MEET THE WOLF SCHOOL STAFF
This is Heather
Pronouns: she/her
Site: WOLF Office
Job Title: WOLF School Director
Favorite Animal: Salamanders and Dolphins
Bio: I love WOLF School! I have been lucky enough to work at WOLF for 25 years now! I’ve met wonderful teachers and friends at WOLF and had so many great experiences helping kids connect with the Web of Life at outdoor school. Before WOLF, I worked for 5 years as a naturalist for two other Bay Area outdoor schools that I love. And before that I graduated with a double major in Human Biology and Comparative Lit from Stanford University. Originally from Redlands, CA, I’m happy to live in a cooler place in Northern California now but still like to visit the desert and all my hot weather friends, flora, fauna, and family down there. I like my job a lot, and I also like spending time with my family, fishing, gardening, music, and hanging out with friends at the beach.
This is Beast
Pronouns: he/him
Site: Camp Arroyo
Job Title: Program Coordinator
Bio: I'm from Nehalem, a small town on the OR coast, and grew up in the outdoors. I worked with the BSA and Oregon outdoor school programs for many years before moving to Camp Arroyo. I really love the incredible opportunity outdoor school and camping provides to students to experience new things and find their place in their community. As much as I enjoy teaching, there's nothing quite like singing around a campfire, and board or card games with campers and staff is one of my favorite things to do when we're indoors. I like to wind down at the end of a week by either cooking or doing some woodworking on the porch of my yurt at Arroyo. My favorite color is either grey or purple, and my nature name was inspired by both the X-Men and Beauty and the Beast.
This is Summit
Pronouns: she/her
Site: Monte Toyon
Job Title: Naturalist
Favorite Animal: Pika
Bio: Hello! I'm Bridget a.k.a. Summit and I recently moved here from Michigan! I grew up in Chicago, studied Zoology at Michigan State University, and have been teaching science both outside and in the classroom ever since. I love running, rock climbing, hiking/backpacking, reading, kayaking, traveling to new places, and doing all of the above with my wonderful dogs. My favorite thing about being in nature is how connected I feel to my surroundings when I take time to observe and appreciate all the little things. I’m so excited to learn and explore with you here at WOLF School!
This is Equator
Pronouns: she/her, they/them
Site: Monte Toyon
Job Title: Naturalist
Favorite Animal: Pandas, frogs, and cats
Bio: Hi! Im Equator! I’m from Santa Cruz and I love the outdoors! I hike, sing, play instruments, swim, read, and most importantly, EXPLORE! I chose the name Equator, because I am Central American. I love to find banana slugs and new funky fungi out in the forest. If you see me around, say hi! And I’m always down to sing a song.
This is Barracuda
Pronouns: he/him, they/them
Site: Monte Toyon
Job Title: Naturalist
Favorite Animal: Pelican
Bio: A Marine Scientist from Oregon that aims to educate and inspire our youth to be stewards and explorers of this precious and wonderful planet we have been given.
Hobbies include the beach, boating, hiking, surfing, biking, music, art, science, and exploring nature. I love coastal areas. Beach days and river hikes are my favorite activities at camp.
My nature name was inspired by my dad. He started calling me Barracuda at a young age because I have always loved swimming.
B.S. Environmental Science in Oceanography from Oregon State University CEOAS.
Bilingual in English and Spanish.
This is Ozone
Pronouns: they/them
Site: Arroyo
Job Title: Naturalist
Favorite Animal: Ball Python
Bio: Hiya!! My name's Ozone, and I'm originally from a small town in Tennessee! Teaching is my passion and I chose WOLF because of the connections I get to make with my groups hanging out in the woods all day. When I'm not teaching kids about nitrogen cycles or hiking a group up a small mountain you'll find me reading my fifth book of the month, putting new embroidery into my jacket, or cooking a giant meal for all my friends. I'm so happy to work here, and if you're coming to see me, I can't wait to meet you!
