The Educators
Sandy Dixon
Sandy is an avid nature noticer and has been fortunate to spend her career immersed in her passion for the outdoor world. She has a Masters in Early Childhood Education and more than thirty years of experience as an educator. She celebrated and shared the joy of nature as both a teacher and director of a nature-based preschool in New York for more than 15 years. She now spends summers facilitating nature discovery with the Great Outdoors University of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation and supports teachers and students with nature exploration at a nature-focused charter school in North Carolina. Sandy feels that nothing is more rewarding than sharing your passion and watching that spark ignite a passion in others- Pass the Spark!
Kacie Sitts
Kacie likes to say she was raised by mother nature herself. Her mother, Sandy Dixon, instilled in her a sense of natural wonder from a very young age. She was that child on a hike stopping every few feet and asking, “Why? What? How?” in awe. Kacie followed in her mother’s barefooted footsteps and received her Masters in Elementary Education from James Madison University. Kacie taught fifth grade in Virginia public schools and then found her passion teaching preschool in a forest classroom in Michigan. Kacie is proud to say she still hikes slowly and filled with wonderment. She hopes to inspire a sense of wonder and joy in children through nature-based learning.
Learning should always be fun!