Our Staff - Worldmind Nature Immersion School

Head of School

Megan Patterson

While working on her graduate degree in Ecological Teaching and Learning at Lesley University, Megan Patterson discovered the Forest School model of learning and development. After teaching in public school settings all over the world for several years and conducting extensive research on the Forest School model of education, she knew this was the type of learning environment she wanted for her own son.

As part of her graduate thesis, Megan formed a group of passionate community members who came together to develop Worldmind and bring the forest school movement to the Greater Denver Area.

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720-665-7882

Homeschool Enrichment Teacher

Caroline Griesel

Caroline holds a Bachelors in Zoology with Entomology focus from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has combined 6 years experience in education, including teaching children’s English classes in Japan, and being a para-professional in public schools. She also spent some time in Ecotourism, researching ecological relationships between ants and sea birds, and guiding kayak tours to the research site. A childhood fishing and combing the beaches of Galveston, Texas inspired her to ensure a lifelong connection to nature and self-discovery through nature is possible for everyone.

Caroline is an amateur naturalist and adventurer, who loves curating her collection of rocks and minerals, stargazing, and bushcraft.

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720-665-7894

Child & Caregiver Teacher

Jamie Eglseder

Jamie has a Master’s Degree in Special Education, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science. She has taught students across the metro area from Kindergarten through High School. She believes strongly that kids do well when they can, and when they are struggling, there’s an underlying reason. When we can begin to understand the reason, we can then begin to understand the child. In addition to teaching, Jamie has been the Adaptive Recreation Coordinator at Castle Rock Recreation Center for the last ten years. She works primarily with children and young adults who have intellectual disabilities. They have taught her, among other lessons, to see a person’s ABILITY above all else.

Jamie is the mom of girl/boy twins who are six and attended Worldmind Friday afternoons at Matthews-Winters Park.

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Preschool and Kindergarten Teacher

Gina Loftus

Gina is passionate about providing all children the opportunity to learn in an authentic, and natural environment. She believes that when providing children this opportunity, they learn how to take ownership of their own journey while gaining life skills that will support their growth and development. Since 2011, Gina has worked with ages birth through eight. She holds a bachelors in human development and education from the University of Colorado Denver. Community, empathy, and social-emotional development are some core values in her teaching philosophy. She takes the time to acknowledge fears and establish trust with her students by showing them respect, and modeling that it is OK to make mistakes.

Gina is an avid outdoorswoman who enjoys rock climbing, camping, and stand-up paddleboarding. She often goes on solo adventures with her red heeler Delilah. Being among wilderness has brought her joy, and she hopes to instill that same joy in her classroom community!

[email protected]

720-665-7903

Preschool and Kindergarten Teacher

Ellis Chase

Ellis grew up in Virginia and received her Bachelor’s Degree from Elon University in Psychology. An interest in human development led to working with individuals with sensory disorders, eventually inspiring her to work towards a teaching license and Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Richmond. During graduate school, Ellisworked in public schools and preschool environments, opening her eyes to the importance of facilitating social and emotional development as a foundation for learning. These experiences inspired her thesis research, which confirmed the positive, social effects of positive affirmations, yoga, and breathing exercises for preschool-aged students.

Over time, Ellis’ connection with the natural world and passion for early childhood education merged as she discovered the Forest School model of learning. She loves learning with her students and believes it is essential to engage our younger generations with compassion and wonder for our environment while fostering self, community, and ecological awareness.

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720-281-2528

Lead Elementary School Teacher

Justin Way

After returning home from one of his trips abroad, Justin decided to return to graduate school and earn a master’s degree in Early Childhood and Childhood Education. While there, he began to question the methods and structures utilized in the traditional American classroom. In doing so, the concepts of nature deficit disorder, nature and forest schools, and nature Rx began to take root as solutions to many of the flaws the traditional school system exhibits. Then, after moving to Denver with his wife, Jillian, and working in DPS for a year, Justin moved to position with the city of Aurora where he developed, coordinated, and taught a nature-based program for overlooked and underserved youth, families, and communities in Aurora and East Denver. Now, he is excited and ready to fulfill his dream of working in the nature school setting with a great school such as Worldmind Nature Immersion School.

In his personal life, Justin enjoys traveling (he is just returning home from a month in South America!), hiking, birding, spending time with his wife, family and friends, playing guitar, reading, climbing, and doing yoga. Justin tries to live a vibrant and balanced life full of fun, happiness, and love that he hopes his students feel every day. Happy trails!

[email protected]
720-665-7903

Preschool and Kindergarten Assistant Teacher

Cheyenne Stokas

Cheyenne was raised in the mountains of Taos, New Mexico, and spent her free time camping, skiing, hiking, and swimming with her family. These early adventures, instilled a deep love for the outdoors. Growing up, Cheyenne found that she was dyslexic young and after struggling in a traditional school setting, moved to small, alternative classrooms, where she found success in learning.

Since moving to Denver in 2011, Cheyenne has earned her BA in Fashion Design, worked as a seamstress, and fallen in love with rock climbing. She has always loved working with children. She has taught skiing to children ages 3-5, worked as a teacher’s aide, and been a nanny. She is excited to put her energy into fostering the inherent curiosity of our students, through learning in the outdoors, creating community, and developing social-emotional skills.

[email protected]
720-281-2528

Child & Caregiver Assistant Teacher

Xiaolan Chen

Xiaolan moved from Tennessee to Colorado 5 years ago. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Material Engineering, and worked as an engineer and patent specialist in industry for 3 years.

Xiaolan recently joined Worldmind as an assistant teacher in the child and caregiver program in Golden. She is the mom of a boy and a girl, who attended Worldmind at City Park. Xiaolan has spent most of her time at home to take care of the kids. She loves thinking and always seeks opportunities to study which education model is the most beneficial for young kids. After seeing her kids thriving over the past year, she was inspired and excited about the forest school model of education. This motivated her to join this great Worldmind team.

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