Chris Green, Director

As Guelph Outdoor School grows, I want our organization to stay as approachable, accessible, and relationship based as possible. While I love being out in the woods with kids, I am equally enthusiastic about working with parents and kids get started with the best possible program options, and feel supported along the way.

Along with my role as Director, I work as a GOS instructor. I’m a Dad to two girls, and grew up in this area. My hope is that Guelph Outdoor School evolves and grows with a changing world, delivering learning opportunities that are fun, effective, relevant, and as accessible and welcoming as possible.

Send me an Email about getting your child started at Guelph Outdoor School. Or Call Me during business hours.

Julie Read
Program Manager

Julie is a land-based educator, Forest and Nature School practitioner, elementary school teacher and enthusiastic naturalist with over 20 years of leadership experience within non-profit organizations.  She loves helping people of all ages connect to the more-than-human world and is deeply passionate about removing barriers and increasing equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility in land-based education.  As an uninvited guest on these lands, Julie is committed to learning local Indigenous history, honouring Indigenous Knowledge, and building reciprocal relationships with Indigenous individuals and communities.

Julie grew up in a house in a forest on Dish With One Spoon territory near London, Ontario.  Julie's naturalist parents took her birding in Point Pelee every spring since she was a baby, so technically she started birding before she could even walk.  Julie created the Fanshawe Nature School while working as the Community Education Supervisor for the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority and has previously worked as the Community Programs Coordinator at the High Park Nature Centre in Toronto.

Julie lives with her wife Claire and cat Penny and loves camping, canoeing, reading, wild swimming, crafting, cooking and music.

Danielle Gehl Hagel

Danielle is an artist, writer, naturalist and community herbalist. She’s lucky to live a stone’s throw from the Eramosa River and treasures time spent paddling its waters and roaming its banks in search of plants, animal tracks, and stories.

Danielle has spent years following the threads of justice, resilience and interconnection through work in the arts, social services, and now nature connection. She believes that cultivating right relationship with the land can remediate our relationships with ourselves and our communities.

She’s really excited about medicinal and native plant propagation, storytelling, language, and the intersection of mythology and ecology. She loves bogs, foxes, and elderberries.

Jordan Roth

Jordan grew up in a small town on the outskirts of the Waterloo area and spent much (most!) of his childhood playing outside which fostered a deep appreciation for, and fascination with, the natural world. This curiosity inspired him to eventually study at Sir Sandford Fleming College where he earned a diploma in Ecosystem Management.  After graduating, he was accepted into a wilderness immersion program and further developed his naturalist training and wilderness skills. For two years, he lived outside in natural huts, attuning himself to the natural cycles and learning directly from living closely with the Earth.

Jordan has collaborated with various nature- based organizations, conducting workshops, teaching courses, and assuming roles including Apprenticeship Coordinator for Sticks and Stones Wilderness School and Red Wolf Camp Program Director for The Pine Project.  He has also provided support to Upper Canada College, Fleming College, Waabgon Gamig First Nation School and Earth Tracks.

Jordan is a father to a wonderful wild little boy.

Aisa Saho

Aisa is a lover of community and the outdoors. She is always seeking ways to deepen her sense of accountability to herself, her family, her friends, her community and her environment. Interested in the capacity we all have for growth, Aisa enjoys guiding and encouraging the young people of our communities in deepening their relationships with the natural world.
Growing up in Guelph, Ontario and living as a global citizen, Aisa has experienced the outdoors through canoe trips in Ontario, hiking, gardening, walking with her dog, camping and recently completing a yoga teacher training while living abroad. As a Pisces she loves being in water whether in the shallows of the Eramosa, the endless Ontario lakes or the vast and comforting ocean. Aisa is most grateful for the connections she has forged with people from all over the world and the stories they've shared which now live within her.

Aisa’s patience & obvious kindness means she’s a favourite with kids and especially with the little ones. She has supported our summer sessions and is taking work with the GOS component of the Village Hearth Community School, as well as nature immersion and mentorship programs at our Stone Site.

Matt Iles

Matthew brings with him over 15 years of experience working in wildlife conservation and ecology, from the mossy valleys of Wales, via the Amazon Rainforest, the Great Lakes bioregion. Matthew likes to observe and connect with the birds daily, taking in their migration and breeding habits, as well as listening to their language. He delights too in finding and learning about insects, reptiles, amphibians, and mushrooms, as well as enjoying tracking opportunities wherever they present.

The Guelph Outdoor School allows Matthew an opportunity to turn his scientific background on its head, and to use story-telling, art of questioning and natural crafts to engage folks young and old in how to steward and restore the natural world.

In addition to being a regular at kid's programs, Matthew also leads our long-running On The Wing birding workshops.'

Matt’s obvious and enduring kindness, humility, patience and professionalism make him an invaluable member of our team.

