Our Staff
Leadership and Administration
Megan Patterson | Founder & Executive Director
Megan Patterson is the Founder and Executive Director of Worldmind, an outdoor-based, non-profit independent school in Denver. While working on her graduate degree, Megan discovered the outdoor-based model of learning and development. After teaching in public school settings all over the world for several years and conducting extensive research on the outdoor-based model of education, she knew this was the type of learning environment she wanted for children in Denver, including her own son whom she saw thriving in an outdoor environment.
As part of her graduate thesis, Megan formed a group of passionate community members who came together to develop Worldmind and bring the outdoor-based education movement to the Greater Denver Area.
In 2015, Megan opened Worldmind as a child and caregiver outdoor-based enrichment program. From 2018-2020, Megan and Worldmind led the first outdoor-based preschool and kindergarten pilot program with the State of Colorado in order to create state-wide licensure for outdoor-based preschool education programs. The success of this pilot has led to the outdoor-based preschool and kindergarten licensure for ages 3-6.
In August 2020, Megan expanded Worldmind to include an elementary school for students K-5. In August 2021, 6th grade was added; 7th and 8th grades were added in August 2022, and 9th grade was added in August 2023. A high school hybrid model of learning will launch August 2024. Worldmind students experience small group learning in an outdoor setting with a strong foundation in social-emotional learning (SEL) and a curricular focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math). Worldmind supports students as they, “take care of themselves, each other, and the environment.”
Megan specializes in neurodiversity and twice-exceptionality, and she is trained in trauma-informed education through Life Space Crisis Intervention. She enjoys hiking, backpacking, and camping with her son and two dogs.
Tori Price | Creative Director
Tori is from Atlanta, GA and moved to Denver at the beginning of 2020. She received her bachelor’s degree from Furman University in Psychology (with a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies) and is passionate about mental health and the positive effects that nature, art, mindfulness, and yoga have on the well-being of humans — no matter the age.
Tori has worked with children of all ages since 2004 and began her teaching journey in 2014 through managing a children’s art studio. Since then, she has taught as an assistant teacher in two preschools, led the youth program at a community art center, and taught drawing classes to children in after-school programs. She also nannied for a handful of families and spent 5 years volunteering and working as an administrative assistant and art teacher with a non-profit that provides art therapy-based programming to impoverished and homeless children around the world. She has had the honor of creating and leading these empowering art experiences for children in both Atlanta and in Ethiopia.
Tori loves bringing nature, mindfulness, and social & emotional learning into her art curriculum to help expand the minds and hearts of her students, guiding them in building confidence, curiosity, imagination, self-esteem, and self-expression, and helping them to see the unique beauty in themselves and in the natural world around them. She enjoys using her background as an artist, business owner, NPO admin, and teacher in her role as Worldmind’s creative director.
In her personal life, Tori enjoys traveling, going to see live music, photographing and reading auras, creating and selling her nature-inspired paintings, collages and murals, leading healing art experiences for women, practicing and teaching yoga, and spending time outside to appreciate the wonders of our natural world.
Caroline Griesel | Emotional and Physical Safety Director
Caroline began at Worldmind as a parent in the Child and Caregiver program. After apprenticing for two years, she became a lead teacher, leading Worldmind programs such as the Child and Caregiver program and the Homeschool Enrichment program. Upon completing a Level 3 Forest School Certification from the Forest School Association in the UK, she began teaching Forest School programs for Worldmind Elementary and Middle School, along with Worldmind’s kindergarten class. In 2021, she took on the role of Director of Emotional and Physical Safety at Worldmind, guiding Worldmind staff in their endeavors to maintain safety in all facets.
Caroline’s future goals include expanding Worldmind’s educator training program, expanding her knowledge of trauma-informed education, and gaining her preschool director qualification. Inspired by her childhood fishing and collecting shells on the beach of Galveston, Texas, she hopes to make a lifelong connection to nature and self-exploration and learning through nature available to anyone.
Caroline holds a bachelor’s in Zoology with a focus on Entomology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has 8 years of 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.
