News

Join the AOEA Board!

Posted on by AOEAwebmaster

The Outdoor Lab is a partnership between the non-profit Arlington Outdoor Education Association (AOEA) and the Arlington Public Schools (APS)

  • APS provides the teachers, educational program and buses.
  • AOEA owns and manages the land and buildings as well as advocates for outdoor education, STEAM curriculum, and hands-on, experiential leaning.

The AOEA is an all-volunteer, hands-on organization that keeps this beloved Arlington institution available for Arlington students and families.

We need  members of the Arlington community to step-up and help us in this critical time for educating our students.

We need Board Members for the AOEA!

Current and past Board Members have a variety of experience and skills.  Many are parents, teachers or staff of Arlington schools.  Others are scientists, marketing professionals, real estate agents/builders or consultants.  We need a variety of experiences to challenge our organization to improve and grow.

If you are willing to help Arlington children and the Outdoor Lab (or know someone who might) please contact us to learn more about our Board of Directors at [email protected]. We elect a slate of Directors at our annual meeting in April/May, but have openings year-round.

If you’d like to volunteer to help the Outdoor Lab in other ways learn more HERE.

APS Students: Join the AOEA Board

In 2021, the AOEA began a student Board Member program offering an opportunity for select APS students who have benefitted from the Outdoor Lab and want to give back.

The student Board Member participates in monthly AOEA board meetings mostly via Zoom, offering advice and voting on AOEA business. They participate in AOEA events at the Outdoor Lab and in Arlington and act as a liaison to their schools and student groups in APS.

If you are a rising Junior or Senior at an APS high school and are interested in learning more please fill out our brief application (2025-26 school year applications due March 31) or contact AOEA at [email protected] with any questions.

Spring Open House – May 4th

Posted on by Tom Twomey

Mark your calendars, the annual spring open house is scheduled for Sunday, May 4th from 10-2.

Come see what the Outdoor Lab offers!
This is a special opportunity to:

  • Hike our miles of trails
  • Boat and fish in the pond
  • Meet the animals in the Animal Lab
  • Explore our streams and meadows
  • and more!

Shortly we will share a sign-up to save your spot. If you’d like to volunteer, please sign-up here. Thank you!

In Memoriam- Fred C Scott

In Memoriam- Fred C Scott

Posted on by AOEAwebmaster

The AOEA and Outdoor Lab staff are sad to learn that Fred C. Scott, has passed. Fred was the husband of AOEA board member Anita Knipling Scott and has supported the Outdoor Lab and the Knipling family for many years.

Frederick C. Scott
October 19, 1934 – February 21, 2025

Frederick C. Scott, beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away peacefully at the age of 90 with his family at his side on February 21, 2025. He had recently experienced heart and respiratory complications.

He was born in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois, the oldest of three children of Helen “Frosty” Baker. From his early childhood through high school, his family moved frequently due to his father’s job in sales – primarily throughout the South. Regardless, wherever they lived, Fred excelled in athletics and leadership, three times being elected class President while making the football, softball, swim and track teams, and finally tennis – an avid passion through adulthood.

He graduated from the University of Richmond with degrees in History and Political Science, having worked his way through college while serving as President of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and of the university’s interfraternity Council, as well as other elected positions. It was at U of R that he met his wife of 66 years, Anita Knipling.

Fred and Anita, who were married in 1959, had four children – in 5 ½ years!: Craig, Kimberly, Brian and Kathryn. Tragically, both Brian and Craig died as young adults.

Fred and Anita settled in Arlington, Virginia, where she worked as an English teacher and he worked for Travelers Insurance Company in the pension field before starting his own firm, Frederick C. Scott and Associates, from which he retired in 2012.

Through Anita’s large family and their regular road trips to the family cabins, he learned to love the outdoors, hunting and fishing. He also relished western mystery novels, Hallmark movies, the Redskins, big band music, coin collecting, yoo hoos, the pride of a well-groomed lawn and of being an American. He cherished his collie Shane and passed on his true love of animals to his children and grandchildren. His sense of humor was legendary, if not questionable.

His many friends and the community at Washington Golf and Country Club provided Fred with endless memories, particularly with his bridge buddies of many years.

He is survived by Anita Knipling Scott, his daughters Kimberly Scott and Kathryn Scott Palombi, his son-in-law Jerry Palombi, and his greatest joys — his grandchildren, Nicholas, Matthew, Lauren and Mitchell Palombi — as well as the love of many extended cousins.

