Kyla Ledes (she/her) - Administrative Director

Kyla was raised in the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee. Her backpacking, Pediatrician father instilled in her a love of children and the outdoors. Her foodie, hairdresser mother instilled a love of good food and artistry. She spent much of her adolescence hiking, camping, splashing in creeks, horseback riding, rock-climbing, and exploring. When she wasn’t doing that, she was painting, drawing, building, or eating a good meal with good people.  

Kyla received her BFA in Acting from Belmont University in Nashville and her Master’s of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Southern California here in LA. Since then she’s worn many hats from acting and directing to managing a restaurant to raising her now twelve-year-old son. 

Kyla’s tenure in both theatre and restaurant management showed her the importance of communication and teamwork. Bringing unlikely groups of people together to achieve seemingly unachievable things is one of her greatest joys. She also has an interest in non-profits and underserved communities, which is where her focus is looking forward. 

For fun, Kyla is still the same small-town mountain girl she has always been. She loves to hike, rock-climb, build furniture and pottery, and spend time with her son and their five pets.

Aaron Levy (he/him)- Operations Manager

Aaron is ecstatic to continue working with Northeast LA Forest School. He started out as a frequent sub when the school was in its infancy and continued in that position as the school toddled on and hit the ground running. He was asked to come on as a full time educator during the Covid pandemic and has to say that helping children and families navigate this difficult time has almost made it worthwhile. Almost. He has recently transitioned to Operations Manager, making sure the school runs smoothly day-to-day, and is looking forward to continuing to be a presence in the lives of our students.
Prior to teaching at NELA Forest School, Aaron taught and tutored students at the 52nd Street Project in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York where he helped kids formulate, write and produce their own plays as well as helping with homework and after school activities. He was also a Camp Counselor for many years in the suburbs of Chicago. In his other life he is a writer working in film and TV and was a playwright for many years in New York working with such theaters as the Public, New Group, Ensemble Studio Theatre, the Flea and many others. He holds an undergraduate degree from Columbia College and a Masters Degree from NYU. Husband to Becca, father to Henry and Sylvie Rose and avid outdoor enthusiast of the glorious flora and fauna of Southern California.

Alana Shannon (she/her) - Chickadees/Nest Educator

With over 20 credits of Early Childhood Development and Education from Los Angeles Community College under her belt, LA born-'n-raised Alana Shannon is eager and honored to start the summer teaching at Northeast LA Forest School! After spending her formative years running through the vast overgrowth and untamed forests of her ancestral home of Costa Rica, Alana has earned her love and admiration for the natural world from one of the greenest places on Earth.

Alana thanks an incredible preschool volunteer opportunity in high school that inspired her onto the path to pursue working with young children, never once forgetting how she witnessed firsthand the way children were encouraged to feed their own sense of wonder and learn by exploring. Once she graduated from CLAHS #9 for the Visual and Performing Arts with Honors, Alana went on to continue volunteering at the Fredrickson Family Early Childhood Center, and also spent some time as an after-school theater teacher for kids K-8.

Alana believes children develop and learn from hands-on experiences and meaningful interactions. They learn best when their interests are nurtured and are allowed the freedom to engage in activities that are significant to them. She values imaginative play and exploration, and looks forward to practicing strategies that encourage every child she interacts with to develop into self-confident, flexible, creative, and joyful people.

When Alana isn’t eagerly furthering her Early Childhood Development education to complete her degree, she’s off stretching her theatre kid muscles in games of Dungeons and Dragons with friends, or otherwise tapping into her imagination even more by drawing in her free time.

Sam Salk (she/her)- Chickadees Educator

Sam, also known as Jack's mom, is an artist based in Los Angeles. Originally from Chicago, she has been residing in LA since 2005. Sam's artistic journey began at the University of Illinois Champaign/Urbana, where she studied painting, glass blowing, and art history.

Through her interdisciplinary studies, Sam developed a well-rounded artistic education that nurtured her creativity and expanded her horizons. She embraces the fusion of different mediums, incorporating elements of painting, glass blowing, and art history into her own artistic practice.

Inspired by her passion for art and the opportunity to sub in the NELA classrooms, Sam is excited to bring her artistic talents into the educational setting. She believes in the power of natural surroundings and the limitless imagination of children. By combining these elements, Sam aims to create an environment that fosters creativity and encourages children to explore their artistic potential.

With her diverse skill set and experiences, Sam plans to introduce children to various art forms and techniques. By incorporating the beauty and inspiration of nature, she hopes to ignite their curiosity and help them develop their artistic skills. Sam believes that art education not only cultivates creativity but also promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-expression.

With her dedication and enthusiasm, Sam looks forward to sharing her artistic passions with the next generation and inspiring them to embrace the joy of art and creativity.

