Jessie was born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia. At 18 years old, she left the East Coast for the first time to attend Brigham Young University, where she received a B.S. in Early Childhood Education. She later obtained licensure in Early Childhood Special Education from Utah State University. Jessie is passionate about the importance of a child’s earliest years of life and finds joy in nurturing wonder and empowering families to embrace the opportunities of this unique window of childhood. She has had the privilege of teaching in a variety of settings, including early intervention preschool, Head Start, homeschool co-ops, Tinkergarten, Sports Academy Preschool in Logan, Utah, various English language learning programs, and (most importantly) at home with her 3 boys (ages 11, 8, and 6). On a typical day, you can find Jessie out adventuring with her 3 sons. Some of their favorite excursions include hiking, swimming, and exploring nature. They also love to visit museums and search for great books at the library to read together. After living in Peru for 1 ½ years and developing a deep love for its people, language, and culture, Jessie hopes to one day return to adventure there with her boys. Jessie loves children’s literature and storytelling, enjoys musical theater, delights in baking and trying new (mostly vegetarian) recipes, and values sharing the simple beauties that each season of the year brings with her family (although she struggles to fully embrace winter!). Jessie was first introduced to Waldorf education while living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and was immediately drawn to it. She incorporated some of its guiding principles into her home and personal philosophy, and dreamed of one day having the opportunity to embrace it more fully. She is thrilled to be a part of the Mountain Sunrise Academy family and to help educate the heads, hearts, and hands of its incredible students.

jessie.clement@mountainsunriseacademy.org