People

My name is Jenyn, and I'm a NC State Park Ranger at Yellow Mountain State Natural Area. I grew up in the foothills of WNC in a small town called Lenoir. After college, I moved to the Pacific Northwest in Washington for several years where I worked in various education and admin roles at Pacific Science Center. Part of that phase of my career was working as a naturalist in an urban park featuring a wetland and delightful waterway, the Mercer Slough. My husband and I moved back out to Burke county at the end of 2021 where we now have an aspiring homestead with 2 German Shepherds, 4 barn cats, 9 chickens, an ever increasing population of domestic rabbits...and a former PacSci celebrity corn snake.

Debra L. Lawrence has over 45 years of experience in early care and education.  She is a tenured faculty member at Delaware County Community College, where she teaches in the birth to 4^th grade teacher education preparation program.

She has presented workshops and seminars at the international, national, state, and local level.   Debra’s leadership positions include Colorado AEYC President, A Governor-appointed Early Childhood School Readiness Legislative Committee member, and a NAEYC Governing Board Member.  She is currently the President of the American Association for the Child’s Right to Play, the International Play Association, USA affiliate.

She is the author of How Public Investment Contributes to High-Quality Early Childhood Programs, Lessons from Pennsylvania, and contributed to Learning from Head Start. In addition, she has a chapter on Bronfenbrenner and Play in the publication Scholarly Snapshots.  She is the recipient of numerous awards. She recently received the National Association for the Education of Young Children Ed Klugman Lifetime Achievement Award as an Advocate for Play, and the Delaware County Community College, President’s Award for Excellence.

Debra holds a bachelor’s degree in social research, social structure, and social change, a master’s degree in early childhood education, and a Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education.

Her research interests include curriculum and environments that strengthen learning dispositions, play as the foundation of all curricula, and positive and supportive environments that foster children’s ability to reach their potential.

I am Danette K. Riehle, M. Ed, the daughter of Danette “Danny” B. Riehle, M. Ed (1941-2022). Danny founded the Living Classroom Learning Lab, and I am continuing her legacy with my daughter, also Danette, and my brother. A pioneer in environmental education, Danny was also an environmentalist, artist, scholar and horticulturist. As an elementary teacher, she presented at the National Science Teachers & National Council of Teachers of Mathematics conferences and CoAuthored the U of Chicago’s Everyday Math. I share her character traits and passion for nature through our environmental education curriculum. As a teacher and naturalist, I hope to inspire children to reach their true potential.

My name is Laurie Benton. I'm thirty-two years old. I grew up in southern New Hampshire. When I was in elementary school I attended an outdoor camp called Camp Northfield where I learned about nature and skills to navigate the great outdoors. I grew up and moved to North Carolina where I went to Blue Ridge College and got my Associates degree in Horticulture Technology. I worked at the Arboretum for a couple of years and then came to Camp Merrie-Woode where I help manage and protect the camp's campus and teach kids about nature in our nature program. 

I have taught Prek-1st grade for 20 years. The majority of that time I have been teaching kindergarten. I am from Buffalo, NY and am a Bills fan. I have 2 children; 12 & 14. I am married and live in Maryland.

Jiayi Guo is an undergraduate student at Cornell University majoring in Design and Environmental Analysis. Her research explores young children's understanding and emotional responses to climate change, with a broader interest in environmental education for young audiences. She aims at integrating interdisciplinary methods such as design thinking, systems thinking, and experiential learning to create impactful educational frameworks. Committed to translational research, she aims to connect academic insights with real-world applications. Jiayi also studies green buildings and cities, aligning her academic journey with her passion for sustainable futures.

My name is Raina. I have professional, personal, and volunteer experience in community outreach, agricultural advocacy, sustainability, and working with children.