North Branch is delighted to be one of only 3 schools in the Commonwealth to be recognized as a Virginia Naturally School for all 25 years of the program. Since the award’s inception, North Branch has received this exemplary distinction for our commitment to environmental education and stewardship.
The NBS mission statement states that we strive to foster environmental responsibility. https://north-branch-school.org/about/mission-statement/ We take that charge seriously! Some of the highlights of the 2025-2026 school year, for which we received the Year 25 award, include:
- 3-day, 2-night trip to study and explore with representatives of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (7th & 8th grades)
- Year-long immersion in Trout in the Classroom with culminating spring release into the wild & Fall hawk migration watch (5th & 6th grades)
- Meadow planting with Rockfish Nature Foundation & learning about the historic and current impact of the Rivanna River at the Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center (3rd & 4th grades)
- Caring for monarch caterpillars, releasing the butterflies into the wild, and partnering with a monarch sanctuary in Mexico to plant trees for habitat for butterflies (2nd grade)
- Visiting The Nature Foundation at Wintergreen to learn about maple sugar tapping & raising tadpoles, then releasing the frogs into a nearby stream (1st grade)
- Exploration at Wild Rock Nature Play and Discovery Center & incubating eggs and documenting their progress in an egg journal. Hatching days were very exciting! (K & pre-K)
- Throughout the year, students in preschool – 8th grade are outside in nature as part of their science classes. Many woods walks happen as well, observing the seasonal changes of flora and fauna.
Courtney Hallacher, Statewide Wildlife Education Coordinator and Chair of the Virginia Naturally Schools Program writes:
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) honors schools that are working to include environmental literacy in their curricula through the Virginia Naturally School Recognition Program. As the Commonwealth’s official environmental education school recognition program, the Virginia Naturally School Program honors exemplary efforts undertaken to increase environmental awareness and stewardship among K-12 students.
Schools were evaluated based on two criteria:
- Authentic, hands-on, real-world learning that takes place in the classroom, e mphasizes environmental/sustainable education, and includes civic engagement and/or STEM connections.
- Learning that expands beyond the classroom setting (often referred to as meaningful field experiences) to connect back to what students are learning in the classroom.