Boxerwood Selected as Virginia’s “Bright Spot” at Regional Summit

This month, Boxerwood received an unexpected honor. Out of all the environmental education initiatives in the state, the Virginia Department of Education selected Boxerwood and its school partners as the Commonwealth’s featured “Bright Spot” during a high-level education summit held in Richmond. A biannual conference of the regional Chesapeake Bay Program, the Education Summit sets goals and strategies for promoting environmental literacy and related workforce development across public schools in the five-state region. The overarching goal of the multi-jurisdictional program is to increase citizen support and action for protecting the land and streams that drain to the Bay. The May 5th summit brought together 150 officials, including state cabinet secretaries and other agency leaders, as well as a small handful of invited guests like Boxerwood.

“It was quite a surprise to receive the invitation,” said Elise Sheffield, Boxerwood’s Program Director. “We didn’t even know the Department of Education was aware of Boxerwood and its long-time partnership with our three local school divisions.” The one-day summit was conducted in a hybrid format with simultaneously broadcasted meetings in the state capitals of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and in Washington, D.C. As part of the agenda, each jurisdiction was invited to highlight one “Bright Spot” related to its goals for advancing watershed education in K-12 schools.

What attracted the state’s attention, said Elise, was the depth and breadth of Boxerwood’s Rockbridge-area outreach, considering the area’s limited economic resources. “Basically, they invited us to share the story of how, alongside our school partners, we’ve made something so meaningful from very restricted means,” said Elise, explaining that the goal of her talk was to highlight the power of long-term public-private collaboration. “In this model,” she explained, “Boxerwood the nonprofit holds the environmental mission, and supports partner schools as an ally and community catalyst.” 

During her Richmond presentation, Elise likened the partnership model to “stone soup,” in which “all parties put in what they can so that everyone benefits.” She noted that state leaders were particularly impressed that all three local divisions provide transportation for field-based learning in addition to contributing what they can toward Project NEST, the name of the school partnership program.  Now in its third decade, Project NEST stands for Nurturing Environmental Stewardship Together, connecting 2,600 PreK – 12 students to high-quality, field-based learning each year. As part of NEST, and in collaboration with classroom teachers and staff, half of these students also complete related service action projects such as tree-planting, raising native trout, recycling, and composting, all of which are linked to school goals.  

Accomplishing these outcomes at scale is a struggle for any division, said Elise, but it can be especially daunting for rural schools. Educational decrees come from the top, she said, with school divisions expected to carry out those mandates. In the case of directives for environmental literacy, rural or under-resourced schools often lack the capacity to fulfill those expectations on their own. “That’s why partnerships are so important,” said Elise, noting that Boxerwood also functions as the NEST fundraiser, annually securing grants and donations that provide program fee subsidies for schools in need. “It’s a big effort,” she said, “but teaching youth how to take care of the Earth that sustains us all is one of the most important things a community can do.”

“The Department of Education’s goal,” she explained, “is that all students participate in field-based watershed learning at least once in their elementary, middle, and high school years. But in Boxerwood’s Rockbridge model, that happens every year.”  Reflecting on that accomplishment, Elise returned again to the “invaluable” commitment of school leaders within BVCPS, LCS, and RCPS, and to the power of community itself. “The ‘stone soup’ concept seemed to have really resonated with the audience,” she remarked, quoting Summit organizers who later noted one of the three “key themes that emerged” from the gathering was “the importance of partnerships and collaboration, especially between formal and nonformal educators, to achieve our goals.”

During the Summit, Boxerwood was also invited to speak briefly about the impact of Project NEST on workforce development. Elise reported that officials were inspired that all Rockbridge youth grow up with years of “watershed education experiences” as part of their education.  “I had a slide showing photos of young adults who, since their Project NEST days, have pursued conservation-related careers. Land surveyors, environmental engineers, research scientists, forest rangers, farmers, parents, teachers – it’s really amazing,” she said. “None of this would be possible without the trust and collaboration of our school partners,” she added, “and of course, our community.”

Echoing that sentiment was Kathy Burant, chair of the Rockbridge County School Board, whose members learned about the “Bright Spot” presentation during their May board meeting. “The beautiful story and success of the NEST program …is the quintessential example of how we, as a community, can work together to create and support such a meaningful program in which our students become the natural stewards of our land,” she said. Reflecting on the opportunity, Elise concurred. “Truly, it was an honor to represent our schools, community, and partnership at the Education Summit,” she said, “and we look forward to more bright successes to come.” More information about Project NEST and its impact can be found on the Boxerwood website.

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