Directory
of
School Yard Enhancements for Learning in
Northern Virginia
and DC
This directory is taken from information submitted in a Survey of Schoolyard Lessons that was undertaken by Mary L. Pike as part of an independent study for her Master’s in Applied Healing Arts, from the Tai Sophia Institute. It has been augmented by information from attendees of the Connecting Kids with Nature: Using the Outdoors as a Classroom Conference, April 18, 2009. It also contains a small amount of information from a networking meeting in early 2008 and an earlier survey conducted by Elenor Hodges for Arlingtonians for a Cleaner Environment. You are encouraged to contact the school directly for additional information or to arrange a visit.
Table of Contents
Alexandria City Public Schools………………………………………………1
Arlington County Public Schools……………………………………………..2
District of Columbia Public Schools……………………………………...…..3
Fairfax County Public Schools………………………………………………..3
Falls Church Public Schools………………………………………………….7
Prince William County Public Schools……………………………………….7
Other/Private Schools………………………………………………………...7
Schoolyard Garden Information in a Graph Format.....………………………8
I express my gratitude to those who filled out the survey and shared what they are doing in their schoolyards to connect their students with nature. I applaud these teachers, principles, parents and other volunteers who make the extra effort to insure that their students have the opportunity to experience first-hand what they are learning in their classrooms and have the chance to participate in those teachable moments that could never occur inside.
Mary L. Pike 4/18/2009
1
ALEXANDRIA PUBLIC
Barrett Elementary
Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified; Classroom Seating; Senses Garden.
Wendy Sparrow, Alexandria Public Schools Habitat Coordinator ()
Cora Kelly Elementary
Pond; Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Petter Rabbit; Amphitheater; Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified; Weather Station; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating; Composting/Recycling; Rainbarrels.
Wendy Sparrow, Alexandria Public Schools Habitat Coordinator ()
George Mason Elementary
Butterfly Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Vegetable Garden; Classroom Seating; Composting/Recycling; Rainbarrels.
Wendy Sparrow, Alexandria Public Schools Habitat Coordinator ()
George Washington Junior High
Butterfly Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Flower Garden.
Karyn Freeman, Science Teacher ()
Wendy Sparrow, Alexandria Public Schools Habitat Coordinator ()
Jefferson Houston Elementary
Journey North Tulip Garden; Vegetable Garden; Flower Garden; Mural.
Wendy Sparrow, Alexandria Public Schools Habitat Coordinator ()
John Adams Elementary
Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating; Courtyard.
Wendy Sparrow, Alexandria Public Schools Habitat Coordinator ()
Lyle-Crouch Elementary
Butterfly Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Vegetable Garden; Classroom Seating; Three Sisters Garden.
Wendy Sparrow, Alexandria Public Schools Habitat Coordinator ()
Maury Elementary
Butterfly Garden; Tree Arbor; Journey North Tulip Garden; Vegetable Garden; Classroom Seating; Composting/Recycling; Rainbarrels.
Wendy Sparrow, Alexandria Public Schools Habitat Coordinator ()
McArthur Elementary
Butterfly Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Amphitheater; Vegetable Garden; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating; Native Plant Garden.
Wendy Sparrow, Alexandria Public Schools Habitat Coordinator ()
Mt. Vernon Elementary
Butterfly Garden; Greenhouse; Vegetable Garden; Composting/Recycling.
Wendy Sparrow, Alexandria Public Schools Habitat Coordinator ()
Polk Elementary
Pond; Butterfly Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified; Classroom Seating.
Wendy Sparrow, Alexandria Public Schools Habitat Coordinator ()
Ramsey Elementary
Butterfly Garden; Colonial American Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Peter Rabbit; Nature Trail; Vegetable Garden; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating; Composting/Recycling;
Wendy Sparrow, Alexandria Public Schools Habitat Coordinator ()
TC Williams High School
Herb Garden; Vegetable Garden; Flower Garden; Composting/Recycling.
Wendy Sparrow, Alexandria Public Schools Habitat Coordinator ()
ARLINGTON COUNTY PUBLIC
Arlington Science Focus School,
Tree Arbor; Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified; Herb Garden; Native Plant Garden; Pond; Weather Station; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Composting/Recycling.
Leslie Lyon, Federal Wildlife Habitat Volunteer-seasonal caretaker of gardens/pond. ()
Arlington Traditional Elementary
Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Colonial America Garden; Vegetable Garden; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Rain Garden. Also use Lacey Woods/Bon Air Parks.
Mary Van Dyke, Volunteer ()
Ashlawn Elementary
Butterfly garden; Colonial American Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Rock Garden; ABC Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Pond; Composting.
Barcroft Elementary
Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Amphitheater; Vegetable Garden; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area. Also use Long Branch Nature Center and Green Springs Garden Park.
Susan DuBois, parent volunteer ()
Barrett Elementary
Wildflower Garden; Butterfly Garden; Peace Garden with Trees.
Claremont Elementary
Butterfly Garden; Vegetable Garden; Flower Garden; NWF certified; Pond.
