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cnastase.bsky.social
Cassie Nastase
@cnastase.bsky.social
110 followers 160 following 41 posts
Michigander🖐🏽
Girl Mom🌸
Former School Counselor 🧠💜
TCLC Project Coordinator at Human Restoration Project 🌊🌎🚀
Seeker of meaning and magic💫🌀
Posts Replies Media Videos
cnastase.bsky.social
The Artist Inside explores a shared truth: life is a canvas and we are all artists. What if we defined art as the innate urge to make meaning? If everything we do is an act of creation, then all that we create might be a work of art to marvel. 🎨🖌️

www.lulu.com/shop/cassie-...
The Artist Inside
This lyrical poem explores a beautiful truth: art isn't just in museums. It's in a dandelion growing in a crack of the sidewalk, a stranger's kindness, and the courage to start again. The Artist Insid...
www.lulu.com
December 5, 2025 at 1:11 AM
cnastase.bsky.social
I can’t stop thinking about those WWJD bracelets from the 90s and early 2000s.
The acronym was so commercialized that it became an in-your face trend. Whether Christian or not, most of us Millennials had a bracelet, a shirt, or at least saw them on everybody else at school and on TV.
October 27, 2025 at 4:40 AM
cnastase.bsky.social
Happy 🏳️‍🌈PRIDE🏳️‍⚧️ Month!
Hand made collage art piece titled “Muskegon Pride”. Created for a Muskegon Pride Festival event. It’s featuring a vintage Ford ad from Life Magazine- circa 1947. With Ford flags modified to be Pride flags. Historic Muskegon buildings have been added in the foreground to represent Muskegon of the past and as a reminder to the progress the community has made. Same piece, but in frame: Hand made collage art piece titled “Muskegon Pride”. Created for a Muskegon Pride Festival event. It’s featuring a vintage Ford ad from Life Magazine- circa 1947. With Ford flags modified to be Pride flags. Historic Muskegon buildings have been added in the foreground to represent Muskegon of the past and as a reminder to the progress the community has made.
June 5, 2025 at 1:12 PM
cnastase.bsky.social
TCLC exists because a group of educators dared to reimagine what school could be—and then took action to make it happen.✨
Grateful to be part of this journey!
Thank you What School Could Be for featuring TCLC! ❤️
#letsrestorehummanitytoeducationtogether #thirdcoastlearningcollaborative #watchusgo
humanrestorationproject.org Human Restoration Project @humanrestorationproject.org · May 9
We're honored to have HRP's collaborative work with Michigan schools highlighted in the @whatschoolcouldbe.bsky.social inaugural newsletter, with a huge spotlight on the indispensable and incomparable @cnastase.bsky.social, our TCLC Coordinator! 🙌

mailchi.mp/whatschoolco...
SPOTLIGHT ON Orchard View Middle School, Muskegon Four young children engaged in a hands-on construction project. One girl, wearing a blue hard hat, is focused on measuring and assembling materials, while the others, dressed in casual clothing, lean in to collaborate. The setting has a warm, natural light, with wooden materials and tools spread across the floor. The ‘What School Could Be’ logo is in the bottom left corner. Classrooms buzz with enthusiasm—students aren't silently flipping through textbooks but actively collaborating as young innovators. This is what school looks like at Orchard View Middle School in Muskegon, Michigan. Driven by a vision to boost attendance, reduce discipline referrals, and ignite joyful learning, Principal Josh Smith partnered with the Human Restoration Project, Open Way Learning, and independent evaluator RAND to launch the Third Coast Learning Collaborative. This bold initiative blends interdisciplinary, project-based learning, portfolio-based assessment, and intentional, social-emotional learning to create meaningful, student-centered experiences. SPOTLIGHT ON This month, What School Could Be is thrilled to spotlight Cassie Nastase! Cassie began her career as a middle school counselor in West Michigan. Now, as the Third Coast Learning Collaborative Coordinator with the Human Restoration Project, Cassie partners with educators at Orchard View Middle School to co-design learning experiences that cultivate curiosity, creativity and meaningful connection to self and community. Cassie is passionate about integrating SEL standards and therapeutic approaches into everyday teaching practices to create nurturing learning environments that support the holistic development of students.
May 9, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Reposted by Cassie Nastase
humanrestorationproject.org
Human Restoration Project's @cnastase.bsky.social moderates the youth panel at the Mental Health Summit in Banff, Alberta.

