Read About Us! - Selected Education Articles

Six Schools Recognnized as Virginia Naturally Schools:  Six area schools representing all three divisions have been recognized by the state for leadership in environmental education initiatives. In the company of only 46 other schools statewide, the schools were designated as 2010 Virginia Naturally Schools for efforts taken last year to encourage environmental literacy and stewardship. The schools were recognized for their multi-grade partnerships with Boxerwood Nature Center, which facilitates hands-on learning in the field, and for additional environmental activities back at school.  The program recognized three local schools for continued environmental initiatives: Enderly Heights Elementary, three years; Natural Bridge Elementary, three years; and Central Elementary, two years. Three other local schools received first-year awards: Maury River Middle School, Rockbridge Middle, and Waddell Elementary. Fairfield Elementary, Parry McCluer Middle School and Kling Elementary have also been recognized as Virginia Naturally Schools in previous years.  Virginia Naturally Schools is the official environmental education school recognition program of the Commonwealth, and is administered by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries with support from the Department of Education, Department of Environmental Quality and other resource agencies. Recognized schools receive a plaque as well as opportunities for workshops and priority funding from the Virginia Naturally mini-grant program. “This is a great testament to local commitment to environment-based learning,” notes Elise Sheffield, director of Education at Boxerwood who nominated the schools for recognition. According to Sheffield, each school had to demonstrate multiple ways teachers and students were involved in environmental stewardship as a standards-correlated part of the curriculum. “We nominated all ten elementary and middle schools in the area,” she noted, “because each met the criteria: all were engaging their students in hands-on field-based scientific investigations—both in the community and back in the schoolyard. People don’t realize that this systemic commitment to environmental learning is highly unusual among school divisions in Virginia – our county is way out in front.”  Sheffield noted that this year’s recognized schools not only got their students out in the field, they also encouraged stewardship activities back at school. “Each school has its own signature project,” she explained. “Natural Bridge and Waddell were recognized for their outstanding school gardening programs, Maury River for its recycling program, Rockbridge for its extensive water-monitoring projects, and Enderly Heights for its new butterfly habitat. Central was recognized for its Nature Club and planting projects.”  Although only six of the ten schools received the recognition this year, Sheffield emphasized all ten schools are actively engaged in environmental learning and stewardship. Mountain View, for example, is in its third year raising trout for release into South River; this year both RMS and MRMS also have undertaken similar projects. Kling, MVE, and Fairfield are also engaged in gardening programs and PMMS continues a student-led recycling initiative. The recently renovated LDMS is also pursuing gardening, composting, and other green initiatives. “They all deserve recognition next year,” she added, “working with each of these schools and their students has been inspiring.”  March 23, 2011

Trip to the Bay  After only two weeks back in school following summer break, 16 students from Maury River Middle School were whisked off on a field trip to the Chesapeake Bay. These students, along with their two science teachers, Debra Helmke and Julie Lipscomb, spent three days in the village of Tylerton on Smith Island.  They were joined by 13 students and teachers from Parry McCluer Middle School as well as 16 students and teachers from Rockbridge Middle School, who pursued similar adventures on another nearby island. All students studied the importance of wetland ecology and the need for conservation of marshlands; they were guided in their explorations by the outdoor educators of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the hosting organization.  Activities began with a very “wet” ferry ride across the Bay from Reedville to the island where students then hauled their gear and all of the food they would need for the next three days into a bunkhouse style home. Here, they would prepare their meals as well as practice conservation of natural resources.During the day, students would ride on a crabbing boat steered by “Captain Wes,” around Smith Island, discussing the impact of pollutants in the bay. Oysters beds were scraped, islands were explored and games were played, as students witnessed firsthand the affect of activities in Rockbridge County upon the watershed.  Over 120 blue crabs were caught in the crab pots set by the group which Captain Wes later steamed to perfection. Under the moonlight, students sat on the pier and were instructed how to crack open crabs and eat to their hearts content. The highlight of the trip for students was marsh mucking, after which most every student had experienced an entire body mud bath. Late night nature walks enabled students to enjoy a brilliant display of stars as outdoor educators identified constellations and explained their origins.A scavenger hunt around the island gave students an opportunity to meet the local residents and appreciate the lifestyle of a waterman. The village folk rose by 5 a.m. to begin setting their pots and worked well past dark cleaning the boats and equipment For the first time ever, this group made the “Wall of Fame,” a special designation given by the CBF to groups exhibiting outstanding conservation of electricity and water. The name of the group will be added to a display board in the house and seen by future school groups to the island.  This trip for 50 students and their teachers has been an annual capstone to several years of Rockbridge-based watershed investigations involving hundreds of elementary and middle school students in partnership with Boxerwood.This year’s trip and field study was funded mainly through a grant written by the Boxerwood and awarded by the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Committee (the license plate fund). Elise Sheffield, Boxerwood’s director of education, was instrumental in securing the grant. Hannah Klein, Boxerwood educator, accompanied the 50 adventurers. October 13, 2010

