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
Studio Guide
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 . M E L A N I E
Studio Guide
Hello, WildHearts community! My name is Miss Melanie, better known as “Miss Mel” to the past, and some present, kiddos. I am a Studio Guide at Selma on Mondays and Fridays, and for Visalia on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I also do community outreach, and plan field trips for the program. I’m high energy, so oftentimes you will see me playing sports with the kids, inventing new relay races, or developing new rules for games to make them more challenging. I’m also known for helping kids develop and run their own classes for their peers!
I have 2 kids, a son Pason who is special needs and is in high school, and a daughter Adaley who you will see in some of your classes. I have been homeschooling her for about 4 and half years. I believe it takes a village to raise a child, and the world is our school. I also have a Chocolate Lab named Tevee.
Some of my favorite past times are fitness, health, nutrition, adventures, and reading. My favorite color is purple, and this year my focus was to try new things. The kids love to hold me accountable for this.
I’m excited to see all of you on the first day of class!
M S . A L I S I A
Studio Guide
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 . E L E N A
Assistant Studio Guide
Hello WildHearts Kids, my name is Ms. Elena. I began my WildHearts journey last school year, and am excited for the year to start.
I have a blended family, I have been married for 16 years to my husband Michael and I have one daughter named Katelynn who has graduated already and is beginning her life. I am also a foster parent. Currently I have two foster daughters. Rosalinda is 17 and is a senior in high school at VTEC. I also have a new foster daughter named Jasmine who goes to Sequoia High School. She is 17 as well and hopes to graduate early next year. I have one dog named Arlo, who is a cocker spaniel, and 3 cats. My hairless cat, Shya, just had 6 kittens!
Some of my favorite pastimes are cleaning, sports (particularly softball and volleyball), and my favorite color is purple. Family is also very important to me. Every Sunday we all meet for family time. My extended famiIy consists of 3 sisters, 1 brother, and 9 nieces and nephews.
I am excited to meet everyone and can’t wait for the year to begin!