A senior from Addis Ababa Ethiopia at the Piney Woods School is passionate about the environment, an interest reflected in his projects since his freshman year. Natnael is active in the PWS  community and dedicated to service. Representative of the senior class for SGA and a talented soccer player, Natnael is a leader of the Piney Woods School.

A senior at the Piney Woods School, from Addis Ababa Ethiopia. Biology and healthcare are two of her greatest interests. Throughout four years, she participated in a variety of activities. Member of the Legacies of Grace organizations, National Honor Society, SGA secretary, Hawinet is a role model for younger students.

A junior from Ann Arbor – Ypsilanti area of Michigan. She considered her experience at Piney Woods so far a true test in discipline and commitment to not only herself.  but her academics as well She is an SGA representative for the junior class and a member of Cultivating Pathways Sustainability/ Racial Justice Dialogue team.

Tayla Henson was born in Jackson Ms and raised in Walnut Grove Ms. She loves animals and the outdoor life. She also loves meeting new people and working with others to help with improvements to the ecosystem and to others’ lives in the future. She is currently attending The Piney Woods School and is in her junior year. She is class president and a growing and hopefully inspiring leader.

Piney Woods science instructor Cristina Nica is passionate about chemistry and environmental science. Her classes reflect that passion with innovative project-based activities that inspire students in a living/learning environment that that reimagines the surrounding forests, nature trails, and lakes as spaces to experience and explore. It is literally a “classroom without walls” where students’ hands are doing much more than holding a pencil or taking notes. They are digging, testing, building, and revealing. She encourages collaboration and heterogeneous grouping to meet rigorous grade-level expectations based on peer support and feedback. Dr. Nica holds Ph.D. and master’s degrees in environmental science. She sponsors the Go Green Nados Club which she founded with the mission to reduce the ecological footprint of the Piney Woods campus. She sponsors and coaches the Math and Science Competition team and serves as facilitator for the Cultivating Pathways to Sustainability and Racial Justice Dialogue Teams (a program that connects educators and students in Vermont, Mississippi, and Nepal through a range of sustainability projects designed to empower them to discover their voices and experience agency in their own lives). She is also active in The Piney Woods School’s demonstration farm efforts to promote sustainable farming methods. Dr. Nica is proud to serve as sponsor/facilitator for the Brown University/Piney Woods School Research Team, fostering active student learning in a framework designed to track and enhance the environmental quality of the community.

Leslie Jacobs serves as Work Program Coordinator at The Piney Woods School. She has worked in Public Health for ten years with a focus on Infectious Disease. She has dedicated her work to educating the African American community in living healthy lives by making better choices, preserving our environment, and empowering our minds.