Our Team
Ms. Bianca
Founder and K-3 Teacher
Bianca is the founder and director of Hidden Valley Forest School, which she established in 2022 out of a deep belief that children learn best when immersed in nature, with ample opportunities for authentic play and exploration. What began as a preschool program eventually pivoted to focus solely on the Kindergarten through Third grade levels.
As both a school leader and classroom teacher, Bianca is committed to building meaningful connections with each student. She sees every child as a unique individual who enriches the community through their distinct interests, talents, and observations. Known for her energy and warmth, Bianca loves playing active games with students and strongly believes in the importance of movement throughout the day.
At HVFS, she thoughtfully blends outdoor learning with indoor classroom experiences, creating a balanced and engaging environment where children can thrive. An avid reader and lifelong learner, Bianca is constantly exploring child development and researching learning environments that protect and nurture a child's natural curiosity and love of learning.
Bianca holds a Master’s degree in Foreign Policy from Georgetown University and is a certified Forest School Teacher (Levels 1, 2, and 3) through the Forest School Teacher Institute. She is also CPR/First Aid certified. As she begins the fourth year of HVFS, she’s especially excited to teach alongside Mr. Kyle—an experienced educator and longtime friend who shares her values and vision for nature-based elementary education.
Bianca is also thrilled to begin her Master’s in Elementary Education in January of 2026 through the American College of Education. She looks forward to gaining directly applicable knowledge that will further strengthen HVFS’s K–3 programming and enhance the learning experiences she provides each day.
Mr. Kyle
Curriculum Developer and K-3 Teacher
With a background in outdoor education and a degree in Elementary Education, Kyle is excited to be joining HVFS!
His passion for teaching started in college, where he spent 6 months teaching outdoor education to students whose ages ranged from second grade up to adults. Along the way, Kyle gained experience as an outdoor teacher at Charlottesville accredited elementary nature school, where he taught math to Kindergarten through Fourth grade. He has also taught in traditional classroom settings ranging from Second through Fifth grades. These experiences provided valuable insights to creating exciting and dynamic lessons. He is excited to share this knowledge with the HVFS community.
Kyle values the relationships he builds with students; he believes it is the foundation to a successful learning environment. He enjoys finding creative ways to incorporate students' interests into lessons. You will always hear Kyle cracking jokes with a big smile on his face. His favorite color is orange!
When he is not teaching, you’ll find Kyle Rock Climbing in the Blue Ridge Mountains, playing Dungeons and Dragons or going out for a run!
Ms. Priya
Substitute Teacher
Ms. Priya is an HVFS parent and mother of three who loves being outdoors. She embraces a whole-child approach to education and loves to see kids thrive in small groups and nontraditional environments. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Virginia and experience teaching and tutoring students of various ages. Her time at Teachstone, a Charlottessville-based education company, deepened her understanding of child development and how meaningful teacher-student interactions truly fuel learning.
Ms. Priya loves to explore—whether on long walks, short hikes, small trips, or big international adventures. As such, she is naturally drawn to forest school for its emphasis on discovery and connection with the natural world. In her spare time, she also enjoys reading, writing, cooking, and dabbling in art and music.
Ms. Kelsey
Art Teacher
Kelsey is passionate about weaving mental health support into an early-childhood setting through intentional art exploration. She works at a couple of other local schools, bringing “Open Studio” to as many Crozet kiddos as she can! Kelsey holds a Masters in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Art Therapy from Naropa University. She has worked as an Art Therapist at Girls Athletic Leadership School in Denver, Colorado, facilitated groups for pregnancy and postpartum, used art as a healing resource with women and children survivors of sex trafficking in Cambodia, and spent many years teaching process-based art at Tinker Art Studio in Boulder, CO.
Kelsey integrates process art, creative play, and intuitive learning into our Open Studio art time. Students dig into their creativity, work on social relationships with their classmates, and challenge themselves through new materials. Creating art has been proven to increase self confidence, autonomy, strengthen attunement with one’s emotions and needs, and encourage self exploration and expression. In Open Studio, we lean into that intuitive creative space and watch as kids learn and grow more deeply into themselves.
Some of Kelsey’s favorite things to do include creating art with any and all types of materials, perfecting her chocolate chip cookie recipe, and bringing as much color and life as she can into the purple house that she shares with her handyman/techie husband, three spirited daughters, and an array of cats, chickens, and other critters.