Bedford Hills Elementary School has been recognized as a Virginia Naturally School. Virginia Naturally Schools is the official environmental education school recognition program of the Commonwealth of Virginia, administered by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries with support from the Department of Education, Department of Environmental Quality and other resource agencies. This program recognizes the wonderful efforts of many Virginia schools to increase the environmental awareness and stewardship of our youngest citizens. About 50 schools around the state applied and received designation this year.
At Bedford Hills, the application highlighted all of our environmental education efforts including our school garden, nature trail, bird houses and feeders, recycling efforts and butterfly and native Virginia wildflower garden beds around the school entrances, as well as our partnerships with the BHS PTO, the Hill City Master Gardeners, Camp Kum Ba Yah, and other community organizations. At BHS, these facilities and partnerships support curricular and non-curricular activities of the teachers and students that occur throughout the school year and even during the summer.
In order to retain the designation, BHS will have to add programs next year which will include a blue bird box trail to be constructed by a local Cub Scout troop as part of their Naturalist badge, as well as a Little Free Library being constructed by a BHS parent. The box will be located in the garden and will contain garden related books for story readers and teachers to read to their classes. BHS is very grateful to the financial support of the PTO as well as the volunteer efforts of our many partners, and the support of the staff, administration, and school system. Thank you to all who have made this EE effort a success over the last decade!