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.”
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