Sue pasó su primer tiempo prolongado en Monteverde en 2016, como voluntaria en la biblioteca del Centro de Educación CREATIVA Cloud Forest School, mientras sus hijas asistían al séptimo y al undécimo grado.
Más tarde ese año se mudó a Monteverde de forma permanente y enseñó humanidades en la escuela secundaria en Monteverde Friends School (MFS). Después de un año de enseñanza, fue contratada como directora de la escuela de MFS en 2017. Antes de eso, la Rev. Sue (como la llamaban cariñosamente después de convertirse en ministra unitaria universalista ordenada) sirvió como pastora en iglesias en Maine durante 20 años.
También ha organizado campañas políticas para la atención médica como un derecho humano, el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo y el cambio climático, ha enseñado en universidades y ha formado parte de muchas juntas comunitarias.
Tiene dos maestrías, una en Educación de Adultos y otra en Divinidad, es ABD en un programa de Doctorado en Servicios Humanos Multidisciplinarios.
Sue ha trabajado en administración de educación superior y navegó tres veces en el Programa Semester at Sea.
Tiene dos hijas: Grace y Ellie (ambas graduadas de MFS) y está casada con Ulises Salazar Leiton.
Le encanta leer, jugar al billar, caminar, las aguas termales y otras actividades al aire libre.

My name is Arleny González Rodríguez, I am from Monteverde and I am the
mother of a fourteen-year-old girl.
Passionate about teaching, I came to CEC in 2011 as a Special Education teacher,
a year later I started teaching Spanish and Social Studies. Eleven years have
passed and I feel very honored to work at the Creative School. I completed my
high school studies at the C.T.P.S.E, in Monteverde. I took my training in education
at the Universidad Metropolitana Castro Carazo and I am currently getting a
master's degree in Educational Administration.
Teaching has always been a great motivation in my life and I strive every day to
support and make learning a pleasant experience for students.

Hello! My name is María, I was born in Puntarenas. I have lived in Monteverde for 9 years and I think I will always stay in this beautiful place. I am a teacher of Spanish as a second language. I am so happy to work at the CEC. I have six years of experience as an ELA teacher and have worked in some other institutions in Monteverde as a teacher. I am currently studying Basic General Education at the university. I love spending time with my students, going out to the forest and discovering new animals or going to learn in the nature that surrounds us. I really enjoy teaching my students and seeing how they acquired new knowledge and skills in the Spanish language. In my spare time I like to bike and play with my dogs, and I really love spending quality time with my family.

My full name is Sarah Burbank Hills. I’ve spent half of my life in the USA and the other half living here in Monteverde. At University, I studied Sociology and Spanish and when I had my third child I earned my Master’s Degree in Education and TESOL level 5. I am ecstatic to return as part of the staff at the Cloud Forest School. The school is the reason I first came here in ‘99 and it remains one of the principle reasons I have stayed for so many years. I’m extremely excited to see two of my three children return to the Cloud Forest School after this last school year spent in a pandemic, locked up to study in the house. And after 8 years of teaching children ESL online, it will be a great privilege to now be able to share with students and colleagues, whether in the classroom, a field, a trail, a dance floor, my Lecheria, or painting, walking, cooking, listening to music, making bread or swimming in a river or the sea.

My name is Hellen Soto Segura, I am a native of this community of Santa Elena de Monteverde, I attended primary and secondary school at the School and College of Santa Elena de Monteverde. I am married and we have a 9 year old daughter. I have worked at the Creative School for almost 8 years, before the pandemic, and I am very happy to return and continue again, in this school and beautiful family that is the CEC. My work is in administrative functions and in the finance area, I am an accessible, friendly person and I hope to collaborate with the institution because I love my job and dealing with the families of the community, I thank God very much, first for our reopening of the School and the opportunity to collaborate in such a prestigious institution as the Creative School. Thank you very much.

My name is Cinthya Brenes Araya. I’m someone who always wants to work and to help out. I’m honest, friendly and responsible. I like to go out with my family in my free time and I am very happy to work for the Cloud Forest School community.

My name is Dalverto Carranza Montero and I am the security guard at the CEC. I have four children and two little granddaughters and I have lived in Monteverde for 15 years. I am originally from San Rafael de Abangares. I completed my high school education in San Ramón de Alajuela. I worked for many years in the coffee growers cooperatives in Tilarán (Coopetila y Coopeldós) as a forest promoter and technician in coffee cultivation. I also worked in ICE in Tilarán as a security guard and as a taxi driver in Monteverde.
I love God, nature, the countryside and cultivating and processing coffee.

I am passionate about teaching and making a positive difference in the lives of my students. I love to spark joy and nurture curiosity. My goal is to foster an environment in my classroom where students feel valued and supported, and develop a love for learning

My name is Adriana Corrales García, I am 39 years old. I live in Monteverde.
I am currently studying to be a preschool assistant.
My personal and professional goal is to finish my studies and enrich my knowledge.
I am a sociable, cheerful and supportive person. In my free time I like to spend time with my family and friends, I like to see new places and spend time outdoors.

My name is Cristina Castro Leitón and I have been working at this school for 19 years. I love my job and this beautiful mountain where Cloud Forest School CREATIVE Education Center is located.
My husband’s name is Lot and we have been married for 30 years. We have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. My oldest grandson’s name is Nicolas and he studies at CREATIVA in first grade. My 3 children graduated from CREATIVE Education Center Cloud Forest School and love this place as I do. My oldest son works in Singapore as a Music and Drama teacher. I enjoy walking in the forest, listening to music, reading and going to the beach.

