Champion Teacher Harold Galvez
Next month’s trip to NatureBridge for Harold Galvez’s Vine Street Elementary School students from Los Angeles has been nearly a decade in the making. And on February 18, he’ll accompany 34 sixth grade students to Yosemite National Park—a first-time trip for almost the entire group.
Harold was first introduced to NatureBridge in 2011 as a teacher at Wonderland Avenue Elementary School, a school just five miles down the road from Vine Street. Since 2008, Wonderland has brought its fifth grade students on a NatureBridge environmental science program each year.
The program was life-changing, even for Harold, but each time that he visited the national park, he was reminded how much Vine Street students would benefit from the same experience. Born in El Salvador but raised in the L.A. area since he was two, Harold attended Vine Street Elementary himself and later taught at the school for several years. In 2011, he took a position at Wonderland.
“Having been a Vine student myself, I can relate to the hardships these students are going through… their parents often have to work two, sometimes three jobs to make ends meet. It’s a big struggle here,” said Harold. “It’s a lot easier for Wonderland students to attend these kinds of programs. But at Vine, we have to pool all of our resources and use all of our tricks.”
But that didn’t stop Harold from bringing this opportunity to fruition. In 2016, a coordinator position opened up at Vine and he jumped on the opportunity to return—changes were being made at the school and he wanted to make the NatureBridge program happen for these students. And this year, everything began to fall into place. Jennifer Cheng—someone Harold considers a champion for inclusivity—took over as principal.
With Jennifer as a confidant, Harold worked hard to make the pieces come together: Hosting parent informational nights, working on the financials and putting together the pieces—even when it meant getting creative.
“A lot of people worked together to make this happen for these kids and I think it makes it that much more valuable,” he said. “We’re all really excited.”
I want them to have these experiences early on, I want them to see that the sky's the limit and not be blinded by what they experience in their neighborhood—there’s more to life than Vine Street. I want to inspire them to always aim high in whatever it is that they’re doing.Harold Galvez, Vine Street Elementary School
“For me, this year’s NatureBridge program means the possibility of starting a new tradition here at this school,” he said. “I know the value of this program. Being out in nature makes you feel like you’re in a completely different world. It really expands your horizons. I want these Vine Street kids to be able to experience that early on so they see that there’s more to life than the Vine Street neighborhood. I want to level the playing field for these kids.”
Harold recalls the palpable energy among Wonderland students after coming back from NatureBridge and watching the moments of stewardship after the trip. This year, Harold’s looking forward to seeing the ripple effect of stewardship in the community when his Vine Street students return.
“I think for most of them, this is going to be their first true nature experience,” said Harold. “We need to have programs like NatureBridge at not just the affluent schools, but all schools so every kid has the opportunity.”
The fact that NatureBridge offers scholarship support is tremendous. It wouldn’t be possible for Vine Street to attend without it.Harold Galvez, Vine Street Elementary School
NatureBridge scholarship support increases access to our parks and programs. By ensuring our programs’ relevance to diverse student populations, we engage a new generation and create pathways to learning, growth and environmental stewardship. And thanks to champion teachers like Harold, each year we connect even more students to our national park classrooms.
You can be a champion too, by giving to NatureBridge! #InvestInKids
Stories
2024 Student of the Year: Kai Diaz
At NatureBridge, we celebrate the stewards of today and foster the development of the stewards of tomorrow, working to inspire environmental stewardship in all our participants. Our goal is to motivate our students to make waves and be changemakers in their communities and for our planet.
Each year, NatureBridge honors a student who has demonstrated leadership, growth and a commitment to protecting our natural world as a result of their participation in a NatureBridge program. This year’s honoree will be recognized and will speak at An Evening Outside with NatureBridge on Thursday, May 16 at our Golden Gate campus.
We are thrilled to announce our 2024 Student of the Year: Kai Diaz.
An Interview with Evening Outside Keynote Speaker Dr. Britt Wray
The minute we found out about the work of Dr. Britt Wray, we knew we wanted to learn more about her. A well-respected author and scientist, Dr. Wray possesses expertise in an area of research we talk about a lot at NatureBridge—specifically how we can be resilient, hopeful, and actionable amid a changing world, including the climate crisis. We’re thrilled that Dr. Wray will be joining us on May 16 for An Evening Outside with NatureBridge as our Featured Speaker. Ahead of the event, we had the chance to ask her a few questions relating to her work and her connection to the mission of NatureBridge.
Staff Spotlight: Appreciation for Miho Aida
Miho Aida (she/they) has held multiple roles at NatureBridge over the past twenty-four years, including Environmental Science Educator, Community Connection Coordinator, Field Staff Scientist, Marine Project Coordinator, Pacific Rim Environmental Education Specialist, Armstrong Scholars Educator, Diversity Coordinator, Equity and Inclusion Manager, and Director of Equity and Inclusion. Now, on the eve of Miho's departure, we asked them to reflect on their time at NatureBridge and share a bit about their upcoming adventures.