Tegan Wong-Daugherty – Managing Director of the KAN Centre
Tegan is a mother of four children. She helped found the centre in 2008 along with other mothers & grandparents who shared a vision for a rural community learning hub. Tegan has a Bachelors of Environmental Science from the University of Guelph, an Early Childhood Educator certificate from the North American Montessori Centre and has completed her 4 year part-time professional teaching course with Enki Education. In addition to a deep commitment to children, Tegan has a love for the land, the trees and for growing things. She is also a song-writer, organic farm inspector, certified early childhood educator, project manager, gardener and seed-saver. Tegan’s desire is to contribute to a society that honours gentleness, families, and working with the land and all beings.
Nicole Thibodeau
Nicole was raised in the area. She completed her undergraduate studies at St. Thomas University. Holding various positions in sales, tourism and business management Nicole has had the opportunity to live and work from coast to coast in Canada. A mother of two daughters, she and her partner live on a developing homestead where they work together raising their daughters, caring for their animals and owning a construction company. Nicole has been a part of the KAN community since 2015, and joined the Board of Directors in 2018.
Lillian Warne
Lillian is a Registered Massage Therapist and a retired nurse. She has experience as a Board member at the local, provincial and national levels with both the nursing and therapist associations. Over the years, Lil has volunteered in her community as a Girl Guide leader and with community and political organizations. Lil feels that people, especially children, have been removed from nature and their role in it, so schools like KAN are essential for exposing children to nature and nurturing their curiosity about the world around them. Seeing pictures of the children taking part in learning unique skills outdoors makes Lil optimistic for the future. She feels this is the way education should be for everyone.
Bobbi Gascoigne
Bobbi was born and raised here in New Brunswick. She is the eldest of six children. Her family was poor so she learned very early the importance of being as self-sustaining as possible. She is now married with two children, three grandchildren and four step-grandchildren (all grandchildren as far as she is concerned). She and her husband grow a large garden and put away safely grown food for the winter. She makes jams and jellies from wild fruit and pickles from their garden produce. She bakes her own bread and all the family goodies. Bobbi has a deep love of children and shares her wealth of knowledge with any who want to partake. She believes all children need the opportunity to learn of the bountiful knowledge nature can provide through hands on experiences with our eco-system. This is what Bobbi loves about the KAN school and she applauds those who inspire children to learn while being able to have fun and get dirty doing it. Bobbi considers it a privilege to be a part of the KAN organization.
Becky Hodgson
Growing up in small-town Northwestern Ontario, Becky had the good fortune of being surrounded by vast wilderness. With the Boreal and the Great Lake/St. Lawrence forest regions merging at her doorstep, she was able to explore nature freely. As a child, camping, canoe trips, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, boating, downhill skiing, climbing trees, building tree forts, spending days at the lake and riding her bike were the days she lived for.
As an adolescent, Becky pursued her love of the outdoors through a variety of outdoor natural resources summer jobs. From spending summers canoeing and working in the woods as an Ontario Ranger, Interior Canoe Ranger, and Research Technician, to planting trees and fighting forest fires, outside is where she’s spent the majority of her time! She took this love of the land to post-secondary education, where she earned a Forest Technician diploma, an bachelor of Environmental Studies degree (with a major in Forest Conservation, and a minor in Geography) and an bachelor of Education degree with a focus on outdoor experiential and environmental education. Becky has worked with children in various capacities for nearly three decades, and became an Ontario Certified Teacher (OCT) in 2008. In 2016, Becky participated in the CNAC Forest & Nature School Practitioners’ course and in 2021 became a certified Forest Therapy Guide. Becky has completed all ENKI foundational courses and is excited to begin the ENKI Teacher Training.
Becoming a mother of three little forest pixies, has only cemented the concept in her mind; that the land and education go hand in hand. As an adult, Becky has developed a deep respect and appreciation for the resilience of Indigenous cultures and traditions around the world, and works everyday to learn all that she can. She strongly believes in the re-wilding of the young and young-at-heart, and truly believes Mother Nature to be the best teacher.
Lacey Park
Lacey Park is an off-grid homesteader, acupuncture student, and advocate for sustainable living and alternative education. A mother of four, she moved to New Brunswick in 2018 in search of a simpler, family centred lifestyle. As an alumni parent, former parent-teacher, and longtime volunteer, she has been deeply involved in the Knowlesville school and its nature-based, child-led approach to learning. Lacey is passionate about holistic wellness and hands on, experiential education that allows children and families to thrive outside of conventional systems. With experience in entrepreneurship and a love for creative and self-sufficient living, she is excited to support the school’s mission and future growth as a board member