MRMS Receives Grant For 21st Century Learning Center    Rockbridge County Public Schools received notification this week that it has been awarded a 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant to develop a center at Maury River Middle School. Funding for the first year is $159,525, with two additional years of funding available dependent on the success of the center. The total amount of the grant over the three year period is $478,575.  The school division’ major partner for this endeavor is the Teacher Education Program at Washington and Lee University. Additional partner include...Boxerwood Education Association.  The center will provide after-school activities for Maury River students that will include academic instruction and tutoring, as well as fine arts and recreational activities. August 25, 2010

Teacher Urges Support off Boxerwood Campaign Editor, The News-Gazette:May 6, 2010: Experience in anything makes us comfortable with repeated experiences, for example, airplane traveling, driving in rush hour on roundabouts or speaking in front of a crowd. I never realized until recently, however, that an experience that I took for granted, that I thought was a human birthright, is in fact becoming rare enough to warrant concern. I am talking about the natural experiences of children playing outdoors. “What if ants come when I sit down?” “I wouldn’t climb a tree, I’d probably fall out and break something.” “I’m not sitting under a tree; I’d get covered with ticks.” “I am going inside when I get home.” These are but a few of the recent comments I have heard from fourth grade students this spring. They fill me with sadness. I worry that more than just experiencing the natural world as a child, a natural scientist, is at stake. As a teacher, I care about the development of students into active adult citizens of their community. As an ecologist, I understand that the community consists of all living organisms in an environment, not just the humans. How are my students going to be active members of a community that they are uncomfortable experiencing? Mounting evidence indicates that today’s youth are less and less engaged in outdoor activities and that this environmental dearth in their lives has implications for their social, mental and academic development (Louv, 2006, “Last Child in the Woods,” and Sobel, 2004, “Place-Based Education, Connecting Classrooms and Communities”). I would feel totally daunted by the task of providing enough outdoor experiences for my students if it weren’t for Boxerwood. For me, Boxerwood is more than a resource. Though if it were merely a resource, I would still place a high value on its programs. No, I really value Boxerwood and its staff of teachers and volunteers because they can help me as a teacher provide invaluable experiences for my students. With Boxerwood teachers, my students have sat — yes, they did sit down — on the banks of South River and written haikus. My students have rediscovered thousands- of-years-old arrow heads and imagined the Native Americans who once used this same river. My students have conducted chemical and biological monitoring of South River. They have a favorite macroinvertebrate and a memory of the importance of healthy water, not because I told them so in a classroom while looking at a picture of water, but because they experienced a river, their river. This is a very important experience to have when as adults they will be asked to take care of and protect South River. If you value children experiencing the outdoors, if you worry that such experiences are competing with an ever-growing pull toward computer screens, please join me in supporting Boxerwood’s Keep Boxerwood Blooming campaign in any way you are able. Let’s help our children bloom. LISA CONNORS, Lexington - May 19, 2010

