Rumford couple and RSU 10 teachers Karen Wilson and Todd Papianou photographed while they were ski coaches at Black Mountain of Maine in Rumford during the winter of 2020. Last summer the two led their third summer of Falcon Camp, a camping, hiking, biking and canoeing program for Mountain Valley High School students. Submitted photo

Todd Papianou and Karen Wilson of Rumford have enjoyed doing outdoor sports activities and adventures together since they first became a couple soon after meeting at Attitash ski resort in New Hampshire in 1993, where they both worked that summer.

For the past three summers, they’ve led Falcon Camp, a summer camping, hiking, biking and canoeing experience for Mountain Valley High School students. Papianou has been teaching physical education at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford for 23 years and Wilson has been a math coach at Meroby Elementary School in Mexico since 2016.

How and when did the two of you meet, and has an active outdoor lifestyle always been part of your togetherness? We met in 1993 at Attitash ski resort during the summer. Todd worked as the emergency medical technician for the summer season to care for incidents on the alpine and water slides. I worked in the ticket office. One day Todd came to the ticket office to get some comp tickets for a friend, and we’ve been together ever since. We are both avid outdoor lovers with passions for anything we can do outside. Skiing, paddling, and mountain biking are our favorite activities, but we do whatever we can, from stand-up paddle boarding to rock climbing.

When I met Todd, he was a zealous rock climber in the White Mountains and focused all his energy on climbing routes, convincing me to dabble in it. Rock climbing took a backseat when our summer interests moved to whitewater paddling.

For over 20 years we operated Northern Waters Outfitters in Errol, New Hampshire, where we ran a whitewater canoe and kayak school. In Errol, in addition to paddling instruction, we took customers on scenic pontoon boat tours, guided whitewater rafting trips, and managed two camping sites. It was a great way to spend our summers with like-minded outdoor enthusiasts. Todd eventually became a partner in the business, and we worked hard there during the summers from 1994-2016. It was quite a fun run.

Our winters have always focused on downhill skiing. When not running Northern Waters, Todd was a full-time ski patroller at Attitash ski resort in New Hampshire while I finished my teaching degree at the University of Vermont. When I graduated, he moved with me to Vermont and ski patrolled at Sugarbush ski resort.

As we got older, the seasonal life of outdoor recreation didn’t match our goals, so Todd went back to school at the University of Vermont to get his teaching certificate in physical education. When Todd finished his post-baccalaureate teaching certificate in 2001 we moved to Maine. At the time we were still invested in the Errol business, so we drew a big circle around Errol and applied for teaching jobs within 40 minutes of Northern Waters.

Todd was the first to land a job at Mountain Valley High School (in Rumford) as a PE teacher, so we bought a house in Andover. Our daughter grew up running around the campground in Errol during the summers of her primary years. In 2013 when she was headed to middle school, we moved to Rumford to shorten our commutes. I taught in RSU 10 initially when we moved to Maine, but I spent 16 years in SAD 44 (based in Bethel) before returning to RSU 10 in 2016 as a math coach at Meroby Elementary School in Mexico.

Rumford couple and RSU 10 teachers Karen Wilson and Todd Papianou canoeing on Rangeley Lake in 2023. Submitted photo

What do you think are the greatest benefits of Falcon Camp for Mountain Valley High School students? The camp allows students to experience outdoor activities with their peers. Our Falcon Camp participants have not attended traditional summer camps, and they may not get this opportunity otherwise. We teach them biking, backpacking, and paddling skills during our day camps at school, then we culminate with adventurous camping trips. Some of our camps only stay out for one night to introduce students to camping, but we offer camps with two to four nights out for campers who return for a second week or a second summer.

For many of our introductory camp students, this is their first time camping or their first time camping without their family members. Our returning students become experts at camp operations and cooking. Students have jobs for each meal either cooking or doing the cleanup. Both require important outdoor skills and planning. Older students become mentors teaching new students the essential skills of outdoor living. It’s fun watching the kids learn and mature into competent outdoor people.

As Falcon Camp leaders how do you keep camping in the wilderness with groups of teenagers running smoothly? Todd and I are the only two adults on our trips, with the exception of one trip last summer when a teacher from Winthrop joined us to learn about our program. Our group sizes range from six to 10; 10 is our maximum. Our weeks begin with expectation setting, and we are up front with the students about what behaviors we won’t tolerate. Camp is a privilege, and poor behavior will result in them going home. We have only sent one student home in the past three years. We find students respectful and appreciative of the opportunities we provide. The first year we took electronics away, but the last two years students have managed their technology respectfully and responsibly, so we have allowed them.

Describe what “operating in good style” (one of Todd’s descriptions for camping) means and why it’s important. Operating in good style means planning well, anticipating possible problems before they happen, demonstrating respect for nature and others, and using proper technique for the athletic pursuits we teach. As an example, students learn proper paddling strokes and how to work together in a canoe. They learn canoe rescue techniques, safe movement in a canoe, how to load a canoe, and how to load a canoe trailer. When on the water we teach students to keep our voices low, use appropriate language, stay within sight of one another, and have a safety boat in the front and back.

What are some of your goals for Falcon Camp? To get as many students outside learning outdoor pursuits as we can. This year we had 20 students participate, which was our biggest reach yet.

Rumford couple and RSU 10 teachers Karen Wilson and Todd Papianou at the summit of Mount Katahdin in the summer of 2023. Submitted photo

Todd received a High School Physical Education Teacher of the year award from the Maine Department of Education in November 2023. Tell our readers about your work as a physical education teacher at Mountain Valley High School and your work with the school’s Outing Club. Todd has been at MVHS teaching PE since 2001. His goal when he began at MVHS was to create PE classes that promote positive life choices. The school only had very traditional ball sports equipment in 2001, so Todd researched grants for and found the federal government Carol M. White’s Physical Education Program Grant.

The district applied for PEP grants with the Dirigo School district (RSU 56) and was awarded over $1.2 million for equipment for both districts over two rounds of funding. Through these grants, Todd purchased Nordic skis, ice skates, inline skates, skateboards, adventure sleds, a rock-climbing wall, a disk golf course, a fitness center filled with aerobic and strength training equipment, 10 canoes, 15 kayaks, a set of mountain bikes, and a low ropes and high ropes course.

This equipment created the opportunity for new offerings such as racquet sports, project adventure team building, and lifetime pursuits. Todd has created unique instructional units focused on promoting lifetime recreation and physical activity.

Todd also has a passion for Adapted PE, and created a transition class for students with special needs. This class, called Jumpstart, teaches students skills to be successful in physical education, enabling them to mainstream into the general education PE classes in the future.

In 2023, MVHS Principal Thomas Danylik nominated Todd for Maine High School PE Teacher of the Year. He received this award in November 2023 at the annual Maine Association of Physical Education, Health, Recreation, and Dance conference in Rockland.

Todd began the MVHS Outing Club in 2018 when he started taking groups of students to Acadia National Park and the Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge for camping trips. Since then, he has written numerous grants and been awarded equipment and funding through Teens to Trails, Maine Association of Environmental Education, and Friends of River Valley.

His club has also received donations of gear from local supporter and outdoor enthusiast John Preble. The school district has been extremely supportive with trip food and transportation. Currently, the club is well-equipped to support all varieties of outdoor adventures, and funding keeps the trips affordable for students with scholarships available for students who cannot afford trip fees.