MARK MCMILLAN

mark@manzanitaschool.org

Mark acts as a Naturalist for 4th grade and the High School, facilitates Kindergarten and 1st grade Nature Connection, teaches the Music Specialist Class, is a cross-grade Stewardship Mentor, and Moxie Block Mentor. He believes that how children are brought up is the key to healing the disconnect between humans and the living earth ecosystems, and strongly believes in the possibility of reforming the way we do schooling as a society. He has worked with youth in many diverse settings before joining Manzanita. He feels fulfilled by helping create the educational environment for young people that he never had, quelling feelings of disempowerment and his experience of curiosity being squelched because of the structure and expectations of the system he knew. It has been a dream of Mark’s to help create a space where young people feel inspired to follow their curiosity and can feel good about who they are becoming. It is fulfilling to him to help foster a love and connection to the earth along their journey and help spread an embodied understanding of their inseparable identity with the land they live on. Some of his favorite moments on campus are when he encounters something unexpected while leading a class on Hawk Day, as it causes the group to join their focus together in awe and they experience the earth together in a way that can only be understood in a hands-on, in-the-moment kind of way. Outside school hours, Mark enjoys creating music of all varieties, whether it be acoustic or DJing, and loves dancing along with a group to feel the synchronicity of collective expression and joy. As a self-described “bird nerd”, it fills him up to go out and observe birds with others or alone and recently began leading bird-watching walks for the public.

Educational Background: Mark holds Bachelor’s Degrees in both Spanish and Business after double majoring. He holds certifications in substitute teaching and is a Level Three certified Tracker.

Joined: 2021 (Year Eight)