"What supports do you wish you had in school?"
Human Restoration Project's @cnastase.bsky.social moderates the youth panel at the Mental Health Summit in Banff, Alberta. "What supports do you wish you had in school?"
April 14, 2025 at 5:41 PM
cnastase.bsky.social
Today was epic. #banff #halingpeak #canmore
April 14, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Reposted by Cassie Nastase
humanrestorationproject.org
We wrapped up an incredible time at the uLead Conference in Banff! 🇨🇦

We'll be back in Banff later this week for Headwater Learning Foundation's Mental Health Summit, where we actually picked up a brief workshop session and @cnastase.bsky.social will be moderating a youth panel!
Cassie, Chris, and Nick selfie with Banff in the background
April 8, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Reposted by Cassie Nastase
humanrestorationproject.org
In her latest piece, @cnastase.bsky.social connects one middle-school PBL unit to Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) competencies, showcasing how PBL supports self- and social-awareness, responsible decision making, and more!

casel.org/blog/reimagi... #EduSky #PBL
Reimagining Classrooms Through SEL and Project-Based Learning - CASEL
Key Points Back to top Today in a classroom in Orchard View Schools, students are talking about the way they want to learn together. Their teacher leads a discussion about the CASEL 5 competencies for...
casel.org
March 27, 2025 at 1:38 PM
cnastase.bsky.social
Thrilled to share the ways the Third Coast Learning Collaborative model supports healthy social-emotional learning! Thanks Wellness Education Magazine for providing the platform. 💜
humanrestorationproject.org Human Restoration Project @humanrestorationproject.org · Mar 12
HRP's Third Coast Learning Collaborative Coordinator, @cnastase.bsky.social, contributed an amazing article, "Exploring the Mutual Dependence between SEL & PBL with the Third Coast Learning Collaborative", to the March 2025 issue of Wellness Education Magazine! 🙌

wellnessedmag.com/WMarch25/vie...
Screenshot of magazine excerpt page see link in post for full text Screenshot of magazine excerpt page see link in post for full text Screenshot of magazine excerpt page see link in post for full text Screenshot of magazine excerpt page see link in post for full text
March 13, 2025 at 12:24 AM
cnastase.bsky.social
Big thanks to Wellness Education Magazine for providing space to share about the Third Coast Learning Collaborative project. Check out the article in the March 2025 Special SEL Edition. 💜🌍🌱

lnkd.in/gQkkjNP6

And consider subscribing to access past/future issues

lnkd.in/gncje3UJ

#edusky #PBL #SEL
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
March 10, 2025 at 5:25 PM
cnastase.bsky.social
A derivative protest. #edusky #derivativework #protest #wedontneednodogecontrol #leavethemkidsalone
February 15, 2025 at 3:47 AM
cnastase.bsky.social
“If Jenny had 2 apples and Johnny had 3, how many would they have if I took them all away?”
#protectthedepartmentofeducation #edusky
Credit: stopproject2025comic.org
Comic depicting Project 2025’s plans to dismantle The Department of Education. Comic depicting Project 2025’s plans to dismantle The Department of Education.
February 12, 2025 at 3:41 PM
cnastase.bsky.social
“Forgive the government that puts the people in poverty
And it bothers me when the people are goin' hungry
And corporate companies have got their cupboards full of groceries…They’re vultures of culture and their picking on all my friends”

youtu.be/bISpmKlOZa0?...
Vultures Of Culture
YouTube video by Nahko And Medicine For The People - Topic
youtu.be
February 11, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Reposted by Cassie Nastase
covingtonedu.bsky.social
It's a coup.
Ed Dept DOGE team cancels $900 million in research contracts Return to menu Laura Meckler The Education Department on Monday shut down a large swath of work at the Institute of Educational Sciences, the arm of the department responsible for education research, by unilaterally cancelling at least 90 contracts worth $900 million. The agency is responsible for education research, evaluation of programs and collection of a vast amount of data about American schools. The vast majority of the work of this agency is done by contractors, so canceling their work will have a significant impact on its ability to function, they said. The canceled contracts were identified by a team of workers from the Department of Government Efficiency service, known as DOGE. The list includes some functions required by statutes. Notices to contractors were sent Monday, according to a person familiar with the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak. He said they were canceled “for convenience,” a provision that allows for a contract to be terminated without finding fault.
February 11, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Reposted by Cassie Nastase
hcrichardson.bsky.social
February 2, 2025
February 2, 2025
Billionaire Elon Musk’s team yesterday took control of the Treasury’s payment system, thus essentially gaining access to the checkbook with which the United States handles about $6 trillion annually a...
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
February 3, 2025 at 6:17 AM
Reposted by Cassie Nastase
covingtonedu.bsky.social
Concerns about a "Constitutional Crisis" are always framed as an intellectual exercise, as if they're happening in some abstract future.

