Sweet Fern Forest Kindergarten

Jasmine Smith aka ‘ms. jasmine’; Founding Director, co-Teacher, Sweet fern Class

Jasmine has taught in public and private schools, across the grades, on the east and west coast, and is deeply tied to the mountain and sea scapes of New England. She grew up in the White Mountains, where she first developed a reverence for the natural world, and a deep seated sense of place and outdoor adventure. She is a graduate of College of the Atlantic (COA) and now makes her home in an old farm house, with lots of stories, in Bar Harbor.  Jasmine has also designed curriculum and led wilderness trips for the Chewonki Foundation, where she now sits on the advisory board and she served as the director of COA’s Summer Field Studies for several years. She has been an educational consultant for bringing garden and greenhouse projects into public schools in coastal Maine, and she has home-schooled a number of children on Mount Desert Island. Her teaching is deeply inspired by the rhythms of the natural world, along with the ecology and the dynamic communities of the Maine coast.  Jasmine's lifelong dream of becoming Miss Frizzle has come to fruition, as she leads the school in a Place-Based curriculum that takes them on many learning adventures.  She sees great value in children connecting with the people and places where they live as a part of their school life, and truly loves coming to work to teach and learn each day. 

jesse snider aka ‘mr. jesse’ (he/him); co-teacher, sweet fern class

Jesse came to work at TCS in 2021 after attending college in Vermont and Maine, where he studied outdoor education and early childhood development. His love of outdoor learning was instilled in him at a young age while attending Ashwood Waldorf School in Rockport, Maine. Jesse maintains that most of his formative educational  experiences occurred in kindergarten, the grade that he now teaches in an effort to pass the gift of outdoor learning he once received along to his students. Jesse deeply appreciates amphibians, riding his bike along MDI's carriage roads, and exploring the woods. 

kreg mccune aka ‘mr. kreg’ (he/him); co-teacher, sweet fern class

Kreg has been co-teaching in the Sweet Fern Program since its start in 2021. His education includes a BS in Biology and MA in Early Childhood Special Education. He has held a Maine Department of Education teaching certificate since 2008 and previously held certification in New Mexico. The majority of his teaching experience has been in kindergarten classrooms within the Albuquerque Public Schools in New Mexico and within the Mount Desert Island Regional School System. In addition to teaching, Kreg is a potter with a studio in his home in Seal Cove and he teaches ceramics at College of the Atlantic. Kreg is also a Community School parent whose oldest child graduated from TCS in 2023 and whose youngest child will graduate in 2025.

WOODLAND CLASS TEACHERS (GRADES 1, 2, 3)

Alisa Hearn aka ‘ms. alisa’ (she/her), co-teacher, woodland class

Alisa Hearn is a co-teacher in the Woodland class.  She works with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders helping them grow their brains by engaging them in active learning and meeting each child where they are. Leading with kindness is her mantra which she and her co-teacher, Autumn, regularly model. This is her fourth year teaching at The Community School but she has been working as an educator for over a decade. She also wears the hat of Library Coordinator, or Yurtbrary, as she calls it. She works closely with Blue Hill Books, attends the Island Readers and Writers conference, and helps when local authors visit.  This role appeals to her love of reading and the joy she finds teaching others to find that joy too. Alisa is a native New Englander who, after graduating from Arizona State University, found her way back home. She is the proud mom of a teenage daughter, Rose, a Scooby-do-like hound named River, a fluffy feline named Jingle, and an anti-social leopard gecko called Mac.  She is happily married to Chris Hearn, the facilities manager of The Community School.  She loves to spend time with Mother Nature, her favorite teacher and inspiration, and loves how The Community School's place-based education allows her to share that love with her students. It is always a magical experience to witness the power of Nature to calm, restore, educate, and enlighten.

Autumn Soares aka ‘ms. autumn’ (she/her), co-teacher, woodland class

Autumn is a co-teacher in the Woodland Classroom. She grew up in a small mountain town in Colorado, although she has a long family history in Maine. Autumn spent her childhood and teenage years hiking, biking, running, skiing, and exploring the Rocky Mountains. She comes from a family filled with teachers and outdoor enthusiasts. She moved to Bar Harbor in 1999 after transferring to the College of the Atlantic to study education, where she met her husband, Zach. She made Bar Harbor her permanent home after falling in love with Mount Desert Island. Here, she explored Acadia National Park with her four children while homeschooling them in their younger years.  

Autumn loves learning alongside her students and is thrilled to work in an environment that fosters life-long learning. She is passionate about creating learning environments where students feel safe, valued, and confident. She hopes that her students' days are filled with not only learning but joy and humor. Autumn is most at home near the ocean or along the carriage trails on her skis or bike. The philosophy of the Community School for Place-Based Education is a natural fit, where she can share her love of learning, the natural world, and community building.

