Jessica Rhys :
Born and raised in Wells , Vermont , Jessica attended the Wells Village School , which had a profound impact on her educational perspective . “ It was a very creative curriculum ,” says Rhys . “ We had multi-age classrooms , we went camping and cross-country skiing , and we went on field trips to Boston to learn about the American Revolution . The world was our classroom back then in a different way .”
Rhys believes that the freedom and agency she experienced as a child , spending time in the Vermont wilderness , played a direct role in enhancing her functional resilience and risk-taking capabilities . Rhys continued to explore Vermont ’ s natural landscape throughout her teens and early twenties , participating in activities such as hiking , canoeing , kayaking , and rock climbing . She also worked with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps , building trails throughout Vermont ’ s forests and state parks .
Rhys went on to earn a degree in Environmental Education from Prescott College , which lead to a series of diverse career highlights . She taught in Tegucicalpa , Honduras , and Arizona before teaching at Mayberry Hill Preschool in Casco , Maine . Rhys then worked with Cultivating Community in Portland , Maine , an organization dedicated to growing sustainable food systems through urban agriculture and community farming programs . She designed educational programming and built connections and partnerships with farms and urban gardens , gaining deeper knowledge of sustainable food systems .
After meeting her husband , Tim Rhys , who now owns and operates Wheelwrite Imaginarium ( see page 6 ) in 2007 ; Jessica and Tim moved out to Los Angeles for several years before landing in Portland , Oregon , where she founded the Fiddleheads Urban Forest Preschool . It is still welcoming students today under new management , and it operates with a similar educational structure to Fiddleheads Farm and Forest School in Manchester .
After returning to Maine in the wake of the pandemic , Rhys moved back to Vermont in 2021 . Once settled , her vision for a forest school program took root in the 18th-century farmhouse in the heart of Manchester . “ The space downstairs was already set up , as it had housed The Downtown School years earlier ,” says Rhys . “ It was like the universe was guiding us back to where we belonged .” The Fiddleheads Farm and Forest School opened its doors in September 2021 , and its mission has been furthered by the warm and welcoming reception of the surrounding community . As Rhys continues to build its programming , she is driven forward by the same passion for exploratory learning that compelled her to venture out into the Vermont forest during her earliest years . n
Vermontt ' s Finestt Luuuuuuxuuuuuury Bouuuuuuttiquuuuuue Hottel
20 BespoÁe Rooms & Suuuuuuittes , Award Winning Dining Resttauuuuuurantt Open tto tthe Puuuuuublic
39 Westt Road Manchestter , VT 05254 reluuuuuucttanttpantther . com
( 802 ) 362-2568
manchester life magazine 2024 65