At Kingsbury Country Day School, a charter school in Oxford, the goal is to create a student who is self aware of their impact on the environment starting from the very beginning. The youngest students explore nature through the trails across the 125-acre campus. As they get older, the lessons become more involved like measuring their carbon footprint and identifying ways to reduce their environmental impact. Ruby Howe, an 8th grader, is just one of the students who lives by the lessons she’s been taught here.
Starting at Kingsbury in 3rd grade, Ruby’s parents moved her from the traditional school because they felt she had more opportunities for growth and learning here. The smaller class sizes have allowed her to find her voice and grow as an individual while not competing for attention. There’s lots of encouragement from teachers to reach their highest potential with every task, providing something that many families who choose Kingsbury feel they can’t get elsewhere.
We focus a lot on the whole child at each level of learning. Even our youngest students are outside and in art and music classes. We meet the needs of students at their levels. Students can choose more environmental electives in they was to dive deeper into the subject. We just provide something that is not found in all the surrounding school"
- Julie Saunders, Librarian
The students at Kingsbury who won’t necessarily feel like they will pursue a career in environmental sciences never feel excluded. The lessons are teaching them so much more than just a science. They teach real-life applications of skill sets like problem solving and thinking critically.
The thing that I’m really grateful for is the skills they gave me. I feel like they really prepared me for the future. We collaborate with other students and grade levels. We work on teams and individually. It's helped me think for myself. My environmental classes help me think about my role as human and my environmental impact.
- Ruby Howe
When asked about who she looks up to, Ruby thought of Justin A. Schwartz, a student who passed away several years ago, who she never met and the students who have been given the Justin A. Schwartz award. This award is given to a graduating student who strives academically, is always happy and caring, and is willing to help others anytime. She hopes to embody everything that these students have in the past.
Ruby’s future might not be as planned as some of her peers, but she knows she has time to figure it out. She’s unsure if environmental science will be the right career field for her in the future, but it’s not out of the question. Enjoying the last of her time at Kingsbury and learning as much as possible is her number one goal right now.
I never want to forget the people who got me to where I go. I wouldn’t be here without my parents. I wouldn’t be as educated without my parents putting me in school here. I should always be grateful for that."
- Ruby Howe