INTERTIDAL CLASS TEACHERS (GRADES 4, 5, 6)

emma murray aka ‘ms. emma’ (she/her); co-teacher, intertidal class and tcs handwork teacher

Emma grew up mostly on the Maine coast and was part of several meaningful learning communities as a student, including a high school season at the Chewonki Semester School, that cemented her desire to someday work in the field of Place-based Education. Emma is a graduate of Colorado College, where she studied both Education and Creative Writing, then gained experience as a teaching fellow at the Catamount Center in Colorado and as an AmeriCorps educator at Teton Science School in Wyoming. She most recently taught a mix-age 3rd-5th grade class at Woodland Community School, an independent school in Bethlehem, New Hampshire that TCS has collaborated with in the past. When she's not teaching, you can find Emma deep in an embroidery project or out on Acadia's trails with her partner and dog. As she continues to grow her environmental art business, she's co-teaching the Intertidal class in the afternoons and leading Handwork on Fridays.

maria chambers hutchins aka ‘ms. maria’ (she/her); co-Teacher, intertidal class

Maria came to teaching with the belief that school can and should be FUN. As a young student at The Waldorf School in Lexington, MA, she absolutely loved school and when she realized that was not necessarily the norm, it got her thinking. Maria began her teaching career in a small place-based independent school in NH and in the decades since has taught in multi-age classrooms from rural Vermont to San Francisco, California. Maria holds a BA in Liberal Arts from The Evergreen State College and a MS in Environmental Education from Antioch University New England. She fell in love with The Community School while visiting MDI several years ago and is delighted to join the staff for the 2024-2025 school year. Maria is also a potter and is in the process of setting-up a new studio space in Somesville where she lives with her husband and daughter.

ALPINE CLASS TEACHERS (GRADES 7, 8)

sam murray aka ‘mr. sam’ (he/him); lead Teacher, alpine class (grades 7, 8)

With deep roots in the world of independent education, Sam Murray brings a wealth of experience and passion to the Alpine class teaching team. Growing up on a boarding school campus with a lifelong educator for a father, Sam has been immersed in the dynamics of independent schools from an early age. His career in education has been marked by a dedication to field teaching and outdoor leadership. Sam earned his undergraduate degree from Colorado College and pursued advanced studies in Ecology and Education at The Teton Science School. He completed his master’s degree at Utah State University. Sam has taught middle school and highschool science for ten years at schools in the Rocky Mountain West and New England. An avid climber and climbing guide, Sam is also a Wilderness First Responder and trained in avalanche rescue. His enthusiasm for teaching and learning in the natural world is matched only by his commitment to helping students realize their full potential through shared adventures and immersive educational experiences in the field. When he's not teaching, Sam enjoys exploring the mountains and coastline of Maine with his wife Emma and their dog Hatcher.

katie mann aka ‘ms. katie’ (she/her); support Teacher, alpine class

Katie Mann was born and raised in midcoast Maine. Her love of the Penobscot Bay area was fostered through local camping, hiking, and skiing trips with her family. Katie has a Bachelor of Arts in English from Principia College. She worked as a support specialist in Camden and Yarmouth’s middle schools before attending the Extended Teacher Education Program (ETEP) at the University of Southern Maine. Katie earned her Master of Science in Education while teaching English to sophomores and juniors at Skowhegan Area High School. She recently moved to Mount Desert Island to live closer to family.  Katie is excited to guide the Alpine students’ exploration of their home base through the lens of language arts.

SPECIALTY CLASS TEACHERS FOR ALL GRADES

emily brady aka ‘ms. emily’ (she/her); tcs eco-flex Teacher, all grades

Emily Brady was born in the Mile High City where she spent her youth standing in first position at ballet barres in dance studios and fervently climbing trees in her suburban backyard. She studied dance at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA. After college, Emily found her way back to Denver where she began her teaching career, certifying as a lead ECE (Early Childhood Ed) teacher in the state of Colorado. 

After starting a family and stepping away from a decade of teaching, the tumbling waves along the bold coastline called to her and she journeyed to Maine. Here she fulfills a long held dream to farm and raise her family in the woods where she currently tends to a menagerie of animals.  

A lifelong learner, Emily is a certified Thai Bodywork Practitioner and aromatherapist but finds those ventures occupying the back burners as being a parent, farmer, teacher, and partner fills her time aplenty these days. When Emily is not facilitating Eco-Flex across the grades, you can find her volunteering at any and all TCS events as a parent.

dean unger aka ‘mr. dean’ (HE/hIM); tcs music Teacher, all grades

Dean is a recent College of The Atlantic graduate with a passion for music education, and the arts. He is a multi-instrumentalist and producer specializing in digital recording/post-production. Earning a degree in Human Ecology and attending the Putney School in Vermont, he resonates with the holistic approach at TCS. Dean sees the importance of playing music with peers, experiencing the world with curiosity and following passions. 

You can find some of his work and projects through his website at https://wixsonrecords.com

THE COMMUNITY SCHOOL STAFF

sydnie white aka ‘ms. SYDNIE’ (she/her); Administration & Admissions Director

With extensive experience in administrative roles across education, nonprofit, and creative sectors, Sydnie excels in building systems that support both organizational growth and community engagement. Her background includes leadership in admissions, volunteer and event coordination, where she has consistently prioritized efficiency, collaboration, and clear communication. Throughout her career, Sydnie has worked closely with teams and creatives alike, fostering environments where innovation and structure coexist. Sydnie is passionate about creating inclusive spaces and believes in the power of community support.

In addition to her role in the office at The Community School, Sydnie is a mom of two young kiddos, one of whom currently attends TCS. When she's not at the school, you can often find her out and about on the island as a board member and volunteer for Island Connections, a local nonprofit that is very near and dear to her heart.

Chris hearn aka ‘mr. chris’ (he/him); facilities manager

BIO COMING…