Your teachers
Teacher Alex
(Co-Owner, Director)
photo by Kaelee Denise Photography
Teacher Rivers
(Co-Owner, Lead Teacher)
photo by Kaelee Denise Photography
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Alex Toenniges (they/she)
aka Teacher Alex
Picture
photo by Roam & Howl Photography
Co-Owner, Director, Teacher, Administrator
Librarian, Program Developer, Systems Designer; Culture, Equity, & Inclusion​

​Alex is a queer, Autistic-ADHD, educator of Germanic and English descent. They co-founded Ripple Forest School in 2022 after teaching for several years at Firefly Forest School, Wild Nature Project, and Nature Learning Community. Alex is a Wilderness First Responder, Guild Certified Feldenkrais® Practitioner, and holds a Master of Music degree.

Alex loves teaching social-emotional skills, movement exploration, sensory awareness, songs, bird language, and edible & medicinal plants and is especially fond of working with autistic, neurodivergent, and queer kids. Their teaching style is influenced by their understanding of neuroplasticity, organic learning, & development from the Feldenkrais Method®.

In addition to forest school, Alex supports late-identified autistic adults living with burnout, chronic pain, and nervous system overload using gentle, non-verbal somatic movement, through their Feldenkrais® practice, Autistic Somatics.
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Both in their outdoor and somatics work, Alex's passion is helping people connect with themselves, others, and the natural world in an embodied and experiential way. Alex feels most at home barefoot in the forest, is a lifelong learner and voracious reader, and loves to sing, dance, and move.
Rivers Whitson (he/him)
​aka Teacher Rivers
Picture
photo by Roam & Howl Photography
Co-Owner, Lead Teacher, Head of Games, Bookkeeper, Cradle of Care Liaison

Rivers co-founded Ripple Forest School in 2022. Known for his enthusiasm, leadership, and never-ending patience, Rivers loves working with children outdoors and is a favorite teacher among our students. As a child, Rivers struggled with traditional education and understands first-hand the value of alternative and experiential learning. Rivers feels that every student should feel free to explore what works for them. He enjoys mechanical learning and adores the curiosity children have for how things work.

Rivers has 12 years of leadership and management accomplishments in the bike industry as a talented mountain bike racer & instructor, service technician, salesperson, store manager, and general manager. Rivers is a NOLS-certified Wilderness First Responder, a Professional Mountain Bike Instructor, and holds an Associate's Degree in Business Management. Rivers also loves backpacking and leading backpacking trips, testing his luck fly fishing, working on cars/motorcycles, and tackling house renovation projects. When he's not at Ripple Forest School, you can find Rivers riding his bike or fixing bikes with his Mobile Bike Repair Service, Ripple Bikes.