Port Orchard

Rebekah studied at Seattle Pacific University and has been working with children for 16 years in a wide variety of settings.  Most recently she created and directed an outdoor after school program in California that prioritized free play outdoors and fostered a meaningful connection between children and nature.  She is a certified Washington State Naturalist as well as a Stream, Forest and Beach Naturalist in Kitsap County.  Rebekah grew up on a ranch near Mount Rainier and is passionate about passing on the positive impacts of extended free play outdoors that she benefitted from as a child.  

Rebekah cares deeply about children receiving respect and basic trust to initiate and explore at their own pace.  Supporting children in problem solving and seeing them enjoy mastery of their own actions has been an incredibly rewarding part of her career and motherhood!  Magnolia’s philosophy was a perfect match for her own and Rebekah is thrilled to join a team of like-minded people and share Magnolia with her 3 year old.  

In her free time Rebekah loves being with family, creative writing, camping, exploring low tide, and community building in her neighborhood. She lives in Port Orchard with her husband and son.

Ivy has been working with Magnolia for the past three years as a teacher and is excited to continue as an assistant site director. Working at Magnolia motivated her to start her Elementary Education degree at Olympic College.  She is excited to learn more about how to work with children in a progressive environment.

Ivy has an interest in mycology and enjoys sharing this passion with students. Watching children learn about their passions is a joy to Ivy. She believes giving them the tools they need to learn about what they love is an important step to loving education. While children adventure in the forest, Ivy works to create a balanced experience of learning opportunities and growth.

Allie graduated from Central Wyoming College in 2017 with an associates degree in Outdoor Education and Leadership. Since then she has traveled around the world guiding hiking trips through deserts, mountain ranges, and glaciers. She has built experience teaching and guiding both kids and adults a variety of outdoor skills. The past 4 years of her teaching as been centered around early education, teaching both indoor and outdoor preschool classes.

Allie believes life in the outdoors provides physical and mental health, boosts confidence, and provides a joyful place for spontaneous learning. Allie loves being a facilitator of this learning through play, adventure, and discovery. She has loved seeing how children thrive and grow in the outdoors and is excited to be a part of the Magnolia Forest Preschool to continue her passion of teaching and inspiring children in nature.

In her free time you can typically find Allie surfing off our beautiful Washington coast, foraging for mushrooms, or working in her garden. When winter hits it’s time to pack away the wetsuit and pull out the snowboard! Never a dull moment in the Pacific Northwest!

Kennedy attended Lindsey Wilson College and received a B.A. in History and Women’s & Gender Studies in 2020 and an M.A. in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Louisville in 2022. After jumping around in the nonprofit world, they found their calling while serving as an AmeriCorps member at the Louisville Nature Center in Louisville, Kentucky, where they worked with educators and teachers in the Swallowtail Forest School program. They are excited to continue learning about outdoor education and see young children blossom and engage with the wonderful world around them. Kennedy is originally from the great Commonwealth of Kentucky and is so excited to join the Magnolia family here in Washington!

Heather has a Bachelor of Science degree from Central Washington University and earned her nationally accredited Registered Dietitian license in 2016. She worked nine years as an RD with WIC, helping families with young kids improve their nutrition and relationship with food. Heather will always have a strong passion for nutrition, but after having 4 kids (including twins!) she decided to stay home and pursue her passion for photography. Along with photography, Heather also enjoys sitting on the porch swing with her husband watching her kids play, listening to music, painting, hiking, and gardening. With four young kids, she is truly the nurturer among chaos at times!

She found an ad for Magnolia in Port Orchard, and it was like a wish come true. Growing up outdoors hiking, camping, fishing, boating, and just running around playing pretend outside all day, Magnolia felt like such a gift when it came along. With kids, it is important to her to model kindness, compassion, and love. She wants kids to feel safe showing emotion.

Heather began working at Magnolia in 2023 as a substitute teacher. She was well known as “feather” or “smile teacher” as she did school photos! She is SO excited to join the crew as a permanent teacher!