Opportunities Available to Combat "Eco-phobia" Editor, The News-Gazette:    Thank you for printing the letter last month by Jennifer Andrews about children and the environment. Ms. Andrews was concerned how the focus on bad news about the environment can lead to a sense helplessness and inaction. She is right to be concerned: studies have shown that too much bad news at an early age backfires — children feel guilty and depressed and simply shut down. The antidote to eco-phobia (a real term) is simple and effective. It is connecting young children with their own local environment and giving them opportunities to engage in its care. How many readers are aware that Rockbridge is actually at the vanguard of this national educational movement? This year alone, almost 2,000 local children under age 12 are engaged in outdoor programming that 1) connects them to places they love, 2) builds skills in eco-literacy, and 3) empowers them as active earth citizens. This programming is provided by Boxerwood Nature Center in partnership with all three local school divisions and other allied groups such as Natural Bridge Soil and Water District and Washington and Lee University. These programs take place on the grounds of Boxerwood Nature Center during the school day, alongside creeks and rivers throughout our beautiful county, and back in the schoolyards themselves. Yes, we introduce environmental concerns, but the focus is learning how to become problem- solvers. Again and again, we have seen how this approach empowers children and encourages even the most discouraged learner. We have also benefited from the actual work these young citizens are doing. Here is a sampler of some of the stewardship activities pursued by children ages 8-12 this year: monitoring water quality at multiple stream sites across the county (758 children), restoring habitat on school grounds (150 children), raising trout (an entire school), monitoring air quality at a local school (25 students), contributing data for an international study on climate change (75 students), creating public education materials about water conservation (125 students), addressing soil erosion in a schoolyard (25 students), trash pick-ups in schoolyards (50 students), and of course recycling (all schools). I used to count myself as among those people overwhelmed by environmental problems. The problems are still with us, but I am incredibly encouraged by the desire of young people to make a difference if given an opportunity. As one 8-year-old boy said to another after a successful group project addressing an erosion problem, “I’ve always wanted to be a hero!” ELISE SPRUNT SHEFFIELD, Director of Education, Boxerwood Nature Center May 12, 2010

Boxerwood Offers Important Opportunities  April 22, 2010; Editor, The News-Gazette: As the person who succeeded Frank Parsons as president of the Boxerwood Education Association’s board of trustees, I would like to reinforce some of his comments regarding the importance of Boxerwood to our community. In particular, I will focus on its importance to our schools. I am aware of Boxerwood’s importance as a result of my many interactions with principals, teachers and students in my capacity as a central office administrator for many years. Even before serving on the Boxerwood board, I was struck with the almost reverent tone teachers and principals used in discussing the experiences that students of all abilities and interests had at Boxerwood.  I think it is highly important to note that their experiences are ones that will have a life-long impact on our students as the individuals who will be responsible for making important decisions about the environment. Anyone reading your paper over the past few months knows very well that the financial downturn has had a particularly devastating impact on our schools. Thus, this is an especially important time to spend dwindling educational dollars wisely. As an organization able to provide students with important, indelible, hands-on experiences at a low cost, Boxerwood’s importance to our community has never been greater. As one who has seen the impact that Boxerwood has had in our schools, I certainly would echo Frank Parsons’ comment that every person should take great pride in Boxerwood. Unfortunately, to make it possible for Boxerwood to continue to provide quality programs, it needs that pride to translate into financial support.  To Keep Boxerwood Blooming, please consider several options, the first of which is to visit Boxerwood yourself, especially during those times when students are there. See firsthand for yourself the excitement of the students and their teachers. Whether you’re able to follow this advice or not, please consider becoming a member. While the membership fee is nominal, it makes a statement that you support this valuable organization and want to keep abreast of its progress. If you’re able, consider becoming a contributor. In conclusion, as a public school teacher and administrator for 33 years, I never saw a facility that offered such a rich, important and effective program as Boxerwood’s. As a member of the Boxerwood board for six years, I saw first-hand the commitment and dedication of the Boxerwood staff. Now, I urge all members of our community to help Boxerwood continue its legacy as an invaluable resource for all of us. PAUL G. LEONHARD Rockbridge Baths --- This is part of the May 5, 2010 online edition of The News-Gazette.

