Jessi Harris, MA
Academic Program Director
Jessi Harris is a licensed teacher in the state of North Carolina with over ten years of experience working with children and adolescents. Jessi discovered her lifelong joy and passion for serving youth at a young age when she was a lifeguard at Carolina Beach. She has extensive experience in experiential education, working at summer camps and outdoor education centers, facilitating zipline outings, leading recreation and offsite excursions for local residents of the Grand Canyon Village, coordinating recreation at a foster care facility, and most recently instructing middle school science in public education.
Jessi received her undergraduate degree in Recreation Management with a minor in Psychology from Appalachian State University. Later, she was inspired during her thru hike of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail to continue her studies in the field of education. She pursued and was awarded her Master of Arts in Teaching Middle Grades Education from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
The foundation of Jessi’s lessons are shaped by Kurt Hahn’s words, “There is more in us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less.” She meets students where they are academically and emotionally while upholding an enjoyable safe space with high expectations. She acknowledges that previous experiences in school may have instilled an aversion to learning; she strives to ignite the fire of curiosity and a love for learning within her students while simultaneously fostering their sense of self efficacy. She believes in our inherent connection to nature and incorporates stewardship and appreciation for its vastness and beauty within her lessons.
Jessi spends her free time wandering on trails, running, reading, tending to her plant babies, listening to live music, crafting, and spending time with her family, friends, and kitty cat named Flannery.
