MEET OUR TEACHERS
Miss Lissa
Founder & Head Teacher
Miss Lissa is a nature native who grew up on the beach in Southern California, and has lived along the Wasatch Front for over 20 years. She earned her BS in Psychology and has always been fascinated with the mind and its development. After focusing on growing her own family, she went on to be trained as a Certified Nature & Forest Therapy guide. She created Wasatch Forest Therapy in 2017 and guides groups through forest bathing sessions for health & wellness.
Before founding Wildwood in 2019, Miss Lissa solidified her love of teaching children in the outdoors through a previous position as a Head Nature Preschool teacher.
She feels passionately about connecting kids to nature from a young age - not only for their own health & development, but for the future health of the earth. She believes that the children who grow up in love and relationship with the land are the ones who will protect it into adulthood.
Lissa is trained in Wilderness First Aid through NOLS. Her passions include traveling, connecting others to nature, and spending free time outside with her friends and family!
Miss Gell
Lead Teacher
Wildlings
Miss Angell ("Gell") grew up in Pleasant Grove at the base of Mount Timpanogos. As a child, her favorite pastime was to climb trees and read books in their branches. She has a deep connection, familiarity and love for the mountains.
Miss Gell enjoys hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing. In the winter you will find her on the slopes skiing as often as she can. She is a mom of three adventurous boys and is wonderful with children of all ages. We are thrilled for her to be an assistant teacher here at Wildwood!
Chad
Lead Teacher
Earthlings
Miss Ky
Founder & Head Teacher
From a young age, Miss Ky fell in love with the forests here in Utah, spending time with her Mom rafting the river, hiking, and enjoying countless days getting lost in outdoor play. Miss Ky's love of children and teaching led her to be a teacher's aid for a local Waldorf-based kindergarten in the past. Before founding Wildwood, she arranged and led a local co-op forest school group, incorporating inspiration from Waldorf based education and her knowledge of the local plant and animal life, as well as safe and ethical foraging.
She is passionate about child development, whole child learning, and spending long hours in the natural world. It is there where she regularly experiences deep rest, inspiration and joy.
Miss Ky lives in Provo Canyon with her two children. She has offered Birth Doula services in the past and currently provides Dream Tending as well as Foot Zoning sessions. We love Miss Ky!
Miss Jes
Lead Teacher
Seedlings
Miss Jes grew up playing in the forests and on the beaches of Washington State. She graduated from BYU with a BS in Human Development. She is also a certified yoga and meditation teacher who specializes in teaching family yoga - where she watches the magic of family play and connection come alive. She currently teaches classes at The Yoga Underground in Provo - follow along with her @wildlifeyoga on Instagram or visit her website.
Miss Jes is a certified Ecological Designer, which means she loves to design and create with Mother Nature at the center. She loves creating art and crafting with her hands by tapping into her intuition and bringing internal images to life.
She believes children are the most wise and sacred beings on our planet and loves learning and playing together. She looks forward to supporting the amazing children of Wildwood Forest School!
Miss Meg
Chad Schirmer graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and spent several years working in the energy and technology industries as an Operations Engineer and Success Manager.
He is an attentive father of two and enjoys rock climbing, reading, watercolor painting, and spending quality time with the people he loves.
We are excited to have Chad join the team as a teacher for our Earthlings class (ages 7-9yrs). He is a gentle teacher and has a love of guiding and mentoring kids while fostering a deep connection to nature.
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Miss Meg grew up on the Jersey Shore, and spent all of her summers at the beach swimming in the ocean. She made her way out west later on in life, and fell in love with the mountains (and her husband).
She graduated from BYU with a degree in Public Health and worked many years in corporate wellness and health coaching, working with individuals to lead healthier lives.
She is now home with her 5 year old son, and loves exploring nature, learning new things and playing! And singing and dancing! She believes children are our great teachers and strives to be more like them everyday.
Assistant Teacher
Miss Bergen
Assistant Teacher
Miss Bergen spent her childhood exploring the forests and lakes of the Midwest. She has spent her adult years falling in love with the mountains of Utah and enjoys singing, dancing, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, camping and hiking all year round!
Bergen is a co-founder of Nourishing Kin, a local nonprofit created to support folks of European descent in reconnecting with ancestral traditions and regenerative land-honoring practices. She finds great satisfaction in creating spaces for people to come back into right relationship with themselves, the community, and this beautiful planet!
Bergen has many years of experience working with children and studied Special Education at the University of Wisconsin. She is also a rights of passage mentor and offers individual coaching, workshops, and retreats.
Bergen lives in Provo, Utah with her 3 kids and their big orange tom cat Tiger.
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Miss Mette
Lead Substitute
Mette has been part of the Wildwood Family since 2019. She has a background in special education and in growing plants. She loves reading and spending time in her garden. She also loves being silly with children and watching them figure out new things. Mette is excited to fill-in as a substitute teacher for Wildwood!