Guides

Chavitos Guides for 2022-2023

Meag Diamond is a Cedarsong certified Forest Kindergarten teacher. For 16 years she has taught in the public and private school environments in Washington and in Lagos, Nigeria. Before starting Chavitos she spent six years at a local public Montessori school as a Lower Elementary Teacher (grades 1-3). Meag holds her National Board Certification in Literacy and also possesses a Montessori certification. When she saw her older son's love for nature she started to think creatively about a solution that would get both of them into the woods together more often. Now she has witnessed the powerful magic of the forest with her 5 year old. Chano has been in the forest since he was one month old and it's hard to get him to come inside.

Meag is passionate about plant medicine. She has started growing herbal medicine in her wild garden and uses them in her home apothecary. Her and Jose dream of a homestead where she can grow veggies, medicine and plants of natural dying. Her goal in life is to slow way down.

Meag (she/her/hers) teaches daily at the Elementary program. She speaks basic Spanish.

Jose Estrada is originally from Guatemala where he spent six years teaching physical education and coaching soccer, lacrosse and swimming. For four years he worked at Safe Passage where he worked with some of Guatemala's neediest children. It was here where he met Meag who was volunteering for a week. His passion is to incorporate play and recreation into education with an emphasis on exploring nature in our diverse community. Jose and his children Keats and Chano love to learn through cooking, dancing and biking to the farmers market.

He has been drawn to the Waldorf philosophy and has started his teacher training. This is his second year studying with this program.

Jose (he/him/his) teaches full days at the preschool in September-May and is a Native Spanish speaker.

Rosi Miller/Good, originates from the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Previously, the Director of a nature based summer camp, “Zestful Gardens Farm Camp”; Currently your administrative assistant for Chavitos on the Farm! She also sits on the board for 2 non-profit community health clinics: “Hearth Naturopathic Medicine”, and “Vashon Island Midwifery”.

Building healthy communities, by facilitating the growth of healthy “whole-hearted” families, has been at the center her work in the community, and her deepest dedicated work as a parent!

3 words to describe Rosi: quiet, creative, compassionate…(and “cats”, lets throw that in too!) She loves animals, drinks jasmine tea in the mornings, is a novice herbalist, bee-keeper and backpacker, and loves to get crafty. She enjoys her sweet, out-door loving family, and has been dedicated to facilitating growth mindset, social-emotional learning and nature education both personally and professionally.

Rosi (she,her,hers) is our elementary admin.

Scout McLaughlin is originally from Baltimore, MD but has lived in various parts of the west coast since 2017. She has taught elementary Special Education for 6 years in DC public schools and Tacoma public schools. Scout has been lucky enough to play with kids in nature during the last ten years while working at various summer camps, school garden programs, community

gardens, and more. She has also worked on several farms, including one on Vashon where she completed the Cedarsong Forest Kindergarten Training.

After traveling and living in a camper van for two years, Scout and her partner settled down in Tacoma in 2019. Here, Scout enjoys finally having a space to grow lots food and flowers, backpacking with her dogs, and finding great mountain views.

Immersion in nature is where Scout is most at peace and most herself. Seeing children find freedom in the outdoors and guiding them as they learn and grow is as good as it gets!

Scout (she,her,hers) teaches Thursday afternoons at the preschool.

Seleste Fry and her partner, Mariah, are both newcomers to Tacoma WA. She was born and raised in Provo, Utah where she grew up in the outdoors; snowboarding, rock climbing, hiking, and kayaking. She is the oldest of eight kids, was the neighborhood babysitter for similarly large families, and was a live-in nanny for her first year attending The University of Utah.

Mariah and her have two kittos named Phoebe and Ralphie. They enjoy tending to our patio garden, walking Titlow beach, and road-tripping around the state exploring the outdoors. She's spent the last year working as a park ranger for a non-profit in Grapeview and only recently retired from nomadic tiny-home living to embraced the the apartment life once again.

She believes it is of the utmost importance to guide our younger generations down a path paved with love and acceptance.

Seleste (she,her,hers) teaches Monday full day and Tuesday-Friday mornings at the preschool.

