Jessica Rhys

is the founder, operator and head teacher at Fiddleheads. Jessica has a degree in Environmental Education and Cross Cultural Studies from Prescott College in AZ. She has taught at the early childhood level in both public and private institutions including in the Patagonia School System in AZ, and at Mayberry Hill Preschool in Casco, ME. She long served as the Program Director at Cultivating Community in Portland, ME, a nonprofit dedicated to at risk youth development, urban gardening, and advocating for a sustainable local food system. She also served as the Coordinator of the Maine School Garden Network, helping to connect, support and implement school gardens around the state of Maine. In 2017 Jessica founded Fiddleheads Urban Forest Preschool in Portland, OR. In 2021 she sold that school to her longtime co-teacher, and it still exists today as a revered and highly sought after program in that city. She has recently moved back to New England and spent the 2020-21 school year as a teacher in the woods program at The Riley School in Rockport, Maine. She is grateful to finally be returned to her native Vermont after many years away and so thrilled to be running a forest school here and immersing children into the wilds of her own childhood landscape. Her most relevant training yet has been as the mother of her two sons, Torin age 14 and Roan age 11.

As well as being a mother and a teacher Jessica is an artist, a stepmother of 4, a guitar player, an enthusiastic cook, an overly enthusiastic gardener, and an avid birdwatcher. She is proficient in Spanish and French, is working on Italian and Portuguese, and believes in the benefits of early exposure to foreign language. She is passionate about early childhood education, and fosters a deep personal connection with the natural world.

Michelle Aldrich

Michelle graduated from Marist College in 1991 with a social work degree, attended National Outdoor Leadership School and worked as a wilderness therapy instructor for many years. This career took her to Utah, where she enjoyed working as a ski school supervisor for Deer Valley and discovered Montessori Education. She received her Montessori Certification for Lower Elementary in 2003 and worked as a teacher for Soaring Wings International Montessori school in Park City for 16 years. During this time, she received a Master of Art in Education degree, presented at Montessori conferences, was a field consultant for Westminster College and went on many outdoor adventures with her class. Upon returning to the East Coast, she and her family were drawn to Vermont.  Michelle taught first and second grade at The Mountain School at Winhall for four years, attended conferences for Forest classrooms and joyfully led Forest Fridays.

Michelle is excited to continue to share her love of learning and the outdoors with the community at Fiddleheads in all types of weather! She believes that being in nature provides opportunities to inspire curiosity, creative problem solving and genuine connections to the world and those around us.

A few of Michelle's favorite things are hiking in the woods, swimming in the ocean, listening to live music and sharing experiences(old and new) with family and friends! 

Teri Andersen

Teri Andersen has worked in Arts Education for 25 years. She currently owns Mountain Community Arts in Londonderry where she has taught Hip Hop Dance and Yoga since 2016. Teri received a Bachelor of Fine Art with a focus in Ceramics which led her to pursue a career in Art Education in both of her passions; clay and dance. Teri was the Visual Arts teacher at the Mountain School at Winhall 2010-2021. Teri has taught After School Art Programs as well as Art and Dance Camps at various schools and institutions in our area. She shares her love of the arts with her three daughters as well as her husband whom she met while they were both teaching pottery at Frog Hollow. She is also an avid runner who enjoys bringing her movement outdoors. Teri holds a certification in children’s yoga through Kidding Around Yoga. Teri's goal as an educator is for all her students to find strength, confidence, and joy in their own creative expression.

Kimberly Aakjar

Kimberly Aakjar was born and raised in Manchester, Vermont. She currently lives in Danby with her husband and three young children. 

For the last seven years she has owned and operated her garden design business, creating meaningful gardens in both residential and commercial spaces throughout Southern Vermont. She is also a florist for weddings and other special occasions. Prior to owning her business, her love of growing plants led her to a four year apprenticeship in Hawaii on an organic farm. It is there that her values that she carries today were established.

After becoming a mother, Kimberly realized the importance of nature based learning. She was able to reflect on her own childhood, with valuable memories of playing in the forests around Hapgood Pond. 

Kimberly believes that children need to be given the freedom to play, take risks, and be curious. She believes that teaching young children to be thankful for the abundance that the Earth provides, is a priority in this day in age.

She is excited to share her enthusiasm for nature with the community at Fiddleheads! 

Osha grew up between Vermont, northern California, and Costa Rica. As a young child Osha was homeschooled using nature-based/place-based methods. She recently graduated from Prescott College with a degree in environmental studies and a concentration in early childhood environmental education. She also studied fine art and minored in humanities. Her longstanding love for the outdoors and young children has led her to seek out opportunities to facilitate nature-based learning in various settings, including the Manchester Community Library, where she designed and implemented a learning garden program for children and their families. Osha believes that one of the best things we can do for our children, future generations, and the planet is to foster and protect the inherently deep connection to nature that little ones possess. She has lived in France and traveled extensively, and also loves learning foreign languages. In her free time, Osha likes to work in the garden, paint, and cook, although her favorite thing to do by far is to go out exploring with her two-year-old son, Silvius. 

Derek Andersen

Derek Andersen brings over 25 years of educational experience ranging from environmental education to special education. Derek has a deep background in naturalist skills and wilderness survival. A student of Tom Brown’s Wilderness Survival School in New Jersey and a graduate of the former Green Mountain College in Poultney, VT where he studied biology, agriculture, ceramics and education, Derek brings a diverse and deep connection with the natural world.  Derek and his wife Teri created Turning Wheel; an Art and Nature Exploration Center, which built connections with local schools and community. Derek spent years working at the Mountain School at Winhall as well as Flood Brook School.  During his time at Burr and Burton Academy Derek created the Food and Farm studies program at The Dene Farm. Pursuing his passion for sustainable agriculture and artisanal crafts, Derek is now the owner and operator of Vermont Natural Tannery.  He is excited to be offering The Outsiders Adventure Afterschool program for 9-12 year olds at Fiddleheads.

Dawn Lewis

Dawn Lewis, our Pathfinders teacher, is a developmental therapeutic trauma specialist and a super fun after school fairy godmother. She has a background in dance, film, music and performing arts. Dawn is the mother of an adult son. She worked at animal shelters for many years and she is a great lover of children and animals. She has many adorable rescue cats and loves to dance and play sports.