Our school is amazing because of our amazing staff! They have varying backgrounds and degrees, as well as outdoor education/experience, but most importantly genuinely love and connect with kiddos! They are the backbone of our program. Read more about them below.
Nandi is from sunny St. Petersburg, Florida where she loves going to the beach and be near the water. She graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a major in Communication, concentration in Public Relations and minor in Spanish. Nandi has worked with children for many years, through nannying, working in childcare facilities, and teaching English abroad in Spain. Nandi is excited to help young learners grow and explore at the Nature Preschool!
Cindy Q “Monarch” was born and raised in Mexico until the age of 8 and has been a native of Arkansas for over 20 years. She loves being a short drive to water, hiking, camping, biking, and all the wonder that surrounds our state! When she’s not outdoors you can catch her reading a book, practicing yoga, listening to music, playing with two very slobbery dogs, jewelry making with her daughter, or brushing up on her Spanish with her grandparents.
Larnie “River Otter” Hughes is a new teacher at the Ferncliff Nature School. She has been working with children and adults of all ages and abilities in an outdoor setting for 18 years and is a passionate believer in the role outdoor education plays in a person’s well-being. She loves riding her bicycle, piddling about in her garden, cooking, camping, and exploring nature with her husband, Sean. She is a lover of all animals, but especially her dogs Duncan and Olympia. She is so excited to explore our wild and wonderful world with your kids this school year.
Dorothy calls Arkansas home, though she grew up in the Midwest and Texas. She landed at Ferncliff in 2015 as an intern and then accepted a teaching assistant position with the preschool in 2016. She has now moved into a Lead Teacher position and has been with the program since the beginning. She finds joy in working with children and being in the outdoors and has completed course work in child development from the University of Central Missouri, which makes her a natural fit for our program. She is an Arkansas Master Naturalist and has just recently completed a Nature-Based Teacher Certification course with the Eastern Region Association of Forest and Nature Schools. When not at the school she likes to explore the State Parks of Arkansas, support the local art and music communities statewide, and is learning to play the Dulcimer.
Rose Kaczmarczyk, also known as Rainbow Trout, recently graduated this past spring with a degree in Art Education with an emphasis in painting and photography from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She loves spending her time painting, traveling, thrifting and hiking! She will always choose to be outside exploring the natural wonders around us than inside any day. She is so excited to work at Ferncliff Nature Preschool this year!
Megan, “Mama Bear” Wallace is an Arkansas native. She received her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with minors in Biology and Computer Science at the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, AR. After college, she served four terms as an AmeriCorps member at Joseph Pfeifer Kiwanis Camp in Little Rock, AR. This summer, she was a part of the Ferncliff Jubilee Team. Whether it is card games, board games, tennis, or any sport, Megan loves friendly competition! When she is not playing, she enjoys spending time with family, friends, and all of God’s critters.