Summit School of the Poconos is no longer operational, as of July 2022. All Summit team efforts are currently focused on building Summit Charter School. This site remains active to provide information about the educational model upon which the Summit Charter School is based.
Marina Spears holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marriage and Family Studies from Brigham Young University Idaho. Marina’s experience working with families and children is vast.
As past Director of the Pediatric Recreation Therapist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Marina spent a majority of her time counseling with patients individually and with parents and family members. She also ran in-patient teen and out patient support groups, and support groups for the siblings of the patients. In her community service working with youth groups, a main component of her role was to provide counseling for youth as needed.
Currently, in addition to her work at Summit School, Marina currently facilitates an Addiction Recovery group for Friends and Family members of those who suffer from addiction. In this capacity she provides counseling to members as a group and individually, including several adolescents.
Marina also has additional course completions and certifications in Adolescent Suicide and Best Practices for Working with LGBTQ, Children and Youth, and working with children who are on the autism spectrum. She has done work for work for Educate and Empower Kids and is a Certified Natural Childbirth Educator.
“I am so thrilled to be a part of an educational experience for children that allows them creativity and active participation in the learning process and engagement in the school community. I have a long history of working with children and teens. It is where my heart is, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a member of the SSP family,” says Marina.
Marina loves to read both fiction and non-fiction, especially history, classic literature and philosophy. She also enjoys museums, gardening, and spending time with her family. A mother of five and originally from New York, Marina moved to the Poconos in 2006. Today, she resides in the Tobyhanna area with her family.