It’s Our Turn To Help Boxerwood (lead editorial) Boxerwood Gardens has been a good neighbor for our community. This horticultural treasure just outside Lexington is the setting for unique, high quality, hands-on instruction about nature for students and their teachers from all three Rockbridge area school systems. For more than 10 years, Boxerwood has provided nature education lessons for our youth. During the current school year, more than 2,000 children in more than 100 classrooms from all 12 schools in Rockbridge County, Buena Vista and Lexington will participate in this nature-based programming. The lessons support the Virginia Standards of Learning, ensuring that each local student has a watershed experience before graduating from high school. Educators laud the lessons, saying they’ve helped raise students’ test scores in science and enhance their appreciation of nature. Boxerwood also holds festivals like Earth-Art and provides the public with free access to its children’s Play Trail. Boxerwood, like other area organizations, has become a real gem that we’ve taken for granted would always be there, and most of us probably haven’t even considered where it gets its funding. Well, we’ve all just gotten a wake-up call. Boxerwood recently learned that a pending three-year proposal for funding from the U.S. National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration hadn’t been accepted because of economic constraints. Not having this funding from NOAA, which has had a longstanding relationship with the nature center, means Boxerwood will have to seek financial help from other sources or drastically cut back its educational services. Boxerwood doesn’t have an endowment, so its educational programming has been supported through donations, memberships, program fees and competitively awarded grants. The partnership with NOAA has provided thousands of dollars each year in transportation and program fee subsidies. It’s now time for the community to express its appreciation for Boxerwood by responding generously to the Keep Boxerwood Blooming campaign, the organization’s first fundraising drive. With the fiscal challenge ahead, Boxerwood is turning to its neighbors in the community. The shortterm goal is to raise $93,000 by this September. The hope is that an additional $157,000 will be raised by April of 2011 in the form of multi-year pledges from a variety of sources, especially within the community, in order to reduce its dependence on federal grant funding. Boxerwood will also be seeking out civic organizations to “adopt” specific classrooms or grade-level programs. These organizations would, in turn, receive letters from students offering details about their educational experiences. The nature center is also looking to increase its individual memberships and the contributions they provide. Those who wish to support the Keep Boxerwood Blooming campaign by making a donation, arranging a benefit event or volunteering, can contact Tony Russell, executive director of the Boxerwood Education Association, by phone at 463-2697 or E-mail at tony@boxerwood.org. It’s appropriate that the community show its gratitude for Boxerwood’s many contributions to the education of our young people. Let’s be good neighbors by helping the nature center plant deeper roots so it can blossom for future generations. This was the lead article of the March 31, 2010The News-Gazette

