Chewonki Outdoor Classroom Staff

Katie Yakubowski: Outdoor Classroom Coordinator

Katie is an Ohio native who started her career as an educator at zoos, nature centers and museums. After serving on a trail crew with the Montana Conservation Corp. she moved to the White Mountain National Forest in 2014 to work with the Appalachian Mountain Club. During that time Katie held roles as an outdoor educator, a guide, and a naturalist. In 2016 she moved to Greenville, ME getting her Guides license in recreation and fishing. Her experience delivering curriculum to school groups, training staff, and time facilitating outdoor adventures is a strong asset to the Outdoor Classroom and the foundation as a whole.  Of course, there’s more to Katie than just work history. If she’s not on a canoe trip or hiking a 4,000 footer, you can find her knitting, tying flies, or playing her ukulele. 

Tanner Shepherd: Outdoor Classroom Coordinator

Originally from Maryland, Tanner has been fortunate to travel the world in search of new wilderness experiences before coming to join our team at Chewonki. He served as a team leader for AmeriCorps focusing on sustainable trail building in the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. As an educator he taught 30+ classes in leadership and science-related topics in California and facilitated canoeing, rock climbing and group challenges in Australia. Tanner served as a program coordinator for the Pali Institute in California where school partner management was a primary focus and most recently worked in another residential program with The Outdoor Education Group which is located in Eildon, Victoria and runs a camp based program with parallels to Chewonki’s encampment model. His favorite part about outdoor education has been captivating young people with mind-blowing astronomy facts. In his personal life he is an avid reader of all things fantasy and has stories to share about alpacas and how he became a Kentucky Colonel.

Hannah Marshall: Lead Educator for Outdoor Classroom

Hannah is originally from Huntington, a small town nestled in the Green Mountains of Vermont, but spent the last seven years studying and working in Maine. She attended Bowdoin College in nearby Brunswick, where she was a leader with the Outing Club and the captain of the Nordic Ski Team. She was lucky enough to study abroad while at Bowdoin in both Nepal and arctic Norway where she conducted geologic field research and lived in remote settings. She graduated in the spring of 2016 with a degree in Earth and Oceanographic Science. Hannah spent that first year out of school working for Maine Huts and Trails, a non-profit in western Maine, as hut crew at their backcountry eco-lodges. After joining our program in Spring of 2017, she hit the ground running and has been a part of the Outdoor Classroom team ever since. She spent this past two winters back at the Huts in a new position that was inspired by talented staff like herself. Hannah has so much to offer our program, our staff team and your students!

Alex Chasse: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Alex is a born and raised Mainer, through and through from Fort Kent, far in the northern regions of the state on the Canadian border. Alex grew up in the outdoors- Nordic skiing and snowshoeing in the winter and golfing, canoeing, and kayaking in the summer. He enjoys being active all year long, no matter the weather. In 2017, Alex graduated with a Double Major BA in History and Secondary Education from the University of Maine. Since then, he has worked as a counselor/trip leader for Tanglewood 4H Camp, as an Ecology Educator for The Ecology School, and most recently joined Chewonki as an Osprey counselor. Alex is very excited to return to the neck with his “tote of teas” and join Outdoor Classroom this spring.

Conor Burke: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Born and raised outside Baltimore, Maryland, Conor got his start in the outdoors sea kayaking with his dad in the marshes of the Chesapeake Bay. Earning his bachelors in Biochemistry from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where he had a groovy time rowing and performing research in cancer pharmacology, he hopes to go into nursing. Other than sea kayaking, canoeing, and backpacking, Conor loves knitting, Irish step dance, and playing the fiddle and banjo. Mark his words, he’s going to own a yellow house with a purple front door one day. After growing up attending summer camp here at Chewonki, joining the summer staff and becoming a division leader, Conor joined the Outdoor Education team in the Fall of 2017 and quickly joined us full time. He spent the last two winters working at Flagstaff Hut with Maine Huts and Trails with our program’s new staff-share partnership. We’re so excited have to have Conor back!

Emmy Held: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Emmy is from Honeoye Falls, a small town in Western NY, but spent much of her time living in the Adirondack mountains. Emmy went to Colby College here in Maine where she studied biology (ecology and evolution) and studio art. During that time, Emmy worked as a lake steward, a cross country ski coach, a volunteer wolf tracker in Slovakia, and wilderness trip leader. Emmy’s favorite Maine mammal is the river otter but is stoked on anything having to do with wildlife and is excited to continue bringing her passion for outdoor life. Emmy has been with Chewonki as part of Outdoor Classroom and our Maine Huts and Trails Winter partnership since the summer of 2017 and we’re so glad to have her!