Pepe (he/him/his) teaches at the preschool. He is a native Spanish speaker.

Pepe Ramirez has been living in the evergreen state for twenty years. He is originally from Mexico, and enjoys everyday life with the amusement and challenges that comes with it. "Everyday is an opportunity to be the best version of yourself." Pepe is constantly learning new skills. He has photography certificates from Pierce College Puyallup, Associates Degrees on Graphic Design and Culinary Arts from Clover Park Technical College Lakewood. From 2019-2022 he worked as a babysitter where he found out the love and the passion for teaching kids, which brings him peace and joy. "The kids' world is fun, full of love and a constant learning for me."

Pepe Enjoys running, cooking, reading, meditating, writing, gardening, paddle boarding, playing basketball and going on camping trips with his wife.
He has two moms, whom he loves equally, and whole lot of love!

Koryeh Cobb has a passion for education. She pursued educational opportunities as early as her middle school years, knowing that this was something she wanted to commit her life to. After earning her undergraduate degrees in Sociology and Education at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, Koryeh returned to Colorado to perform her fellowship years teaching 6th graders literacy. Wanting to explore new cultures and identities, Koryeh moved out to Japan to transition her teaching to work with 3rd graders at Nagoya International School. After her stint in Japan, she came to Washington as a lead homeroom teacher for 2 years. Since then she has continued to pursue her elementary education roles in more traditional approaches as well as beyond the classroom walls.

Mark (he/him/his) teaches electives at the elementary program. He is a Spanish speaker.

Mark Walker has enjoyed teaching for high school students of Michigan, university students of Indiana, and college students here in Washington, all through natural science and nutrition courses. Notably, Mark and his wife Gaby also shared these sciences and many health care services with approximately 500 students in the Mchinji District of Malawi, Africa in 2010.

Before their son, Francisco, was born in 2011, Mark and Gaby experienced as much of the world as they could, visiting several European and African nations through friend or volunteer connections. Other travels often include spending time with family and friends in many states of Mexico. When in Washington, the family enjoys the garden, music, studying, ice hockey, Tae Kwon Do, and as many outdoor activities as possible.

Prior to the Covid-19 closures, Mark was an assistant teacher in the Chavitos forest while Meag’s family lived and worked in Guatemala. All of these experiences have shaped him for the exciting opportunity to learn with the elementary children of Chavitos Nature School once again. Mark is thankful for all of the people he has known in the Chavitos Community so far, anticipating a wonderfully productive and positive school year.

Lupe Avila was born in Mexico City and immigrated to Washington state when she was 2 with her mom & siblings. She has a passion for guiding kids and helping them grow emotionally. She would describe her self as a mother to all, who makes sure learning is fun and silly. Seeing kids grow and learn through laughter and play in a safe place is what brings peace and joy to her heart and soul.

Lupe and her husband Alex are both fluent in Spanish. They share two amazing kids, two dogs and have started their homeschooling journey this year.

In their down time they like to ride bikes in their neighborhood, play and watch baseball, sit around lots of bonfires cooking carne asadas, and drinking her husband & daughters secret recipe ponchè in the winters with their families.

Lupe (she/her/hers) teaches Spanish at the elementary program. She is a native Spanish speaker.

Jeff (he/him/his) teaches marimba on Tuesday/Thursday at the elementary program. He is a Spanish speaker.

Jeff Brahe started learning Zimbabwean-style marimba as a child in 1997, following the tradition brought to the U.S. by Dumisani Maraire. Over the following decades, he has learned from and worked with numerous Zimbabwean and American musical greats, including the late Cosmas Magaya. In 2010, he graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a B.A. in Music, focusing on composition and bass clarinet.

Jeff is the founder of Jekesa Marimba Studio in Tacoma, where he teaches classes and private lessons. He also directs marimba programs at Immanuel Presbyterian Church and St. Mark's Lutheran Church by The Narrows, and teaches marimba at the Hazelwood School.

Through teaching and sharing African music in the U.S., Jeff strives to increase awareness of the African origins of virtually all forms of American popular music. He hopes that this awareness can have a positive impact on our increasingly divided society.

