A NOTE FROM THE WILD HEARTS CHARTER FLEX STAFF:
MS. R O E K M I N I
Director
Hello! My name is Ms. Roekmini. I started Wild Hearts Adventure Co. and I am the director. I spend a lot of time making sure the guides have what they need and that everything runs smoothly in our program. I also started a similar learning community in San Diego years ago and it is still running strong. I love helping kids learn how to get along, sort out their differences, and make agreements. I also love helping with creative projects. I have been homeschooling for over 16 years. I have 5 kids and two of them are in the program. Three of my kids are already in college or have graduated from college. My daughter Matiana (Mati) is 13 and my son Rafael (Rafi) is 8. They are both really creative and have lots of ingenious ideas.
Some of my favorite things include mountain lions, frogs, arts and crafts, the colors blue and green, and running this learning community!
I can’t wait to see you all!
C A R A
Assistant Director
Hello, wonderful Wild Hearts kiddos! My name is Ms. Cara, but the “Ms.” has always felt too formal to me, so most of the kids just call me Cara! I am the Assistant Director of Wild Hearts so I don’t usually lead many classes, but you will still see me around a lot. For those of you that need to do work samples, I will usually be the one to help you with that. I am always happy to help if you need anything, or if you just want to come say hi! I like to joke around a lot, and I also really love to see all the super awesome projects and cool ideas that you guys come up with.
I have been homeschooling for almost 13 years. I have 4 kids and three of them are in the program. You might see my 9-year-old twins Sam and Lulu, or my 13-year-old Morgan in some of your classes. And you will probably see my husband, Rob, too since he is one of the guides!
Some of my favorite things include sloths, Super Mario Bros., the color green, my dogs (I have 5!), Dr. Pepper, and Disneyland!
I can’t wait to see you all on the first day of class!
M S . K A R E N
Charter Flex Site Coordinator
Greetings Wild Hearts Learners! My name is Ms. Karen, and I am one of your studio guides. I am from Sequoia National Forest and have lots of stories of bears breaking into my cabin, wildfires, and once I saw an epic meteor, low in the atmosphere, racing right over my head as it was bursting apart! I love to lead classes in nature and science (we will even be starting our own natural collection and preserving our own specimens this year!) and since I am an artist and poet, I love to offer those things too, to anyone who has an interest. I am someone who loves “outside of the box ideas,” and I always try to make sure that each person knows they are respected and valued. So, if you are nervous, quiet, shy, loud, unsure, excited, or anywhere in between, you are in the right place!
I have been homeschooling for 12 years and have worked many times guiding projects with groups of kids over the years. I am an adventurer, and totally believe in growth mindset: if we make mistakes and have failures, we get right back up and try again with the new knowledge we gained! When kids fall down and scrape up their knee, or their project did not blow up like it was supposed to, I tend to say “Hey, this means you’re living life… You’ve GOT this!”
I have one daughter named Evie who is a senior in high school this year, and she rocks! Up in the mountains (where I live part of the time now) I have two little doggies named Tia and Topanga, one cat named Meowface, and 7 golden hens (I call them all “Starlight” because I cannot tell them apart!) I love art, music, hiking, writing, and everything rocks and crystals. I am so excited for the new year, and to meet all our new friends!
M S . C A L L I E
Studio Guide
Greetings Wild Hearts friends! My name is Callie Ramirez. You can call me Ms. Callie. I have three kids, Julian who is eight, Isaac seven, and Evelyn who is three. Julian and Isaac attend Wild Hearts. I enjoy using my creativity to make cool things. I also enjoy all the things that can be done outside. Five fun facts about me: (1) I was born and raised in Porterville, California, (2) I know how to pan for gold in the rivers, (3) I have two sisters, (4) I enjoy music from the ’80s, (5) I do not enjoy shopping. I love learning and I am excited for the adventures that this year will bring us.
M S . S H E R I
Assistant Studio Guide
Hello Learners!
M R . R O B
Studio Guide
ARE YOU READY KIDS?!
(I CAN’T HEARRRRR YOU!)
HI! I’m Mr. Rob, and I’ll be one of your guides at Wild Hearts! I’m a pretty simple guy, I like making new things out of old things, fixing things, being in nature, and learning any new skills that I can. My favorite thing to do is woodworking, so there will be a lot of that, and nature walks too. My favorite colors are black, red, and silver, especially when they’re put together on something cool like a fast car or cool Lego build. My favorite animals are dogs, crows, and the cutest animal in the world is the baby marmoset! My favorite foods are crab legs and tacos, but I’ve never tried crab leg tacos and I think that’s something I should do soon!
I want to learn all of your favorites and what you like to do too! I’m looking forward to guiding you in fun projects with woodworking, leather, metal (I’ll be bringing my forge in during the cool weather parts of the year!), and any other cool stuff we can get our hands on. I’m Ms. Cara’s husband and Morgan, Sam, and Lulu are my kids. Oh and I love Pokemon too, so if anyone plays the card game we can get a Wild Hearts League going!
See you soon!
Mr. Rob
M S . T H U
Studio Guide
Welcome everyone to Wild Hearts! My name is Ms. Thu (pronounced like the number two) and I will be the studio guide for the Tk-2nd grade group on Mondays and Wednesdays. I have been homeschooling for over 10 years. I have three children ages 16, 11 and 8. My daughter Elisha is completing her last year of high school at ERCLC. My two sons, Enoch and Hezekiah, will be attending Wild Hearts this year. I enjoy learning with my children on projects they are passionate about and discovering my own passions.
Through homeschooling my children, I have also learned to homeschool myself. I discovered my passion for fiber arts when I was helping my daughter do research on natural fibers, dyeing yarn and backstrap weaving. That was over six years ago and my daughter has since moved on but I have kept my interest in weaving.
I am excited to be able to offer sewing and weaving classes this semester. I hope you will come with many interesting project ideas and the willingness to explore new things. I look forward to meeting you and sharing this year’s journey at Wild Hearts!
M S . K A T T I E
Studio Guide
Hello new friends! My name is Miss Kattie, aka Hunter’s mom or Cora’s mom. I answer to all 3!
I’m a total extrovert and very excited to be joining Wild Hearts as a new Studio Guide this year! My base camp will be the big kids and I’m looking forward to challenging your hearts and minds with new adventures, thought provoking discussions, and enjoyable experiences in learning, and I hope you will do the same for me because I, too, am still growing and learning.
Some of my favorite things, besides being a mom, are:
Music, I LOVE to sing and play my Ukulele. I also sing Tenor (that’s the really high notes!) in a women’s barbershop quartet.
Homesteading, I love raising my own food, from growing a garden, milking a cow, planting an orchard, to raising my own meat animals. It’s such a blessing to be apart of the process that brings food to my table.
Sewing, I enjoy making things like quilts or clothing and a couple years ago I even started my own company that I run from home.