Half Day Forest Kindergarten

Elizabeth's love for the outdoors began when she was a child playing in the woods. She grew up riding horses, both in competition and on the trail, and competed in Dressage for her college's intercollegiate equestrian team. Elizabeth was born and raised in Cleveland, TN and lived there until she attended Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, Virginia. There she received a BS in Psychology and focused much of her studies on child development. After college she realized she wanted to teach children and earned a M.Ed. in School Counseling from Liberty University. She then spent three years working as a Special Education Paraprofessional at the elementary level with Bradley County Schools before moving to Washington DC with her husband in 2016. While in DC, she taught infants and toddlers at the Smithsonian's Early Enrichment Center (SEEC), an early childhood demonstration school for infants through Kindergarten within the National Museums of Natural and American History. Through her time teaching at SEEC her passion for young children was realized. She has been teaching PreK at Woodsong since its very first school year and watching children thrive developmentally in this natural learning environment brings her the utmost joy. She and her husband Michael have two children, Wade and Henry, who both attend Woodsong. In her free time she loves traveling and spending time outdoors with her family.

Raven grew up in the foothills of Lookout Mountain, in Chickamauga, Georgia. She loved to explore the creek bank near her home, play in the dirt near the neighboring cow pasture and harvest the honeysuckle from her backyard fence row. Her family vacations were spent outdoors, camping, swimming in lakes, and hiking to waterfalls. In her adult life, she finds joy in doing the same with her own family. Her love of nature has developed into a love of growing her own food through backyard gardening and the beauty and practicality of permaculture and edible landscapes. Since being a part of the Woodsong community, she has found wonder in the medicinal nature of plants.

Raven graduated from Shorter College in 2008 with a B.A. in Spanish. She and her husband lived in Rome, GA for a brief time where they engaged with neighborhood children as a form of community outreach - opening their homes, hearts and refrigerators to children who needed all three. Raven and her husband soon moved to Philadelphia, PA for her husband to pursue his masters degree. Here they lived for several years, once again, pursuing community with their neighbors.

After returning to the area in 2013, Raven became certified in Radiologic Technology. She has performed breast cancer screenings for the past 6 years for a countless number of women. She has been involved with Woodsong several years.

Raven enjoys many things, most of which occupy the hands and/or the mind. Reading, sewing, puzzling, knitting, drawing, herbalism and gardening are just a few favorites. Raven and her spouse, Dustin, love camping, hiking, and some good, old fashioned yard work. Their boys, Walden and Rowan enjoy those things too, minus the yard work!

Half Day Forest Kindergarten and Spanish

Evelyn was born and raised in Southern California, and as a child she enjoyed camping, hiking and exploring the ocean there. Evelyn is serving the Woodsong community as a Half Day PreK teacher and as a volunteer Spanish teacher for the elementary programs. Evelyn is fluent in English, Spanish, and French, but her first language was Spanish. Her parents are from Colombia and Mexico, and she's had the opportunity to visit both places several times and enjoy the rich culture. In 2008, Evelyn and her husband moved from California, where she worked in a facility with special needs children, to Singapore, where they lived for 4.5 years. In 2013, they moved to France where she immersed herself in the French culture and language. While living abroad she was an English language tutor. Evelyn and her family made their way to Tennessee in 2018, where her husband Mathew was hired as a chemistry professor at Southern Adventist University. Together, they have three beautiful daughters and a son. Evelyn is delighted to share the gift of language with the children of Woodsong because she feels bilingualism is an incredible gift; it broadens mental development, thought patterns, and world perspective. Evelyn strongly believes in Woodsong's mission to bring the wonder of nature to the forefront of child education.

Half Day Forest Kindergarten Teacher

Sarah grew up in Athens, Tennessee, where her childhood was filled with family camping trips and days spent exploring the creek behind her house. In 2009, she embraced a new chapter by moving to Montana to pursue her passion for Outdoor and Documentary Photography. This journey introduced her to an array of people, from nomads to world-class kayakers. Sarah also has a musical background in opera and local theater. Now living in Cleveland, Tennessee, with her husband Matthew and their two kids, Dexter and Margot, she discovered Woodsong while seeking an alternative schooling option. Eager to share her love for discovery, Sarah is excited to be an integral part of the Woodsong Community as both a parent and teacher.

T/Th Prek Teacher and Creative Arts/Library Enrichment

Erica Katherine Stewart was born and raised in Cleveland, TN. She’s a mother of two boys and a lover of all things creative. Her boys inspire her to stay curious, find wonder in the little things, and see the world through a child’s eyes.

When she isn’t creating, she likes exploring the outdoors or wandering through a good thrift store. She loves books, nature, art, and the magic that happens when children are given the freedom to explore, imagine, and create.

Woodsong has been a shining light for Erica and her family. She is thrilled to be giving back to the Woodsong community by assisting with teaching in the mud kitchen and sharing knowledge with enrichment classes. 

Full-Time K1 Community Teacher

As long as Kendra can remember, she has loved being outdoors and exploring nature. She grew up attending a Montessori school in Michigan that viewed exploring and learning in nature as essential. Because of this, she spent much of her free time outdoors exploring the Great Lakes and much more. These early years molded Kendra’s deep connection to the natural world.

After graduating high school, Kendra studied at Lee University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in TESOL. While at Lee, she was also a part of the cross country/track & field team, participated in domestic and international mission work with children, and involved herself in other children ministries. One transformative experience was her trip to Haiti. While there, she had the opportunity to work with children in a school and orphanage. This experience helped solidify her passion for Holistic education.