Retiring Boxerwood Steward Honored --BY KIT HUFFMAN Mother’s Day 2009 at Boxerwood Gardens. It could have been called Mother Nature’s Day, as bright sunshine, gentle temperatures and all of nature’s creation — new green leaves of every “cut-out” variety, exquisite blossoms of towering rhododendron bushes and the secret flutterings of birds never stopping in their quest for nesting materials and food — had turned up for the event.  Just before 2 p.m., stationed near the car park off Ross Road, Tony Russell, the new executive steward of Boxerwood Education Association, was shepherding visitors toward the garden’s new “community nest” for a surprise celebration for outgoing steward and BEA founder Hunter Mohring. Past the creatively designed PlayTrail, surely the most nature-linked playground ever devised by man — or in this case woman, as the space was the inspiration of none other than Mohring, the visitors obediently walked. Past the playfully worded sign not far from Mohring’s home on the Boxerwood grounds. “Caution,” the sign read. “Free range children.” Not veering left, which would have led one to the attractive greenhouse sheltering part of NEWTS (the Nature Emulating Waste Treatment System installed at the initiative of Mohring), the visitors next passed through Munger Lodge, once the home of gardener and general practitioner Dr. Robert Munger and his family, and now used for a multitude of BEA related activities, from SOLrelated nature instruction for elementary students to workshops for teachers and environmentalists. Since today, May 10, was also the last of three successive weekends for Boxerwood’s first EarthArt Festival, the lodge was also the gateway for a wide variety of nature-based art, both “permanent,” of the woodcarving or painting sort, and ephemeral, such as sculptures made of leaves and clay. Within the lodge was a room filled with oil paintings of Boxerwood scenes, from a mountain-scape anchored by a traditional rural barn, to a light-filled portrait of an exotic cedar — no doubt one of Munger’s mid-20th century plantings.  But the community nest, itself an EarthArt structure, was some distance ahead, down a steep trail bordered by shrubs and trees and ending at the pond. A creation by Lexington artist Bea Zwart required a closer look — the pendant sculpture, inspired by a hanging nest seen on a visit to the Amazon, contained several large eggs, surely too big for nature but not for imagination — before the journey continued uphill again through the orchard and into the wide green space with the community nest.  This nest, it should be explained, consisted of durable osage-orange trunks, cut and set into the ground, within which a sturdy platform had been built by volunteers from the engineering department of Virginia Military Institute. Surmounting the platform and creating the walls of the nest were grapevine and other flexible materials, woven among the trunks. Above the structure flew two airy birds, sculpted from sticks. In such a fanciful setting were gathered over 200 people, friends of Mohring and her fellow steward, gardener K.B. Bailey, members of the Munger family, including Sally and Larry Mann and their daughter, Virginia, and people who might be known as friends of Boxerwood — all those people who had either volunteered or taught children at the site or whose children had been educated there during school field trips. Also under the trees were a number of artists and their wares, displayed in an artisans’ fair.  Russell opened the ceremony, introducing Mohring and the first speaker, local Del. Ben Cline. Cline, saying he wished the BEA had been organized when he was a student in Lexington schools, read aloud and presented a framed letter, signed by himself and state Senators Emmett Hanger and Creigh Deeds, as well as Gov. Tim Kaine. The letter thanked Mohring for her “extraordinary accomplishments in the field of environmental education.” The legislators particularly noted the BEA’s “continuum of rigorous and relevant learning through place-based environmental education for preschoolers and students in grade K-6 in the school systems of Lexington, Buena Vista and Rockbridge County.”  The governor also had sent his own letter, which was presented to Mohring by new BEA board president Ross Waller. “I commend you for your tireless service to the citizens of the commonwealth,” Kaine wrote. “You have devoted long hours to bringing experience–based education to both teachers and students across the commonwealth. … Your accomplishments in advancing environmental education in the community reflect your talent, hard work, and foresight in all of your endeavors.” Waller also read a letter by Uncas McThenia, retired Washington and Lee law professor and a longtime friend, who called Mohring “a dangerous woman … shamelessly subversive of all known orthodoxy.” The tongue-in-cheek indictment continued with McThenia’s recollection of his first encounter with Mohring, when she and Bailey helped another law school professor move house. “After about 10 minutes on the site, Hunter had taken over both the planning and ordering aspects of our work. She turned what I expected to be a day and a half job into a morning’s work,” McThenia testified. McThenia also cited her “talents s a gifted teacher and administrator” when she directed Yellow Brick Road early childhood center, as well as her successful efforts to establish Lisa’s House for battered women. “Because the stars, the moon, and all the other heavenly bodies somehow mysteriously lined up, Hunter turned her subversive talents to Boxerwood,” he continued. “That was 10 years ago and none of those heavenly bodies has ever gotten back to ordinary life. And her leadership has made it pretty likely that ordinary time will not return for the foreseeable future.”  As the ceremony concluded, longtime friend Missy Morgan, a resident of Alabama, walked up the community nest steps, guitar in hand. She and Bailey then proceeded to serenade Mohring, whose new title at Boxerwood will be property steward and “founder in residence.”  Mohring will also guide the newly established Hunter Mohring EarthArt Fund, promoting the connection with nature through art.   The Lexington News-Gazette, Spring 2009

 Other News:

Rockbridge Area Conservation Council Annual Sustainability Award   RACC gives award to Boxerwood “in recognition and honor of leadership in environmental sustainability for creating educational programs, woodland gardens and a nature center inspiring people of all ages toward becoming responsible stewards of the Earth.

See Pictures of our Play Trail: We on on the Gallery of Photographys of the Staunton News-Leader!:  Go to August 17, 2010, "Exploring Fun at Boxerwood:" http://www.newsleader.com/section/PERMGALL

W & L Announces Recipients Of Latest Community Grants Washington and Lee University’s Community Grants Committee this week announced the recipients of its November 2009 grants.  Nineteen organizations submitted proposals for over $74,000 in requests for the first round of proposals for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Thirteen grants totaling $29,750 were made, including one to  the Boxerwood Nature Center & Woodland Garden.  The purpose of W&L’s community grants program is to support nonprofit organizations in the Lexington/Rockbridge community.  “The needs are great, and W&L is proud to be a partner with the wonderful agencies that work so hard to improve the quality of life in Lexington and the greater Rockbridge communities,” said W&L President Kenneth P. Ruscio... December 16, 2009