Caroline specializes in neurodiversity and twice-exceptionality, and she is trained in trauma-informed education through Beyond Consequences Institute. She is an amateur naturalist and adventurer who loves stargazing, bushcraft, and curating her collection of rocks and minerals.
Justin Way | Head Director of Worldmind Early Education
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. After working in DPS for a year, Justin moved to a 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. More recently, Justin helped start Worldmind's Elementary Education Program and has moved into a leadership role as Assistant Director of Early Childhood Education at Worldmind.
In his personal life, Justin enjoys traveling, hiking, backpacking, mountaineering, climbing, birding, family and friends, playing guitar, reading, 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!
Worldmind Early Education Teachers
Jessica Lugo | Preschool Teacher & Director at Washington Park
Jessica attended the University of Central Florida, where she earned a degree in Elementary Education. After teaching kindergarten for four years in Florida, Jessica and her husband made a big leap to venture somewhere new, moving to Denver in 2009. Being a Colorado resident has been especially magical for Jessica because of the ability to experience the cycle of all four seasons instead of year-round heat and humidity in her previous Florida home.
During Jessica’s time in Colorado, she has taught in a variety of settings in early childhood education and has noticed that her favorite times teaching are the moments of being outdoors with children. She believes that the wonder of nature and beauty of discovery while being outside is truly delightful, and she looks forward to learning with the Worldmind community. In Jessica’s free time, she spends time outdoors walking, riding her bike, and exploring new areas.
Taylor Emanuelson | Preschool Teacher
Taylor was born and raised in the Denver Metro area, where she fell in love with the mountains and anything outdoors. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Environmental & Sustainable Studies with a Biological Sciences minor in December 2020 and intends on using her degree to help advocate for the planet while teaching the coming generations the importance of the natural world. With her experience throughout her childcare career as a nanny for multiple families, an after school care instructor, a summer camp manager, a preschool teacher, and a vocal instructor, she is ecstatic to continue her career at Worldmind to help guide the curious minds of little ones!
During her free time, Taylor loves hiking, singing, camping, reading, spending time with friends and families, and of course exploring. She hopes the intention, gratitude, happiness, and empathy in which she leads her life will be passed on to the students at Worldmind!
Hannah Seibert | Preschool Teacher
Born in rural Michigan, Hannah started exploring and loving the outdoors as soon as she can remember. After graduating with her bachelor’s in Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services, she made the exciting move to Colorado to work with students at the University of Colorado, and of course, to enjoy the outdoors. In 2019, she moved to Bangkok to teach seventh grade English, and this is where she learned she loved inspiring and guiding children.
After returning back to Colorado in 2020, Hannah worked as an outdoor adventure instructor, nanny, and a camp director. Finding an outdoor school that combines inquiry-based learning and free play has made Hannah immensely excited to work with Worldmind. She’s looking forward to fostering an environment where children can connect and learn from all of the wonderful benefits of being outdoors.
In her free time, you can find Hannah hiking, skiing, backpacking, drawing or making jewelry.
Tracy Schamel | Preschool Teacher
Born in Denver, Tracy spent most of her time growing up on horseback, exploring the foothills and southern parts of Colorado. At an early age, she had her first experiences in teaching through introducing people to horses and riding. She began her career in early childhood right out of high school while continuing her education at Red Rocks Community College.
Tracy has been an early childhood teacher for 25 years. Over the course of her career, she has had the opportunity to train in a wide variety of programs including: Creative Curriculum, FrogStreet, High Scope, and Reggio Emilia. She shifted focus in 2021 to nature-based education and continues to build her knowledge base in this area.
Tracy spends her down time riding her horses, taking her cats for walks, crafting, and building her photography portfolio while exploring the many state parks around Colorado.
Anna Sager | Assistant Preschool Teacher
Anna was born and raised in northeast Louisiana. She found her love for being outside growing up on the bayou surrounded by cypress trees and swamp creatures. Anna’s first job in high school was at the Northeast Louisiana Children’s Museum, where she quickly realized how much she enjoyed being around children. After obtaining certification in babysitting through the American Red Cross Organization, Anna went on to become a cheer coach and led three teams to national championships. While in college at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, she continued to work as a cheer coach as a and nanny. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in Public Relations.