After graduating from Lee, Kendra began working at a Montessori school that catered to low income and marginalized students. She worked to earn her Montessori certification that focused on individualized and holistic child-led learning. During her training, Kendra learned the importance of fostering a child’s natural drive to learn as well as cultivating independence and creative thinking. Now teaching at Woodsong, she has been given the opportunity to take her Montessori principles and help students cultivate the intrinsic value of learning in nature. Her hope as a teacher is to cultivate joyful learning and holistic development of every child in becoming kind, creative, independent explorers of the natural world.

Kendra is currently one of Woodsong’s kindergarten teachers. Outside of teaching, Kendra and her husband, Daniel, love to adventure together and travel to new places. In her free time, you can find Kendra running, hiking, gardening, practicing yoga, pole vaulting, and aerial silking.

Full-Time K1 Community Teacher

Halli grew up in Alabama the Beautiful, where her love for nature was first cultivated by her favorite naturalist- her dad. She grew up having access to large spaces where she learned the language of horses and incubated and hatched chickens and ducks. As she grows older, she continues to be a student of living off the land, animals and their language, and the developing child.

Halli’s professional journey began when she started coordinating homeschool lesson plans that were entirely nature based. Along with parents, Halli worked to give the children full autonomy in the woodlands. She acted as their guide to observe living things up close and helped them to create with their hands using the resources they foraged from the land. She found delight in this approach to learning and it shaped her desire to work with children outdoors. Later, Halli founded Explorenook Nature Play, which valued storytelling, child lead play, and parent community. Through this program, she offered open ended play set ups to cultivate children’s natural curiosity and for deeper inquiry.

Now, Halli serves Woodsong as a co teacher with our full time kinders class, where she feels her creativity and passion for nature education continues to expand! One of Halli’s favorite experiences in nature is receiving a leaf kiss from the tree canopy above. She exemplifies Woodsong’s goals as she treats each student as a whole being and honors their unique interests and abilities.

Kindergarten and First Grade Teacher

Allison Jones comes to Woodsong with a wealth of Montessori experience and working with children in creative, holistic ways. Allison is a graduate of UTK and has had a career as a lead early childhood guide at Montessori schools in Maryville and Chattanooga, as well as serving as a campus director in Maryville. Allison is a Tennessee Master Gardener. She has received training through Montessori Educators International, and she is also a certified Montessorian through the North American Montessori Center and received her administrator's certification through American Montessori Internationale.

K1 Community Teacher

Sharon is a retired Montessori Director and she recently worked as a Montessori teacher in Hamilton County Public Schools. Throughout her career, she has owned and operated three Montessori schools in two states. Her Tennessee school was the first Montessori School in the state to be designated as a Nature Explorer School, a nature program sponsored by the Arbor Foundation. She has also traveled to assist in planting new schools and mentoring new Montessori Directors. In addition, she was on the team to develop and start Ivy Academy in Chattanooga. She moved to Tennessee from Georgia in 2000 with her husband Amaziah and three sons.

Sharon is one of Woodsong’s 3rd/4th grade teachers in the Canopy Eyrie. It is her first year in the Woodsong community!

Second and Third Grade Teacher

Ally Jane comes to Woodsong all the way from Idaho! Ally Jane graduated from Lee University with a degree and teaching certification in Special Education. After leaving Lee, Ally Jane lived and taught in a local school system in Idaho, working with elementary students in all subjects. She also developed, wrote, and implemented educational curriculum in Yellowstone National Park, teaching the children of park rangers through the Yellowstone Adventure Program. Ally Jane is also a former intern with the Unity Center here in inner-city Cleveland.

Second and Third Grade Teacher

Second and Third Grade Teacher

Jennifer has a bachelor's degree in elementary education with an endorsement in reading and ESOL. She has taught 2nd-4th grades in unique public school settings, and has been a creative forest homeschool educator as well. Jennifer is trained in and has implemented Conscious Discipline (which is an influential approach to supporting student behavior that Woodsong has implemented over the years), and she has participated in educational leadership seminars throughout her career. Jennifer has a passion for alternative approaches to learning that incorporate nature-based education. She has three children who attend Woodsong in PreK, 5th grade, and 2nd grade.

Second/Third Grade Teacher

Madilyn Donnally hails from California, where she grew up near the grandeur of the Redwoods. Madilyn is a graduate from Lee University. She feels passionate about human development and working with children in nature. She has worked and volunteered at a nature-based summer camp for foster children in the Bay Area of California for over 10 years. She has worked with children in a variety of contexts- teaching, mentoring, and lovingly coaching them to discover their gifts and talents. Madilyn serves the Woodsong community as Jennifer's co-teacher in the Canopy Eyrie.

Upper Elementary Teacher

Upper Elementary Teacher

John grew up in the beautiful landscape of our local region, and he has felt drawn to offering his dedicated spirit and passion for education to children who are learning and growing in our community. John received his degree in elementary education from Lee University and has taught in local public elementary schools. John is also a musician, which informs his creativity as a teacher. John is certified to teach all subjects at the elementary level and he is very excited about embarking on the journey of being a teacher at Woodsong. 

Swallowtails Teacher

Bethany moved to middle Tennessee when she was 5 years old. She spent her childhood playing in the woods and creeks in her neighborhood. Bethany was homeschooled from Kindergarten through 12th grade. She was taught by her parents and the local homeschool community through tutorials and co-ops. Bethany attended Lee university and graduated in 2023 with a degree in Psychology. She is passionate about the natural world's impact on an individual's wellbeing and on children's development and learning. Bethany has always had a deep love for the outdoors and adventure. She spends her time away from the classroom working as a barista or outside kayaking, hiking, and rock climbing. Bethany is eager to continue to grow in her understanding of outdoor education and holistic development. Here at Woodsong, she loves to share this love for the natural world and outdoor adventure with students as they develop.

Regenerative Agriculture Enrichment Teacher and Land Steward