Chesapeake Office Wins Regional Education Award

Students learn how indicator species help us understand the health of the Chesapeake and its rivers aboard the James River Association's education boat.

NPS Photo

The National Park Service recently recognized a pilot education program connecting every fourth and fifth grade student in Hampton, Virginia with the area’s natural resources and cultural history as the recipient of the award on behalf of the Northeast region. The program now qualifies for the national award, the highest award presented to a team or individual in the education field, to be announced in August.

The program, funded by the National Park Foundation Open Outdoors for Kids Grant, was developed and implemented through collaboration between the National Park Service Chesapeake Gateways Network (NPS Chesapeake Gateways), the James River Association, Hampton City Schools, Shored UP!, Fort Monroe National Monument, Fort Monroe Authority, and the City of Hampton. The team worked with both formal and informal educators to create a three-tiered program, culturally relevant to the majority Black student population at Hampton City Schools for the 2021-2022 school year.

Regional Excellence

The award is the highest at the regional level for expertise in the field of education.

Local education partners, Shored Up!, lead students in a dialogue about the Algernourne Oak, an almost 500 year old witness tree, that has supported many generations of diverse communities in Hampton.

NPS Photo

Approximately 1,600 hundred fifth grade students participated in three distinct learning experiences: virtual lessons about the cultural and historical significance of Fort Monroe National Monument, a field trip to the fort and aboard the James River Association’s education boat, and a storm water stewardship action project at their schools. Hampton City students were able to learn about taking care of their local waterways from educators across disciplines.

NPS Chesapeake Gateways and its partners work to empower the next generation of stewards with the knowledge and skills necessary to improve the health and resilience of communities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by providing equitable access to nature and history, telling inclusive stories, and promoting opportunities for all people to have authentic Chesapeake experiences. This unique partnership represents a commitment to uplifting Chesapeake communities by supporting local partners and will be fully funded by NPS Chesapeake Gateways for the 2022-2023 school year.