 Matt Hamilton

Matt is a father, handyman, mentor and a big kid. You can usually find him with his kids adventuring, picking up a new hobby or reading books on self improvement, philosophy or anything samurai related. He regularly practices yoga and meditation and brings mindfulness to everything he does. Matt has a deep connection to water and has spent some time diving and exploring in the Caribbean. A good day at outdoor school for Matt is spending his days climbing trees, catching frogs, skipping rocks, building snow forts and learning life lessons with kids.

One thing that made Matt an obvious fit at Guelph Outdoor School is that he was already doing the work of mentoring youth through personal relationships and Big Brothers / Big Sisters of Guelph.

Tamara Anderson

Tamara is so many things to GOS. She was with us in the early days, supporting budding programs where she could. She is a certified teacher, and an immensely experienced naturalist and tracker. She has offered her care and skill as an outdoor educator with school boards, outdoor schools, and the GRCA.

Tamara is approachable, funny, has an eye to developing programs, great with kids, and when it comes to tracking - y0u don’t even want to know!

We’re thrilled to call Tamara part of our staff team starting in 2020.

Dylan Paczay

Dylan sees nature connection as a lifeline to sanity and competence. He believes the natural world can be a great teacher, seeding invaluable skills like effective relationships and physical awareness. Dylan's wonder of the natural was rekindled in study of mathematic phenomena (of all things), some ten years ago. Dylan actively pursues from-the-earth alternatives to modern lifestyle, and has been piloting an off-grid living project in Elora. He is a carpenter, fabricator and runs a small machine shop in Centre Wellington. Dylan was trained as a camp counsellor with the YMCA, and as a tool and die maker at Conestoga College.  At ourdoorschool, Dylan is known to play with the limits of balance, create function out of found material (often with hand tools involved), and leap disproportionate distances in running games.

Annie Sanassian

Having lived abroad camping in the desert moonlight, meandering in wadis, discovering camel bones and being immersed in diverse cultures has shaped Annie profoundly in how she seeks education. Annie has worked with children for a number of years as a Certified Teacher, Forest School Practitioner and Outdoor Educator. Annie learns from tending land, animals and people and loves exploring, wandering and spending as much time outdoors as possible. Visiting many parts of the world has fostered both Annie’s understanding of cultural sensitivity and awareness to the richness and diversity of life. She aims to create inclusive and positive outdoor learning experiences for all people.

Mark Spagnolo

Mark llllooooovvveeesss nature and music! He's a musical being, local jazz musician, outdoor music educator and student of music in Guelph. He hopes to demonstrate the connection between nature and music and spark a love for the two in others. Nature is the best teacher for many things in life, especially music! There's so much happening, constantly improvising and the more you pay attention the richer and deeper your heart cares for the world around you. At outdoor school you'll find him lugging many instruments around, always ready to play and create. If not traditional instruments, found instruments like sticks and rocks will do the trick (or the hidden, mystical instrument inside us). There's a time and a place to make sound, and there's a time and a place to listen deeply. *tweet* *buzz* *swish* *sploosh* *creek* *squeak* *hiss* *hoot*!

Wizard

(Brendan Rogers)

Wizard finds himself outside regularly. Often, he finds himself there for fun. For the past 10 years, he's worked at a children’s summer camp on the Saugeen Peninsula. Up there, he was outside all the time. The peninsula and it’s campers taught him valuable lessons, like the value of childlike wonderment, the brilliance of youth, and just how cool trees are.

He views the lessons nature and children offer as fundamentally important, and cherishes the wisdom both have to offer. Aside from being outdoors, Brendan is a computer programmer, freelance designer, and a lover and patron of the arts. The contrast between the digital and natural world in Brendan's life brings unique perspective to these “opposing” fields. The world is complicated, vast, and worth exploring fully.

Don’t be fooled by his merrymaking, easy charm, and general fun-loving demeanour, he has some realness in his noggin’ and heart that he is here to share.

 Rachel Hindle (she/her)

Rachel is a plant science and lover of discovery. She is always looking for ways to find a new appreciation for what is around her, whether through studying or time spent outdoors.

Her greatest interests are dancing, gardening, discovering new things and music of all kinds. She is interested in creating meaningful discussion with those around her and learning about the experiences of others. She looks to create a comforting and inclusive environment of learning and exploration at GOS.

Rachel began as a volunteer with the Saturday Lynx program where she found a love for the Guelph Outdoor School and the unique opportunities it provides families. She hopes to create memorable moments.

Clayton Tackacs

Clayton is a wanderer, a last minute solo road tripper, and an all year round nature lover.

A father, coach, and uncle to 11 nephews & a niece, Clayton has a commitment to mentoring children and sharing his love of the outdoors. Clayton is an Ontario certified teacher as of 2021 with the UGDSB, and is currently enrolled in additional qualification courses on environmental education and is teaching his Grade 1 class mindfulness through nature immersion,

Compelled to further connect with the Guelph community, Clayton joined the GOS school team after completing what he’s calling a life-changing placement in the winter of 2021 that left him with an insatiable desire to take the classroom outdoors everyday!

