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, to our 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 highlight their leadership as we offer children cultural context for the skills, knowledge, and stories we share.
HANNAH ROBITAILLE.
“MISS HANNAH”. SHE/HER.
CO-LEAD TEACHER, CO- OWNER
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 think, 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 LYDIA.
“TEACHER SKY”. THEY/THEM.
CO-LEAD TEACHER, CO-OWNER
As I look back over my life, I find deep gratitude for the outdoor spaces and community I had throughout my childhood- impactful gifts that shaped much of who I am today! My fondest memories were my schools annual Lanterne Nacht, evenings spent climbing my backyard willow trees, and practicing magic with the fairies.
As I grew, so did my curiosity toward human-land connection and the desire to offer safe spaces to every child in the world. My roots picked themselves up after twenty years in Milwaukee and set out with a one-way ticket to Missoula, where I felt the mountains calling me. I am home having found my way to Mountain Song School. I am honored to be a safe harbor to your little ones, and look forward to empowering their unique journeys through this big, beautiful world.
I’ve settled into my role as Teacher Sky over the last decade through varying teaching positions, preschool management, nanny shares, an independent LLC, as well as certifications in early childhood education, Reiki, and somatic healing. I’ve found myself drawn back to teaching holistically, outside of traditional schooling and systems. One where we can be outside and offer children remembrance of their connection to this world through magic, love, inclusivity, and community care. Children are each their own energetic being, deserving of acceptance. I hope to uplift your children through intentional care of our nervous systems and emotional needs to brave this world with their authentic light.
Outside of school time, I am often singing, crafting, rearranging my home or connecting with the land. I am a pet-parent to four, recently engaged to my wonderful partner. We enjoy hiking, day drives, hosting game nights, DIY projects, and playing music together. I am incredibly passionate about life-long learning, loving and leaving every space we enter more full of kindness than how we found it.