The Riverside School has received a $4,994 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation’s Northeast Kingdom Fund. The grant will help further Riverside’s mission of active learning by expanding resources and safety through outdoor education.
 
The grant supports an initiative entitled “G.R.O. – Growing Riverside Outside” which was started this past summer in celebration of the school’s 40^th anniversary. The G.R.O. committee, comprised of faculty, staff, trustees, alumni, and community partners is focusing on enhancing curriculum through the lenses of outdoor and place-based education. Students and faculty will restore and create connectivity in natural areas on campus through increased habitat and biodiversity.
 
“This effort encourages possibilities for new learning in a variety of curricular areas,” said Roy Starling, Head of School. “It encourages interaction with the natural world, creating a “land lab” with countless possibilities for learning. Outdoor, place-based education practices directly connect to our value of active learning.”
 
The Northeast Kingdom Fund is a permanent philanthropic resource dedicated to supporting the people and communities of Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties. Its grants are decided by a committee of local residents, providing philanthropy for the Kingdom, by the Kingdom.
 
“We have three goals to achieve in order to bring this philosophy into best practice: the re-wilding of campus, curriculum review and professional development, and establishing teaching resources like tools and signage plus the construction of a timber-framed pavilion dedicated to Riverside’s faculty, past and present,” said Nelia Dwyer, Assistant Head of School and Chair of the G.R.O Committee.
 
The Riverside School is a dynamic independent day school for grades Pre-K through 8^th grade in Lyndonville, VT. For more information, visit www.theriversideschool.org.