About Us

  Program Director

Haleryn is a veteran educator and great enthusiast for nature-based teaching and learning. She has a diverse background in elementary education, including bilingual, urban, private, and rural public schools. She created The Backyard Learning Project, a pod-style multi-grade school in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and opened her life's dream project, The Wildflower School, in 2021.

Haleryn graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a minor in Child Development in 2011, where she also earned her Master’s Degree in Teaching the following year. 

She grew up in Sonoma County, CA, and spent her summers in Belgrade with her family. She moved to Bozeman in 2015. Haleryn lives with her husband Adam, their kiddos Morgan, Ansel, and Rook, their two dogs Holden and Nayanuki, and their kitten Franny. They also raise bees and care for our class pets.

 In teaching and in life, Haleryn believes chiefly in cultivating curiosity and supporting little ones to become capable, brave, and compassionate members of their world. Haleryn has been passionate about education all her life. She believes in the immense potential and capacity of children and has made it her professional goal to foster independence, joy, and a love of learning in every child under her care.

Lead Teacher

Natalie began working with young children as a tennis coach, where she  taught kids how to hold a racket that was as big as them to bounce a  ball at age 3. She grew up in western New York in a family that  cherished the outdoors and adventuring, and once she moved to Montana,  gained a whole new appreciation for the great nature we are  surrounded by here. 

She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in psychology and global studies. Throughout her studies, she  focused on childhood development and gained experience with young kiddos as an intern in a special education preschool. 

Last year, Natalie taught in Seville, Spain teaching English in preschool and  elementary classrooms. Natalie is excited to help foster a wonder and joy of learning in a play-based setting with such an appreciation for  the natural world.

Lead Teacher

From a young age, Ari was described by caregivers as a “helper” who cared sincerely for others. During her earliest jobs as a ski instructor, saxophone teacher, and nanny, Ari quickly learned to respect children as capable human beings whose curiosities, when fostered, lead to immeasurable abilities. She graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Music Education in 2017. Since then, Ari has assisted children, teens, and adults to discover their unique potential by creating personalized education in a variety of settings.

Prior to joining The Wildflower School, Ari taught elementary music and 5th grade band with the Bozeman School District, designed curriculum and taught teacher education for the Master of Arts in Teaching program at Montana State University, was a staff trainer at Bridger Bowl Snowsports School, taught music in the early childhood classroom at Bozeman Summit School, and volunteered extensively as a mentor and tutor for Big Sky Youth Empowerment. 

Ari lives with her wife Laura, their daughter Eliza, their two dogs Summit and Compass, and their cat Geyser. Originally from San Francisco, but a Bozeman-area resident since 2005, she prefers to be outside gardening, hiking, and skiing in Gallatin Valley’s natural paradise! Ari continues to teach private music lessons and is an active musician in Bozeman’s local venues.

Lead Teacher

Eliana is a sophomore at Montana State University studying early childhood education. She has a

myriad of experience in early childhood education, including working in both Waldorf and

Montessori settings, nannying, teaching guitar lessons, and operating her own childcare business

for several years. Eliana has three younger siblings, and grew up adventuring and moving around

quite a bit – from the east coast to Hawaii and then Colorado. Eliana was homeschooled until she

was 15, which gave her a deep appreciation for non-traditional learning.

Eliana believes that all children deserve to have a magical childhood. She believes in fostering

learning through experience, human relationships, and connection with the natural world. She is

passionate about music, art, and sustainability. It is important to her that every child feels that

they have a place in the world, and that they feel appreciated for their own unique gifts. She is

excited to obtain her degree from MSU, and continue on the beautiful adventure of early

childhood education.

Lead Teacher

Crystal taught preschool for over 30 years, along with working in public  schools as a paraprofessional with life skills and individuals with  disabilities. Her passion for early childhood education shines through  with a warm and engaging approach. She has loved working with young  children and she Is committed to creating a fun, engaging, and supportive learning environment where every child feels encouraged to be who they are and continues to grow all around.
     Crystal has lived in Montana for over 22 years, married with 3 beautiful girls and just recently became a Grammy x2.
She likes to fish, paddle board, hike and be outdoors and hang out with her family. Crystal and her husband have also loved watching their girls play  sports.
Family is very important and they try to gather as much as possible. 

Associate Teacher

Heather is a long-time theatre educator specializing in in children’s theatre. Using her Theatre BA from Southern Oregon University she has spent countless hours

encouraging creativity, exploring emotions and feelings, and fostering cooperative work with children and teens both here in Bozeman but also in Napa, Sonoma County and the location of her alma mater in Ashland, Oregon. She is so excited to share in the joy of play and artistic expression present at The Wildflower School.

In addition to her theater work, she has always had positions in caring for children, whether that be babysitting and nannying, or in health clubs at their daycare centers,

and for the last ten years, at home raising her four children. Heather is the proud and very busy mother of Atticus, Jasper, and twins Mirabelle and Helena. She, her husband,

Travis, their brood of littles, and their elderly cat, Indian Jones, live in Bozeman and spend their days in the whirlwind of childhood and the challenges and joys that brings.

In her snippets of free time, Heather is an avid reader and an actor who does her best to fit in a few productions here and there.

She is thrilled to be a part of The Wildflower School family, as a strong supporter of Montessori, Waldorf, and nature-play based early education. The environment of free self-expression and imagination is not only something that she embraces within her own family’s education but, also, she feels, is a wonderful way to introduce young children to education and a learning environment.