Meet Your Teachers

Owner and Lead Teacher

Katherine Leach is the owner and lead teacher of Huckleberry Preschool.  Previously she was a co-owner and lead teacher at Little Cubs in West Seattle. There, she licensed an in home preschool and lead a curriculum that was focused on nature and the arts. She moved to Seattle from Michigan in 2016 to pursue opening an all outdoor preschool. Read here about her experience as the lead teacher at Camp Long. After moving into administration as a Family Empowerment Coordinator, she served over 250 families providing assistance in receiving ECEAP scholarships through Washington state along with building community events and advocating for outdoor education through outreach and marketing across the Puget Sound area.  In her home state of Michigan, she taught at one of the first nature preschools in the US that opened in 1982, Nature’s Way at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. Katherine has been an educational leader for over 15 years in the classroom and excels at creating a playful and high-quality learning environment. She has received awards such as the 5-star Program Quality Assessment Rating, (the highest rating possible).  Katherine holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Western Michigan University with a K-12 Health Education endorsement, a Child Development Associate Degree (CDA), and is a licensed in home child care provider in the state of Washington.  Outside of the classroom, Katherine’s time is spent enjoying the outdoors with her daughter Harley, son Crew and husband Alan, exploring Washington through hiking, snowboarding, and enjoying life as an adventurous family. Read Testimonials

Assistant Teacher

Amy Bonk lives on Tiger Mountain with her husband and 2 children – one in high school and one in college.  Amy has spent her life working and playing outside, either professionally or for fun.  A previous Outward Bound instructor, she has led hundreds of students on canoeing, hiking, sea kayaking, dogsledding and cross country skiing expeditions. She holds an Elementary Education degree from Drake University and a Masters degree from Minnesota State University in Experiential Education. She’s worked for many camps and organizations across the country as well as environmental advocacy organizations protecting wild spaces.  Amy enjoys spending her free time outside here in Washington as well at her cabin in Ely, Minnesota. She’s a skilled textile artist and creates colorful quilts, bags and clothing. She’s always up for any challenge and truly enjoys learning and spending time with children.