Well it's here, now, and the Crisis is driving a jet powered steamroller.
jamellebouie.net jamelle @jamellebouie.net · Jan 28
i will say that we have never experienced anything like an administration trying to essentially freeze the activities of the entire federal government while making a series of illegal power grabs. genuinely unclear to me what kind of response, if any, these guys are generating against them
January 28, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Reposted by Cassie Nastase
humanrestorationproject.org
"Fun fact about teaching at my Danish school, when we are sick, we’re not required to write sub plans because we’re sick.” - @pernille.bsky.social

So what lessons can we learn from Danish society & its education system that may help heal our own?

www.humanrestorationproject.org/podcasts/a-d...
January 26, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Cassie Nastase
humanrestorationproject.org
Conference to Restore Humanity! - an online conference on progressive education!

July 21-23. Join the event in our funding drive for tickets/this awesome t-shirt.

https://secure.givelively.org/donate/human-restoration-project/conference-to-restore-humanity-2025-quest-for-connection-funding-drive
A black/green t-shirt with the text Quest for Connection, showing a team of children exploring a cave.
December 29, 2024 at 4:14 PM
Reposted by Cassie Nastase
humanrestorationproject.org
What are school voucher programs *really* about, how do they spread, and what should we expect in 2025 and beyond?

In our first episode of 2025, we are joined by @joshcowenmsu.bsky.social to explore these questions and more!

www.humanrestorationproject.org/podcasts/the... #EduSky
January 11, 2025 at 12:47 PM
cnastase.bsky.social
“The beauty of a beginner’s mind isn’t in abandoning the old traditions, but in weaving the two together with mindful discernment.”

A lovely piece by a dear friend:

The Art of Balancing the Creative Mind with Daily Life medium.com/@kelleypeel/...
The Art of Balancing the Creative Mind with Daily Life
Exploring the Zen, Yoga, and Parables for an Open Approach to Life but Life Seems to Object
medium.com
January 11, 2025 at 1:00 AM
cnastase.bsky.social
6th grade TCLC student’s kicked off their Sustainable Merchandising project with a trip to the Muskegon Career Tech Center. Guided by high schoolers enrolled in the graphic design and production program, they learned about the digital design process, and screen printing. +
2 students using a screen printing machine. High school students presenting to 6th grade TCLC students. Students learning about Adobe Indesign. Career Tech Center student designs on display.
December 11, 2024 at 9:17 PM
Reposted by Cassie Nastase
humanrestorationproject.org
We've got an awesome lineup of guests to keep the conversation going over the holidays and into the new year, feat. @joshcowenmsu.bsky.social, @pernille.bsky.social, & @hechternacht.bsky.social! 🚀

Subscribe on any podcast app or listen @

www.humanrestorationproject.org/podcast #EduSky
Promo image with upcoming podcast guest information: Kapono Ciotti - 12/7 Story Xperiential - 12/21 Josh Cowen - 1/11 Pernille Ripp - 1/25 Mike Tinoco - 2/8 Heidi Echternacht - 2/22
December 10, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by Cassie Nastase
commonsenseslt.bsky.social
With all things 'change' atm in the world, there are changes we can make, that support our fellow humans, showing we care & value humanity. This ebooklet, coedited with @kimmears.bsky.social, shares grassroots ideas on change, written with l🍉ve. Details below
theautisticadvocate.com/ways-of-bein...
“Ways of Being, Knowing and Doing: An Anthology for Neurodivergent Practice” An e-book to raise funds in support of the Palestinian people - The Autistic Advocate
All about the “Ways of Being, Knowing and Doing: An Anthology for Neurodivergent Practice” project I was honoured to be asked by Kim Mears and Lisa Chapman to have my work featuredin a new ebook they ...
theautisticadvocate.com
November 17, 2024 at 7:40 PM
cnastase.bsky.social
Parents & Caregivers: Have you seen HRP’s Caregiver FAQ?

We all dream of meaningful and joyful lives for our children. Education plays a vital role in making those dreams a reality.❤️ +
humanrestorationproject.org Human Restoration Project @humanrestorationproject.org · Dec 2
If you've ever wondered what progressive education is, where the name comes from, why schools may adopt progressive practice, and what it looks like in schools, then check out our new Caregiver FAQ! #EduSky

www.humanrestorationproject.org/family-careg...
Infographic comparing progressive and business as usual. Practices on instruction, assessment and grading, and behavior and motivation
December 6, 2024 at 3:39 AM
cnastase.bsky.social
This evening @humrespro.bsky.social hosted our first advisory board meeting for the EIR grant funded project: Third Coast Learning Collaborative. Our student and parent representatives left us feeling grateful & inspired about this work. We are 1 marking period in to this 5-15 year project +
November 21, 2024 at 3:01 AM