Wild Roots

08/25/2026

Are those subwoofers bumpin’ out the back of Mrs. Garrick’s trunk? Nope! That would be our new science curriculum from Cereal City Science. Can’t wait to dive into all the fun this school year. Wild Roots is stocked and ready to rock!

08/11/2026

Wild Roots is so excited to introduce our new science teacher- meet Abbey Garrick!
We were drawn to Abbey’s positive attitude and enthusiasm for education and know she’s going to be a great fit at Wild Roots!

Learn more about Abbey!

Abbey Garrick is a Michigan State University graduate with a degree in Elementary Education. She spent 11 years teaching at Bridgman Elementary School. Throughout her teaching career, she developed a passion for small-group instruction and individualized learning. She was determined to give her students meaningful learning experiences that met each of their needs, but most importantly, made them love coming to school each day.

After her youngest son was born, Abbey embraced her dream job as a stay-at-home mom. Today, her family is at the heart of everything she does. She loves adventuring and spending time with her husband, Jason, two sons, Jackson and Max, and dog Rocky.

Whether she’s working with students or spending time with her own family, Abbey loves creating connections, encouraging curiosity, supporting growth, and helping others discover the joy and fun in learning.

08/08/2026

We are so excited to welcome Cheri Hartzler to our Wild Roots team!

We immediately knew Cheri would make a wonderful fit to our program. Her heart and vision for education aligns with ours! Cheri will be teaching social studies for all our students.

Cheri holds a bachelor’s degree in social studies, secondary education. She previously taught at Bridgman Public schools. Her favorite part of teaching is seeing her students discover their passions and strengths.

Outside of school, Cheri's daughters are her world. Her days begin and end with their sweet faces and she loves homeschooling them and watching them explore, learn, and grow.

Welcome to the Wild Roots fam, Ms. Cheri!

06/30/2026

Family and Friends of Wild Roots!

As our opportunities for learning and adventures continue to grow, we’ve put together an Amazon wishlist of items that would make a real difference for our students and community. Some items on this list are everyday staples we rely on for classroom instruction and others would open up exciting, project-based learning opportunities for our students.

If you’re looking for a way to support a tiny school with big ambitions, we’d be very grateful for your support.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/NRQJM7SF0TP6?ref_=wl_share

Thank you for being part of our Wild Roots community and helping make our school a magical place to learn and grow!

06/29/2026

Wild Roots is seeking one more staff member to join our team for the 2026/2027 school year!
This staff member would work part-time (Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday) and be our Social Studies and Science teacher. Lessons will be taught in small groups, ranging from 3-7 students at a time. Please email us at [email protected] if you are interested in applying!

06/24/2026

Open House tomorrow! Join us Thursday, June 25th anytime between 4:00-6:00pm. Email us at [email protected] for the Stevensville address.

Our students and families love Wild Roots and our program will include students in grades Y5 through 4th for the ‘26-‘27 school year. Whether you’re seeking a unique and enriching school experience or just curious about options for your child’s education, stop in and see what all the fun is about!

05/24/2026

Did you know Wild Roots is registering as a non-profit organization?

Part of this process is to select a board of directors that will encourage us to stay on track with our mission and vision. Meet our board! These individuals have already brought so much encouragement and many fantastic ideas to us over the past few years and we can't wait to continue to grow together!

Check it out at:

The mission and vision of Wild Roots: To provide educational programming, learning opportunities, and community activities that support the intellectual, social and emotional development of children and families. The corporation may operate an alternative, nature-based learning environment that prom...

05/23/2026

We had a blast at the homeschooling field day! There were close to 250 students who participated, and we had so much fun. Many of our students brought home ribbons for their events too. Thank you, Berrien County Coyotes, for planning such a fun morning!

05/05/2026

Did you miss our open house?

Email Angela at [email protected] to coordinate a Tuesday or Thursday morning to come visit Wild Roots in action!

We’re also hosting another open house on June 25th from 4-6pm.

04/30/2026

We’ve loved spending our mornings and afternoons outside this week. Today was especially fun and muddy. We danced in the rain and our students came up with their latest innovation, “tire bowling”. We also got to celebrate Ms. Lindsay’s birthday!

For our Friday students this week, we will research and plan a recipe, make a budget, and head to the grocery store to practice some comparison shopping before heading back and making our food. It’s been a joy to see our students become so independent with our Friday cooking and baking days throughout the year.

Although it’s just a short half-mile away, driving in the church van, aka The “Party Wagon”, has been a highlight among students and Wild Roots’s resident DJ, Mr. Rhodes.