My name is Hillary Cruz, I’m from Monteverde and I studied at the CEC all my life until I graduated. I am very happy to be able to work in my beloved school, since I have great affection for it having spent many years here, and also because the campus is beautiful, it is a large forest with classrooms, where children can explore and learn surrounded by nature. I am a graduate of the Universidad Hispanoamericana as an English teacher. I am so excited to be teaching first and second graders and make a mark in their learning.

Julián teaches a variety of physical education modalities at the school including soccer, karate, strength, endurance and control. He supports students in their social emotional development as well as their physical development. We are so happy to have him as a positive role model for our students.

Adele first came to Monteverde in 2017 as an intern with the CEC summer program. She has been hoping to come back ever since. After graduating from Mount Holyoke College in 2019, she taught kindergarten and first grade for two years in New Haven, CT, where she spent time celebrating young people and nurturing classroom community during the pandemic. Most recently, she worked for social justice and lived in intentional community as a fellow with Quaker Voluntary Service in Boston, MA. Adele can most often be found reading, participating in community organizing, and getting excited about the creatures she finds in the woods. She is delighted to join the CEC team.

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My name is Megan VanDyke, and I’m from Tacoma, Washington. I discovered my passion for outdoor education while attending Kalamazoo College in southwest Michigan. After graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies, I spent 2 years teaching science and team-building skills in coastal Maine and the mountains of Northern California. I’m thrilled to now be teaching third grade in  Costa Rica, where I have the coolest classroom of all – the cloud forest! In my free time, you can find me baking cookies, camping, taking pictures of baby pizotes, reading a book, or befriending other people’s pets.

My name is Guadalupe, I am originally from Monteverde. I love nature, crafts, and teaching.

Sharing with children throughout my experiences as a teacher has been enriching and each of them has left a little piece of themselves in my heart.

I have two beautiful children who teach me new things every day and make me grow as a human being.

The creativity, energy, cleverness, and ability of my students inspire me to give my best to help them fulfill dreams and weave tools for a better future.

I am very grateful to be part of this work team that functions like a healthy ecosystem and is committed to the school’s mission of providing quality education in harmony with nature and focused on the individual. Being surrounded by the cloud forest with all its inhabitants makes me very happy, as well as the students and their families, who are very special and make me laugh every day. Being able to share this with people from other countries is a privilege.

This school is a truly beautiful place surrounded by forests with many animals and living beings to explore and admire. As a teacher I love teaching because I believe that education has the power to change society, but I also love learning from students because each one of them has a world of imagination and creativity in their mind to show.

I have been a music and art teacher at the cloud Forest school in Monteverde for 4 years and my son has been attending since the 3rd grade. Working with and teaching the children of this school has been one of the richest experiences of my life. The teachers are all dedicated to the education and social/emotional development of each student. some of the staff have grown up in the community and others have been called or drawn to it by the sheer beauty of this place and it’s people. Either way it is a community of caring and wonderful people from all backgrounds that I get to participate in supporting through my work at the CEC…. and you’re surrounded by the beauty and biodiversity of Monteverde everyday and night!

My name is Michael West. I have been an educator for nearly 20 years and am very excited to join the dedicated staff here at the Cloud Forest School. I enjoy working with students of all ages to help them grow and meet their potential in the classroom. As a teacher, I strive to create a safe, welcome environment where students feel comfortable taking risks and making mistakes. My goal is to utilize the incredible CEC campus to inspire my students and prepare them for a rapidly changing future.

We have more than 44 hectares of forest, trails, sports courts, and buildings on campus, and it’s David who is in charge of the team that keeps everything running. ‘I love extreme sports, the forest, hiking, sharing with others, and being able to help.’

Hello, my name is María Rosa González Méndez, I am from La Guaria, Guacimal, a town that you must pass through to get to Monteverde either via route 605 or 606. Even though I am from there, I have always felt as part of Monteverde because I was in the Lindora Kindergarten and studied 3 years at the Santa Elena Professional Technical School. Currently I still live in La Guaria, but I lived for a year and 6 months in El Roble Puntarenas to be able to finish my Bachelor’s degree in English as a Foreign Language at the National Technical University, Pacifico headquarters.  I am also studying for a teaching license. I am a nice, respectful, kind person and I love nature and working with children.

I have a beautiful family, my husband Allan and two boys, Santiago16 years old, and Noah, 10 years old, who attend the Cloud Forest School.

We are from Quepos

We love nature and Monteverde is the ideal place for my family.

I am very grateful to be part of the beautiful community that is La Creativa!  One of my passions is learning and teaching language.  I love watching students make connections between languages as we grow as a classroom community, and they share their native languages with one another.  I have taught a variety of grade levels over the last eleven years from kindergarten to sixth grade, most recently teaching second grade at a bilingual school in Oregon.  I am excited to take our learning into the forest this year and

In my professional approach, I deeply value working in open classrooms that allow students to experience a direct connection with nature. This environment facilitates the integration of natural elements into the educational process, which enriches the learning experience. Through this methodology, we not only foster appreciation for the natural environment, but we also combine these experiences with the study of literature. My goal is to instill a lasting love of reading in each student, thereby promoting a holistic education that unites respect for the environment with the enjoyment of literature.