Sara (she/her) has been involved in education professionally for 23 years.  After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Education & Social Policy from Northwestern University, she taught Special Education grades 3-6 in New York City as a corps member for Teach for America. Sara earned a Master’s of Science in Education and went on to work for Montana’s Office of Public Instruction for 5 years.  Sara worked in special education compliance, professional development and spearheaded the beginning of the State’s School Mental Health Initiative.

For the last 13 years, Sara has lived between Helena and New York creating learning environments. She founded and directed a micro school for kids ages 5-15 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.  Credentials aside, Sara’s passion is curating space and facilitating conversations that lead kids to make their own discoveries.

Christopher (he/him) graduated from The Cooper Union School of Architecture in New York City. Architecture came after a degree in studio art (emphasis on photography and painting) and work as a teacher, chef, and exhibit designer for a science museum. His architecture thesis “The Walking School” focused on education through the lens of peripatetic exploration. Through the creation of wearable classrooms and mobile pieces, students can fully explore the natural and cultural landscape around them. Instead of an insular system of classroom education, the things the students carry become the space for investigation. As an architect, Chris finds building and making with kids to be the ultimate inspiration. As co-founder of Cottonwood ALC, Christopher continues to explore curiosity and learning as the catalyst for design.

Thea (she/her) has been an educator for more than 10 years with roles encompassing every level of education from Kindergarten to Postgraduate courses. All of these experiences affirm her beliefs that learning is human nature, that play unlocks potential, and that musicals are the highest form of expression.

She has a BS in Arts, Philosophy, and Literature from the United States Military Academy and a MFA in Creative Writing with a focus on Fiction and Comics from the University of South Florida. She is moving to New York from Georgia with her cat Geckl and plans to continue her career as a play-based and goal-focused educator with Cottonwood.

Ashley received her BFA in Acting from Pace Univeristy. Born and raised in Wisconsin, she is a natural lover of nature and all things cheese. Aside from the performing arts, her passions include writing, cooking, and spending quality time with family and friends. The 8+ years she spent with Girl Scouts of America gave her insight to the many faces of education. Most of all, it cultivated a deep desire to work with children. She believes in the importance of choosing love, genuine connection and understanding, as well as the power of creativity and independence."

Thury (she/her) was born and raised in Iceland. She received her undergraduate degree from Central Saint Martins in London majoring in fashion design. Her MFA is in studio art from the School of visual arts in New York. She has been teaching on and off for the past 15 years. Professor of design to collage students, art in nursery and home schools. Last year she was art director and full time teacher in a nursery school in Iceland. Thury is very excited to join the cotton wood team and participate in building a space where children can be co-creators of their own school. In addition to teaching she is co-owner of Vik Prjonsdottir, a design label working with Icelandic wool. She’s also currently involved in a few projects. Knowing the Ropes which just exhibited at the Reykjavik art Museum, is a collaborative project that combines art and design around concepts related to rope and net making. She is also illustrating a book on mindfulness for young adults in collaboration with a child psychiatrist. Thury has a wholistic approach to the work she does and teaching is no exception. Her joy is in finding ways to use creativity as a tool to experience and learn about the world around us in new and exciting ways.

J. Enzo (they/them) is an anti-disciplinary artist, educator, and environmentalist that works in the mediums of performance, film/video, theater, painting, photography, literature, digital technologies, and new media arts. Enzo holds an MFA in PIMA, BA in Theater, and BA in Film Production from Brooklyn College. 

Kaleigh is a designer and maker based in Brooklyn, NY. She has a traditional background in graphic design, with a practice that expands into ceramics and digital fabrication. Kaleigh dives deep into the overlap between traditional craft and tech in her work.

Ben Madson is a visual artist based in New York, where he studies illustration and journalism at Parsons School of Design. His work has been featured in multiple gallery shows and publications. Recently, he was invited to submit single-panel cartoons and long-form comics to the New Yorker. Ben has previous experience offering five to twelve year-old learners skills in digital art, animation, character design, painting, game design, and traditional drawing.