Eloise Peabbles: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Eloise originated from Cumberland, ME where she grew up camping, skiing, hiking and gaining an appreciation for the nature around her.  She graduated from Wheaton College (MA) in 2017 with a double major in psychology and women’s and gender studies. She held leadership roles on the club ultimate frisbee team as well as the community farm club. In recent years, Eloise has spent her time teaching outdoor education, adventure recreation and challenge course facilitation in western MA and all over India. During her time in Asia, she spent three weeks solo trekking the Annapurna circuit in Nepal and volunteering at a renewable-energy run school in Ladakh, India focused on cultural and educational reform. She finished 2018 working at a vegetable fermentory and rock gym in Maine and at the Berkshire Outdoor Center, supervising the challenge course, hosting groups and instructing varied groups of students and adults. In her free time, she’s been rock climbing, alpine skiing, taking Nordic backcountry trips and learning to fish! We’re excited to have Eloise on our team!

Sam Haab: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Sam grew up in the picturesque ski town of Stowe, Vermont. She spent four years in upstate New York where she earned a degree in Conservation Biology from St. Lawrence University. While at St. Lawrence, Sam was part of the field hockey team, participated in an off-campus farming semester with a focus on sustainability, and conducted research on the topics of microplastic pollution and pollinators in agroecosystems. After graduating in the spring of 2016, Sam completed a thru-hike of Vermont’s 273-mile Long Trail. She then spent the next two years serving with the national community service organization AmeriCorps NCCC where she served communities all over the US completing projects in affordable housing, disaster relief, environmental stewardship, and outdoor and urban education. Having recently returned from three months of solo travel, where she worked on a permaculture farm in Puerto Rico and as a gardener in Scotland, Sam is excited to be joining the Outdoor Classroom team!

Rachel Canty: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Rachel calls Burke, Virginia her hometown, although, being part of a military family, she moved around often as a kid. She grew up camping and, as an adult, loves backpacking and hiking. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for her undergraduate studies, receiving a bachelor’s in environmental sciences in 2016. While at UNC-CH, she competed on the varsity Swim and Dive team as a breaststroker. She then moved to Beaufort, a small coastal town in NC, where she pursued a master’s in marine sciences, also through UNC-CH, and studied oyster bacteria. She learned a lot during this time, particularly that she did not love academia as much as she thought she would but that she did love teaching, the environment, Crossfit, and small, close-knit communities.

Sydney Kahl: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Sydney grew up in Plymouth, New Hampshire and graduated from St. Lawrence University in upstate New York in May, 2018 with an degree in Environmental Studies, and minors in Creative Writing and Outdoor Studies. At St. Lawrence she studied in an off-the-grid yurt village for a semester in the Adirondacks, and spent her Junior Spring hiking around the Southern Alps of New Zealand. After graduating she spent the summer working for the Utah Department of Natural Resources as an Aquatic Invasive Species technician on Lake Powell, and then came back east to work at Lakes of the Clouds Hut on Mt. Washington for the Appalachian Mountain Club. This past winter she served an AmeriCorps term as a member of the Lakes Region Conservation Corps based at Squam Lakes Association in central New Hampshire.

Taylor Jackson: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Taylor is joining us this year from Bainbridge Island, Washington, a short ferry ride away from Seattle. After falling in love with Marine Science in high school, thanks to outdoor programs, she attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she got a degree in Marine Biology. Since then, she has been traveling around the United States teaching science at a variety of programs on tall ships and at land-based camps. She is returning to Chewonki after spending a year in Washington, teaching on the historic schooner Adventuress, a sailing vessel built right here in Maine and providing on-the-water experiences for students near the Puget Sound. She is excited to be joining the Outdoor Classroom team again, having been an educator and Wilderness Trip Leader with Chewonki for the 2017 season.

Martha Hoffman: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Martha grew up in Lincoln, MA, exploring the woods and ponds near her house and eating lots of vanilla ice cream. After high school she traveled through Asia, spending three months studying Tibetan medicine in Nepal. Martha graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio in 2019 with a degree in Dance and East Asian Studies, and a passion for biking through cornfields and baking bread in her co-op. While there, she worked as a dialogue facilitator for the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and taught a year-long improvisational dance class at a local retirement home. For four years she led hiking trips along the Appalachian Trail and beyond for Oberlin, Alford Lake Camp, and Chewonki. Martha is thrilled to return to the east coast this fall to explore the environment with young people! She now prefers Moose Tracks ice cream.

Meryl Nelson-Lee: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Meryl is from Jamestown, Rhode Island. She’s loved canoeing and camping since she was in high school. For the past four years, Meryl has been leading trips with the Maine Bound Adventure Center and studying forestry at the University of Maine. This summer she lead canoe and hiking trips for a girl’s camp in southern Maine. We are super excited for her to join our Chewonki team!

Reesey Partlow: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Reesey just wrapped up her third summer as a Wilderness Trip Leader at Chewonki. She is returning to Outdoor Classroom- after a season at Kroka Expeditions, getting a  yoga teacher certification and running art programs in Portland Public schools. Reesey is a lifelong Mainer who spent her childhood on Chebeague Island. She got her degree in Ecology at Sterling College; during her education, she traveled to the mountains of California, Colorado, and Labrador to study natural history and culture.  She is excited for this season at Outdoor Classroom with an amazing team!

