Students need a deep and rich body of knowledge about the natural world in which they live and how our changing society impacts it. STEM in Nature – an Outdoor Education Experience is an answer to this call. The STEM in Nature program launched in September 2023 beginning as a pilot with 5th- and 6th-graders. Additional grade levels will be added each school year to eventually encompass kindergarten through 12th grade with each grade level having its own curriculum and activities, building upon lessons from previous years.
Program activities take place at Westview on the James, an 800-acre property bordered by the James River with streams, a lake, forest, and land for gardening. Students will visit the property three times a year to study life in the waterways and plant a garden, studying seasonal observations of the same location to see how the ecosystem changes in each season.
Special thanks to Dominion Energy and Richard S. Reynolds Foundation for helping the GEF make this happen.