This is Lily
Pronouns: she/her
Site: Monte Toyon
Job Title: Program Director
Favorite Animal: Snails
Bio: Lily has been working in education as a teacher and a leader for the last 10 years in the Bay Area and NYC. A California native, when not working at WOLF she loves to do theater and make music. She likes balancing her city life with huge doses of living and teaching in nature. She holds her MA and BA from UC Santa Cruz in art and education.
This is Eclipse
Pronouns: she/her, they/them
Site: Monte Toyon
Job Title: Lead Naturalist
Favorite Animal: Seals and otters!
Bio: Hey everyone, I’m Eclipse! I’m originally from Los Angeles, but I moved to Santa Cruz in 2018 for college to study Sociology and Education and I’ve stuck around ever since. I didn’t have a whole lot of experience in nature as a kid due to growing up in the middle of a big city, but I fell in love with the redwood forest when I moved here. Now I’m dedicated to learning as much as I can about nature and sharing that newfound love with everyone I meet! At camp, you can find me hunting down cool fungi, getting silly during Campfire, and strumming my guitar for anyone who will listen. Outside of work, I love video games, Dungeons & Dragons, crocheting, hiking, reading, and singing! I can’t wait to explore the forest with all of you!
This is Zephyr
Pronouns: she/her, they/them
Site: Monte Toyon
Job Title: Naturalist
Favorite Animal: Harbor seal
Bio: Brianna chose the nature name Zephyr, which means gentle breeze or western breeze, because it made her think of the calming feeling of the ocean breeze when you face the sea. Zephyr is originally from San Luis Obispo county, and is a graduate from UC Santa Cruz, where she studied environmental studies and psychology. She has always had a passion for marine biology and coastal environments, and is enjoying learning more about forest ecology as she teaches in different ecosystems. Zephyr loves teaching students about ways that plants and animals adapt to survive and thrive in their environments, and about how all living and non-living things in an environment rely on one another. In her free time, Zephyr loves exploring the incredible variety of beautiful natural areas around the Monterey Bay area, kayaking, and hiking, as well as reading, traveling, and enjoying good movies and live music.
This is Sergio Typhoon
Pronouns: he/him
Site: I go where the wind takes me. (Me voy donde el viento me trae)
Job Title: Program Coordinator
Power Animals: Rhino (land), Octopus (water), and Luck Dragon (air)
Bio: Originally from Southern CA, Typhoon earned both his Bachelor of Science in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution and a Master of Science in Biology from UC San Diego. His Masters work on honeybees was published in The Journal of Experimental Biology, and he learned to interpret their waggle dance, and can “speak bee.” He is also fluent in English and Spanish, and has held an array of educator positions, including San Diego Zoo tour guide, animal trainer and presenter at San Diego’s Safari Park, summer camp backpacking guide with Lawrence Hall of Science, interpreter for Big Basin Redwoods State Park, and tour guide for the Monte Verde Butterfly Garden in Costa Rica. Throughout his experiences, Typhoon began seeing educating our youth as the most impactful way to improve our environment and society, and started as a naturalist with WOLF School in 2010, before advancing to program director in 2011, and has been the program coordinator since 2012. He shares his positivity with all those around him. He also loves hiking, camping, biking, and swimming with his 10 year old daughter, and is looking forward to teaching her his other passions: kayaking, scuba diving, and backpacking.
This is Des, nature name Tumbleweed
Pronouns: she/her
Site: Admin/Office
Job Title: Associate Director
Favorite Animal: Elephants
Bio: I absolutely love being outdoors and exploring our natural world! I am so lucky to have found a home here at WOLF School and I look forward to bringing in new staff to this amazing community that we have created over the years!
This is Splash
Pronouns: she/her
Site: All of them!
Job Title: Education Director
Favorite Animal: Dolphin/Tern/Hummingbird/Bat/Turtle (Why choose?)
