The goodness of Wildrock, a 28-acre natural playground at the foot of the Shenandoahs, came up in a Daily Progress story, “Naturally Growing,” in late December. As Wildrock’s founder, Carolyn Schuyler RMN ‘16, explained in the interview, “Watching the students getting off the bus and seeing their reaction to the mountain and the realization that they have this huge space that’s theirs, and is designed just for them is consistently good and amazing.” As an experienced trauma-informed counselor who also co-founded the Women’s Initiative, Carolyn points out that there is a strong evidence base supporting nature-based play as “one of the best ways you can build a high-functioning child.” Carolyn, who has been running the program since it began in 2017, will be handing the directorship to Meg Phillips, but we hope RMNs will continue to volunteer and oversee admin roles at Wildrock to help as many as 15,000 visitors a year learn to play in nature. Thanks to Carolyn for taking the initiative to make her vision into a reality.
–Karen Mulder