About our Educators
Meet the OMFS Team of Forest School Educators
Mel
Mel is the Director of OMFS and a certified Forest School Practitioner. She holds both a Bachelor and Master of Political Science and found her way into education through a deep passion for children, nature, and alternative approaches to learning.
While pursuing her Bachelor of Education, Mel discovered OMFS and immediately felt drawn to its philosophy. What she loves most about forest school is the deep respect educators have for children and the relationship-based approach to learning. She believes children thrive when they are trusted, supported, and free to explore the world around them.
Mel is passionate about creating welcoming spaces where children and families feel connected, valued, and free to be themselves. She is continually inspired by the curiosity, resilience, and joy that emerge when children are given the time and space to learn in nature.
🍂 Favourite Outdoor Activities
Cross-country skiing, running, and walking her dogs.
🌲 What I Love About Forest School
I love that forest school honours children as capable, curious individuals and creates space for meaningful relationships, joyful learning, and genuine
connection.
Holly
Holly is entering her second year of teaching at OMFS after graduating from Lakehead University with her Bachelor of Education in 2023. Before pursuing education, she completed a degree in Criminology, but soon discovered her true passion for teaching and outdoor learning.
Holly loves creating meaningful learning experiences outside the traditional classroom and is passionate about helping children build confidence, resilience, and independence through play and exploration.
She values the way outdoor learning gives children the freedom to move, self-regulate, and learn at their own pace.
When she's not in the forest, Holly enjoys fishing, building stick forts, and spending time outdoors in all seasons. She loves being part of a community that values curiosity, connection, and child-led learning.
🍂 Favourite Outdoor Activities
Fishing, building stick forts, and exploring the outdoors year-round.
🌲 What I Love About Forest School
I love watching children gain confidence and discover what they're capable of through hands-on learning, play, and exploration.
Dakota
Dakota is a recent graduate of the Bachelor of Education program at Lakehead University in Orillia. Before pursuing education, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University with a minor in Sustainability Studies. She has worked with children and youth through roles with Empower Simcoe and Ronald McDonald House Southwestern Ontario.
Her passion for outdoor learning has grown through experiences on a market garden farm, volunteering with a wildlife rehabilitation centre, and completing her final teaching placement with a forest school and conservation centre in Simcoe County. She is especially interested in supporting literacy, creativity, and free play through curiosity-driven learning.
Dakota is excited to join the OMFS community and support children as they explore, learn, and connect with the natural world.
🍂 Favourite Outdoor Activities
Backcountry camping, gardening, climbing, kayaking, and swimming.
🌲 What I Love About Forest School
I love creating opportunities for children to build confidence, follow their curiosity, and develop a meaningful connection with nature.
Cassidy
Cassidy's life has always been deeply connected to the outdoors. From Sault Ste. Marie to the lakes of Sudbury and now the shores of Lake Simcoe, nature has long been her place of peace, reflection, and belonging. Today, that connection inspires her to help children develop confidence, curiosity, and a love for the natural world.
Cassidy holds a Bachelor of Physical and Health Education with a Specialization in Health Promotion from Laurentian University and is an Ontario Certified Teacher, having recently completed her Bachelor of Education at Lakehead University. Through her work in outdoor education, she has come to believe that nature is one of our greatest teachers.
At OMFS, Cassidy is passionate about creating inclusive, supportive environments where children feel safe to explore, take risks, and grow into confident, capable learners.
🍂 Favourite Outdoor Activities
Hiking, gardening, swimming, and snowshoeing.
🌲 What I Love About Forest School
I love helping children build confidence, independence, and a meaningful connection with the natural world through hands-on outdoor learning.
Kelsi
Kelsi was born and raised in Orillia and has spent her life exploring and connecting with the natural beauty of the region she now calls home with her family. With deep roots in the community, she is passionate about supporting families and creating meaningful experiences for children.
After spending several years at home raising her three children, Kelsi discovered a love for turning everyday moments into rich learning opportunities. She later worked running summer camps and now works part-time as a Supply Educational Assistant and Designated Early Childhood Educator, primarily supporting students on the autism spectrum.
Kelsi is drawn to outdoor education because of its child-led approach and the opportunities nature provides for children to build confidence, curiosity, and connection. She believes the forest is a place where every child can grow and thrive in their own unique way.
🍂 Favourite Outdoor Activities
Exploring local trails, gardening, and spending time outdoors with her family.
🌲 What I Love About Forest School
I love creating spaces where children feel safe, supported, and free to explore the world around them.
Cody
Cody's passion for the outdoors has shaped both his life and career. After graduating from Sir Sandford Fleming College's Outdoor Adventure Education program, he spent years working with children and youth as a camp counsellor, snowboard instructor, wilderness guide, and outdoor leader.
