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John Wayland Elementary Highlighted in Virginia Wildlife Magazine

For over 10 years, John Wayland Elementary School has fostered an environmental education program so comprehensive and successful that Virginia Wildlife, published by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, saw fit to highlight the school’s accomplishments in its December 2007 issue. Into its second decade, the school's environmental program continues to gain momentum as John Wayland teachers and administrators plan new initiatives to enable their students to make a positive impact on their community and environment.

In a 4-page spread replete with pictures of teachers and students engaged in various of their many projects, the Virginia Wildlife article takes readers through John Wayland’s environmental education history, beginning with its Wildwood Park restoration project following devastation caused by flooding from separate hurricanes in late 1996 and early 1997. The author describes the school's outdoor classroom, a Quilt Garden (pictured at right) built in 2000, that serves as host to all sorts of flying and crawling insects, a large variety of plants and shrubs, an assortment of geometrical concepts in its architecture, and offers a wonderful environment for marrying the disciplines of science, language arts, and math. The article also highlights some of the school's philanthropic deeds in extending help and hope to those beyond its Bridgewater environs. The school raised money to support hungry families in developing countries and also sent $3,000 to a Mississippi elementary school to help it rebound from losses suffered in Hurricane Katrina.

“I’m so proud of what we do here,” notes Donna Barber, a 2nd grade teacher who has been central to the ongoing efforts since the early 90s at John Wayland. “The kids feel so actively involved and we’re instilling in the children real ownership in the environment,” she adds. "And it ties in so beautifully with all we do involving Character Counts and, of course, our SOLs."

Mrs. Barber serves as the liason between the school and the "Virginia Naturally" program, the Commonwealth's Environmental Education Network. The "Virginia Naturally" program began in 2000 and John Wayland immediately jumped on board by submitting an application that asked the school to detail its commitment to environmental education by documenting such things as staff development plans, curriculum integration, field opportunities for students, resource conservation, and community partnerships. With its successful application, JWES earned designation as a "Virginia Naturally School" and has reapplied and been awarded this recognition for 8 consecutive years. Of the 41 schools in all of Virginia to obtain this recognition for the 2007 school year, John Wayland is one of only 6 schools who has earned this prestigious designation every year since the program began.

John Wayland's success in its environmental education endeavors is the result of a concerted effort among the entire teaching staff, students, and administration. Most recently, the school worked to become a certified Monarch Waystation, sponsored by MonarchWatch.org, to help prevent further decline of Monarch populations. Susan Eckenrode, 2nd grade teacher at JWES, orchestrated the effort as K-2 students planted milkweed and nectar sources for the migratory butterflies and the entire school helped by tagging and releasing over 45 Monarchs this fall. Each tag holds a unique number; if these tagged Monarchs are located in Mexico, the numbers can be reported to the Monarch Watch website and JWES students can learn the whereabouts of their released butterflies.

This year, the school's initiative will include the opportunity for students to incorporate writing into their environmental learning experiences. "With each year, we continue to add layers to what we have previously done. This year, our students will be keeping a Nature Journal," explains Dr. David Burchfield, John Wayland's principal. He adds that Laura Jaynes, a JWES 1st grade teacher and certified instructor in this concept, will conduct staff development sessions about Nature Journals and how to blend these into instruction.

Teachers and students in the school swell with pride as they talk about their projects and goals. Mrs. Barber recounts an experience to illustrate the gratification her students feel when able to make a contribution to the community. "At Wildwood Park, I saw one of my students with his parents. He pulled them over to the butterfly garden and pointed with excitement saying, 'That's the one I planted!' "

Thanks to his efforts along with those of countless other John Wayland teachers, students, and Bridgewater community members who worked then and continue today, over ten years later, to help preserve the park's ecosystem, perhaps some day this student will point out to his own children what he planted in Wildwood Park that day when he was in Mrs. Barber's second grade class.