About the Pro-Active Staff:

Counselors at Pro-Active Summer Camp are generally high school and college students in the area who have a genuine interest in working with children to promote the values of our program. Teams are made up of 10-12 campers, a counselor-in-training (CIT), and a counselor.

The camp was created in 2004 by Paul Basdekis to offer children an unforgettable summer camp experience with the idea of a new exciting field trip everyday. This concept was modified in 2009 to fill the need for character education among elementary aged students.

Paul was born and raised outside of Hartford, Connecticut before moving to New York to attend Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh. There he majored in English, minored in Psychology, and acquired his Elementary Education certification. He spent a good portion of his college career studying abroad in Australia and England, while playing four years of Varsity baseball, where he was named to the 2003 ABCA All-American baseball team. Paul currently is in his sixth year of teaching sixth grade at Forest Edge Elementary School in Reston, VA and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from George Mason University. He also spends time coaching baseball in the Reston Little League.

Assistant Director Carrie Levis has been with the program since it's beginning in 2004. She is originally from the Pittsburgh, PA area where she attended Slippery Rock University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Education and a minor in Special Education. She began her career teaching first grade in Mexico City before moving to the Virginia area. Carrie has taught in grades two through six for the past 13 years and spends much of her time tutoring students at the elementary level.