Prince William Forest

With the rise of anxiety and depression about young people today, social emotional learning (SEL) is also on the rise. SEL a holistic educational framework that focuses on building mental, emotional and interpersonal skills that lead to positive outcomes for students and the community as a whole. We spoke with National Director of Education Meg Jakubowski to learn more about NatureBridge’s unique role in furthering SEL.

Thanks to Jon, Destry and other impactful leaders and passionate teachers, NatureBridge has served 8,964 kids since 2012 in Prince William Forest Park. After nearly 80 years, the park is living up to the promise of experiential education that was made in the 1930s. On the very same grounds where segregated housing was built, NatureBridge centers equity in its student programs. Not only is the promise being realized, but it is being expanded and made better for the next 50 years and beyond.

When Isabel Esparza was nine years old, she said goodbye to her family, greeted a crew of friendly flight attendants and flew half-way across the country to Michigan — alone. It was one of many trips for the former NatureBridge educator that was driven by her mother’s adventurous spirit. Isabel shares how that infectious spirit influenced her career path and the way she dreams of raising her own children. She also reflects on how an equity thought experiment she would propose — “Imagine a scientist” — helped students at our Mid-Atlantic campus see themselves represented in environmental education.

A member of our Mid-Atlantic Regional Board, Catherine Scott has spent her lifetime protecting natural places. This goes hand in hand with her belief that connecting youth to their local natural places is vital for environmental stewardship. Read more about his commitment to NatureBridge students.

After completing the Educator Development Program in Yosemite National Park this summer, Dana Delos Santos moved back east to be an educator at our Prince William Forest campus where she enjoys connecting city youth to the outdoors for the first time.

The tattooed, skateboarding principal of Fred M. Lynn Middle School, perhaps best known for his countercultural approach, is a champion for the students he serves and believes strongly in the transformative power of outdoor educational experiences.

NatureBridge educator Caleb Savage has taught at both our Prince William and Olympic campuses. He believes in the power of disconnecting from technology and making connections in the outdoors.

Since its establishment nearly a century ago, Prince William Forest has served as a place for Washington, D.C. youth to discover the natural world. The history of the park dates back to a legacy of access and, eventually, inclusion—a legacy that continues to be upheld by NatureBridge today.

Prince William Forest Park (PRWI) has so much to offer the students who visit it, particularly in terms of natural features for exploring and the park’s close connection to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. During the trail days with students, it is not unusual for us to spend a good part of the day hiking.