Anna moved to Colorado in 2019 to be closer to the mountains. She fell in love with Worldmind while working at the summer camps in both City Park and Washington Park and welcomed the opportunity to stay on as a teacher for the school year.
Anna enjoys going to concerts, traveling, kayaking, swimming, journaling, meditating, and spending time with her friends and family. Her favorite pastime is spending time with her nieces and nephew any chance she gets.
Amanda Henry | Kindergarten Teacher
Amanda was born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden. Being a student of an outdoor/inquiry-based environment herself, she feels grateful to have encountered the Reggio Emilia approach at an early age and is passionate about passing on that experience to others. Amanda’s career in early childhood education began at the Scandinavian School of Jersey City, a Reggio Emilia inspired preschool with a strong connection to nature and the outdoors. Amanda attended the Reggio Emilia International Study Group with a few other members of Scandi in the fall of 2019, and she is currently pursuing a degree in Sociology to further her understanding human behavior.
In addition to Sweden and the US, Amanda has lived in Japan and Berlin. Diving and the ocean brought her to Hawaii, where she met her husband. They have recently moved to Denver from New Jersey and are thrilled to get to know Colorado and return to skiing, which has always been a part of Amanda’s life. She has also set her sights on learning how to horseback ride.
Worldmind Elementary School Teachers
Jennifer Baker | 1st-2nd Grade Teacher
K-6 Connecticut Certified Teacher for the past fifteen years, Jen has taught math and science at the middle school level and has been immersed in teaching math to K-1 through the Russian School of Mathematics. Her own educational journey is soundly based in a public alternative pilot grade school program that emphasized service, social action, and experiential learning, where their days were spent in exploration and child-led learning. She attended a public high school and graduated with a degree in Outdoor and Environmental Education from Prescott College in 1991.
During her parenting years, she facilitated her two children’s educational path using inspirations from John Holt, John Taylor Gatto, and the homeschooling community. After receiving her MS.Ed from the University of Bridgeport in 2008, she taught 7th-8th grade science in a parochial school, then entered the public school system as a grade 7 special education assistant, followed by grade 6 science/math for 5 years. At this time in her career, she returns to what matters most: connecting children to themselves, their community, and nature through experiential activities, discovery, and reflection.
Scott Levi | Upper Elementary Teacher
Scott is proud to be from Denver. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Northern Arizona University and a master’s degree in Teaching from the University of Northern Colorado with an endorsement in elementary education. After working in both state and national politics, he found his next public service calling via education. He started out teaching chess and frisbee after school, became a substitute teacher for Cherry Creek School District, then worked for two years as a Denver Math Fellow teaching middle school math intervention in Denver Public Schools. Camping, backpacking, and other positive outdoor experiences proved vital to his formative years; they instilled in him both a respect for sustainable adventuring and a deep appreciation for Mother Earth. Equity and mathematics are especially important to Scott, and he perseveres to inspire the next generation of lifelong learners to think critically and resourcefully about global and local issues.
In his free time, Scott enjoys cycling, disc golfing, ultimate frisbee, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and developing computer programs with his lifelong friends online.
Worldmind Middle School Teachers
Amy Snodgrass | Middle School Teacher
Amy holds a master’s degree in Secondary English Education and a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. She began her career in education by volunteering with creative writing programs in Oregon School for the Deaf and Oregon State Penitentiary. She worked as an assistant teacher in Dallas, Texas before finding her home in Denver, where she spent four years teaching fifth grade reading. In addition to English Language Arts, she has experience teaching music, creative writing, and art. Amy is a proponent of the Forest School model because she believes the best education fosters curiosity and confidence in learners. She is passionate about project-based curriculum design that fosters strong habits of discussion through both shared readings and choice texts.
She spends her time reading, practicing yoga, playing cooperative board games, hiking, writing poetry, and illustrating comics and graphic novels.
Employment
Worldmind hires year round for preschool through 9th grade teaching positions. A Colorado teaching license or ECE certification is required. Outdoor/environmental education background desired. Please send a resume to Executive Director/Founder Megan Patterson to apply: worldmind@worldmindeducation.org.