Alexandria City Public Schools and The Winkler Botanical Preserve and The Alexandria Seaport Foundation

Learning Outside of the Classroom:
Environmental Education Partnerships at Work

Come to Alexandria , Virginia , and see the Alexandria City Public Schools Partnership Program in action! You’ll visit two model environmental education programs, The Winkler Botanical Preserve and The Alexandria Seaport Foundation, and spend most of the day modeling hands-on, curriculum-based activities (for elementary, middle and high school students) in an outdoor science classroom.

The Alexandria Seaport Foundation was founded in 1983 to preserve and celebrate the extraordinary maritime heritage of the Potomac River and Alexandria . The programs educate people about the Potomac River and work to restore its wetlands.

The Potomac serves as a floating classroom for programs in river ecology, regional lore, marine biology, the mathematics of navigation and the physics of sailing. Local students and teachers learn about river monitoring and wetlands restoration on the waterand ashore. The Seaport Foundation offers adults and students active educational experiences in wetland assessment, monitoring and restoration.

The Seaport Greenhouse, on the campus of T. C. Williams High School , was developed to provide an environmental educational venue for schools and community groups in the Northern Virginia area. An integral part of the greenhouse's design is the ability to propagate native and wetland plants for the Potomac Watershed Region. NOAA and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation provided funding. Besides Alexandria City Public Schools, other local partners include Alexandria Sanitation Authority, the American Plastics Council, and the Noland and Trex Companies.

Located in the west end of Alexandria , the Winkler Botanical Preserve is a 44-acre collection of plants and trees indigenous to the Potomac River Valley . The preserve is a surprising retreat of natural beauty adjacent to the busy Interstate 395 and the city.

Established in 1979 by the Mark Winkler Family, the Winkler Botanical Preserve promotes the research, education and enjoyment of native plants and trees. The Winkler Botanical Preserve has developed a model environmental education program for students and educators of the Alexandria City Public Schools. The program provides hands-on, interdisciplinary and curriculum-based education in a living laboratory. All elementary and middle schools receive a year-long series of free environmental education programs based on the Virginia Standards of Learning, extensive teacher training, and unique outreach opportunities that include weekend family events and after school enrichment. The overall goal of the partnership program is to promote life-long learning for students, which results in extending their learning beyond the school day and beyond the classroom.