Thanks to the More Like Wynne Foundation and some big dreams, all RISD students will soon have the opportunity to experience a love for the outdoors during PE through a new hands-on outdoor education curriculum.
Made possible through a generous gift by the Naylor Family, the nearly $30,000 donation honors the memory of their daughter, Wynne, who attended Lake Highlands Elementary and tragically lost her life in the floods last summer at Camp Mystic. Her mom, Alli Naylor, shared that Wynne “had a passion for the outdoors, whether it was catching bugs outside or going hunting or fishing with her dad… She had a love for learning and loved coming to school every day. I think this curriculum gives all of these students an opportunity to be more like Wynne, and be a little more curious.”
The curriculum is designed to introduce students to outdoor skills, activities, and conservation education that they may not have the chance to experience otherwise. Though the curriculum is available in RISD for high school students, the lessons and resources will now be rolled out to every elementary and middle school in the district.
Lessons include learning to use a rod and reel to fish, orienteering with compasses, map reading, wildlife identification, survival skills, and more. In a time when there is so much focus on technology and future-ready learning, these skills can also become lifelong lessons in problem-solving and building healthy lifestyles outdoors.
For many students, these experiences will open doors to entirely new interests and hands-on learning that extend far beyond the gym.
Before bringing the new curriculum to students, RISD PE coaches participated in professional learning led by the Outdoor Tomorrow Foundation. During the session, they practiced skills they’ll soon bring back to their own schools, using fishing poles, tying knots, and navigating with compasses, and it was just a glimpse into the engaging experiences students will take part in throughout the year.
“This is going to be a life-changing experience for so many of our students who don’t even have a backyard; so many of our students will never have the opportunity to use this equipment at home,” says Superintendent Tabitha Branum. “To know that we can honor and lift up Wynne in the most precious way, I am so grateful.”
The new PE curriculum aligns with Branum’s vision to provide all students with experiences that make learning memorable and that develop lifelong skills, well beyond graduation. She says, “It’s such a passion of mine that we help our kids develop a lifelong desire to want to be well and take care of themselves physically, that supports them mentally and emotionally, which we know also translates into the academic setting.”
For some students, the new addition may simply be a fun part of PE class; for others, it may spark a lifelong passion for exploring the outdoors or a brand new experience. Regardless of background or previous exposure, it offers every RISD student the opportunity to learn in a new way, experience the joy of nature, and perhaps become a little more like Wynne.
