Coming Home: How Kikori Returned to the School Where It All Began

Most origin stories begin with a spark. Mine began with a lean-to in the woods, a blindfolded trust hike, and a sixth-grade teacher who believed in the power of experiential learning long before anyone called it SEL.

This year, Kikori officially launched in Manton Elementary School, the school where I grew up, the school where I learned what connection feels like, and the school that unknowingly planted the seeds for the work I do today. And stepping back into that building as a founder, alongside teachers who once went to school with me, was one of the most full-circle moments of my life.

Where It All Started: Camp Rotary and the Magic of Hands-On Learning

In sixth grade, I attended Camp Rotary, a week-long rite of passage for Manton students. It wasn’t just camp - it was a living classroom.

We built a lean-to in the woods. We learned ice fishing (in true Northern Michigan fashion). We completed a trust hike - blindfolded, hand on a rope, fully dependent on one another. We met students from our neighboring district, Lake City, and had to figure out how to connect, collaborate, and communicate across comfort zones.

It was pure experiential learning before I had the words for it. It was Kikori… before Kikori.

Camp Rotary was such a defining experience that I returned as a camp counselor in high school, wanting to give other students the same sense of belonging and discovery I’d felt.

And then there was Mrs. Bongard, my sixth-grade teacher, the one who filled our classroom with team-building games long before I understood their purpose. I can still remember the sensation of those early activities: the laughter, the problem-solving, the silent “aha” moments, the feeling of being part of something.

Those experiences didn’t just inspire Kikori. They shaped who I became.

The First School to Believe in Us

When I first started this journey, with an idea, a vision, and a whole lot of hope, Manton Elementary was the first school I presented to. Returning home, this time as a founder, was both humbling and energizing.

Manton's Elementary Principal, JP Katona, asked the hard questions - the good ones:

• “How will this work for students at different developmental stages?”

• “What about scaffolding?”

• “How will activities build real skills over time?”

• “How do we make this sustainable for teachers?”

These questions guided us. They shaped our early roadmap. And ultimately, they pushed us to build the scaffolded scope and sequence that makes Kikori one of the most comprehensive experiential SEL programs available today.

Manton was not just an early adopter. They were a co-designer, a thought partner, an anchor.

A Full-Circle Training Day

This year, I had the joy of leading a half-day training with the Manton staff - some of whom were teachers I grew up with. There is something profoundly grounding about standing in front of a group that helped raise you, and now getting to support them.

Together with Principal JP Katona, School Counselor Jen, and a team of dedicated, heart-forward educators … we dug into experiential practices, reflection routines, SEL skill-building, and the power of creating consistent, joyful community moments for kids.

And today?

Manton has 100% implementation. Their staff is all-in. Their students are thriving. And the community feels connected around the shared language and practices of SEL.

It’s everything a founder dreams of.

Celebrated Close to Home: The Cadillac News Feature

The partnership was recently featured in the Cadillac Newspaper, which covers all of Northern Michigan. Seeing the story of Kikori, and its return to the place where the inspiration began, shared with the community was both surreal and heartwarming.

It felt like the community saying, “We see you. And we’re proud.”

Why This Matters So Much

Bringing Kikori back to Manton wasn’t just a rollout. It was a homecoming.

A reminder that our work is never separate from who we are. A reminder that the places that shape us stay with us. And a reminder that sometimes the most meaningful innovations begin in the woods, at camp, with a bunch of sixth graders building a lean-to and learning to trust one another.

This full-circle moment makes our mission feel even clearer:

Experiential learning changes lives. Belonging changes lives. Connection changes lives.

I know because it changed mine. And now, it’s changing Manton’s next generation of students too.