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 dogs, Cowboy and 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 has been 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 training at Salt Lake’s very first Forest School before starting Grateful Gatherings alongside her best friend and business partner, Brittany. She is dedicated to grow the vision of teaching kids that nature is our most powerful (and magical) teacher.

Mackenzy has taken on the role of School Director since Brittany’s move to Oregon earlier this year and is enjoying training, working alongside and getting to know our incredible teachers, and starting new outdoor programs under the Grateful Gathering name. She got married this Summer and is expecting her first baby (a boy) in February!

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 and began teaching at a Montessori Forest School. Looking to continue in community service and gain outdoor skills, Brittany moved west and joined the Utah & Washington Conservation Corps, where she built trails, worked in 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 Utah’s first Forest School and they eventually built Grateful Gatherings together.

She spends most of her time outside with her dog Copper, gardening, wildcrafting, practicing yoga, and singing and growing her new business, Walker’s Wild Goods. Brittany believes the outdoors are essential for empowering children; unfolding their individuality, exploring freedom, finding joy, and building life skills.

Brittany has since moved to Oregon to start a farm and family with her husband and beloved pets, but continues to stay with Grateful Gatherings as Co-creator and admin help.

Certified in Cedarsong Way Forest School Foundations Training

Megan grew up in the Midwest where she spent her summers camping with her family and exploring the local prairies. She went to school in Iowa where she studied education and French. During this time, she built a deep connection to nature from working on farms in Togo and France to working at summer camps, connecting kids to nature. Even though she is grateful her Midwest roots, she knew she needed more adventure and a different scenery, so she moved to SLC in 2019 for love and a teaching job.

Megan feels most connected to herself and nature when in the desert. She also fell in love with backpacking after moving west and has hiked long distance trails such as the Tahoe Rim Trail and Oregon Coast Trail. When not exploring, Megan finds solace in gardening, birding, and identifying wildflowers in her own backyard, and . After being a public school teacher for 3 years, she left this traditional job to purse her metalsmithing business, Crooked Trails Silver, and to teach in a way that feels more authentic and natural to her. She is excited to be apart of the GGFS team this summer and to foster positive relationships with children in nature and promote healthy play!

Certified in Cedarsong Way Forest School Foundations Training

Maria Saldutti grew up in Connecticut and was raised among the northeast forests and beaches. After earning a B.A. in Psychology with a focus in Child Development, as well as a B.A. in Health and Medicine, Maria decided to further her teaching career in Colorado.

As she deepened her love for teaching out west, she expanded her philosophies about wholesome child development and explored her connection to the outdoors. She is an experienced researcher in social psychology as well as an early childhood educator. A true creative thinker at heart, her goal is to use her open mindedness and leadership skills to guide children as they navigate a critical stage of growth.

Maria enjoys being active outdoors, whether it be hiking, skiing, surfing, or backpacking. You can also find her strumming a guitar or cooking. She is passionate about the natural world being a limitless environment where children can excel, and is eager to provide a nurturing environment that grants young minds the ability to explore and grow.

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.