LAKESIDE SCHOOL AT BLACK KETTLE FARM
where every day is an outdoor day
Lakeside School at Black Kettle Farm is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
ABOUT LAKESIDE SCHOOL AT BLACK KETTLE FARM
At Lakeside, children learn about themselves and the world around them. It is a place where children can still be children as they learn to be contributing members of a community. The experiences at Lakeside lay a strong foundation for success in all areas of life by fostering confidence, self-reliance, independence, a genuine interest in others, and a lifelong love of learning.
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Parents and community members are invited to participate in our parent education evenings, work parties, community events, and rich festival life.
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Lakeside School runs year-round and is an associate member of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America. It is located on the corners of Cook and Leaning Road in Essex, NY, at Black Kettle Farm.
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Lakeside School is recognized and chartered by the NYS Department of Education and is an associate member of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America.
Our Mission
Drawing from the surrounding farms and forest and inspired by Waldorf education, Lakeside School cultivates the whole child in an evolving ecosystem of independent thinking, community spirit, and stewardship of our natural world.
Our Vision
At Lakeside School, we strive to meet the needs of the community we serve: our children and their families, our faculty, and our neighbors in the surrounding Adirondack Park.
Our Children. By encouraging independent exploration in both farmland and wild forest we seek to expand our students’ understanding of themselves and the world around them. By fostering compassion and flexible thinking, our students will carry with them confidence and courage as they join the global community. We accomplish this through:
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exploring the relationships between humans and nature through sustainable farming;
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emboldening our students to participate in forest exploration;
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building developmentally appropriate foundations of science, mathematics, language, and arts through Waldorf philosophy; and
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providing families with opportunities to nurture their children with a better knowledge of developmentally appropriate expectations.
Our Faculty. Lakeside School is committed to supporting the professional growth and creativity of our faculty by endowing them with the freedom of self-direction in developing curricula and facilitating a collaborative interaction between teacher, child, and parent.
Our Community. As a school, we strive to create an accepting environment that fosters a love of learning and a sense of hope for the future. Throughout the year, Lakeside School invites our surrounding neighbors to join us for seasonal celebrations, community discussions, and family activities. By practicing responsible stewardship, we model a commitment to duty and service to our community and land.
Our Faculty
Gregg Van Deusen
Lead Kindergarten teacher
Our Lead Kindergarten teacher, has been at Lakeside from its infancy. He was the assistant teacher for seven years, and taught children for sixteen years at camps and outdoor schools across the country. He has an AA in Rural Resource Management from Sterling College and a BS in Outdoor Education/Natural History from Northland College. He earned his Birth-to-Seven Certificate from Sophia's Hearth Family Center in Keene NH in 2019. Gregg spends his summers guiding trips at Northwaters Wilderness Programs in Temagami, Ontario.
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Emily Froome Kuntz
Lead Sprouts Teacher
Emily joined Lakeside School in 2023 as an assistant teacher in the Sprouts program. She has two children enrolled at Lakeside. She holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from SUNY Geneseo and more recently studied urban planning at Hunter College. Emily brings a professional background in international and experiential higher education as well as education abroad administration. She looks forward to broadening her passion for education in a Waldorf-inspired setting.
Amanda Stessen
Saplings Lead teacher
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Amanda joined Lakeside School in 2024 as a co-lead in the new Saplings program. She taught in New York City public schools for 12 years, teaching grades 1-4, and graduated from Bank Street College of Education and Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a presenter and certified instructor for the Center for Responsive Schools. Amanda is excited and grateful to be able to continue her learning at Lakeside School with the children, families, and colleagues of this beautiful community. She loves exploring her new home in the Adirondacks with her two young children, who also attend Lakeside School.
Karen Price
Handwork teacher
After careers in freshwater biology and high school teaching, Karen became Lakeside’s handwork teacher in 2021. Karen is a lifelong knitter, sewer, and maker of beautiful, practical things. As a teenager she fell in love with the Adirondacks and since then has spent as much time as she can manage hiking and canoeing in this beautiful place. Karen has degrees in biology and freshwater ecology. She recently completed a 2-year, handwork training program with Waldorf Handwork Educators. Karen lives in Westport, New York, where she tends her gardens, chickens and bees.
“Pure joy is a first grader finishing their first knitting project.”
Madeleine Webster
Kindergarten Assistant Teacher
Madeleine has been a vibrant part of the Lakeside School community for the past three years. An energetic and dedicated outdoor educator, she brings enthusiasm, creativity, and warmth to her work with young children.
Originally from London, she spent every summer of her teenage years in the Adirondacks with her family—experiences that nurtured her deep love of nature and outdoor exploration. Madeleine has a special passion for planting and tending flowers, and she delights in sharing the joy of growing things with children. A natural role model, Madeleine leads by example—whether she's showing care for the earth, solving problems with patience, or encouraging curiosity and wonder in the natural world.
Elisaveta "Eli" Goff
Development and Outreach Director
Eli joined Lakeside in 2022 and brings a global perspective to her work. Originally from Macedonia—a small, beautiful country in Southeast Europe—she has a background in law and spent over a decade in public service as a senior legal advisor before relocating to the U.S. Now based in Essex, NY, Eli and her husband are raising their two young children surrounded by the natural beauty of the Adirondacks. Eli is passionate about building community and expanding access to holistic, nature-based early childhood education that defines Lakeside.
Kathleen Moser
Operations Director
Kat joined Lakeside in 2022 and brings a wealth of experience in youth development, program leadership, and organizational management to Lakeside School. Prior to joining Lakeside, Kat held key roles at Pok-O-MacCready Camps and the YMCA of the North Shore, where she led multi-departmental teams with a solutions-first mindset and a strong focus on community impact.
​Kat, her husband, and their young daughter love spending time outdoors—hiking, exploring, and enjoying the natural beauty of the Adirondacks together.
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Black Kettle Farm
Since our move to Black Kettle in 2007, we have implemented a farm-based program, whose roots grow deeper each year. Our unique setting allows us the opportunity to experience an education inspired by Waldorf philosophy in a deep and rich way.
From animal husbandry to planting, tending, and harvesting their produce, children experience the seasonal food cycles of agriculture first-hand. Each fall, after the fall harvest is over, the children put the beds to sleep for the winter. They enjoy the fruits of their labor over the fall and winter by using root vegetables for soup, apples for applesauce, and grapes for grape juice. Over the last few years, they have cared for sheep, pigs, draft horses, goats, kids, cows, and laying hens. Herbs from their herb garden are made into healing salves and ointments to give as gifts. Any uneaten food goes to the compost pile to nourish the soil.
The Eddy Foundation
Lakeside School was fortunate to lease--and then purchase--Black Kettle Farm from the Eddy Foundation. The Eddy Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1996 with a focus on supporting a sustainable interface between humans and the ecosystem. The foundation purchased the 213-acre Black Kettle Farm in 2000 as part of a wildlife corridor connecting Lake Champlain with the High Peaks. Over the years, the farm provided a variety of educational programs and opportunities. At the same time, it always operated as a "wild farm," where wildlife and farming can coexist harmoniously.
Lakeside is honored to continue the stewardship of this land as we develop the farming component to our school at Black Kettle. In 2018, Lakeside School purchased Black Kettle Farm from the Eddy Foundation. If you would like to learn more about our Capital Campaign, please click here.
From our beginnings in 2006, the Eddy Foundation has been hugely supportive of Lakeside. Their generosity allowed us to gain momentum early on and we are so grateful for their continued support!