Ofelia McKenzie, Science Teacher--1st, 3rd, and 5th ()
Francis Scott Key Elementary
We are currently in the process of making improvements to our schoolyard for learning and natural play areas. This spring I led an Earth Force watershed study class after school with 5th grades. We used a nearby stream, as well as Windy Run for testing. Butterfly Garden; Colonial America Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified.
Kate Van Slyck, PTA Schoolyard Committee Chair ()
Glebe Elementary
Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Composting/Recycling.
Renee Bayes, Chair Garden Therapy, Rock Spring Garden Club ()
Amy Slavin, Teacher ()
HB Woodlawn
Classroom Seating Area-- outdoor whiteboard. Also we work on the fields a lot, keeping grass on them despite heavy use.
Jamestown Elementary
Herb Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Composting/Recycling.
McKinley Elementary
Vegetable Garden; Wildlife Habitat; Raised Beds; Classroom Seating Area
Nottingham Elementary School
Pond; Wetland Habitat; Butterfly Garden; Peter Rabbit Garden; Amphitheater; Weather Station; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area.
Patrick Henry Elementary
Pond; Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Colonial America Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified; Flower Garden; Composting/Recycling; Middle Eastern Garden; Pumpkin Patch.. Designed, planted, and maintain the butterfly garden at the Walter Reed Community Center. We do water testing at Alcova Park.
Susan Spranger, Exemplary Project Coordinator-- preK-5 ()
Taylor Elementary School
Taylor Elementary has been working to enhance outdoor learning and make room for wildlife and just last year the 15 acres of school ground became certified as a NWF Wildlife Habitat. This has been a group effort to plant native plants, add a rain garden, build and monitor nest boxes with PTA funds, Virginia Bluebird Society grants, hands-on student projects, and family and scout participation. Virginia Bluebird Society has a series of nest boxes called a bluebird trail. Adjacent forest, stream (Donaldson Run), and nature trails in Zachary Taylor park. Stream; Butterfly Garden; Tree Arbor; Nature Trail; NWF Certified; Weather Station; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating; Rain Garden; Composting/Recycling.
Teenage Parenting Program,
(Currently at Syphax Academic building; moving July 2009 to Reed School)
We have a small garden outside next to the parking lot. We will be expanding and moving our garden this summer. Vegetable Garden; Composting/Recycling.
Mary Clendenning, Science Teacher, all high school grades ()
Tuckahoe Elementary
Tuckahoe has seven outdoor classrooms and also uses the adjacent Tuckahoe Park for outdoor learning. Stream; Wetland Habitat; Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Colonial America Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Peter Rabbit Garden; Nature Trail; Greenhouse; Amphitheater; Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified; Weather Station; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Composting/Recycling; Greek Pavilion; Friendship Garden with memorial brick patio; use of natural play materials on playground -- mulch mountains, logs, and cobb wall. See: www.apsva.us/tuckahoe/site/default.asp
Mary McLean, Outdoor Learning Coordinator--Pre-K through 5th
()
Williamsburg Middle School
Courtyard in school landscaped with pond, raised stream bed. Plants include trees and native and non-native species. Wildlife habitat includes three or four turtles. Stream; Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Vegetable Garden; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Rain Garden; Grow Out Station for Tree Seedlings.
Mary Van Dyke, Parent volunteer: Courtyard Keepers Club ()
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
John Eaton Elementary
We partnered with Environmental Concern last year to create a schoolyard habitat. Our focus was to prevent erosion and plant indigenous plants. Butterfly Garden; Nature trail; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area.
Susan K. Coti, Classroom teacher/Co-Science Chair ()
For a list of more than 50 school gardens in DC, see: http://www.dcschoolyardgreening.org/localprojects/participatingschools.html
FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC
Annandale Terrace Elementary
Butterfly Garden; Vegetable Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Native Plant Garden; Sunflower House. Use Ossian Hall Park
Susan Lozinyak, Garden coordinator/interesession teacher ()
Bailey's Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences
Pond; Butterfly Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Nature trail; Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified; Weather Station; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Composting/Recycling. Also use Hidden Oaks Park.
Anne Rosenbaum, Outdoor Science Specialist--Pre-K - 5th ()
Chesterbrook Elementary
Pond; Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; NWF Certified; Weather Station; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area.
Bob Fuqua, Principal ()
Clermont Elementary
Pond; Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Composting/Recycling.
Charlie Mills, Teacher--Second Grade ()
Clifton Elementary
Butterfly Garden; Colonial America Garden; Vegetable Garden; Flower Garden; Composting/Recycling.
Arthur Polton, Principal ()
Colvin Run Elementary
Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Amphitheater; Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Native American Medicine Wheel; Virginia Native Plant Garden.
Elaine Tholen, volunteer ()
Pamela Smith, Chairperson Outdoor Education/Landscape Committee
()
Daniels Run Elementary—K-6
A vegetable garden was created in the courtyard next to the science technology lab. Every class in the entire school harvests (and tastes!) vegetables in the fall and plants a vegetable in the spring in the raised bed gardens. Stream; Wetland Habitat; Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Nature trail; Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified; Classroom Seating Area; Rain Garden; Composting/Recycling.