Boxerwood Fund Drive Launched After Loss Of NOAA Funds  Boxerwood Gardens is launching its first fundraising campaign, Keep Boxerwood Blooming, with the short-term goal of raising $93,000 by September of this year.  The funds are needed for Boxerwood to continue its educational programming uninterrupted after the loss of a federal grant and other budget shortfalls.  The campaign will seek to raise a further $157,000 by April 2011 in the form of multiyear pledges so as to reduce Boxerwood’s dependence on federal grant funding and enhance its long-term sustainability. Recently, Boxerwood learned from the National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration, with whom it has had a long relationship, that a pending three-year proposal for funding was declined because of economic pressures.  While Boxerwood has sufficient funding for the rest of this school year, next year looks bleak, said Elise Sheffield, Boxerwood director of education. “The loss of this funding is very significant to Boxerwood, and unless we recoup these funds via alternate sources, our programming will be seriously impacted,” she said. “Funding from NOAA had enabled our cash-strapped schools to continue our partnership by providing thousands of dollars each year in transportation and program fee subsidies. Without these subsidies, kids will not be having hands-on experiences in nature as part of their school curriculum.” Sheffield noted that many in the community have assumed Boxerwood funds its operations through an endowment, but this is not so. “We don’t have any debt except for a small mortgage, but we don’t have an endowment either – we work lean,” she said. “Every year we earn our keep through donations, memberships, program fees and those competitively awarded grants,” she continued. “Frankly, after 10 years of building our organization, it’s time to focus on putting down deeper support ‘roots’ in our local community.” Boxerwood’s services over the past 10 years have included offering a horticultural center, a site for thought provoking-community festivals such as EarthArt, free access to the avante garde Play Trail, and school programs, including Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences. This program supports the Virginia Standards of Learning and ensures that each local student has a watershed experience before graduating from high school. This school year, more than 2,000 children from more than 100 classrooms in the Rockbridge area will participate in nature programming at Boxerwood, which represents 50 percent of local children in kindergartn through second grade and almost all the children in grades 3-6. Cindy Crance, Rockbridge County schools director of instruction, credited her division’s relationship with Boxerwood for the high SOL scores the children achieved in math and science.  Marilyn Elder, the science and math specialist for the Virginia Department of Education, said, “Boxerwood has raised the bar in watershed education in Virginia.”“Boxerwood has historically brought into our community thousands of dollars annually in the form of federal grants,” said Tony Russell, executive director of the Boxerwood Education Association. “Last year the value to our local schools was around $220,000, of which $75,000 was provided as direct support in the form of equipment, project stipends, substitute teachers and professional development for teachers. Most of the educational programming we have provided to local schools has been at little or no cost to them. “We are fortunate to have sufficient funding for the remainder of this school year,” Russell continued, “and, as such, time to seek alternate sources of funding for the upcoming school year.” One important aspect of the Keep Boxerwood Blooming campaign, said Sheffield, is a new initiative for sponsoring school visits to Boxerwood.  In this partnership model, Boxerwood is actively seeking civic groups and organizations willing to “adopt” specific classrooms or gradelevel programs. “It’s a three-way partnership,” explained Sheffield. “Boxerwood will provide instructional staff and programs, schools will contribute a modest amount per visit as in the past, and the partners will cover the subsidy formerly met by external grants.”  Sheffield noted that the necessary support would be between $500 and $1,500 per year, depending on the number of classrooms supported by the organization. This figure also includes support for bus transportation to help the financially strapped school systems. “We are also looking to our membership,” added Russell. “If every member donated just $25 more, that would provide about $10,000 of the $93,000 we are seeking. If each member recruited a friend to become a member of Boxerwood, we would be well on our way to a more self-sustaining future. We also have a wonderful facility that folks can rent for private parties and business functions.” Despite the challenges ahead, both Russell and Sheffield remain upbeat about Boxerwood’s prospects. “Boxerwood has been so pleased to provide environmental education services on behalf of our local community for these past 10 years,” said Russell. “We know from kids and adults that this place means a lot to a lot of people. The silver lining is this will be a great way for our supporters to let us know they care. Increased community support, in turn, is attractive to grantors who see real community buy-in. With help from our friends, Boxerwood can keep thriving as a vital part of this great community.” To make a donation, arrange a fundraising event or help reduce expenses by volunteering, contact Tony Russell at 463-2697 or tony@boxerwood.org. March 31, 2010