COMMUNITY
Mountain Song School is the effort of a whole community. There are many people and families to thank for bringing this endeavor to life and a basketful of lessons to work with. From parents who believed in the vision even when it was blurred, the O’Briens’ hard work and dedication, to my families’ steadfast support. The future of Mountain Song will be bright for its strong foundation.
We live and teach in the aboriginal territories of the Salish (Séliš), Kootenai (Ksanka), and Kalispel (Ql̓ispé) people. At Mountain Song we honor the path they have always shown us in caring for this place, continuing to respect their leadership in the generations to come.
HANNAH ROBITAILLE.
“MISS HANNAH”. SHE/HER.
CO-LEAD TEACHER, FOUNDER
Growing up between this mountain valley and the windy coast of Northern California embedded in me awe for our earth in all its glory. Sometimes as adults we lose this sense of wonder, but it lives so freely in children. What a gift they offer us! They are my constant reminder to slow down and remember why we are here. No matter the path they will choose to follow, we must prepare them to walk it with confidence, goodness, and grace.
In college at the U of M I found Environmental Studies and sustainable agriculture, which enriched the way I want to live in reciprocity with the people and world around me. I spent my young adulthood as a nanny, camp counselor, farmer, and teaching assistant, learning from an expansive range of family values, cultural perspectives, and educational approaches. After years of bouncing around my partner and I have chosen to be back home in Montana with our three dogs and a lot of family around! We love backpacking in the summers, cross country skiing with friends in the winters. In my solitude I love fiber arts, reading fairy tales, a walk in the woods with my dogs, sitting by the creek to write, or having solo dance parties!
As a Waldorf trained teacher, I value my role as a life-long learner and seek to continuously expand my understanding of child development so that I may meet them with compassion. Mountain Song seeks to join a global community of Waldorf education with mentorship from many cultural perspectives and ways-of-knowing. Because Waldorf schools operate independently to meet the needs of their specific communities, there is no one way to be a Waldorf school, just as there is no one way to be a human being.
SKYLAR CRANFIELD.
“TEACHER SKY”. THEY/THEM.
CO-LEAD TEACHER
I bought a one way ticket to Montana four years ago, where the mountains and a slower lifestyle called to me. Raised in the Midwest, I found pockets of solitude in nature, and remember clinging to them dearly throughout my childhood, feeling most at ease in the embrace of Mother Earth. Entering my tenth year now as a preschool teacher, I find myself coming back to that version of young Skylar from years ago, and feeling endless gratitude for how often my career path has allowed my inner child a space to feel free! Looking back over my life, I can see the way the universe beautifully guided my journey, leading me to the gift that is Mountain Song School. Words can’t express how blessed I feel by Hannah and the O’Brien family for greeting me so warmly into their space. I believe the community of Mountain Song will have far more to teach me than I could ever teach your children.
My intention as a teacher is to provide a safe space for your child to simply be. No matter how they show up each day, children are meant to rest in our love, and know they are heard, accepted and needed just as they are. Waldorf education and outdoor schooling make up the most magical combination for a childhood to be free, and filled with unconditional love and inner growth. I embody a more holistic approach to my teaching, where I combine my training of early childhood education with Reiki, breathwork and mindfulness to curate an atmosphere that is inclusive of every child and every need.
Outside of my role as ‘Teacher Sky’ I am often exploring the outdoors with my partner, or at home snuggling my four fur babies! I love to sing and dance, as well as journal, read and practice yoga in my free time.
THE O’BRIEN FAMILY. “TRIED AND TRUE FARMS”.
STEWARDS.
Tried & True Farms was born in 2017, the same year as our first son. Three months before he would arrive, we purchased and completely flipped a little home in Oregon. This was the small beginning of the family dream to someday own a farm. After our second son was born, we started a big backyard “farm” with crops, chickens, ducks and rabbits, and began to teach our little ones the simple truths of cultivating the earth.
In 2020 we took an opportunity to move to Missoula where we purchased our second fixer upper- a little 1939 farm house that was in need of much repair. It was the original homestead built with lumber from the Missoula Mercantile. With a deep desire to keep alive the beautiful things from the past, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. We are hopeful and expectant to see how Tried & True Farms will continue to grow.
Kyle is a self-taught home renovator, lover of plants and animals, and exemplifies the spirit of “the simple life.” Bekah is a massage therapist, healer, and lover of design, space and beauty. Our children, Gunnison, Waylon and Lena are our daily reminders of creation in its most pure and perfect form. Whether we are growing children, restoring homes, raising animals, or healing people, we seek to approach all things with creativity rooted in wisdom, Tried and True.
We feel so blessed to be home to Mountain Song School, with its creative approach to the rooted traditions of Waldorf education. We hope that you and your little ones feel right at home here on our farm.
- Kyle, Bekah, Gunnison, Waylon, & Lena O'Brien