When Clayton is not teaching, you can often find him playing terrible covers of classic rock songs on guitar, journaling in his favourite sit spot by the river, or finding a new trail to explore.

Cailey Campbell

Cailey is a mama, seedkeeper, culinary artist, and food grower currently residing in the Dish With One Spoon territory of Hamilton, ON. She has found solace and joy being by water for as long as she can remember and believes that the land and water are one of life's most precious teachers for cultivating our inner worlds.

Through her various roles at Skaronhyase'ko:wa (The Everlasting Tree School) in Six Nations, Cailey has had the honour of experiencing the multitudes of benefits to children in an earth-based education that is culturally-rooted. These experiences continue to inspire her and deepen her commitment to cultivating equitable and liberated relationships with the earth and each other.

Tarique Moore

Tarique loves being outdoors, learning about and exploring unfamiliar natural spaces. His passion for physical activity drives him to challenge himself everyday to push his limits. He loves working with others, and creating relationships. He believes that through human connections, we can teach and learn so much from one another.

Tarique came to Guelph Outdoor School as a High School co-op student, and is the 3rd co-op student to be hired on as staff following his placement. He is our youngest hire in some time, but his time during his placement showed us that he is a natural at giving gratitude in the morning, at playing fast-paced games with kids, and keeps his awareness up for what’s happening all around - making him an exceedingly supportive staff and a promising young mentor for kids.

Mac Osborn

Mac had the good fortune of growing up in Guelph exploring the Speed River with his friends and going on canoe trips in Algonquin Park with his dad. Raised with a profound love for nature he decided to enrol at Sticks and Stones Wilderness School as an apprentice after high school. He spent the next two years living outside in debris shelters, studying naturalism and survival living. He has worked as a nature connection mentor over the past 7 years with a passion to share his love of the outdoors with anyone and everyone.

Mac loves canoe tripping, fishing, tracking mammals, listening to the birds and gardening. He believes that nature is really the best “classroom” around and he is always ready to be inspired by what nature has to offer. Mac is a woodworker by trade and can often be found at GOS supervising carving and wood cutting. He loves working with is hands when he’s not busy playing in the forest.

Sénor Banana

(Mr. Garcia Hernandez)

Just watch for the flash of yellow - that’s Senor Banana. He has a big heart, shows up to the woods ready for anything, - he’s a lover of song and music, stories and puppets; Banana brings essential experience in the world of special education and supporting unique children. Fluent in French and Spanish, Banana brings wit, patience, humour, warmth, and care to our programs.

Manny Ford

 Manny is a Mama to two wonderful kids, a crafter, hiker, runner and lifelong learner. She completed her honours bachelor of arts in English and History at McMaster University and her bachelor of education at the University of Western Ontario. While recently upgrading her teaching qualifications, she worked on a project about forest education and discovered the GOS. Although new to outdoor education, she was immediately enthralled with the organization and it's values. She began volunteering with the Cedar Grove program and through supply teaching has had the opportunity to work with several different ages and programs.

The most treasured aspects of her day at the GOS are sharing and hearing gratitude, a good sit spot, learning from her peers and always the infectious wonder and excitement from the kids.

Claire McCann

Claire (she/they) immigrated to Canada/Turtle Island from Scotland in 2005 and is grateful to be on this land. A qualified Forest School Practitioner and Ontario certified teacher with over fourteen years experience working with children of all ages, she particularly appreciates the feeling of timelessness and flow that can occur when teaching in the outdoors.

Claire plays some guitar, whittles some wood, enjoys back-country camping and bird watching and is constantly learning from nature.

Corbin Grynol (he/him)

Corbin grew up on the Rainy Lakes of Northwestern Ontario. Life in such a beautiful area allowed him to spend most of his time canoeing around exploring various islands and fostering his love for animals and the great outdoors.

Originally, Corbin moved to Guelph in order to study Zoology and work his way toward a fulfilling life of wildlife rescue, but after some volunteer work as a camp counselor and tutor he has become equally passionate about helping nurture the passions and curiosity of children. He now looks toward a future with the outdoor school where he can do both.

Corbin enjoys exploring nature and learning about animals, especially birds! He loves camping, hiking, and was basically born in a canoe. Corbin continues to volunteer with various organizations around Guelph, aiming to make a positive impact on as many young lives as possible.

Simon Monterozza

Simon was drawn to the Guelph Outdoor School after hearing about their amazing approach to childcare from friends and peers. When he was younger he always struggled with learning in the traditional classroom, but during High School he had the opportunity to do a semester of outdoor education and saw magic in the learning and experience it can bring!

Simon also works at the Guelph Grotto Rock Climbing Gym and enjoys rock climbing and weight lifting. He hopes to backpack around Europe in the future.