Welcome to
Grateful Gathering
Forest School

Mackenzy grew up at the mouth of American Fork Canyon and has spent her life exploring the Wasatch Mountain Range. It was there she gained her passion for nature, wildlife, a sense of independence, purpose and play.

Mackenzy enjoys her time most when she is outside! Climbing, running, fishing, hiking, camping, gardening and adventuring with her husband Tyler, son Kemper and dog Luna. She has a long history in art and enjoys woodburning and creating with her other business, The Burnt Coyote.

She spent her 20’s dedicated to a career in conservation and was determined to find a way to incorporate those skills in a beneficial way for the future of our planet. She is gifted in Psychology, Mental and Emotional Health and has been certified in Emotional Process Therapy since 2017. Mackenzy received her Forest School training and experience here in Utah in 2020 before starting Grateful Gatherings alongside her best friend and business partner, Brittany in 2021. Since then she has been dedicated to grow the vision of teaching kids that nature is our most powerful (and magical) teacher.

Mackenzy is the Program Director and Nestlings Teacher at Grateful Gatherings. She is enjoying training, working alongside and getting to know our incredible teachers, and starting new outdoor programs, building our offerings at Grateful Gatherings.

Certified in Cedarsong Way Forest School Foundations Training

Brittany Walker was raised in Virginia, spending her early years adventuring in Appalachia. In 2015 she earned a B.S. in Human Development from Virginia Tech with a minor in Sociology and Creating Sustainable Social Change.

Looking to learn gain outdoor skills, life lessons, and serve communities, Brittany moved west and joined the DNR and Utah & Washington Conservation Corps. Over the years she she built trails, worked in habitat restoration, responded to natural disasters around the U.S., and served as a Wildland Firefighter.

Ready to rededicate herself to teaching, Brittany serendipitously met Mackenzy while receiving her training at a Utah based Forest School and together they built Grateful Gatherings.

Brittany spends most of her time outside with her family and pets, gardening, foraging, and growing her business, Walker’s Wild Goods.

Brittany is currently our operations and business administrator. She moved to Oregon in 2024 to start a farm and family.

Certified in Cedarsong Way Forest School Foundations Training

Megan Oliver was raised in Wisconsin where her first love for nature came through bird watching and roaming the prairies with a camera. She graduated in 2019 from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa with a B.A. in Elementary Education and French. Shortly after graduating, she moved to Salt Lake City to start her career as a teacher and to be close to the mountains. 

She taught 5th grade for 3 years, and while this experience formed her into the educator she is today, she craved a different style of teaching. In 2023, she decided to leave the public school system to work at Grateful Gathering Forest School and to also grow her own jewelry business, Crooked Trails Silver.

In her free time, you will find Megan hiking local trails, taking desert road trips, observing birds in her backyard, reading, and creating art whether that’s in the form of metal or painting. 

While taking a little break from GGFS last year to pursue other dreams, Megan is excited to be back as the new Co-Owner and Teacher Lead. She will also continue to teach Metalsmithing at Salt Lake Community College and run her business when not working at GGFS.

She is excited to help GGFS grow into the next chapter and to connect closely with families and kids in nature. She loves seeing how kids become confident and independent in the outdoors while also regulating their emotions.

Leianna grew up in the Texas Hill Country, spending summers in the water and fall exploring nearby state parks. Her dad, who still spends much of his time outdoors, taught her to track animals, read the land, and appreciate the quiet rhythms of the wilderness.

During her college years by the coast, Leianna earned her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, spending as much time as possible at the beach. These experiences deepened her understanding of the body and movement, and showed her how time in nature can nourish the mind, body, and spirit.

Influenced by the women in her family, Leianna also carries a love of gardening and herbalism, learning early on how the natural world can support wellbeing and growth. She is also a certified yoga teacher and enjoys weaving mindfulness, movement, and presence into her work and life. 

Leianna enjoys creating space for children to explore, play, and develop their own connection with the outdoors, fostering curiosity, confidence, and a sense of wonder. In her free time, she enjoys moving through the world like an artisan - practicing yoga, tending her garden and plants, crafting and painting, writing, and soaking up the sunshine. 

Dara Greenwald was raised in Maryland, outside of Washington DC. She spent her childhood summers going to a summer camp in the mountains of Pennsylvania and fell in love with nature. She went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she studied mathematics, psychology, and sustainable food and farming.

After graduating, she spent a few years working seasonal jobs all over the country where she discovered her love for working outdoors and working with young children. She spent the summer working at the Teton Science Schools in Jackson, where she had the opportunity to teach visiting students and local children about geology in the National Park. She chose to continue her journey in outdoor education at Grateful Gathering Forest School.

In her free time, Dara enjoys exploring nature, hiking, and crafting. She is excited to learn more about outdoor play based learning, to get to be apart of GGFS teaching team, and to help the students foster positive relationships with themselves, each other, and nature. She is inspired every day by the developing mind of children and can’t wait to see the growth of every student throughout the school year.

Certified in Cedarsong Way Forest School Foundations Training

Selah Boggs is from Nebraska, where she spent much of her childhood outside. Whether that was camping, hiking, paddle boarding, or just using her imagination in the backyard, the outdoors was always where she found peace and fulfillment. Although it was hard to leave behind those she loved and the Midwest charm, her life felt stagnant and she moved to Salt Lake City in 2023 to explore more of the outdoors and to find a calling in life. 

She is currently finishing up her last semester at the University of Utah, where she will earn a B.S. in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism. Her emphasis in Outdoor Recreation Studies has given her an appreciation for the restorative benefits of nature, and the importance of letting kids have outdoor experiences where they can get into a state of flow, gain confidence through risk-taking and play, as well as learn environmental stewardship. 

In her free time, Selah can often be found reading, collaging, discovering new music, going on long walks, paddleboarding, snowshoeing, or playing video games. She also spends a lot of time taking care of her plants, her cat, and loving the awesome people in her life. 

Since starting at Grateful Gathering, Selah has appreciated learning about language, facilitating personal growth and teamwork, as well as providing space for experimentation. She loves getting to know the kids more and more each day, and are excited to continue developing trust, care, and silliness in those relationships.

Certified in Cedarsong Way Forest School Foundations Training

Madelyn grew up on the coast in Virginia, spending her childhood outdoors near the ocean and visiting the mountains often with her family.  After earning her Bachelor's of Social Work with a minor in Family Systems from James Madison University in 2022, she spent the summer working in Zion National Park and fell in love with Utah's stunning landscapes, wildlife, and opportunities to explore. Madelyn then headed back east where she got married to her husband, Matthew, and began her teaching career at Appalachian Forest School, in the George Washington National Forest. Earlier this summer, they packed up their car for a cross-country road trip to make Salt Lake City their new home. 

Madelyn believes that children who spend time outdoors grow up to be adults who strive to be good stewards of the Earth and desire to protect it for the next generations. In her work with forest schools, she has observed the ways in which a child can grow in creativity, ability to take safe risks, emotional regulation, and communication with peers and adults through spending time in nature. 

In her free time, Madelyn can be found hiking, practicing yoga, trying out new coffee shops, and running! She also has her own photography business, and enjoys capturing the beauty of the world and those within it from behind her camera. Madelyn is excited to be joining the GGFS team and guiding students as they cultivate a sense of wonder and whimsy through outdoor play.