Chandler Ryan: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Chandler grew up in Delmar, NY, a small town outside of the state capitol. She has spent the last four years studying and working in Lewiston, Maine at Bates College, where she was a Senior Fellow in the Office of Admission, Senior Coordinator for AESOP, Bates’ outdoor orientation program, and the secretary of the Outing Club. In her Junior year at Bates she was able to study abroad in Florence, Italy where she explored new places and learned Italian. She graduated in the spring of 2019 with a degree in English literature and studio art- concentration in photography. Chandler has spent the past summers working at Camp Dudley at Kiniya, a girls camp in Vermont, as cabin leader, tripping director, and camp liaison on a NOLS backpacking trip in Wyoming. This will be her first year with Chewonki, and the nurturing environment and playful spirit are what drew her to the Outdoor Classroom!

Jackie Ricca: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Jackie is from Cross River, a small town in the Lower Hudson Valley in New York. She credits the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, a 4,000 acre park in Westchester County, with igniting her passion for the outdoors and science. Some of her favorite outdoor activities include backpacking, canoeing, and skiing. Jackie just recently graduated from Bowdoin College in nearby Brunswick with double major BA in Earth and Oceanographic Sciences and Environmental Studies and a minor in Education. At Bowdoin, she was a leader for the Outing Club, attended the Bowdoin Marine Science Semester, traveled with her major department to study geology in Iceland, and studied abroad in New Zealand where she created a science media platform for the Kaikoura Primary School. During past summers, Jackie has worked as a science educator for the Massachusetts Audubon Society, a teacher for the Northfield Mt. Hermon Summer Session, and just wrapped up leading wilderness trips for Chewonki!

Zoe Wood: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Zoe grew up in Mount Kisco, New York, and graduated with a degree in Biology and Latin American Studies from Bowdoin College in 2018. During school she founded a natural history club, played for the women’s squash team, and spent a semester in Valparaiso, Chile. After Zoe’s first season of Outdoor Classroom in Fall of 2018, she worked on a goat farm in Colorado and spent six months studying insects and working as a Resident Naturalist in the Peruvian Amazon. This summer, she led a 3-week backpacking trip for Chewonki in Maine’s 100 Mile Wilderness along the Appalachian Trail, and she is thrilled to work with more students at Chewonki this fall!

Oliver Hondous: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Oliver is a native Mainer who went to school at the University of Southern Maine and Majored in Environmental Science. He has always had a love for the outdoors and wants to continually share natural history with others. He is a Registered Maine Guide and has spent a lot of time on the water guiding for Maine Kayak in Bristol ME. He also spent some time out in Washington State working as a Head Sailing Instructor for Island Rec and an Adventure Camp Counselor.  He worked this summer with Chewonki as a trip leader for the boatbuilders program. He is excited to continue to be a part of the Chewonki Community and share his passion with youth. 

Bob Bennett: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Bob is originally from Weston, Massachusetts, a small suburb just outside of Boston. Bob spent four years living in Upstate New York, where he attended St. Lawrence University and received a degree in political science. After graduating in 2016, he spent two years serving the local communities of Cape Cod, MA, with an AmeriCorps State Program. This past Fall Bob was introduced to outdoor education through a NOLS course he participated in, and has since joined Chewonki as a trip leader and outdoor classroom educator. He is excited to be part of the team and experience a beautiful Fall in Maine!

Maria McMorrow: Outdoor Classroom Educator

Maria started working for Outdoor Classroom in the spring of 2015, but first aspired to be an OC instructor when she came to Chewonki with Mast Landing School in 1998. She loves to paddle, play in the dirt and wake her groups up with sea shanties and log driving ballads.  Maria is a Registered Maine Guide in Recreation and Whitewater, and an EMT. She prefers dark amber maple syrup and her favorite tool in the repair kit is the Speedy Stitch-Awl. Maria graduated from Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada with a major in Environmental Science and a minor in Spanish.

Eric Nathanson: Outdoor Classroom Adjunct Educator

Eric is a Maine native who has returned to live and work in his home state. He attended college at the University of Puget Sound in Washington state where he studied Political Theory and Environmental Policy and graduated in 2016. Other than working for Outdoor Classroom and leading trips for Chewonki, Eric has recently been working at Salt Pump climbing gym and the Breakwater School teaching outdoor programs. When not working with students, Eric enjoys any activity that gets him into the wilderness, but kayaking, snowboarding, and rock climbing are some of his favorites. When not exploring the great outdoors, he enjoys Swing and Blues dancing, singing, reading, storytelling, and woodworking. We’re excited to have him back to help out on some of our busiest weeks this year!

Contact:

Chewonki Outdoor Classroom
Phone: (207) 882-7323 (ext. 147)
Email: outdoorclassroom@chewonki.org