DurhamCares

2012 Total Operating Budget: less than $200,000

Q1 Results:

Schoolhouse of Wonder solidified a partnership with Holt Year-Round Elementary School for the 2012-2013 school year. Holt teachers are working with students and parents to identify 14 girls to attend camp at Schoolhouse this summer at no cost.

Schoolhouse served 326 students through Nature School field trips during the first quarter.

What

Schoolhouse of Wonder inspires children from all walks of life to create a world where people respect themselves, one another and the communities in which they live. We ignite imaginations, build self-confidence and teach respect by connecting children to the wonders of nature.

Why

Schoolhouse of Wonder was founded in 1989 by Dave Cook and Wayne Poole as a natural history cooperative, dedicated to increasing awareness of the natural world. This created a strong foundation for the programs that have developed over the past 20 years. Through field trips, camps, and homeschool programs, Schoolhouse of Wonder still strives to build an awareness of the natural world. This awareness strengthens relationships with the natural world and the people we share those spaces with and reminds children that nature exists all around them, at all times, not just in parks and protected spaces. This awareness also encourages wonder and inspiration and a desire to learn, reminding us that there is always more to learn.

Children’s Camps:

Children’s camps hosted by Schoolhouse of Wonder are celebrated by children and parents throughout the area. Within each camp program Schoolhouse aims to create a unique environment of love and respect - a community for adventure, learning, and fun. Each of Schoolhouse’s camps has a different theme, but each is designed to spark the sense of wonder on which children thrive. All Schoolhouse camps include experiences in Earth awareness, camp skills, river wading, storytelling, campfires, and games.

Nature School:

Schoolhouse’s Nature School program consists of a day-long field trip program that stimulates elementary age students to develop their sense of wonder by engaging in active learning in the outdoors through music, folklore, cultural history and exploration. Since its inception in 1996, Nature School has reached over twenty five thousand elementary students from schools across the Piedmont area and has received financial support from a number of sponsors, including the City of Durham, and many local corporations and individuals.

The Nature School program takes place at West Point Park on the Eno River, a public park within the city of Durham. Our program introduces these students to a resource that is available to them within their own community and easily accessible by public transportation. Throughout the year, students who participate in our programs return to West Point Park and share what they learned with their parents, siblings and friends thus expanding the impact of Nature School.

Outdoor School:

Schoolhouse of Wonder’s Outdoor School program is especially for home-schooled students. Students meet one day each week during the duration of their program and participate in such activities as
    • Fire building techniques,
    • Imaginative play and learning
    • Campfire cooking
    • Animal tracking
    • Map-making and orienteering
    • Artistic investigations of the natural world
    • Scientific investigations of the natural world
    • Community building

The Outdoor School program is a wonderful opportunity for home-schooled students to become part of a new community of students and build new relationships.

Wendy Tonker

Executive Director

Mary Nation

Administrative Coordinator

Mary brings skills in office administration and customer service to Schoolhouse of Wonder. She has a degree in Economics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mary loves West Point on the Eno Park and has been an officer for the nonprofit citizen’s board, Friends of West Point. As a volunteer stream watcher for Durham’s Stormwater Management Department she has adopted Black Meadow Branch which flows into the park. With two grown children she has been an active volunteer in both the Girl Scout Program and the Boy Scout Program. Her hobbies include wood carving, hand drumming, and hiking and paddling around the rivers and streams of North Carolina.

Eli Carley

Outdoor Educator

Eli originally comes from the great frozen north of Wisconsin (the state that looks like a mitten right next to the other state that looks like a mitten). Eli recently moved to Durham to learn what it’s like to be warm! After learning that he was too old to participate in outdoor camp programs, Eli took the next best option and decided to work for Schoolhouse of Wonder. When not playing games at work, he is usually playing games like ultimate frisbee somewhere else. Eli has a degree in sculpture from Lawrence University, but his passion has always been sharing joy with children of all ages.

Carrie Fields

Teacher

Carrie grew up in Greensboro, NC.  She graduated from Pomona College in 2006 with a degree in Environmental Analysis.  She has since worked in archaeology research, environmental health, youth and community development, and environmental education. Carrie loves to explore the natural and cultural ecology of the places she inhabits, and is particularly interested in the Native histories and cultures of North America.  She is passionate about studying local plants and their medicinal uses, and hopes to expand her skills as a naturalist.  She is fluent in Spanish, and her other interests include writing, art, psychology, and cross-cultural communication.

Jagmeet Mac

Teacher

Hailing from Richfield, North Carolina, Jagmeet has been teaching and camp-counseling at Schoolhouse of Wonder since 2008.  In college, Jagmeet focused on Philosophy and Physics, and through periodic camping and hiking adventures, gradually came to realize his love for natural outdoor environments.  He has since studied Ecology, Edible/Medicinal plants, and Storytelling.  In a recent break from Schoolhouse, he worked at a Durham Montessori elementary school, supervising children on the playground, telling stories to groups of children, and substitute teaching.  He also took some time to travel, work on an organic farm in Vermont, and attend an Alternative Education conference in New York.  Now he’s excited to be back!  He hopes to nurture his soul, share joy, and promote positive growth through his work.  He is especially excited about storytelling, singing, and learning: learning from the non-human teachers in nature, from other staff, and from the young people who come to Schoolhouse of Wonder.

Wayne Poole

Teacher

Wayne Poole, co-founder of Schoolhouse of Wonder, has been a storyteller, naturalist, and cultural interpreter for more than two decades. His tales, taken from the legendary and the personal are drawn from his love of nature and local culture. He also performs annually at the Festival for the Eno, Haw River Festival, Durham Earth Day, and Green River Preserve as well as the Durham and Raleigh Arts Councils.

Updated results for this organization will be input at the end of the first quarter in 2011.