Chelsea Hummon

I was drawn here in 2009 by the diverse wildlife, farms, and North Manitou Island. I started out living in my tent in a maple and beech forest atop a moraine at the Eco Learning Center farm. I moved here after a year of community organizing work with organic farmers across the United States. I was ready to get my hands in the dirt! I began volunteering at other CSA farms, harvesting, planting, learning from, washing, and cooking vegetables. I still have a deep connection with the organic farmers in the region and a great respect for their work in our community. Early in my time here I connected with the Human Nature School. My mentors there deepened my understanding that outdoor education could be a way to build deep nature connections and rebuild culture, drawing on the anthropological work of Jon Young and his teachers on in-tact cultures around the world. This built upon my love of the natural world, and my Outdoor Education degree from Central Michigan University and solidified my teaching philosophy.

Since then, I have started after-school programs with SEEDS, taught aboard a schooner with Inland Seas, supported teachers through the Grand Traverse Stewardship Initiative, and most recently taught at the Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy. In my personal life, I enjoy skiing, cooking, exploring the forests, playing board games, and gardening with my kids. Now I get to teach here, at the Greenspire High School. I hope to develop a nature connection program that builds upon the great work of the Greenspire Middle School and to provide a good physical education and health foundation for the students of GHS.