As a kid, Mike loved to ride his bike with friends all over the place. He especially loved to explore the huge, wild field behind his house with his friend. It was an amazing time of self-exploration and excitement of discovery, terrible-thrilling fear of being lost, catching snakes, chasing flying grasshoppers, finding discarded “alien treasures”, and tossing bugs into spider webs while watching with amazement as a spider would quickly encase her victim.

Mike’s love for the outdoors became stronger during the summer he visited his Uncle Peter’s family at their home on Lake Champlain in northern New York. That week, they woke up early every day, got all the fishing gear ready, pushed out in a little boat with an outboard motor and fished for perch. They caught so many, including a big walleye, with it’s cloudy eyes and sharp, pointed teeth.

Mike went on to be a public school art teacher for 12 years. But watching his son and wife attend classes at White Pine for several years made a huge impression on him. When he’d come along, he was always struck by the magic of what White Pine is doing and the experiences kids are getting. He’s so grateful to finally be part of the staff at White Pine.

What inspires Mike the most about teaching at White Pine is helping kids do things that they think are awesome or that they think are too hard for them to do. His favorite shields are the East & West. He loves the East’s human/wilderness connection aspect and being kind to each other and to Mother Earth, as well as the West’s songs and games.

Mike’s specialties are human connection, story telling, music, art, carving. This year, he’d like to learn how to create a fire with bow and drill. His favorite outdoor place in Indiana is the area around Bloomington, where the land starts pushing up hills, offering so much beauty to see.

When he’s not at White Pine, Mike spends his time meditating every day, creating art and music, spending time with my family, dog and friends, cooking, and more. He dreams of someday living in Italy.