About Us
The Coastside Leadership Academy (CLA) is an all girls* education program (grades 9-12) rooted in the cycles of joy, healing, and growth where girls learn to trust their intuition, use their voices, and become leaders in a supportive community.
Inspired by forest and nature programs, CLA combines the benefits of a homeschool model of education with the support of an all girls community, facilitated by professionals in education and administration. CLA is an education program for homeschool students. CLA students reinvent the high school experience and learn through a balance of movement, play, curiosity, and rest. Students guide their own learning and show their understanding of content and life skills through multiple modalities including inquiry, project, service, and place-based learning.
Though CLA prioritizes mental health throughout our programming, CLA does not currently have any licensed counselors on staff.
Coastside Leadership Academy is a gender inclusive all girls education program that supports all LGBTQIA+ community members.
*Girls refers to gender-expansive youth: cis girls, trans girls, non-binary youth, gender non-conforming youth, gender queer youth, and any girl-identified youth.
Moss Beach, CA
Meet the Team
Claire Rietmann-Grout
Claire Rietmann-Grout is a Coastside local passionate about inspiring girls and women to lead. She specializes in community-based leadership programs for high school students, including physical education focused on movement in nature, and has developed research-based techniques that incorporate the mind, body, and spirit to validate self worth and become a confident leader.
Her masters in journalism and experience as a life coach and high school administrator gives her a unique perspective on wellness, support, and personal growth for teenage girls. She publishes regularly on teenage development in her weekly column, The Positive Coach, for parents and educators of teen girls. Claire attributes her leadership skills and love of learning to the unique and transformative experience of girls’ education, where her positive coaching method began on the softball field leading multiple varsity programs to championships.
Lindsay Stewart
Lindsay Stewart is a master teacher who knows the key to learning at any age is to have fun and incorporate play. Specializing in biology with a master’s in science education, her student-centered curriculum design empowers students to find joy in learning by developing their passions. Her work in girls’ education demonstrates the importance of mindfulness practices that empower students to follow their gifts and intuition.
Lindsay is trained in social emotional learning and recognizes the importance of a supportive community to guide students towards self awareness and agency. Her experience with learning differences and training in neuroscience and executive functioning skills helps meet students where they are and inspire them to understand how their brain learns. She has learned the power of balance in her life and has expanded her own growth to include multiple modes of mental and physical wellness and healing.
