• Home
  • Contact
  • Applications
  • Newsletter

North Branch School HomepageNorth Branch School

Afton, Virginia

  • Our School
    • About Our School
    • Rooted in a Love of Learning – Head of School Video
    • School Supplies List
    • Mission Statement
    • School History and Culture
    • Faculty
    • Board of Trustees
    • Curriculum
    • Calendar/Handbook
    • Preschool
    • Middle School
    • Maintaining A Safe and Kind Environment
    • NBS Stands Against Racism
    • NBS Videos
    • Alumni
    • North Branch in the News
  • Admissions
    • Admissions Welcome Video
    • Enrollment Information
    • Applications
    • Tuition & Fees for 2021-2022
    • Student Forms
  • Events
  • Fundraising
    • Make a Donation
    • Overview of Funds
    • Wish List
    • Grocery Store Links for NBS
    • Online Holiday Crafts Fair
    • BandFair
    • Dragon Dash
    • North Branch Golf Classic
    • Donate Your Car to benefit NBS
    • Miscellaneous Fundraisers
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • COVID 19 Information & Protocol
    • COVID 19 Daily Symptoms Check
    • Winter 2021 Virtual Learning Schedules
  • Conversations about Education
You are here: Home / Awards / NBS Recognized as Decade-Long "Virginia Naturally" School

November 21, 2009

NBS Recognized as Decade-Long "Virginia Naturally" School

NBS is one of only five schools in the Commonwealth to receive the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ Virginia Naturally School Recognition Award for all ten years the program has been in effect.  Schools receiving this recognition have demonstrated exemplary efforts to promote good stewardship of Virginia’s natural resources.  Virginia Naturally Schools must meet specific requirements, which increase with each successive year a school achieves this recognition.  To celebrate this milestone, on November 20 North Branch School was awarded a sign acknowledging their achievement.

Head Teacher Charlotte Zinsser Booth, Science teachers Toni Ranieri and Maggie Buchanan, and students pose with the new outdoor sign and indoor plaque recognizing NBS's 10-year "Virginia Naturally" achievement.

In their application for the 2008-2009 school year, North Branch School outlined the units of study about nature and the service efforts that all of the students, preschool – 8th grade, enjoy.  Projects for the 2008-2009 year included, planting and harvesting the school’s gardens, feeding, identifying, and graphing sightings of birds, wildflower walks with the Wintergreen Nature Foundation, building mini-greenhouses, maintaining the school’s nature trail and outdoor classroom, geology lessons with a field trip to Grand Caverns, and stream monitoring as part of the Chesapeake Bay Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience.  In May, North Branch’s middle school students spent several days on the Chesapeake Bay, learning about the Bay’s habitat and ecosystems through the programs of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.  Local groups, such as the Blue Ridge Sierra Club, RiverFest of Waynesboro, and the Wintergreen Nature Foundation helped to underwrite this hands-on field study.

Last school year was a time of education in green building for North Branch students and staff as they observed the construction of the school’s new annex.  This building, opened in September 2009, is insulated with natural cotton fiber insulation and integrates radiant floor heating and south-facing passive solar elements.  Sun tubes bring natural light into the north-facing rooms.

For more information about the Virginia Naturally Recognition Program, visit the Virginia Naturally website at www.VaNaturally.com.  For more information about the environmental stewardship efforts of North Branch School, please call 540-456-8450 or email the school at info@north-branch-school.org.

Related Posts

  • North Branch students receive writing awards

    Two students from North Branch School have received awards in the annual Writer's Eye contest.…

  • NBS Recognized as Decade-Long "Virginia Naturally" School

    NBS is one of only five schools in the Commonwealth to receive the Virginia Department…

  • North Branch activities

    Here are a few pictures of things that have been going on at school and…

Posted in; Awards

Comments

  1. Paulette Albright says

    January 5, 2010 at 9:43 pm

    I am so impressed with the emphasis that NBS places on the environment. You know all the reasons why this is so important, but I wanted all the faculty, students, and parents to know that these efforts are noticed.
    If I had children, I would want them to attend NBS. If I were a teacher, I would want to teach at NBS. Being neither a parent or a teacher I can only say that you should all be proud of your school and your dedication to learning from and protecting the environment.
    Keep up the excellent work.

Recent Blog Posts

  • Building Bridges
  • Learning Cycle March 15-April 9
  • Learning Cycle February 18 – March 12
  • The Cricket In Times Square
  • Honoring Dr. King

Categories

Archives

Contact Us

North Branch School
221 Mickens Road
Afton Virginia 22920
phone (540) 456-8450
E-mail us

Quick Links

  • Fundraising
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Admissions
  • Events

Connect with NBS