Our Teachers

Daniela Currie-Gutierrez was born in Mexico City and raised in Puerto Rico and New Hampshire. She studied Art Education at the University of New Hampshire. At UNH, Daniela was very involved in student life as a Resident Assistant and with the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. She also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, traveling to Oklahoma and Atlanta during spring breaks to work on houses.

After college, Daniela’s commitment to community and service continued to develop; she worked at the New Outlook Teen Center in Exeter, NH, through the Americorps*VISTA program. Then it was off to Latin America for 18 months of backpacking and volunteering. She made her way from Chile to Mexico, hopping on and off buses, boats, and the occasional horse.

Upon returning to the States, she began teaching at Sparhawk High School, where she worked for 13 years. She loved sharing her passion for art, community, and travel with the students; whether in the classroom guiding the students in various art projects, creating international cultural travel experiences, or connecting with the students at lunch, it was all driven by the value of community.

The past two years have allowed Daniela the opportunity of quality time with her tiny human while connecting more with nature. Heartwood’s child development mission being interconnected to equality and justice while immersed in nature speaks to her. The community is a dream come true for her as a parent and a teacher. She is thrilled to be spending purposeful time with nature – with both her tiny human and the Heartwood community. Daniela is delighted that they will all have the opportunity to learn, explore, and spend time together on a beautiful adventure.

Growing up on Plum Island, Hana developed a deep connection with the Earth and a profound respect for nature. She feels honored to help cultivate the same connection for other children. Most recently, she spent 7 years at a local preschool, but she has worked with children all her life.

Hana holds a Bachelor’s in Art from Endicott College and is near completion of her Child Development Associate degree from Northern Essex. She is a lover of horses and photography and brings her bright smile and special way with children to the fore as the Preschool Teacher at Heartwood.

Christine is a gardener and wildflower enthusiast, who loves sharing her knowledge while learning from like-minded plant lovers. As caretaker at Camp Kent Nature Center in Amesbury, she directs a summer camp as well as an after-school hiking club for children in elementary and middle school.

After years of working in a variety of preschool programs and summer camps, she has continued to fall in love with teaching year after year. Hands-on, play-based environments are where she thrives the most as a teacher. Christine is constantly amazed at what both teachers and students gain in nature-based, emergent early childhood learning settings.

She holds an Associate degree in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor's in Environmental Science. Through her travels in northern Vermont, the Berkshires, Southeast Alaska, and Southwest Montana, she realized her need to come back to beautiful New England. Christine loves sharing her passions in observing nature, creating open-ended art, and growing whatever she can get her hands on.

You can usually find her in the Butterfly Garden at Camp Kent Nature Center, or roller-skating the rail trails around town. She is delighted to help connect children and families to nature in a supportive and loving community like Heartwood.

Jess comes to Heartwood after time spent raising her own children—an 8-year-old daughter and two 5 ½-year-old twins. In her free time, you’ll most likely find Jess reading—she loves poetry and young adult fiction, and makes a point of reading works by women and people of color especially.

You might also find her drinking coffee with a friend, or dabbling in a carousel of interests—native gardening, visible mending, and bread baking among them. She is a proud nerd who loves to laugh and is happiest in the forest or by the ocean. She grew up hugging trees as a child, and is delighted to get back to her roots (she also appreciates a good pun).

Sarah is in her second year of teaching with us after we discovered her incredible way with children. She moonlights as the best baker in all of the North Shore and if you are lucky enough to know of her roadside bakestand, then you are just lucky! She is a caretaker in all forms and has a great way of knowing just what people need. Sarah serves as assistant teacher in the Tanagers and Ovenbirds classrooms and also serves as a guide for our Nature Club program. 

Lindsey is an LICSW, counselor, and mindfulness/self-compassion coach. She brings an incredible breadth of knowledge to her work at Heartwood as a guide for our Wild Little Women program and as a substitute teacher.

She has worked as a wilderness therapist, a stay-at-home mother, a Peace Corps volunteer, an advocate for women and children affected by trauma, in private practice, and as a school counselor. She is an avid outdoor adventurer, enjoys hiking, camping, exploring, and time with her dog and family. She can also be found with her nose stuck in a book.