Outdoor School Staff

Teacher Naturalist Mike is a Penn State grad and retired Philadelphia science teacher who has worked with us in many capacities for over 30 years. Mike’s hobbies are camping, traveling, running, and terrible puns. His wife encourages him to run long distances… that way she cannot hear his jokes.

Mike would like folks to know: 

“I once actually had hair. They refer to me as Old Man Mike at College Settlement Camp, since I am the oldest person on Camp. I was a science teacher in an elementary school in Philadelphia for thirty five years. I brought groups of children to College Settlement Camp for the three-day overnight trip for 21 years. Since I retired in June of 2009, I have been working at College Settlement Camp as a teacher naturalist during the fall and spring. During the summer I am the farm educator and spend a good part of my day taking campers on hay rides. One of the things that never gets old is watching a child catch a fish for the first time.”

Zoë is from the Chesapeake area and has a bachelor's in Biology. Zoë also has worked with many conservation projects and has done restorative controlled burns to keep the Chesapeake wild lands healthy (Zoë is great at starting our campfires)!

From Zoë: “I love to learn, create art in any way shape or form, hike with Carlos (my puppy), and stare at the clouds. I’m extremely passionate about our planet and it’s tiny little processes, especially pollinators and their relationship to just about everything we ever come in contact with. I also like to wear funky hats. But most importantly, showing gratitude to this amazing place we call home, EARTH living my life as a steward of the land."

 Jessie is originally from Allentown, PA and has spent the last ten years working as an environmental educator in Minneapolis / Saint Paul, MN. Jessie graduated from Kutztown University in 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in General Psychology and knew she wanted to work outdoors. She joined AmeriCorps: Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa and headed to the Midwest. She gained many skills including chain sawing, tree identification, and how to properly dress for winter. She later took a job working at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in Saint Paul, MN where she was able to teach thousands of visitors all about plants, animals and conservation. She even got to hold a sloth as part of her job! She is now back in PA ready to get back to nature! When not working Jessie enjoys going on photo walks, looking for secondhand treasures, trying new restaurants, cooking, and visiting the ocean.

 Jacob is a local Philadelphian and alongside their time at Camp, works as a human rights organizer across the state and country, educating and leading arts & cultural work. Jacob cultivated those passions here at Camp, teaching students songs and encouraging curiosities about the natural world. 

Jacob wants folks to know: “I think that the key parts of the program here at College Settlement–cultivating a love of the outdoors, a fascination for nature and learning, respect for our self and others–and that fun has a real, fundamental value and makes education richer are why I can’t ever stray far from Camp! No matter how brief anyone’s time here may be, I really think this place makes an impact on people. Even if that impact is just getting a song about moose buried in their subconscious for years to come.” 

 Justice is from the Horsham area and grew up going to College Settlement. On top of spending 11 years attending the camp, Justice also attended Outdoor School herself. Once Justice got the chance to work at Outdoor School she knew that there was nothing she’d rather do then provide the opportunity to connect with the great outdoors with students. Along with working at the Outdoor School Justice is going for her degree in journalism and public relations.