A High School Rooted in Nature
The founders of The Greene School dreamed of a place where students could explore the interdependence of human beings and the natural world—and they created it.
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Go to My Saved Content.The Greene School’s founder Dr. Amy Pratt imagined a school where students could deepen their understanding of the natural world, and in the process, become much-needed stewards of the environment. After many years of planning and multiple iterations, this high school, located on a 74-acre campus of forest, wetlands, and meadows, has become a living laboratory where, in addition to weeks-long interdisciplinary investigations of science, math, and humanities, teens spend time learning outdoors to explore their relationship to nature, their community, and the world at large.
As a statewide tuition-free public charter school in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, the school pulls students from all corners of the state, and their backgrounds—and experiences with the outdoors—vary significantly. A strong orientation program is in place to help everyone get on board with what the school’s mission really means. Principal Alex Edelmann, who was one of the school’s founding teachers, explains, “Being an environmental steward is so much more than picking up your litter. It's about understanding how the land works and understanding our role and our ability to improve it.”
Because the campus is decentralized, with small buildings that look more at home on a campground than a school, students must be prepared to go outdoors every single day. Even in the most challenging New England winter weather, students are outside—sometimes for field work, and other times just to get from one class to another.
“You can't avoid being outside,” says head of school Kerry Tuttlebee. “And to me, that allows students to be more open-minded, kind of naturally. Because immediately when you arrive here, often people say this doesn't look like a school, doesn't feel like a school. And it creates that sense of curiosity, like, ‘Like, what is this place? And how do they do things here?’ And that's a great place to be with high school students.”
To explore more stories about how teens learn outdoors at this innovative school, visit the Greene School page on Edutopia.