Patrick Henry Students to Receive Proclamation

Some of the students and the box they created. Image from PHSSA Facebook

Richmond City Council will honor students at Virginia’s first charter school for their recent selection to represent the entire Commonwealth in a national traveling forestry exhibit, on Monday, March 14th at 6 pm.

The students from Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts (PHSSA) will receive a proclamation recognizing the work the school has done on the National Forestry Exhibit.

The original presentation of the Forestry Exchange Box, a program of the American Forest Foundation, was made in late February to state officials including Virginia’s State Forester and the Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. The Forestry Exchange Box is part of Project Learning Tree that encourages teachers and students to take their lessons outdoors and into the woods to experience nature and learn about the importance of forests.

“The students at PHSSA have put a great deal of hard work and passion into the Forest Exchange Boxes they have created,” said Pamela Boyd, PHSSA principal. “We are grateful that Richmond officials are recognizing our students. This unique project will show the rest of the country the amazing local natural resources that accessible to our students and integrated into their science lessons as part of the regular curriculum.”

This nationwide network of environmental educators and students has compiled and decorated a Forest Exchange Box from each state to showcase the unique characteristics of America’s woodlands. These boxes will be displayed at a variety of events across the United States throughout 2011 to celebrate International Year of Forests.

PHSSA is the first elementary charter school in Virginia. The school’s charter was signed in May 2008. The school welcomed 150 children in kindergarten through fifth grade from all over the City of Richmond in August 2010.

I checked out the box they put together and was impressed. Great job by the teachers and students.