Jessie Gonzalez

Jessie Gonzalez was born and raised in California. It wasn't until 2011 that she discovered her infinite love for the Pacific Northwest.

She lived on Orcas Island for 5 years teaching and getting to know the families that lived there. She has worked at YMCA Camp Orkila, Children's House, Salmonberry, Orcas Montessori, Orcas Elementary as a paraprofessional, and the Funhouse as an after-school program coordinator. For the last four years, she spent most of her time as a student and an indoor youth rock climbing instructor.

She recently graduated from college with a degree in Early Childhood Education and received three teaching certificates. Jessie has over 10 years of experience working with children of all ages and in many different types of settings. Whether it's in the classroom or outdoors, she finds joy in working with children.

Jessie keeps busy during the school year and has worked summer camps on Vashon for the last three years and gotten to know the island and families that live here. She spends a lot of her free time doing arts and crafts, listening to music and getting lost in nature.

Jessie feels at home in the Vashon Art and Nature School Community doing what she loves the most, fostering creativity and sharing her love for the great outdoors.

Ginger (Krinsky) Rushford

Ginger (Krinsky) Rushford is a lifelong resident of Vashon Island, and knows how important it is to make a special effort to create fun while learning.

Ginger earned a B.A. in early childhood education at The Evergreen State College in 2014 with a focus on sustainability. During college, She completed an internship at Cedarsong Nature School, where she ended up working for three years; receiving a level 4 forest kindergarten teacher training. Ginger then moved on to teach at Starbreak Montessori School.

During the summer months Ginger created a nature immersion program called Vashon Roots and has enjoyed great success in its 13 years of operation. Vashon Roots then grew into a year round program, Vashon Art and Nature School.

Her teaching experiences have fueled a strong belief for outdoor nature immersion mixed with Waldorf and Montessori style education. Ginger strongly believes that this mix of influence provides a rich educational experience that reinforces the benefits of slowing down to maintain the “sense of wonder” that helps children thrive.

Megan

Megan grew up in the city of Seattle, but always had a love for the natural world since childhood. She spent some time living on the San Juan Islands doing subsistence farming as a young adult, but found Vashon Island to be the perfect fit for her and her family. She moved to Vashon Island in 2016 and has worked in several areas of education. She was a paraeducator at Chautauqua and Vashon High School and she also taught at Starbreak Montessori School and Island Outdoor School.

Before moving to Vashon, Megan spent many years working with children and connecting young people to the natural world. She was a senior lead instructor for a wilderness education program for over 10 years, where she taught summer programs in survival skills and bushcraft, plant ID and foraging.

When her daughter was between the ages of three and five, she volunteered weekly at her Waldorf preschool. This is where she fell in love with early childhood education. Megan's favorite things to teach are seasonal songs and crafts. She believes in protecting the magic and wonder of childhood.

In her free time she loves to spend time with her teenage daughter, playing music, cooking from scratch and going on hikes with her dog.