Krista Gasper
Head of Farm and Garden
Ms. Krista loves plants and learning about all of the things we can do with them!!
She leads our K-8 graders in discovering the wonders of the natural world during weekly garden and cooking classes. She also coordinates garden activities, plans and maintains the garden, and makes sure the garden produces plenty of veggies and fruits for cafeteria meals.
Ms. Krista grew up in Texas, spending lots of time free ranging on her family’s land. After school she headed directly outside to splash in creeks, meander along forest trails, ride a horse with her best friend, and care for her many animals. She planted her first garden in the 4th grade, clearing some pasture land and sowing packets of seeds she got at school. (Her first garden didn’t make it!)
Ms. Krista moved to California to go to college, where she studied History and Education and discovered her love for the plant world. After traveling abroad and working as an environmental educator, she went back to school to deepen her knowledge of the relationship between humans and plants, earning a MA in Ecological Agriculture.
In addition to working as an environmental educator, Ms. Krista has worked as a farmer, a cook, a team building facilitator, and an events coordinator. She has called Occidental home for 15 years. This year is her 4th year teaching in the garden at Salmon Creek.
In her free time, Ms. Krista enjoys being in the forest, handcrafting herbal potions, traveling to new places, dancing in her kitchen and hanging out with her cat, Koji.
Ms. Krista hopes to provide her students with enjoyable experiences that help them forge relationships with the natural world, deepen their skills, and allow them to make meaningful contributions to their community. She tries to find what inspires excitement in each student and connect them to that part of the garden. She likes getting to know her students over many years, watching them grow and change.
She leads our K-8 graders in discovering the wonders of the natural world during weekly garden and cooking classes. She also coordinates garden activities, plans and maintains the garden, and makes sure the garden produces plenty of veggies and fruits for cafeteria meals.
Ms. Krista grew up in Texas, spending lots of time free ranging on her family’s land. After school she headed directly outside to splash in creeks, meander along forest trails, ride a horse with her best friend, and care for her many animals. She planted her first garden in the 4th grade, clearing some pasture land and sowing packets of seeds she got at school. (Her first garden didn’t make it!)
Ms. Krista moved to California to go to college, where she studied History and Education and discovered her love for the plant world. After traveling abroad and working as an environmental educator, she went back to school to deepen her knowledge of the relationship between humans and plants, earning a MA in Ecological Agriculture.
In addition to working as an environmental educator, Ms. Krista has worked as a farmer, a cook, a team building facilitator, and an events coordinator. She has called Occidental home for 15 years. This year is her 4th year teaching in the garden at Salmon Creek.
In her free time, Ms. Krista enjoys being in the forest, handcrafting herbal potions, traveling to new places, dancing in her kitchen and hanging out with her cat, Koji.
Ms. Krista hopes to provide her students with enjoyable experiences that help them forge relationships with the natural world, deepen their skills, and allow them to make meaningful contributions to their community. She tries to find what inspires excitement in each student and connect them to that part of the garden. She likes getting to know her students over many years, watching them grow and change.