Farm to School
My dream for the farm and it’s future has always been a place for nurturing, celebration and growth. With our first summer camp under our belts and the surprise life change that 2020 held for us all, we looked to permanent school on farm. When I was introduced to Kaiti, the director of Bloomsbury Farm School, we instantly agreed on two things, how we source our food and how children are being taught in classrooms. Personally, I never was one that took to traditional classroom teaching. I thrived in a Montessori program, choosing your own pace without the pressure to conform with 30 other student’s pace was so my style. Starting our program happened so naturally, Kaiti came to us from the Pacific Northwest, our classes filled up quickly. This farm school was meant to be, the easiest business decision I have ever made.
The future of Bloomsbury Forest School looks like, creative workshops and field trips for other independent schools and programs, an ever growing weekly school program and even further educating educators. I hope people leave here with knowledge and grow with us as we build a healthy education system. I have been inspired by the children and know that we will forever stamp a special place in their hearts and leave them with a good feeling when it comes to school!
- Lauren Palmer
THE VISION
‘To provide children a safe space to grow, develop imagination and explore the natural beauty of the farm and forest. We support and encourage curiosity, creativity, community and the joy of cultivation.’
Our Staff
Kaiti Dewhirst
director of education
Kaiti has worked for years with children and adults alike as a teacher, adventure guide, and fellow learner in outdoor and creative spaces. In that time, she has had the immense gift of learning from students that the most meaningful learning is holistic, steeped in curiosity and creativity, supported by space to freely explore, and place-based in local ecology. One of the things she loves most about outdoor learning is that it is entirely experiential. She takes great joy in supporting learners as they care for the irreplaceable gift of the natural world, and the irreplaceable gift of one another.
Growing up caring for farm animals and exploring in mossy and mountainous Washington state cultivated a lifelong love of learning outdoors and later motivated her to obtain a Bachelor's in Environmental Education from Western Washington University. She loves to backpack and hike, create with music and visual arts, and spend quality time with her husband, their friends, and their pups Murphy and Arlo.
Ana Paola Criollo-Herrera
Lead Educator
Miss Ana's journey began in Veracruz, Mexico 25 years ago. At the age of 5 she immigrated to the U.S. and began a lifelong journey of learning and growing, eventually leading her to graduate from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in Spanish and Sociology. Creating authentic connections through adventure is one her passions and that is exactly what Bloomsbury allows her to do. These adventures have ranged from getting to conquer her fear of frogs to teaching Spanish through storytelling. Thus far her adventures at Bloomsbury have taught her that learning has no limits!
Her biggest hobbies are traveling and rock climbing! Traveling allows her to explore and learn through different cultures and other people’s perspectives. She will book a plane ticket at the drop of a hat. No solid plan is needed, just a backpack, transportation, and the natural spontaneity that life brings. Rock climbing has been a recent hobby in the last year. It has taught her to trust her body physically and mentally. Every climbing session brings a unique adrenaline rush that she would not trade for anything in this world…except maybe a plane ticket.
Millie Tracy
Creative Learning Specialist
Millie came to Bloomsbury Farm School with an incredible background in music education. With a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Teaching Certificate from Lipscomb University, performance experience as the principal cellist of an orchestra, and years of sharing her love of music with children, we were so thrilled when she said yes to joining the team. Miss Millie fills our days with story and song and has a beautiful way of making every child feel supported, challenged, seen, and heard. We love all the tunes she has us singing and the whole body ways we learn through music alongside her. She and Miss Tess are a dynamic duo - planning enrichment that is fun, engaging, and educational all at once.
When not teaching at Bloomsbury Farm School, Miss Millie can be found spending time with her husband Dalton and their pup, taking care of their chickens, teaching piano lessons, and road tripping cross country.
We love her adventurous spirit and all the ways we learn from her!
Tess Kelly
Enrichment Specialist
Tess came to us by way of Austin, TX…and really everywhere else in the world!
Not only does Tess have experience as a Pre-school teacher with an outdoor focus, she has been a nanny and an au pair internationally. Her experience and warm presence instantly puts students of all ages at ease and she has an incredible talent for keeping the class environment positive and laughter-filled.
With a passion for ecology and environmental science, Tess brings us into places of wonder and learning and shares her love of nature easily and readily. We love the fresh ideas and intentionality that she brings to Bloomsbury Farm School and we are so grateful to have her on board our teaching team!
When Tess isn’t teaching, you can find her reading (over 100 books a year!), traveling, spending time with friends, or learning something new.
Dani Monroe
Lead Pod Teacher (2-4th grade)
Dani came to us all the way from central Washington State and brings incredible experience and depth to our programs here. With a background tutoring children with learning differences, Dani applied her knowledge and passion by starting and running her own small preschool in 2020. With additional experience studying elementary education at Biola University and Central Washington University, she came to join us here.
It is evident to everyone who meets Dani that she cares deeply about the success of her students, and we love and appreciate the care she takes to curate lessons that both support and challenge their learning process.
Dani teaches the 2-4 graders in our Homeschool Pod alongside Miss Ana and Miss Tess and we are so grateful to have her!
When she is not teaching, you can find Dani reading, going on walks with her sweet golden retriever Della, and spending time with her family and friends.
Maggie Sanders
Little Sprouts lead
Miss Maggie brings delight and intentionality to every class here at Bloomsbury Farm School. With years of experience as a caregiver for young ones, and an after school teacher at Turnip Green (one of our favorite non-profits to support!), we are so fortunate to be recipients of her gentle and wise approach to meeting children of all ages exactly where they are.
Maggie leads our Little Sprouts classes in wonder-filled discovery in the mornings and seamlessly joins the elementary-aged enrichment classes in the afternoon. She is a champion of curiosity, mindfulness, and learning and we are so pleased to have her on staff here!
When she's not at Bloomsbury Farm School, Maggie can be found caring for students at a local university campus, studying to achieve her degree in special and elementary education, asking questions about trees, and spending quality time with her family, friends, and their babies.
Lauren Palmer
Farmer & Owner
Lauren built Bloomsbury Farm from the ground up and started by selling her organic vegetables and sprouts at area farmers markets. Since those early days in 2009, the farm has expanded, producing a wide array of fresh vegetables, fruits, sprouts, and herbs for the markets, local businesses, and wholesalers in and around Nashville and the greater region.
Lauren has a bachelor’s in social work and a master’s in management. Combing her education with a life-long desire to cultivate and provide the highest-quality organic produce and to educate her community about the land and the importance of the food we eat
‘To be able to walk to work every morning and raise my baby girl with the same love for the earth my parents instilled in me is a true gift.
We are all blooming where we have been planted.’