Victoria Corliss has spent most of her life in Washington state where she studied both Speech Therapy and Education and Social Justice. After receiving her degree in Education and Social Justice, she fell in love with the powerful nature of alternative education. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest cultivated her love for the outdoors and gave her a healthy relationship and respect to nature. She spent 3 years in Boston running an outdoor Waldkindergarten program on a farm and was absolutely blown away by the preschoolers' resilience to the extreme weather and watched them grow in relationships with each other and the outdoors. Cultivating a safe, inquisitive, and creative learning space in nature is truly her passion.

In her free time, Victoria enjoys being outside in any capacity. She loves to rock climb, mountaineer, run, ski, and bike. If she can bring along her dogs too, then even better! She loves being active but also deeply appreciates the time in her life when she can slow down and rest. She is thankful for the opportunity to have both in her life.

Victoria (she,her,hers) teaches at the farm summer camp.

Vale (she,her,hers) teaches at the farm summer camp. She is a native Spanish speaker.

Valeria "Vale" Martínez Espinoza is originally from Mexico where she studied biology, exploring almost every type of vegetation in Mexico. Her love for kids and desire to learn English brought her to the United States through cultural exchange. It was in Washington that she fell in love with the evergreen forest of the Pacific Northwest (and her husband too). Valeria is passionate about working with the community to increase their participation in connecting with nature and hands-on science programs. On Vashon Island, she worked with the Vashon Nature Center in increasing access to nature and science programs for the Latinx community. She also worked as an environmental educator for the Environmental Science Center in Burien for over 3 years teaching students K-8th in classrooms and outdoors. Valeria was a teacher at Chavitos Preschool but she had to leave to pursue her dream to become an Elementary teacher. Vale is currently attending a Master in Teaching program at The Evergreen State College. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, biking, and watching documentaries. Vale is thrilled to work this summer as a teacher at Chavitos Elementary on the farm and to help the students have an unforgettable summer full of discoveries and fun. She is ready to strive to nourish this educational space to celebrate, learn from, and inspire learning among culturally diverse students as we connect with nature.

Erin (She/her/hers) teaches electives at the elementary program.

Erin Soper grew up in rural Tacoma on a small farm. Thanks to family camping trips and Girl Scout adventures, she discovered her love of environmental education early on. She has been teaching in traditional and outdoor classrooms, facilitating programs for all ages, and mentoring educators for over 20 years. Erin is most proud of the groundbreaking work she has done for nature preschools in Michigan and Washington. She holds a BAE Interdisciplinary Child Development, K-8 Teaching Certificate, and Early Childhood Education Endorsement. Erin lived, studied, and explored within the North Cascades National Park while becoming a Northwest Naturalist, earning a Certificate of Leadership and Nonprofit Administration, and completing her MEd Environmental Education.

Erin lives with her partner, Pennie, and their ever-growing family. Erin loves living near mountains and saltwater, sleeping in tents, geocaching, and reading in hammocks.

Blair (she, her, hers)

Teaches at the preschool.

Blair Eather (she/her/hers) grew up, and currently resides, in North End Tacoma; she’s happy to be only a hop, skip and a jump from Chavitos. She came into this world a nature and animal enthusiast and that enthusiasm hasn't lessened over the years.

She received a certification in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis in special needs from Tacoma Community College. Prior to joining the Chavitos team, she briefly provided therapy for autistic children in home and school settings. Blair herself is autistic and is open to sharing about her personal autistic experience, her previous work experience, or answering any questions regarding autism. Directly following the departure from that career path, she began teaching at a Montessori school, where she spent a year at.

A few of her favorite things are flowers, “psithurism” (the sound of wind through the trees), forest bathing, regularly hiking Point Defiance Park and Fort Steilacoom Park, soaking up the sun and the sights, sounds and smells of the surf along the Oregon Coast, capturing idyllic moments from behind a camera lens, time traveling via reading and watching period dramas, and greeting every dog and cat that crosses her path.

Koryeh (she/her/hers) teaches Math at the elementary program. She is a Spanish speaker.