Driven by a desire to help others connect more deeply with nature, Cody founded Samsara Wilderness Tours, a backcountry canoe guiding company that offered multi-day wilderness experiences and outdoor skills programming. He is passionate about helping people build confidence, resilience, and a meaningful connection with the natural world.
At OMFS, Cody brings extensive outdoor experience, a calm and supportive presence, and a deep belief in the power of nature-based learning.
🍂 Favourite Outdoor Activities
Backcountry canoeing, camping, hiking, snowboarding, and exploring new trails.
🌲 What I Love About Forest School
I love watching children develop confidence, independence, and a genuine connection to nature through exploration, play, and adventure.
Steph
Steph is passionate about helping children learn through creativity, exploration, and meaningful experiences in nature. She studied Medical Aesthetics at Seneca College and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Lakehead University, with plans to continue on to Teachers College.
Her background includes tutoring and mentoring students, teaching yoga, creating educational content, and most recently, working in landscaping and garden design. She loves helping children build confidence while
exploring their interests through hands-on learning.
When she's not at OMFS, you'll likely find her hiking, camping, fishing, painting, singing, or playing music. She believes children thrive when they are given opportunities to learn, create, and connect with the world around them.
🍂 Favourite Outdoor Activities
Hiking, camping, fishing, gardening, and spending time in nature.
🌲 What I Love About Forest School
I love creating opportunities for children to learn through play, creativity, and hands-on experiences in the outdoors.
Madi
Madi is currently a student in the Child and Youth Care Practitioner program at Georgian College and is passionate about supporting the emotional, social, and developmental well-being of children and youth. Originally from Vancouver Island, Madi developed a deep love for the outdoors through time spent exploring forests and waterways. Since moving to Ontario in 2023, she has continued to enjoy hiking, spending time outside, and learning more about the natural world. Her experience as a lifeguard, swim instructor, and camp leader helped spark her passion for working with children.
This year, Madi is completing her third-year placement with OMFS. Having attended forest school herself as a child, she understands the positive impact nature can have on children's growth and well-being and is excited to support children in an outdoor learning environment.
🍂 Favourite Outdoor Activities
Hiking, swimming, exploring local trails, and learning about plants and wildlife.
🌲 What I Love About Forest School
I love how nature helps children build confidence, connection, and a sense of wonder through play and exploration.
Hailey
Hailey studied Speech and Hearing Sciences at Brock University and has experience supporting a variety of populations. She currently works as a Communicative Disorders Assistant and has always had a passion for working with children and helping them grow, learn, and communicate with confidence.
In the fall of 2021, Hailey began attending Forest Families with her oldest son, who is now 7 years old and continues to thrive through OMFS programming. Through her own family's experiences, she developed a deep appreciation for outdoor education and the powerful impact nature can have on children's development. For the past year, she has been helping other families discover and enjoy those same benefits through OMFS.
Hailey loves creating simple, nature-inspired crafts and finding meaningful moments to connect with our youngest explorers. Outside of Forest Families, you'll usually find her outdoors on an adventure with her two sweet, nature-loving boys.
James
James started his journey as an outdoor educator after graduating from Lakehead Orillia with a Bachelor of Education. Before that, he earned a degree in English Literature from the University of Ottawa. During summers, James first honed his teaching and leadership skills as a camp counsellor and waterfront instructor at Celtic Sports Camp located on the Bruce Peninsula, where his love for outdoor education truly flourished.
Now living year-round on the shores of Georgian Bay, James is deeply connected to the land and water that inspire his work. While guiding students in forest school activities, he strives to nurture curiosity, resilience, and a sense of wonder in every learner.
On his days off, James channels his creativity into making calming, nature-inspired music and exploring the waters of Georgian Bay by sail.
Abby Green
Abby is passionate about combining forest school principles with holistic learning. She believes there is no better way to learn than by being outside! Abby holds a Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and is currently pursuing psychotherapy studies. She brings a deep understanding of human development along with hands-on experience in nature-based education.
Abby’s journey with the outdoors began young with canoe trips to Algonquin Park and time exploring both Toronto’s ravines and the Copeland forest where we sometimes teach today! Her love of all things nature-based led to her work as a tree planter, organic farmer, wildland firefighter and eventually outdoor educator. She has facilitated children’s journeys with the outdoors through guiding activities at an education centre in Haliburton and on a farm near Toronto.
She has also spent a couple of summers working at a non-profit land-based learning program for Indigenous youth in BC. Her time there led to a deeper understanding of the history of the land that is now called Canada, her role as a settler, and the importance of honoring Indigenous knowledge. Just like her knowledge of nature, Abby is continuing in her journey learning about these issues.
