MANSFIELD — Discovery School students and staff celebrated Earth Day with an exciting announcement.
Discovery School was designated as Ohio’s latest “Wild School Site” by the Division of Wildlife on Friday morning.
“We are so proud of our students and their teachers,” said Julie Schwartz, Head of School at Discovery.
The school is the fourth location in Richland County and the 198th site in Ohio to receive this title.
The award was presented by Jen Dennison, Education Coordinator for the Ohio Division of Natural Resources. Simon Clark, Assistant Head of School/IB Coordinator and Hillary Fry, Development Director for Discovery School accepted the honor on the school’s behalf.
“Our students have engaged in a variety of projects (vernal pool clean-up, butterfly garden installation, bat box installation/monitoring, various litter clean-ups, etc.) that provide both habitat and food resources for wildlife around our large woodland property,” Schwartz said.
“Our weekly ‘Woods’ program and ‘Wildlife Wednesday’ series (hosted by Schwartz) also provide on-going education about Ohio’s native wildlife.”
Discovery School also teaches students a variety of outdoor skills such as hiking, shelter-building, and even archery. The Archery Club is led by Schwartz, an NASP-certified (National Archery in Schools Program) instructor.
“Outdoor learning has been proven to develop a true spirit of Earth stewardship in children,” Schwartz said. “We feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to the kids and to the planet in that way.
“They are naturally curious and action-oriented. We just need to not be afraid to let them get dirty.”
