Our Facilitators

Hello, Families! I have been working in early childhood education for over five years and hold a state certification in the field. I enjoy being with children because they have interesting perspectives to share and I aim to celebrate their curiosity and playfulness. I am excited to bring to Sky Bear my knowledge of child development, my experience in guiding social emotional skills-learning, and my enthusiasm for creating a connection between ourselves and the natural world. I strive to live an intentional lifestyle connected to the land and in tune with seasonal change. I find joy in growing and raising my own food and cooking meals for a table surrounded by friends and family. Singing and being active outside through hiking, cycling, and swimming refresh and energize me.  I look forward to meeting you all!

Hello! My name is Lucas Schuster. I feel inspired by the way Sky Bear ALC intends to hold each child as inherently intelligent and as unique people who are growing into themselves naturally. As someone who had a hard time in traditional schooling, I found my education almost entirely in other areas of my life, such as spending time in nature, the Buddhist monastery I attended for many years, in doing environmental activism, traveling, more recently in working with and having mentorships with indigenous people in Washington and Arizona, and the amazing friends and elders along my way. These influences have led me to hold great importance in interacting with young people in a way that encourages them to be fully who they are and cultivating a space where genuine learning and growth can occur. A lot of my education has shown me the importance of creating learning spaces that are free from the pressure of adults who might want kids to be something they are not. I have exercised my ideals in youth education in the last few years working with a rites of passage program for teenagers and summer-long adventure camps I have held for 6-12 year-olds.