The Grauer School Earns National Distinction

The Grauer School Earns National Distinction: A Victory for Nature and Kids
By Stuart Grauer

I love the data we get from surveying, but the best data comes from watching kids closely, and the best of that might be a teen skipping across the hilly quad or walking out of a green space somewhere with a peaceful, knowing expression. Then I know beyond measure: this is a great environment.

Last week, The Grauer School campus was officially recognized as a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat®. The achievement reflects our commitment to environmental stewardship and shows what’s possible when schools align education with nature—a constant challenge in an urbanizing world. We will wear this distinction with pride, but it’s also a big responsibility.

Our Habitat

For most of human history, our ancestors lived as stewards of the land, deeply connected to nature because that meant survival. Over time, many of us have lost this connection, and now it’s on us as teachers and parents—and our students—to reclaim that stewardship role. In this way, a campus can be envisioned as a sanctuary for students and wildlife alike.

At Grauer, one-third of our campus remains native forested land, creating a living classroom where students can explore the interconnectedness of ecosystems and discover their own connection to the natural world.

Alongside our wild spaces, our gardens and planters (some with native plants) draw pollinators such as bees and monarch butterflies, while our certified Monarch Butterfly Way Station ensures that these iconic creatures can find safe haven amid their dwindling habitats. Sure, we’re incredibly blessed with land for this, but almost any school can establish a monarch butterfly way station with just a couple of planters by planting native milkweed and nectar plants, providing sunlight, and avoiding pesticides. A simple setup like that supports monarchs and creates a meaningful connection to nature for students.

Water features, interpretive trails, and sustainable practices—such as drip irrigation and pesticide-free gardening—further enrich any school habitat, providing not only essential resources for wildlife but also a healing environment for people, ideal for learning.

Reciprocity

From the owl boxes perched in our trees to the fountain bubbling into a small, stony brook that attracts frogs and birds, many elements of our campus tell a story of reciprocity. This principle—that whatever we take from the earth we ought also give back—has long guided Indigenous practices. Many of them called this “a giving economy.” Reciprocity grounds us and inspires our students, even as we strive to fully achieve it and to walk this path. Indigenous communities in our part of the world practiced sustainable landscape methods and regenerative agriculture that nurtured the earth as much as they benefited from it, living in the balance of nature. Yet, few students have been taught these practices that could mean everything for their futures. At The Grauer School, we are lucky to engage in these efforts, but bringing reciprocity into our campus practices and landscapes is an ongoing, real commitment for leaders on all campuses—one that can pay off in sustainable and meaningful ways that standard bricks-and-mortar development cannot.

Our forest tree stump circle is one of our cherished outdoor learning spaces. Whether it’s a literature discussion or a music gathering, these circle moments connect students to something larger than themselves in a natural space I think of as the “original” classroom.

As one 11th grader put it: "I go back there and walk the trail when I am feeling stressed, and I always come out feeling better."

Taking Environmental Action

In sum, earning NWF certification is part of a larger, longstanding commitment at The Grauer School. In 2019, our Joint Faculty and Board of Trustees issued a Call to Climate Change Action, urging our community to address the climate crisis through education, conservation, and engagement.

Today, only 4% of the world’s mammals, by weight, are wild animals—a sobering data-point tied to habitat loss and human activity all over the world. Golden Mbaula Phiri, a former student of Grauer science teacher and expeditions leader Patricia Young, now with Action Aid International in Malawi, reminds us: "Tell your students the environment today needs more action… Plant trees, protect the environment, and advocate for reducing pollution. This is our time for action." As educators, it is our duty to ensure that students inherit not just knowledge, but the wisdom and courage to take direct action to restore balance to their communities and on their campuses.

My heart breaks again every time I see another school paving over another open space so they can expand or even add more indoor workspace, as though bigness and development were universal values to live by. And yet, efforts like Los Angeles Union School District’s “Greening Schoolyards for All Resolution” show that preserving green spaces has momentum. We can make space for green, even if it is on the roof.

An alumni wrote to me just today, recalling: “Grauer always emphasized finding joy in life, exploring the world, and being in tune with nature… I’m noticing the trees as I walk by. And the simple beauty in the world.” I’m not sure what it is, but I think there is an inherent connection between gratitude and sufficient time in nature. I have even felt this coming through extreme conditions such as heavy or frigid weather.

Stewardship on Campus

The point is, nature is not always cottontail bunnies in the sunshine. Coexisting on campus with wildlife can be complicated but the benefits are profound. Encounters with Encinitas local bobcats, snakes, rats, spiders, and bees remind us to tread lightly on our shared space, but so do the owls, quail, and monarch butterflies. Every challenge reinforces the understanding of great teachers that the natural world is not separate from us—it is part of us.

Natural spaces benefit our students by promoting physical activity and reducing obesity, alleviating stress and ADHD symptoms, enhancing cognitive functions like attention and memory, and inviting social skills through group play and interaction. In a world dominated by concrete and convenience, where most people now live in cities and the ultimate goal of many school leaders is growth for its own sake, why are we surprised to see rising mental and physical pathologies as we continue to eliminate open spaces?

At great schools, environmental stewardship is woven into almost every class and program. Students engage with the natural world not only as spectators, but as participants, protectors, and rising leaders.

Becoming a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat® is a badge of honor, but it is also a call to continue our work and study. Whether through planting more native species, reducing water usage, or just taking a moment to sit under a tree, maybe with a guitar, journal, or watercolor kit, each action matters. What better action or purpose for a school than to preserve not only the earth’s beauty but also its ability to sustain diverse life and deeper learning—for kids and critters of all kinds, and for generations to come?

Kids need open spaces. We all do. Commendations to all the great educators who enable students to learn in and from it, and to the National Wildlife Federation for recognizing and honoring it.

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