Founders and Facilitators
Kelly Seacrest (she/her): is an artist and educator. Kelly received her K-12 art education degree from UNL and went on to teach for seven years in a number of different schools and settings.
Peter Stegen (he/him): is a photographer and videographer. Having received his degree in Fisheries & Wildlife from UNL, Peter also works for the multimedia story telling endeavor, Platte Basin Timelapse project.
History
After researching unconventional education for a few years, Kelly and Peter traveled around the country to visit these spaces and places in person, with a particular focus on democratic and self directed learning spaces. Together they created the documentary Wild Learning that inspired both the summer camp and learning space.
The name Wild Learning was inspired by the book Wild Children by Dr. Layla AbdelRahim and the song Wild Child written by a student at the Village Free School, which you can hear at the end of the documentary.
The Council
Mar’Lakuittia Overstreet (she/her) is currently an Instructional Coordinator at North Star Highschool. Mar’Lakuittia got her Bachelors from Doane and her Master’s in Secondary Administration from Concordia University. Before joining North Star, she worked at Lincoln High School and Culler Middle School. During this time she was the PBIS Liason, coached various sports, served on the MTSS-B Committee and sponsored various clubs. Mar'Lakuittia takes pride in being involved in her community with the NAACP Youth Council, I Ask. I Act, YWCA, YMCA and Bethel Bibleway Church.
Toby Burnham (he/him) is a Research Specialist at the Center on Children, Families, and the Law. Toby holds an MS degree in natural resource sciences with a specialization in human dimensions. Prior experience includes research on urban forestry, biophilic design, evaluation of Nebraska’s Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project, data management on Nebraska’s Dollar & Energy Saving Loans Program, and working with OutNebraska to help LGBTQ people experiencing homelessness in Nebraska visible to policy makers, service providers, and other stakeholders.
Susan Hertzler (she/her) is a semi-retired educator of 38 years who has taught at the elementary, middle, high and collegiate levels. Susan received both her Bachelors in Education (1985) and Masters in Curriculum and Instruction (1999) from University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Susan is a life-long Lincoln resident.
SaRena Freet (she/her) currently is a bartender at The Hot Mess. She is also a co-facilitator of mutual aid projects, political education and community spaces. SaRena graduated from UNL with a Women’s and Gender Studies degree.
Tony Baumert (he/him) is an ecologist/environmental scientist and having split his career between academia and consulting. Previously, Tony focused on ecologist research specializing in questions regarding biodiversity. He currently serves as an environmental industry expert at Olsson focused on guiding large infrastructure projects through the environmental regulatory process. Originally from Lincoln, Tony spent approximately 20 years living throughout the United States and abroad before somehow wandering back home. Most of his spare time is spent chasing after two children (10 and 12) and a fixing a house.
The Ombudspeople
In order to practice our values and beliefs, we all need community and help. We know we won’t always get it right, and that conflict is inevitable. Our commitment towards freedom must equal our commitment to being responsible. We center conflict resolution practices every single day, and is the only mandatory requirement to be part of this community. With this in mind, we have created the position of Ombudspeople to help and guide us through conflict. Our current Ombudspeople are…
Diane Amdor (she/her) currently is working at Nebraska Appleseed as a Staff Attorney in the Economic Justice program. Prior to joining Nebraska Appleseed, Diane served as the Director of Restorative Practices at The Resolution Center and as Legal Counsel to the Nebraska Legislature’s Judiciary Committee. Diane has a wide range of education, experience and training regarding conflict resolution and restorative justice practices.
Wild Learning is a 501(c)(3) non profit, formed in October of 2020. Founded by Kelly Seacrest and Peter Stegen, our mission is to facilitate a Self Directed Democratic Educational learning space.
If you have any questions or want to see the space please don’t hesitate to reach out.