Jacqui Nischwitz

Director, Form 0 Cottage School Teacher, and Form 0.5 Forest School Teacher

Jacqui is a homeschooling mom of three boys.  The moment she learned about forest schooling, she knew she wanted that opportunity for her children.  Blending her love for teaching with nature at Ambleside Christian Academy felt like home.

She has her B.S. in Elementary Education along with certifications in Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education.  She has also completed Forest School Level 1 Training and attended the Raintree Forest School's Conference for Educators. She worked as a substitute teacher, teacher's assistant, and taught remedial math and reading before starting a family.  

Stefanie Byrd

Assistant Director and Form 1 Cottage School Teacher

Stefanie is a nature enthusiast and at one time had aspirations to become a Wildlife Biologist, but ultimately landed in the education field. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education with early childhood and elementary certification, and an M.Ed. in School Counseling. She worked in a variety of school settings as a classroom teacher and school counselor before making the decision to stay home with her children, ultimately leading her to join the ranks of homeschoolers! Last summer, Stefanie also completed the Basic Archery Instructor (BAI) certification through the Missouri Department of Conservation and hopes to make the NASP program more available to homeschoolers. She loves combining her passions for nature, teaching, and relationship building to help create positive learning experiences for children.

Kelley Pipkins

Form 2 Cottage School Teacher and Form 0 Forest School Co-Teacher

Kelley has three children, ranging in age from 10 to 2.  She has been homeschooling her children for 2 years and uses AmblesideOnline.  She couldn't be happier with that decision and enjoys learning alongside the kids and watching the wheels turn as they are learning and then seeing their eyes light up as they start to make the connections. The Charlotte Mason Philosophy of teaching has changed the way she thinks and it has been a great blessing for our family.   Kelley has an Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education and is attending Charlotte Mason Institute's conference this summer as well as a class on Wild Edibles through the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Cassie Stone

Form 0.5 Cottage School Teacher and Form 0 Forest School Co-Teacher

Cassie is a second generation homeschool mom (homeschooled from 1st grade all the way to graduation) who has been homeschooling for 7 years. Her children have been using the Charlotte mason method through the entirety of their homeschool adventures and have been using Ambleside online since fall of 2016. She has 4 children and has been married to her college sweetheart for 16 years. She is passionate about bringing learning to life and seeing all the pieces come together for the students. Through living books she went from reading maybe one book a year to several books a month. Living books have opened her eyes to the joy of reading. She also is passionate about writing and inspiring others with words. She studied at Criswell Bible College in Dallas , Texas along with a semester at a community college there for teaching. She has also attended two Charlotte mason based conferences one being held by Simply Charlotte Mason.

Melanie Terry

Cottage School Assistant and Forest School Form 2 Teacher

Melanie Terry has a BFA with an emphasis in Painting from Webster University and a minor in Environmental Studies. She has been an Artist-in-Resident at two national parks. She worked as the Studio Director at Artmart where she taught preschool through adult level classes. She taught preschool for two and a half years before leaving to stay home with her children full time. She has taken the Discover Nature Schools professional development class through the Missouri Department of Conservation. She has been homeschooling her four children from the beginning.

Cara Murphy-Smith

Form 1 Forest School Teacher

Cara has a B.A in Studio Art, an Art Therapy certificate, and a Psychology minor. Several years ago she shifted her career to focus on outdoor education. She is a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation. She has worked for Texas Parks and Wildlife, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Saint Louis Zoo, and Missouri Botanical Garden. 

Her passion for helping kids experience nature led her to start In the Field, an outdoor education non-profit. She is dedicated to giving all kids an opportunity to connect to local flora and fauna.

Christine Greeno

Cottage School and Forest School Assistant

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Vivienne Diercks

Cottage School Assistant

Vivienne attended Southwestern Illinois College studying horticulture and working for a landscape and garden center before marrying and starting a family. Being passionate about plants and nature made her want to impart this to her own child and pass on the knowledge she had acquired over the years. She continues to learn and study plants and has recently began studying herbalism.

Throughout the years she has found fulfillment in caring for and teaching little ones. She’s been a primary nursery worker for her church bible study, vacation bible school and also a childcare worker for the Classical Conversations homeschool group.

As a Christian wife and mother. Most of her day’s are spent cooking, cleaning, taking care of her child, and visiting with family or friends. She enjoys the beach, sunshine, growing plants, horseback riding, learning new things, and traveling.

Lisa Rieman

Forest School Assistant

Lisa has 35 years of experience raising children, babysitting, and most recently as a homeschooling grandmother.  She has volunteered in many schools as a librarian, office worker, cafeteria worker, and helping with field trips, auctions, field days, class parties, and more. She is also a former girl scout leader and cookie lady.

Nature has always been a huge part of her life.  She can regularly be found hiking, fishing, or just walking her dogs.  She spends a lot of time at the barn horseback riding. She has also been a volunteer at the Missouri Botanical Gardens for over 10 years.

Julie Deaton

Forest School Assistant

Julie Deaton is a homeschooling mom of 3 kids. My family has always loved nature. Once I started involving myself in several outdoor groups throughout St Louis I found the Forest Free school and fell in love with the idea! We have been implementing teaching through nature since our children were little and can't wait to continue this journey.

Julie not only loves everything to do with the outdoors but she is also a Certified Holistic Health Coach and Nurse. My spare time is spent hiking, biking, creeking, working out or cooking!