Our Team
Our teachers are more than educators, they're caretakers, collaborators and community builders. With a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio, our small class sizes foster meaningful, trusting relationships with every child and family. Rooted in relationship-based teaching and a deep love for the outdoors, our team creates a joyful inclusive learning community where children can grow, explore and belong.
Alyson Quinn
Director & Founder
Education: BS in Biology Education and Spanish, Certificate in Nonprofit Management, additional child development coursework
Community Connections: Twin families, bilingual families, AmeriCorps
Hobbies: Wilderness adventures, paddling the BWCA, hiking in Theodore Wirth Park, celebrating seasonal changes
Languages: English, Spanish, basic ASL
S.J. Bencriscutto Amado
Assistant Director & Founding Teacher
Education: BA in Spanish Studies, MAEd in Natural Science & Environmental Education
Community Connections: LGBTQ+ families, adoption/foster care, multi-racial families, grief and child loss
Hobbies: Hiking, art, singing, road trips, reality tv, yoga, camping, rain walks, skiing, ice skating and place making
Languages: English, Spanish
Erin Bergevin
Founding Teacher
Education: BA in Psychology with focus on Early Childhood Education and Development, BA in German Studies, Master of Arts in Education
Community Connections: Food allergy families, neurodivergence, parents of young children
Hobbies: Music, woodworking, knitting, puzzles, family bike rides
Languages: English, German
Maia Campbell
Teacher
Education: BS in Environmental Science with a minor in Sustainable Agriculture
Community Connections: Late-diagnosed neurodivergence, Minnesota naturalists
Hobbies: Nature adventures, solo travel, camping, knitting, reading, DnD, cats, baking, sewing, new boot goofin'
Languages: English
Sharon Hylton
Teacher
Education: BA in Biology with a concentration in Environmental Studies
Community Connections: Montessori, parenting from middle school through college, living on the north side
Hobbies: Hiking, gardening, running, XC skiing, dabbling in art, camping/backpacking/BWCA adventures, birding, foraging, reading, music
Languages: English, Spanish, Guaraní
Theodora Burke
Teacher
Education: BA in Early Childhood Special Education with a focus on Nature-Based Education
Community Connections: LGBTQIA+, neurodivergence, family advocacy for children with disabilities, nomadic living
Hobbies: Nature explorations, camping, puzzles, storytelling, rock hunting, stopping every two seconds on a hike to identify a plant/bug
Languages: English