In the summers Abby works as a wildfire firefighter enjoying time spent in nature. Outside of forest school you can find Abby hiking, canoeing, biking, climbing, enjoying a yoga practice or a good book. She deeply loves getting to be a part of children’s connections with the environment.
Chloe
Chloe comes to us as a mom of 3 wonderful children, an educator with a passion for supporting kids with unique abilities and a flair for the arts. She is passionate about the power of forest school programs as she has experienced the benefits first hand through watchingher children participate in various programs over the years.
Chloe has a background in environmental studies and was able to utilize that in a public sector career that lasted ten years. After having children she was able to reconnect with her true passion— child development and creative arts . She worked for the Simcoe County School Board as an Educational Assistant and has been a respite worker for many families.
Chloe is also improving her skills daily in speaking American Sign Language and has been able to share that gift as a camp counsellor at the Bob rumble camp for the deaf over the last 3 years. She is excited to start this new journey and looks forward guiding children in their forest school experience.
Kati
Kati discovered her passion for outdoor education while completing her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Studies at Trent University. During the summers, she worked as a private swim instructor and lifeguard for children in her Barrie neighborhood. Through these roles, she recognized the value of one-on-one and small group learning, and the positive impact personalized experiences can have on children’s development.
In her final year at Trent, Kati volunteered as an educator with Camp Kawartha’s Forest School program. This experience showed her how she could combine her love for the environment with her interest in teaching children, using a hands-on, holistic approach to learning. She will begin her Bachelor of Education in the upcoming year.
At Trent, Kati conducted and published her own research on freshwater ecosystems. Her work focused on assessing the health of the Otonabee River by identifying the macroinvertebrate species present in the river’s ecosystem. This research deepened her understanding of ecological indicators and further sparked her passion for environmental science. Kati also had the opportunity to collaborate with the University of the West Indies in Barbados, where she used local knowledge to assess the health of the inshore reef system and the island’s mangrove forests. She hopes to continue exploring global environmental challenges through the lens of traditional ecological knowledge.
Kati spends her weekends at family and friends’ cottages in Muskoka, Ontario, where she developed a strong love for water sports. She also brings over 10 years of experience in competitive club sports and is always eager to join in on an outdoor game. In her spare time, Kati enjoys running, listening to music, and spending time with friends.
Abby Gregson
Abby is currently a Child and Youth Care student at Georgian College. The field of Child and Youth Care focuses on building supportive, therapeutic relationships with children, youth, and families through various practices. It’s a career that requires empathy, resilience, and a strong dedication to helping young people succeed, and it’s one she is deeply passionate about.
One of her greatest joys is travelling, as it allows her to explore new cultures, perspectives, and ways of life; experiences that she believes broaden her understanding of the diverse needs of the children and youth she will one day work with. She is also eager to continue her education in the future, aiming to become a child counsellor to continue supporting young people on a deeper, more clinical level.
This year, Abby is completing her placement with Oro Medonte Forest School, and she is excited for the opportunity to connect with children in a natural, outdoor environment. Abby believes that nature can be a powerful tool in developing emotional well-being, curiosity, and confidence in children, and she looks forward to growing both personally and professionally through this experience.
Katie
Katie is the tech fairy behind the updated website and new operations systems for OMFS.
She grew up in Montessori classrooms where she developed a passion for ecological awareness and environmental conscientiousness. She loves nature and classifying every plant, tree, insect and animal she sees.
Katie completed her Bachelors in Psychology and Social Behavior and is credentialed to teach K-9th grade. She has worked in community management, project coordination, product development and marketing for large and small tech firms since 2010. She spun up her own consulting business after leaving the workforce to raise her young children in 2016.
She has a neurodivergent household and spends an awful lot of time thinking about accessibility and accommodation for all.
Forest School Teacher Training
Our aim is to encourage all OMFS teachers to take part in the Forest School Canada Practitioners course, a forest school teacher training course that has been developed to build strong, cohesive, and reputable forest school communities of practice across Canada. They also offer other relevant courses and workshops which our teachers will prioritize, staying up to date with current practice.
OMFS has been and will continue to be a host site for the Practitioners course – for more information and to register for this course, please visit http://childnature.ca/forest-school-canada/
Registration for this course is done through Forest School Canada – please contact their organization with your questions etc.
Join Our Team
Interested in joining our team? We're looking for folks like you!
Our Mission
Oro Medonte Forest School’s mission is to create an educational community that fosters rich, experiential learning, age appropriate ecological literacy, and promotes healthy living by connecting children to nature through the use of the Forest School model in the foundational early years.
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