Our Team 

Aimee Fraulo, PhD; Educator, Ecologist and Research Scientist, Co-head of School has over 20 years of experience developing outdoor, nature-based educational programming grounded in neuroscience and sociocultural learning theories. Her background in environmental sociology, ecological systems theory, and learning sciences has informed her collaborative, interdisciplinary, nature-based, and child-centered approach to teaching. She has created educational materials and outdoor learning activities for elementary students and homeschool groups aligned with North American Association for Environmental Education’s (NAAEE) Guidelines for Excellence, developed and presented professional development programs for classroom teachers in the US and internationally in Naples, Italy and Cape Town, South Africa.  She holds certifications in Montessori elementary education through the American Montessori Society and in Environmental Education through the North Carolina department of Environmental Quality.  She also holds certifications in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction from Duke University and Nature Education through the Civic Ecology Lab at Cornell University.

Mary Jirmanus Saba, PhD; Geographer, Co-head of School is a geographer, filmmaker and educator whose artistic practice bridges community organizing, land stewardship and household labor. Her multidisciplinary works have shown and been awarded widely at festivals, galleries and community spaces, from the Berlinale in Germany, to the ICA in London, the Busan International Film Festival in Korea and Anthology Film Archives in New York. She holds a PhD in Geography from UC Berkeley, and is currently a University of California Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A lifelong learner, who has taught from preschool to the graduate level, she is currently pursuing a Montessori teaching credential from the Authentic Institute of Montessori.

Annapurna Xochiestentli, Primary Guide holds a BA in Environmental Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Latinx Studies from Williams College, and an Association Montessori International Assistant Credential for the primary level. She is trilingual in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, and is currently pursuing a Montessori Teaching Credential from Authentic Montessori Institute. Annapurrna grew up in the margins of Mexico City and the mountains beyond the capital. Her pedagogy is grounded in the belief that teaching is a dialectical process, involving as much learning from children as teaching them. She brings experience in climate education, environmental research, and multilingual storytelling. Through Montessori nature-based education, she seeks to nurture care practices for land and water that cross generations and borders.

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Accessible Pedagogy and Curriculum Design

James McGovern, Educator and Artist recently retired after more than 25 years as an educator. While he spent most of his career as an upper elementary school teacher, he also worked as a behavior support specialist, an after-school program leader, and a paraprofessional. As a founding member of a democratically-run progressive public school in the Boston Public School district, James’s classroom design and student-centered pedagogy has been featured in various film and print media. As a trained artist, one of James’s passions is creating unique classroom spaces that encourage democratic process, social-emotional wellness and ongoing inquiry. James has supervised and recruited scores of student teachers and has appeared as a guest lecturer at the university level at Schools of Education throughout the Boston area.


Lindsey McGovern, Educator and School Administrator is a dedicated, creative and hands-on teacher and educational leader with a background in curriculum, instruction, and assessment for diverse student needs. A lifelong learner, she holds a Masters degree in secondary curriculum and instruction from Boston College and a CAES (certificate of advanced educational specialization) in educational leadership and policy, also from Boston College and has completed extensive additional training.  She is licensed as a special education administrator, superintendent, English teacher, history teacher and special education teacher. She has worked as a teacher, special education administrator, and education director in public and private school settings, and has served as a Section 504 Coordinator, Civil Rights Coordinator, and Title IX Coordinator. At the university level, she supervised student teachers, assisted in educational research, and co-taught graduate courses in education with an emphasis on universal design for learning (UDL). Lindsey has also worked at the state level, providing complaint resolution to parents and monitoring school systems across the Commonwealth for compliance with federal program areas. Lindsey currently teaches English at one of Massachusetts’s two public virtual schools. She is a fierce advocate for equity in education and is actively involved in disability and mental health advocacy work. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and rescue dogs, walking on the beach and reading fiction. She has never turned down a cup of strong coffee.

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