Our Staff

 
Standing:Otter, Bunny, Oak, Buffalo, Cnidaria, Raptor, Treefrog, Grasshopper
Kneeling:Poppy, The Big Cheese, Willow, Olive, Sparrow

Many of our naturalist staff are returning this year and we have some great new additions. Treefrog joins us in the kitchen and Grasshopper is taking on the Lead Cook position. Poppy, Raptor and Firefly are joining the naturalist staff.


• John F. "The Big Cheese" is our intrepid leader. He focuses on the Big Picture here at KEEP Cambria. He can find any answer and solve any problem, so he says. He has an Economics degree from UCLA and received his teaching credential from Chapman College. John spends his free time playing with the band, camping and fishing with his sons, and bragging about his new grandson.
  
  
• John S. "Buffalo" grew up on Venice Beach, CA. He studied animal physiology and marine science at UC Santa Cruz, lived in Europe for 5 years and speaks German. Buffalo loves fishing, elephant seals, walkabouts and storytelling. He is currently spending his free time setting up a new outdoor school, Delphinus, here on the Central Coast.
  
  
• Paul "Bunny" is one of our cooks and treats us daily to his fantastic cooking and good humor.
  
  
• Amy "Cnidaria" is very excited to be part of the Cambria team. She grew up in Michigan and spent much of her childhood camping all over the U.S.
  At Earlham College, she earned a Bachelor's degree in Biology and spent a semester studying marine biology in the Bahamas. Cnidaria also studied Conservation Biology at Antioch New England Graduate School. She has been an educator in many settings including museums, classrooms and in the outdoors. Cnidaria loves swimming, bird-watching, scrapbooking and playing the guitar and is now a proud mother.
  
  
• Ed "Oak" graduated from University of Wales, Aberystwyth with a degree in Geography. He completed a yearlong; college internship at SCICON (Tulare County's outdoor education program), and never looked back. Since then he has worked at both KEEP sites and several summer camps, in addition to driving a school bus for the local school district and working as a kayak guide in Morro Bay. He is the proud father of a three year old.
  
  
• Amber "Willow" went to San Francisco State and earned a degree in Recreation Therapy. In August, 2000, she gleefully abandoned her job as a public relations associate to pursue a new life as an outdoor educator and earned her teaching credential through the Cal State Teach program. Willow loves sharing nature with kids, being outside with friends and taking her dog for walks.
  
  
• Katie "Sparrow" is from Decatur, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Much to our surprise, she doesn't have much of a Southern accent. She attended Swarthmore College in Philadelphia, where she studied biology and English Literature. After a year raising caterpillars in a lab, she decided to switch to kids (which are more similar than you might think...) Sparrow came to KEEP after an internship at SCICON Outdoor School.
  
  
• Julia "Treefrog" has worked locally as a cook for some time. She joined KEEP Cambria for the 2012 season.
  
  
• Hannah"Poppy" graduated from Cal Poly SLO in 2011 as an Animal Science major and Field Biology minor. In the summer she spends her time running about the California wilderness chasing mammals and birds. In her spare time, Poppy enjoys racing triathlons, knitting, eating rice crispy treats and watching the Disney Channel.
  
  
• Anya"Olive" loves open spaces, the color orange, and words starting with the letter "O." She grew up in Calabasas and Burbank, CA, getting her degree at Cal Poly, in San Luis Obispo. In her spare time she likes to listen to music, play music, and make musical instruments of various sorts. You might find her hiking the hills or walking the beach at any given day of the year, regardless of the weather.
  
  
• Sam"Raptor" found his way west after growing up in Salt Lake City, Utah and graduating from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR with a biology degree. He entered the outdoor education realm while working as a commercial raft guide on rivers throughout California and Oregon. Although fond of the sky, you are most likely to find him playing in the surf at Moonstone Beach or paddling down a river of melted snow somewhere in the Sierras.
  
  
• Mike"Otter" grew up on the Central Coast of California. He has a Master's Degree from nearby Cal Poly in Education Administration. In his spare time he enjoys outdoor adventuring with his wife and two girls. Otter especially enjoys sailing, surfing and scuba diving.
  
  
• Heather"Grasshopper" is our lead cook. She has a Bachelor's degree in Applied Nutrition and Culinary Science and Management from Cal Poly. In her spare time she likes to read and write and experiment with food. She has been a cross country runner for many years and enjoys running marathons.
  
  

Engineering for this site provided by The office of Christine Lizardi Frazier. Technical questions should be directed to the KCSOS Web Team. Information on low-cost hosting and website design services, featuring Manila, for schools and non-profit organizations is available here. Report problems with this page here.

Copyright ©2013, Kern County Superintendent of Schools 1300 17th Street - CITY CENTRE, Bakersfield, CA 93301-4533 (661) 636-4000

Last update: Saturday, April 6, 2013 at 7:30:56 PM
Copyright 2013 keepcambria