FINCASTLE FARM SCHOOL STAFF

Interested in working with children on a working farm every week? Email Bekah for opportunities at bekah@valleyforestschool.com

ANN CHAPPELL MCALLISTER

Program Coordinator- Fincastle Farm School

Forest Name- Mrs. Salamander

Anne Chappell is a Botetourt native who has lived on a farm in since she was 5 years old. She grew up raising cows, horses, sheep, ducks, and chickens. She has a huge heart for working with children and connecting them to their natural environment- the outdoors. In her free time, she spends her days outdoors hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, kayaking, and fishing. In addition to managing her farm, teaching horseback riding lessons, and instructing for VFS, Ann Chappell is a pediatric nurse.

Contact Anne Chappell: annechappell@valleyforestschool.com

Lily Farris

Lead Instructor- Fincastle

Forest Name- Ms. Cottontail

Lily was born and raised right outside of Nashville, TN and moved to Virginia in 2023. She's worked with kids for the last 8 years as a nanny, has worked at Young LIfe Camp at Rockbridge prior to Valley Forest School, and grew up with horses. She's an avid outdoor lover and cares deeply for those around her. She has been teaching with VFS since 2026. Lily is certified in child/adult CPR and Wilderness First Aid.

ASHLEY WHITSON

Lead Instructor- Fincastle

Forest Name: Mrs. Sunflower

Ashley grew up in Northern Virginia volunteering at 2 nature centers where she educated the public and cared for the animals housed there. She also rehabilitated injured and orphaned wildlife in her home. Ashley attended Virginia Tech and earned a BS in Animal Science and Biology and then went on to obtain a masters in Education at Hollins University.

Ashley has conducted Animal information classes, taught swim lessons and middle school science for a total of 28 years. She has been a resident of Botetourt County since 2009 where she lives in a log cabin with her husband, Sean, 4 kids, 3 dogs, 6 lizards, a snake, a tarantula, numerous chickens & ducks and an apiary full of honey bees.

Ashley enjoys hiking and kayaking, reading, & anything having to do with animals.

Ashley is also trained and certified in Wilderness First Aid.

Kate Chilcott- picture to come

Lead Instructor- Catawba and Fincastle

Forest Name- coming soon

Kate grew up in Fincastle and loves the Botetourt community. After graduating from Lord Botetourt in 2016, she went to Virginia Tech to learn more about people and agriculture. She has taught agriculture and been the FFA advisor at James River High School for the past six years. Kate is a volunteer leaders for Young Life, where she gets to spend time with students. She loves crafting, baking, organizing, and coffee shops. Currently, her current go-tos are embroidering and needlepoint. She enjoys going on walks on the Cherry Blossom Trail with her husband and dog. Kate will begin teaching at VFS in the fall of 2026, and she is certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR.

Richelle Christian

Lead Instructor- Fincastle

Forest Name- Mrs. Bullfrog

Richelle grew up in the Roanoke area hiking, fishing, kayaking, hunting, gardening, and raising chickens and other animals. Ever since she was a small child, she’s had a strong connection to the natural world around us, and prefer the peace and satisfaction that comes from being in nature over being indoors. She currently enjoys raising her own flock of chickens. Growing up, she was taught how to garden and still grows her own every year. In addition to chickens and gardening, she enjoys canning food and makes her own sourdough bread. Richelle is certified in child/adult CPR and Wilderness First Aid.

Maria Fox

Lead Instructor- Fincastle

Forest name- Mrs. Fox

Maria is an experienced Montessori educator with a deep love for hands on, real world learning. She spent several years as a lead Montessori teacher and later served as an Assistant Director in a nonprofit literacy after school program. She helped support children and families through parenting classes, clothes closet, and curriculum planning. In recent years she has helped perate their family home repair business, homeschools her own children, and working their homestead. Maria is certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR.

Em Steggell- photo coming soon

Lead Instructor- Fincastle

Farm Name- coming soon

Em grew up in the snow capped mountains of Utah, and a few years ago moved to VA to live in the Blue Ridge mountains. She has been teaching classes at church, youth groups, nature classes, and homeschool co-ops for the last 20 years. She enjoys paddling a canoe and kayak in her pond, feeding the catfish, and any other outdoor activity- especially if it involves animals! She grew up around horses and has dabbled in gardening- particularly with growing medicinal plants and making herbal remedies. Em is certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR.

HANNAH CLAROS

Lead Instructor- Fincastle

Forest Name- Mrs. Chicory
Hannah has been working with children in a variety of educational settings for 10+ years. She has certifications in K-12 education in the state of VA, adult/child CPR, and Wilderness First Aid. Most of her childhood was spent on the back of a horse, and her love for the great outdoors grew from there. As a home educator of her two children, she enjoys combining her love of animals, foraging, and camping with an experiential based, child-lead educational model. Nothing brings her greater joy than seeing children forge relationships with each other and with nature in an unstructured environment. At Forest and Farm school, you’ll likely find her greeting the day and your student with a cup of chicory coffee in hand!

STACY VAUGHT

Lead Instructor- Fincastle and Catawba

Forest Name- Mrs. Cedar
After completing a Bachelor's degree in elementary education from Roanoke College, Stacy has been fortunate enough to work with children in some capacity for the past 17 years. Beginning her career in a regular classroom setting, Stacy soon became curious about alternative methods of education which led her across the country with her family on a big adventure to Washington state where she discovered her love for forest school. She can't wait to continue being a partner in pondering with children as they connect with the natural world at VFS. In her spare time, Stacy loves hiking, riding her bike, baking, adventuring to new places, reading, and writing children's books.

BEKAH QUIRIN

Executive Director

Forest Name- Mrs. Luna

Bekah started Valley Forest School in 2019 after developing a passion for immersing children of all ages in nature. Bekah has a bachelors degree in Outdoor Leadership from North Greenville University where she spent much of her time studying the psychology of children in the outdoors. Her desire to start a Forest School in America grew stronger after she and her husband spent 6 months thru hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2017 with their 1 year old daughter, Ellie. In 2018 they rode their bikes from Canada to Mexico. Bekah has been a Wilderness First Responder for 6 years. She has 13 years of outdoor guiding experience across the country serving youth to senior adults from the Carolinas, to the coast of Virginia, to the Pacific Northwest states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Bekah has over 1,000 logged days and nights of backcountry travel, and more than 600 of those are with children.

Contact Bekah: bekah@valleyforestschool.com

Katie Priest

Lead Instructor- Fincastle

Forest Name- Miss Possum

Katie grew up on a small farm nestled in the magnificent, rolling hills and hollows of Southwest Virginia's Appalachian mountains. During her childhood, she got to experience the many wonders of rural farm life, from helping baby ducklings hatch to participating in the family garden as soon as she could walk. Having had the privilege to grow up this way created a deep sense of connection and reverence for the land, as well as a feeling of responsibility to be an advocate and steward of it. She feels it is her calling in life to help bring a piece of this incredible way of growing up to the newest generation of children, who need it more than ever. Katie is certified in child/adult CPR and Wilderness First Aid.