Sultana Education Foundation

The Sultana Education Foundation (SEF) will host its monthly Third Thursday Speaker Series on Thursday, June 19 from 6-7PM when John Mann and Jackie Doerr present Wetlands 101: An Evening of Interactive Science. The pair of Sultana educators will team up to teach about the vital role that wetlands play in the health of the Chesapeake Bay. There will be a brief discussion inside the Harwood Nature Center discussing wetlands in general as well as the steps that have been taken to both improve the health of the Lawrence Preserve as well as make it accessible to visitors. Attendees will then be invited to participate in some of the hands-on science lessons (catching critters, sampling water quality, and walking the trails) that Sultana students enjoy on field trips.

The Lawrence Wetland Preserve is a walk-in facility (no onsite parking) located at 301 South Mill Street in Chestertown. Visitors are encouraged to park in the public lots on the 300 block of Cannon Street or on the surrounding streets.

These events are free and open to the public. For more information about the Third Thursday Speaker Series or the Sultana Education Foundation, please visit www.sultanaeducation.org.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore signs Executive Order creating Maryland Outdoor Leadership Partnership. President Drew McMullen (back row, right) represented the Sultana Education Foundation at the signing ceremony at the Maryland Department of the Environment. Photo courtesy the Governor’s Press Office.

On April 22, 2024, Earth Day, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed an Executive Order establishing the Maryland Outdoor Learning Partnership. The Partnership – an interagency collaboration including state agencies, federal partners, non-profit organizations, and formal education partners – is charged with ensuring that Maryland students have meaningful access to outdoor education about the environment, climate, and the natural world. The Sultana Education Foundation was one of approximately a dozen nonprofit partners included in the Governor’s Executive Order.

“We are excited to share experiences with partners around the state and work with them to shape Maryland’s outdoor learning goals,” said Sultana Vice President, Chris Cerino, who will lead SEF’s participation in the Outdoor Learning Partnership. “Over the past 20 years, SEF has introduced more than 150,000 students to the Chesapeake Bay, encouraging them to become stewards of this unique natural resource. We see this partnership as another opportunity to enhance our existing programs, provide professional development opportunities for area teachers, and work with other non-profit organizations to expand the impact of outdoor education in Maryland.”

Reconnecting students with the environment has become particularly important in the years following the global pandemic, when many children were isolated from their peers and spent inordinate amounts of time on computers and screens, leading to widespread mental health challenges amongst young learners. “In addition to enhancing classroom learning, spending quality time in outdoor settings has a host of mental health benefits that we see every day when students attend our field trips,” stated Cerino. “We’re incredibly fortunate on the Eastern Shore to have some of the most beautiful tributaries and bucolic settings found anywhere on the Chesapeake Bay, and we look forward to working with Governor Moore and our non-profit partners to bring students to these pristine locations to reap their academic and mental health benefits for years to come.”

Wetlands 101: Sultana Education Foundation Presents an Evening of Interactive Science

Governor Moore Taps Sultana for Maryland’s New Outdoor Learning Partnership

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