and other types of music to the program.She has worked with the fifth graders to develop confidence and leadership skills as they prepare for the move to middle school.