Lori Huberman Hayes, Science/Technology Resource Teacher ()
Flint Hill Elementary
Pond; Greenhouse; NWF Certified; Weather Station; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Composting/Recycling. Also use Peterson Park in Vienna, and Meredith Creek with Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Sal Rivera, Principal ()
George C. Marshall High School
Herb Garden; Vegetable Garden. These two items are just being planted this season
Nancy Monroe/Jane Balek, volunteer co-chairs, Beautification Committee (/)
Great Falls Elementary
Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; NWF Certified; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating; Composting/Recycling.
Julianne Remer, SACC Center Supervisor ()
Haycock Elementary
Multi-year effort to improve wildlife habitat and support gardening and other activities. Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Tree Arbor; Colonial America Garden; Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified; Weather Station; Flower Garden; Composting/Recycling; Tool Shed, Memorial Gardens, Chess Garden; Overall Reforestation and Revegetation, Nest Boxes and Bird Baths.
Steve Coffee, Co-chair of Cougar Woods, a PTA committee ()
Stephanie Snow, Instructional Assistant ()
Hollin Meadows Science and Math Elementary
We have transformed 14,000 square feet of our school grounds with various habitats and gardens. Wetland Habitat; Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Colonial America Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Nature Trail; Greenhouse; Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified; Weather Station; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Rain Garden; Composting/Recycling; Virginia Wildlife Habitat which is the entire front of the school; Virginia Woodland area; Form and Texture Garden; and 25 working beds for every grade level.
Sue Bernstein, PTA 2nd VP
()
Shawn Akard, Outdoor Education Coordinator--K-6 ()
Keene Mill Elementary
NWF Certified; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area.
Kristin Rever, 5th grade teacher
()
Lake Anne Elementary
We generally plant with native VA plants. We presently have a polinator garden and a sponge (rain) garden. Our next garden will be a woodlands garden. Our focus is protecting the watershed. ESOL students planted a butterfly bush in the fall. Students in grades K-2 have been raising worms and their castings will be used to fertilize our gardens. The preschool and kindergardeners will be planting sunflowers later in the spring, so that they can see their flowers when they return. The Garden Club—Bayscapers--have made natural centerpieces, leaf rubbings, explored the woods behind our school, and created tableaus this winter which described our environmental focus. We'll also be making stepping stones for our garden this spring. We are still young, only in our second year of gardening. We have used the paths behind our school to explore the woods. Some classes have gone to Lake Anne as part of their curriculum. Pond; Butterfly Garden; Tree Arbor; NWF Certified; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Rain Garden; Composting/Recycling.
Linda Hajj, Principal ()
Lemon Road Elementary
Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Journey North Tulip Garden; Greenhouse; Vegetable Garden; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area; Composting/Recycling; sundial, bird habitat, eastern box turtle habitat, "quiet reading" nooks for small groups, interpretive signs, salsa garden, native caterpiller host garden, "Virginia Wildlife" fountain, mosaic patio.
Dawn Jacobs, Discovery Gardens Coordinator ()
Oakton High School
Butterfly Garden.
Donald Clark, US History Teacher ()
Ravensworth Elementary
Herb garden; Outdoor seating; animal/bird feeders.
Rolling Valley Elementary
Dedication to Trees.
Debbie Lane, Principal ()
Spring Hill Elementary
We have courtyard, NWF certified Schoolyard Habitat with a pond, wetland marsh, flower gardens and a vegetable garden. We also have a certified Monarch Waystation with nectar flowers and milkweed. We are in the process of finishing a forest/woodland outdoor classroom with benches to be used in study of trees, habitats and food webs. It is located within our storm runoff area from our school building. We used the at the back of the stream recreation center for water testing. Pond; Wetland; Herb Garden; Butterfly Garden; Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified; Weather Station; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating; Composting/Recycling.
Alison Bauer, Science Specialist—K-6
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Native plant garden; herb garden; outdoor seating.
Carol Miranda, PTSA Landscape Chairperson ()
Wakefield Forest Elementary
Pond; Butterfly Garden; Vegetable Garden; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating Area.
Julia Ruskin, Office Assistant ()
Waples Mill Elementary
We are currently transforming our schoolyard into a "demonstration site" for children's conservation science, and to date have a small wetlands, a fairly large hillside rain garden/native meadow, bluebird houses and purple martin colonies, and an arboretum. Wetland Habitat; Butterfly Garden; Tree Arbor; Journey North Tulip Garden; Rain Garden; Many others are coming.
Sean Duffy, 5th grade & Conservation Science teacher. In addition, I collaborate with other classroom teachers—K-6. ()
Westlawn Elementary
Pond; Wetland; Butterfly Garden; Vegetable Garden; NWF Certified; Flower Garden; Classroom Seating; Composting/Recycling; native plant garden; pumpkin garden.