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Hope Guardenier (she/her/hers) Founding Director / Camp Wizard Hope founded The Farm Education Collaborative in 2008 with 2 fellow moms and educators. Since 2009 she has been gardening and farming with campers, including her own sons, at the Farm and Garden Camp at Hampshire College. Hope is also the Executive Director of School Sprouts Educational Gardens and has been instrumental in designing and implementing over 15 teaching gardens throughout the Pioneer Valley. She works to realize a vision of outdoor classrooms that allow for hands-on learning and meaningful work. Hope has a M.S. in Environmental Science from Antioch University and additional experience in curriculum development, program coordination, and over two decades of teaching in the outdoors. She is passionate about connecting youth of all ages to their food and bringing learning to life. She and her family live and garden in Belchertown. |
Leigh Witzling (they/them)
Camp Director
Leigh is a dancer, psychotherapist, and somatic practitioner who is excited by the ways that play, movement, and curiosity can serve as tools for connection and tackling tough questions. An introvert by nature but joyful lover of community, Leigh sways between silliness and sincerity and hopes that both the quietest and most outgoing of campers might be able to relate to them. Leigh arrives at Farm & Garden Camp with eight years of experience working in education, but it is their experience as a young camper and camp counselor that gives them a deep appreciation for the unique container camp provides for spontaneous expression, building self-confidence, and developing a relationship with the natural world.
Camp Director
Leigh is a dancer, psychotherapist, and somatic practitioner who is excited by the ways that play, movement, and curiosity can serve as tools for connection and tackling tough questions. An introvert by nature but joyful lover of community, Leigh sways between silliness and sincerity and hopes that both the quietest and most outgoing of campers might be able to relate to them. Leigh arrives at Farm & Garden Camp with eight years of experience working in education, but it is their experience as a young camper and camp counselor that gives them a deep appreciation for the unique container camp provides for spontaneous expression, building self-confidence, and developing a relationship with the natural world.
Roisin Kirby (she/her & they/them)
Assistant Director
Roisin joined Farm and Garden Camp in 2021. She has worked as an instructor for children and youth of all ages. From needle felting to goat walks and making pizzas to barn dances, Roisin enjoys leading campers in all sorts of hands-on, outdoor learning experiences. Her interest in food systems led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Food and Farming from UMass Amherst. During her undergraduate studies, she developed an interest in agricultural and outdoor education. She has led food and outdoor based workshops for folks of all ages but especially loves teaching to children and youth. Roisin not only sees herself as a teacher but also a student, looking to learn from everyone she meets. She is currently attending UMass Amherst for graduate school, studying Sustainability and Social Justice Education. Roisin loves hiking and her cat, Sushi. She is originally from Boston and has been living in Western Mass since 2018. She hopes to have a small farm of her own some day.
Assistant Director
Roisin joined Farm and Garden Camp in 2021. She has worked as an instructor for children and youth of all ages. From needle felting to goat walks and making pizzas to barn dances, Roisin enjoys leading campers in all sorts of hands-on, outdoor learning experiences. Her interest in food systems led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Food and Farming from UMass Amherst. During her undergraduate studies, she developed an interest in agricultural and outdoor education. She has led food and outdoor based workshops for folks of all ages but especially loves teaching to children and youth. Roisin not only sees herself as a teacher but also a student, looking to learn from everyone she meets. She is currently attending UMass Amherst for graduate school, studying Sustainability and Social Justice Education. Roisin loves hiking and her cat, Sushi. She is originally from Boston and has been living in Western Mass since 2018. She hopes to have a small farm of her own some day.