Outdoor Education
Stony Point strives to be a leader in outdoor education. Our school has a long-standing reputation as a nature-focused learning community with vegetable gardens, a greenhouse, a Japanese garden and fish pond, a nature trail, and an amphitheater. Dedicated volunteers and established community partnerships have enabled us to offer hands-on outdoor learning enrichment such as Earth Day celebrations, Wildlife Center visits, and vegetable gardening projects. We are taking the next step in this work by adding dedicated staffing to integrate outdoor experiences into the curriculum making outdoor education an extension of the classroom rather than enrichment add-ons.
Outdoor Education Pilot
For the 2026-27 school year, Stony Point will pilot an Outdoor Education Coordinator program. The goal is to serve all K–5th grade students. The Coordinator will design, organize, and lead curriculum-aligned outdoor learning experiences that support academic instruction and student well-being.
Our fundraising efforts to fund this part-time position are underway and we are making progress toward our goal. We invite you to be a part of this initiative by donating to fund vital outdoor programming, the salary for the Coordinator, and experiences that inspire curiosity, stewardship, and lifelong learning in every child at Stony Point.
Stony Point has an account at the Albemarle Foundation for Education to collect funds for this initiative. Choose "Outdoor Education - Stony Point" from the pulldown. Your donation is tax deductible. See below for more information about the program.
Connect
The Coordinator will connect students and teachers to meaningful, curriculum-aligned outdoor learning by fully utilizing Stony Point’s existing gardens, greenhouse, and outdoor learning spaces. The Coordinator will work collaboratively with classroom teachers, administrators, and community partners to integrate outdoor experiences into daily instruction, ensuring these spaces are seen as extensions of the classroom rather than enrichment add-ons.
Explore
The Coordinator will provide students with hands-on opportunities to explore academic concepts through nature-based, experiential learning. Grade-level outdoor projects aligned with Virginia’s Standards of Learning will allow students to investigate topics such as water systems, plant life, weather, ecosystems, and geology in real-world contexts. These experiences increase student engagement, support social-emotional development, reduce behavioral challenges, and help alleviate academic pressure by shifting learning from a sit-and-get model to active exploration.
Empower
Our goal is to empower students, educators, and the broader school community by building sustainable systems for outdoor education. The Coordinator will support teachers by planning, leading, and modeling outdoor instruction. Through data collection, reflection, and refinement, this one-year pilot will establish a replicable framework for outdoor learning that promotes student well-being, environmental stewardship, and long-term scalability across Albemarle County elementary schools.
