Camp Conroy 2024's closing reading and reception was held on Friday, June 21, at Robert Smalls Leadership Academy. Our thanks to this year's 20 campers for their remarkable creativity in their art and writing during our two-week build-a-book experience. We are beyond grateful for the leadership and guidance of our camp's instructors: Miho Kinnas, Lisa Anne Mckibben, and Maddy Roth; our camp counselors: E Achurch, Bailey Bates, Alex Bosley, Savannah Epps, Mickie Thompson, and Ellene Warner; and the Pat Conroy Literary Center's executive director Jonathan Haupt. Special thanks to Conroy Center volunteer Gina Baker for her daily assistance and to our guest instructors and presenters: author and editor Susan Diamond Riley, author Susan Montanari, teaching artist Brenda Singleton, Penn Center docent Dr. Marie Gibbs, NPS Ranger Samantha Mischke; and to Robert Smalls Leadership Academy's principal Bradley Tarrance and the school's summer staff. We are also grateful to the many donors and supporters, and to our Camp Conroy families who all make this experience possible for our campers. Stay tuned after this video for a trio of special short bonus recordings from Camp Conroy on one of this year's collaborative storytelling projects to see what happens when H.G. Wells' The Time Machine meets Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer. And see a special short video on this year's Camp Conroy from the Beaufort County School District here: https://youtu.be/IeecVJmcxgc?si=j_Xk5GA_6lURS2Rz www.patconroyliterarycenter.org

The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center hosted an afternoon with award-winning educator and Red Cedar Elementary School principal Dr. Kathleen Corley, author of The Magical Place We Call School: Creating a Safe Space for Learning and Happiness in a Challenging World. ABOUT THE BOOK "Some day, a techie will invent a chip that can pre-install 40 years of classroom wisdom into every new teacher or principal. Until then, we've got Dr. Kathleen Corley's book."--Lenore Skenazy, president of Let Grow, author of Free-Range Kids "An often encouraging, compassionate, and reasoned approach to running elementary schools."--Kirkus Reviews At a time when public discourse rages on about what students should or should not be taught, when books are being banned, when school shootings fill the news, and when families are still reeling from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic—here comes The Magical Place We Call School. With its fresh focus on the power and perils of education, it’s an intentional way of thinking that will intrigue readers everywhere. In her literary debut, school principal Dr. Kathleen Corley, a forty-year veteran in elementary education, writes knowingly and with unique humor and insight about the value of education, how kids think and learn, what they need to succeed in and out of school, and how their home life affects their performance. Plus, she tackles some of the most daunting societal issues impacting children today, from bullying to gun violence and beyond. Dr. Corley reminds us that something extraordinary still occurs in classrooms across America—not just miraculously, but by design and with tenacity. In The Magical Place We Call School, Corley shares human interest stories that shed light on what is and isn’t working and provides a calm hand and a much-needed perspective from the front lines of learning. Her deep caring for the children, educators, and parents in her midst shines through, providing a true sense of what she calls “the magic of schools.” It’s a book not to be missed. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Kathleen Corley is an award-winning educator, an authority on school culture, and the charismatic principal at Red Cedar Elementary School in Bluffton, S.C. Renowned for her unique communication and management skills, Corley has a bachelor’s in music education from the University of Illinois, a master’s in music administration from Chicago Musical College, Roosevelt University, and a Doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of Illinois. Chicago-born, Dr. Corley began her career in education as an elementary music teacher and transitioned to education administration to make a wider impact upon student achievement and school culture. She entered the administrative ranks as an assistant principal in Palatine, Illinois, then became an elementary school principal in Lynchburg, Virginia, Salem Massachusetts, and Bluffton, South Carolina. She was the founding principal at three of those schools and has been an educator for over forty years (and still counting). Corley has been an assistant professor at Salem State University and continues to mentor principals.