West Paris students help lobby for outdoor education

In addition to leading the way in experiential education, Agnes Gray Elementary School is also producing ambassadors who are participating in the legislative process and a proposed bill that guarantees every Maine student the opportunity to attend immersive education experiences.

Last week Agnes Gray sixth-graders Wyatte Damon and Lydia McAlister traveled to the state Capitol in Augusta with the school’s Outdoor Education Coordinator Sarah Timm and Education Director for the Bryant Pond 4-H Camp and Learning Center Beth Clarke. The students participated in a presentation held at the Hall of Flags to engage with lawmakers as they considered a bill titled “An Act to Support Outdoor School for All Maine Students.”

The students stood alongside representatives from Maine outdoor education organizations Chewonki Foundation, The Ecology School, Schoodic Institute, and the 4-H Camp and Learning Centers at Bryant Pond and Lincolnville as the Legislature considered the proposed bill.

Sen. Stacy Brenner of state Senate District 30 is the bill’s primary sponsor. The five groups have formed a statewide network, Maine Outdoor School for All, with a shared mission to establish overnight environmental education in Maine for all students, create model community-based education partnerships, and contribute to statewide initiatives to broaden those opportunities.

In addition to learning about the process that goes into creating state laws, Damon and McAlister also spent time last Wednesday morning roaming the floor of the Capitol as pages, interacting with lawmakers and delivering messages.

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