Sarah Bachelier (she/her) - Sparrows Educator/Nest Educator

Sarah grew up in beautiful Dutchess County within the Hudson River Valley of New York State.  She grew up on a horse farm surrounded by woods, dogs, and children. Nature has always been her refuge.
Sarah received her BA in 2003 from Sarah Lawrence College where she studied studio art, philosophy, history, and art history.  Then focusing on contemporary art, Sarah received her MA in curatorial studies from Bard College in 2008. Sarah worked as a museum educator in various art institutions in New York State, including Dia Art Foundation, Storm King, and the Hudson Valley Museum of Contemporary Art. Sarah also lived in Paris for several years, where she was born and much of her family still resides, giving tours at the Louvre for families and children. 
After moving to Los Angeles in 2018, Sarah started her Waldorf Teacher training and became a class teacher at Highland Hall Waldorf School in Northridge. There, she taught the same group of children from 1st through 5th grade and gained a vast understanding of child development and how children learn best.  Sarah is an avid camper and naturalist and believes that we can learn and heal from Nature.  It is a dream to be the Lead Teacher for the Sparrows class at NELA Forest School.

Avril Engelhart (she/her)- Sparrows/Nest Educator

Avril’s love of nature began at a young age, growing up in south Florida and going on nature walks with her parents. Living next door to the Everglades she developed an appreciation for less popular ecosystems, like wetlands, swamps and marshes. This passion led her to internships in the environmental field, and eventually a B.S. in Environmental Studies from USC, where she graduated May 2024. When she’s not at forest school you can usually find her climbing a tree, hiking, at the beach, reading, or painting. 

Arielle Bendahan (she/her) - Sparrows/Nest Educator

Arielle joined us in early 2025 after moving to LA from the SF Bay Area where she was working at a food forest and goat farm in the mountains. She lived close to her nibblings, siblings, grandmothers and other family members, mixing four languages into one sentence and three cuisines over one Shabbat table. Her passion working at the intersection of ecology, healing, and social change has taken her across the globe farming & connecting with people across cultural borders. She’s worked with little ones in a Forest School-like way for many years, informed by her practice of Re-Evaluation Counseling, a peer-to-peer emotional release process that helps us become more connected with eachother & our world. Arielle loves to craft, be in community, listen to fantasy audiobooks, and tend her to urban porch garden. 

Kayla Carrington (they/them) - Hawks Educator

Teacher Kayla is an artistic and exploratory outdoor educator who for 8 years has led outdoor youth programs at the University of Washington Arboretum in Seattle. From Forest Preschool, to Family Nature Class, to Arboretum Summer Camp, to elementary school field trips, to private instruction, Kayla watches how children resonate with nature and loves to help further that connection. Their approach is immersive, and leads into topics like Nature art, Insect Shelters, and the Water Cycle with ease. Teacher Kayla is also known as Kayla Carrington, a jazz saxophonist, poet/rapper, and activist with goals to widely nurture environmental action. To learn more, or to connect about private outdoor tutoring, check out www.kaylacarrington.com. Happy Learning!

Kim Puette (she/her) - Hawks Educator

Kim was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio where she grew up hiking in the woods, kayaking on the Cuyahoga River, and spending summers on Lake Erie. Kim is an experienced educator with eight years of teaching across early childhood and high school education. She has always had a passion for working with children and enjoys encouraging their curiosities and interests in hopes that it will lead to happy, confident humans who never stop inquiring about the world.

In 2022, Kim and her husband relocated to Los Angeles for her husband’s job and soon after, welcomed their first child in 2023. Kim has always had a strong connection to nature, but it wasn’t until she became a mother that she was inspired to research and deeper understand the importance of child-led, outdoor play in the early years of childhood. She is thrilled for her son to experience NELA’s Forest School!

Outside of teaching, Kim enjoys gardening, film photography, cooking, hiking with her family, and thrifting vintage clothing and home decor. 

Ian Randolph (he/him) - Nest Educator

Ian Randolph is a devoted teacher who works in creating the best inter/intrapersonal relationships with his students along with the students around them. With nearly 10 years experience (nannying and after school teaching) with helping  children, his top priority is to make sure the students become the best version of themselves by encouraging individuality. As a writer (film and journalism), he’s always been fascinated by people and their stories. When looking at the world and applying that to his teaching, his philosophy on the morality of people isn’t from a good or bad perspective, but a matter of circumstance. In NeLA Forest School, his hopes are to help children shape an environment, much like the world, for the better. 

Garret Brisbane (they/them) - Nest Educator

Hi I’m Garrett. I’m from Folsom, California and moved to LA county in July 2021. I enjoy exploring my Burbank neighborhood by way of urban foraging. I can point you to the nearest citrus trees and lavender bushes. I am elated to teach Spanish to the children of NELA as well as learn from the children how to enjoy my imagination again. Ask me about the pop music industry, the joys of running, El Camino De Santiago (a spiritual pilgrimage across northern Spain), and the LA public transportation lifestyle.