Youth Program Instructors
“If a child is to keep alive their inborn sense of wonder…they need the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with them the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.”
Ramzy Berbawy — Lead Instructor for School-year and Summer Youth Programs
Ramzy’s naturalist journey began stargazing on a football field, sparking a deep passion for the outdoors. He’s since worked on small farms across the Olympic Peninsula and Methow Valley, where he deepened his connection to the land. Ramzy has completed the Wildlife Tracking Intensive with the Wilderness Awareness School and is currently continuing his studies through CedarRoot’s Wildlife Tracking Immersion.
Ramzy is now in his fourth year as a youth nature studies instructor with CedarRoot and is also involved in adult programming. This year, he will co-lead CedarRoot’s new multi-month Wilderness Skills Immersion, sharing his extensive knowledge and mastery with those eager to dive deeper into learning these ancient and essential practices. His hands-on approach and passion for nature inspire his students, equipping them with practical skills and a lasting connection to the wild world around them.
Scott Brinton — Lead Instructor for School-year Youth Programs
Scott has over two decades of nature education experience. He has mentored hundreds of students in practical wilderness skills and nature awareness. He co-founded the Riekes Nature Studies Department in California, has taught Environmental Science for Peninsula College, and taught Islandwood’s graduate students in the Natural History and Ecology program. Most recently, Scott founded CedarRoot to help continue natural history and rural skills education.
He is passionate about applying ecological lessons discovered in nature to areas of regenerative design, sustainable development and agroecology. Education: B.A. in Agriculture and Alternative Energy, The Evergreen State College; M.A. in Natural History and Education, Prescott College. Certifications: Current Wilderness First Responder and Level 3 Track and Sign certificate, trackercertification.com.
Summer Sondey — Lead Summer Camp Instructor
Summer was born and raised in the farmlands and forests of Southeast Michigan where the magic of a childhood immersed in the natural world gave her a deep passion and commitment for life lived close to the earth. After graduating from 14 years spent at the Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor, she took the leap far away from her home and found herself landed and in love with the Northwest. Alderleaf Wilderness College was a great introduction to the diverse ecosystems of this area and after completing their year long wilderness immersion course, Summer chose the Olympic Peninsula and began to set roots.
Cora Brinton — Port Townsend Afternoon Adventures and Summer Camp Assistant Instructor
Cora has attended CedarRoot camps since she was even shorter than she is now, and she especially enjoys summer camps. She loves cooking over fires, playing games and hanging out with friends (human and equine)!
Chloe Lampert — Summer Camp Assistant Instructor
Chloe has been a part of the CedarRoot community for over a decade, evolving from student to instructor! She is honored to have worked with local naturalists and organizations including the North Olympic Salmon Coalition, Jefferson Land Trust, and Youth Environmental Stewards. She is a certified level 3 CyberTracker.
Chloe goes to school at Pitzer College in Southern California, where she studies Environmental Science and Indigenous Studies, engages in social activism, gardens, and basks in the sun. She spends her summers home, foraging for woodland trinkets and wild food, confessing secrets to slugs, chasing the tides, rolling in mud puddles, and dancing under the stars. Chloe expresses her creativity through a variety of arts, crafts, and media. Whatever she can get her paws on!
She is grateful for the profound impact CedarRoot School made in her upbringing & worldview. She believes in fostering love, curiosity, and reciprocity as mechanisms to bridge the cultural divide between “nature” and “human”.
Finn Curran — Summer Camp Assistant Instructor
Finn began attending CedarRoot programs in 2016. He enjoys being outside, reading, playing soccer, and backpacking in the Olympic Mountains. He is also an accomplished sketch artist. Finn is starting eighth grade at Sunfield Waldorf school, and this is his first year as an assistant instructor with CedarRoot. He is thirteen years old.
Orlanda McRae-Clark — Summer Camp Assistant Instructor
Orlanda is 14 and going into ninth grade at OCEAN. She loves spending time outside in nature, sailing, and cooking. Dancing is also something that brings her immense joy. She has been dancing with Ling Hui for nine years and performs annually with her dance companions. She moved to the Northwest in 2015 from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and fell in love with the forest and the animals. This will be her second year being an assistant instructor with CedarRoot.
Kepler Edmundson — Summer Camp Assistant Instructor
Kepler is entering the Sophomore class at Port Townsend High School. He has been in cahoots with CedarRoot School since he was six years old and has avidly assisted CedarRoot camps since 2021. When he is not assisting CedarRoot camps, he can usually be found running on some wooded trail or taking photos around town.
All of our Staff are trained in wilderness first aid AND advanced Nature Mentoring Techniques
All of our youth program staff have much more than basic CPR and first aid training. In recognition of safety being our highest priority we have sent all of our youth instructors to a 20 hour wilderness first aid and cpr class through the Wilderness Medicine Institute.
CedarRoot selects youth staff members with a high level of educational background. Several times each year we augment their teaching experience with staff trainings and enrichments. These opportunities ensure that we provide the best opportunity for children to deepen their relationships with the natural world, each other and themselves.