Riverbend awarded the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for Nature-Based STEM

In 2020, Riverbend was awarded the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for Nature-Based STEM!

The Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence is awarded to any group or individual who has “created, or participated in, the development of a project that promotes environmental stewardship in Pennsylvania.”

Riverbend was awarded the Governor’s Award for Nature-based STEM: a three-part model in which students participate in a pre-visit, a science field experience, and a post-visit.

During their previsit, Riverbend educators introduce science skills like observation, asking questions, and building investigations. The students apply these skills during their science field experience outside and then they reflect up on their experience during a post-visit to their classroom. 

This program reaches 2,500 students annually in Southeastern PA directly in classrooms and outdoor settings to provide high quality, authentic experiences in nature. 80% of teachers surveyed indicated that they refer back to these lessons when teaching STEM and 70% of teachers indicated they will use this program as a springboard to teach other environmental topics. 

For more information, click here.

To sign-up your school or get more information about Riverbend’s award-winning Nature-based program, visit our website.