Bio: Hi everyone, Splash here! I've been working at WOLF since 2013, when I sailed into Santa Cruz and decided to find a land job teaching about nature. After that, I split my time between land and sea, having a fabulous time hiking and playing in the redwoods at WOLF and then spending my summers and winters sailing around the world on Tall Ships. Eventually, I decided to settle down and start a family, which has been my next big adventure. I love hiking, sailing, reading, writing, playing with my 1-year old, camping and dancing.
This is Puffin
Pronouns: she/her, they/them
Site: Monte Toyon, but I like to mix it up!
Job Title: Lead Naturalist
Favorite Animal: Dinosaurs
Bio: Hey, I'm Puffin! (: I grew up in the Central Valley of California and moved to the Santa Cruz area in 2017 to attend UCSC–go Slugs! I'm a huge believer in growth mindset and lifelong discovery, and I learn with my students every day (like, did you know that owls' eyes are so huge, they have extra bones to hold them in place?! I learned that this week!) Some of my favorite things to do on trail are making river paint, hunting for fungi and banana slugs, nature tattoos, telling stories, and nature face paint! I've also been likin' the recent research on lichens, and can't wait to teach my next trail group all about them. If you see me around, tell me your favorite dad joke–I'm always looking for a laugh! I'll leave you with a quote from my hero:
"To leave the world better than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people's trash." -Bill Nye (the Science Guy)
Name: Skipper
Pronouns: she/her, they/them
Site: Loma Mar
Job Title: Lead Naturalist
Favorite Animal: Mountain lions
Bio: I’m originally from Redlands, California. I wanted to be a naturalist because I love seeing people fall in love with nature and this job allows me to see that every week. My favorite activity at camp is definitely nature tattoo or a solo hike.
Name: Raven
Pronouns: she/her
Site: Arroyo/Monte Toyon
Job Title: Naturalist
Favorite Animal: Whichever one she’s learning about right now!
Bio: I grew up on the San Francisco peninsula, running around beneath the oaks and catching bugs. Later, I studied environmental science at Stanford, then ecology at the University of Vermont. I love exploring the outdoors, finding edible plants, and sharing the awesomeness of nature with students and learners of all ages! At WOLF School, there’s always more to be curious about.
Name: Blizzard
Pronouns: she/her
Site: Arroyo
Job Title: Lead Naturalist
Favorite Animal: Cows
Bio: Hi there! I'm Blizzard and I'm from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I went to the University of Minnesota and have a BA in special education! I have been in the camp industry for 7 years. I love playing games, hiking, and looking at the stars. I can't wait to get to know all of you!
Name: Sparrow
Pronouns: she/her, they/them
Site: Arroyo
Job Title: Naturalist
Favorite Animal: Sparrows
Bio: I’m from North Carolina. I thought this would be a really cool environment to work in. I chose sparrow as my nature name because it’s my favorite bird and it symbolizes new beginnings, freedom, and hard work. I have a passion for filmmaking and photography. I love to climb trees and watch everything come alive around me.
Name: Thistle
Pronouns: she/her
Site: Loma Mar
Job Title: Program Director
Favorite Animal: giraffe
Bio: Born and raised in California, escaped a few times. Team building, high ropes, and anything aquatic based are the best activities. I am Thistle because during my first hike at a camp, I fell into some thistles. :)
OUR TEAM
INNOVATIVE EDUCATORs
INSPIRING LEADERS
At WOLF School, we believe in learning by doing, and that positive role models have incredible impact on our youth. That’s why we take such great care in choosing, training, and supporting our staff. Our Program Directors and Naturalists hold college degrees and are professionals in environmental education, with backgrounds in science, history, community-building, education, and working with youth. They have a zeal for the outdoors that excites and engages our participants, encouraging every individual to connect and learn in nature. The experience and diverse backgrounds of our staff come together to create safe and dynamic educational programs that students will never forget.