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.
Founder & Director
Alyson Quinn
Teaching since: 1997
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
Founding Teacher
S.J. Bencriscutto Amado
Teaching since: 2005
Education: BA in Spanish, MAEd in Natural Science & Environmental Education
Community Connections: LGBTQ+ families, adoption/foster care, multi-racial families, neurodiversity, trauma, grief and child loss
Hobbies: Hiking, art, singing, road trips, reality tv, yoga, camping, rain walks, downhill skiing, ice skating and place making
Languages: English, Spanish
Founding Teacher
Erin Bergevin
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
Teacher & Education Coordinator
Elizabeth Calderone
Teaching since: 2018
Education: BS in Early Childhood Education, MA in Applied Child and Adolescent Development, with a focus in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Community Connections: Neurodiversity, new parents
Hobbies: Reading (fantasy, dark academia, child development!), creating spreadsheets, crafting, swimming
Languages: English
Teacher
Maia Campbell
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
Teacher
EJ Coolidge
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Teacher
Heidi Faris
Teaching since: 2003
Education: Associate's in Natural Resources, BS in Geology, M.Ed. in Environmental Education, currently enrolled at St. Catherine's University for a BS in Early Childhood Education with Licensure
Hobbies: Hiking, camping, roller derby, paddling, birding, gardening, solo traveling, chasing waterfalls
Languages: English
Teacher
Sharon Hylton
Teaching since: 1994
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
Bookkeeper
Bahea Manasra
Education: Masters in Nonprofit Management & Public Administration
Hobbies: Hiking, diamond painting, sewing, painting
Languages: English, Arabic