Roots & Wings Teachers & Staff
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Chelsea Clark (Instructor): Chelsea has been the Columbia Families in Nature "Seedlings" leader since 2015. She has her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development with a focus in Child Life, has worked as a Child Life Specialist, and has extensive knowledge of developmentally appropriate activities for young children, ways to help caregivers promote healthy development, and maintaining a safe space during exploration. With Roots & Wings she focuses on classes for our younger learners that explore the garden and forest ecosystems at Freetown Farm.
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Cecilia Ituarte (Instructor): Cecilia is a native Spanish speaker and has over 20 years of experience teaching dance and sharing her passion for movement and music. She trained with the Royal Academy of Dance in Classical Dance with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD) in Modern Dance, she holds an Associate Diploma as a Ballet teacher from the ISTD as well. In addition to dance, she has a passion for creativity, she is a professional graphic designer having gotten her degree from the school of Design of the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico City; she loves yoga, nature, art and kids so working at Roots and Wings is the perfect project for her. She recently finished the certification as a Kidding Around Yoga teacher and is working on one as a Rainbow Yoga teacher, two fun methods to teach yoga to kids.
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Shiren Tehrani (Instructor): Shiren is a artist, mother of two, health & wellness coach, nature photographer, certified daycare provider and homeschooling mama. She believes we all hold inside what is needed to create anything we put our mind to. She has been working with and caring for children and adults for 14+ years as a teacher, special needs supporter, nurse and friend. She started with photography, then painting, graffiti, face painting, and sculpting. She went to school to become a certified beauty/special effects makeup & prosthetic artist. She incorporates mindfulness and attention to detail in all her teachings and believes everyone can have a “artist eye” if taught how and what to look for.
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Heather Johnson: (Instructor) Heather fell in love with the outdoors while at school in West Virginia. After graduating with a degree in recreation and parks management, she spent several years working in recreational childcare before earning a master's degree in Library Science. She has been working as a librarian for the past 15 years, including several years as an elementary school media specialist, where she enjoyed sharing her love of children's books and makerspaces. Heather is thrilled to join the Roots & Wings team where she will get to combine her three passions: working with children, nature, and books!
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Dana Belanger: (instructor) Dana is pursuing her Masters degree in Environmental Studies at Prescott College where she’s focused on ecotherapy and the intersections of mental health and sustainability. Much of her professional work has been in educational settings and non-profits, largely working with young adults with intellectual disabilities, previously having developed and taught a program to strengthen soft skills and skills for transitioning to the workplace and independent living for 26 individuals. She has worked in schools with K-8 students and is excited to be back working with children and their development. Dana opts for hiking, working with horses, and making poetry in her free time.
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Lindsay Kreisher (Program Director and Instructor): Lindsay is the Program Director of Roots and Wings and has been with the program since it began in 2018. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution where she has focused on interpersonal relationships and education. In doing so, she has worked with at risk youth, college students, and inmates in various applications including art, communication skills & emotional health. Her passions for creativity, project-based learning, and restorative models continually inspire her to explore how educational opportunities can be presented in new and innovative ways in order to honor the individual learning journeys of all people. Lindsay is humbly grateful to serve the community through Roots and Wings and for the gift of being able to work with an incredible, growing community.
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