There will be no immediate funeral services, but a celebration of life will be planned in the coming months. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to the Arlington Outdoor Education Association. https://outdoorlab.org/donate/

Opportunities for High School Students at the Arlington Outdoor Lab

Posted on by Colleen Levine
We frequently hear from high school students who fondly remember their 5th grade overnights or other field trips to the Outdoor Lab and are interested in returning to this beloved place. We have several opportunities to welcome high school students (and their families) back to the Lab!
  • Student Board Members: Each spring we elect a rising junior or senior as a student Board Member for a one-year term to represent APS students on the Board of Directors of the AOEA, the non-profit that owns and supports the Outdoor Lab; applications for the upcoming school year are due March 31.
  • Summer Camp Counselors-in-Training/Junior Staff: APS conducts three weeks of overnight summer camp, June 23-27, July 7-11 and July 14-18. Current students in grades 9 through 11 are invited to apply for a volunteer CIT/junior staff position; applications are due Fri., March 28.
  • Volunteer: Students can earn volunteer hours at our Spring (May 4) and Fall (tbd) Open Houses or at other volunteer work days throughout the year; please sign up here to hear about upcoming volunteer needs.
We are also happy to speak with any students interested in creating a senior experience working with the AOEA — and welcome parents to join the Board of Directors as well. Visit our Board page for more info or reach out to [email protected].

Outdoor Lab Featured in Arlington Community Foundation Holiday Wish Catalog

Posted on by Colleen Levine

Arlington Outdoor Education Association is pleased to again be included in the Arlington Community Foundation’s 2024 Holiday Wish Catalog.

 

Through this opportunity, we wish to raise $5,000 to support of our biodiversity efforts. With over 9,000 Arlington students visiting the Lab each year, land maintenance is vital for experiential learning. We are committed to ongoing land stewardship focused on removing invasives, like Japanese Stilt grass, and replenishing areas with native plants.

View our holiday wish details are here.

RESCHEDULED: Fall Open House Oct. 6 10a-2p

RESCHEDULED: Fall Open House Oct. 6 10a-2p

Posted on by AOEAwebmaster

Celebrate Fall at the Outdoor Lab Open House!

UPDATE! Our Fall Open House is rescheduled due to weather — please join us NEXT Sunday 10/6!

Due to the Rainy Weather this week and forecast for Sunday,

we have rescheduled the Fall Open House for

Sunday October 6th from 10a-2p

If you already registered your family and can come on October 6th

No further action is required

Your current registration is all you need.

If you already registered and you cannot come on Oct 6th

We’re sorry you’ll miss this time!

We’ll have another Open House in the Spring.

If you have not registered your family, we still have a few open spots for Oct 6th; please register below.


The Outdoor Lab Fall Open House is coming up on Sunday, September 29th from 10am-2pm. Bring the family and come see what the Outdoor Lab offers! Hike our trails, try out a canoe or fishing, and of course we’ll be roasting s’mores! We encourage families to bring a picnic lunch as well. Please Register Today to reserve your spot.
 
If you are interested in learning more about the  Arlington Outdoor Education Association (AOEA), or getting involved with our board of directors, Learn More here.

Come see us at the Arlington County Fair! Aug. 16-18

Posted on by Colleen Levine

Come see us at the Arlington County Fair this weekend! Take a break from the rides and find us in the indoor exhibit hall to meet a special animal guest and score Outdoor Lab merch.

Outdoor Lab exhibit table

Indoor Exhibit Hours, Aug. 16-18: Fri. 4pm – 10pm, Sat. 11am – 9pm, Sun. 11am – 7pm.

The Fair takes place at Thomas Jefferson Middle School and surrounding grounds, 3501 2nd Street S., Arlington. See you there!

In Memoriam- Karl Schellenberg

Posted on by AOEAwebmaster

The location of Outdoor Lab on 226 acres in Fauquier County is due in great part to the Schellenberg Family, our. neighbors on Biscuit Mountain. 

In the 1950s, the Schellenberg Family and Knipling families were neighbors in Arlington when the county was still rural with farms on Military and Marcey Roads where they lived.  Both families loved nature and the Kniplings visited the Schellenberg’s country home at Afton Farm in Broad Run, VA. 

By the early 1960’s, Phoebe Hall Knipling was working at Arlington Public Schools and holding “outdoor lab” summer camps at various regional parks, but she was looking for a more permanent location.  By 1966, the Stryker family property just down the mountain road from the Schellenberg’s Afton Farm became available and Phoebe decided it was perfect for the Outdoor Lab.

The “Schellenberg boys” came to visit the Outdoor Lab and share stories of the land’s history.

We mourn the loss of Karl Schellenberg who came to the Outdoor Lab’s 50th anniversary to share stories about the old days on Biscuit Mountain and Arlington.

Karl told of his father, Theodore Roosevelt Schellenberg, borrowing a neighbor’s bulldozer to create their farm pond and later the same bulldozer was used to create the ODL pond. The apple orchard at Afton Farm was a great source of fun for everyone.

Outdoor Lab Spring Open House April 20

Posted on by Colleen Levine

Celebrate Earth Day at the Outdoor Lab!

The Outdoor Lab Spring Open House is coming up on Saturday, April 20, 10am-2pm. Bring the family and come see what the Outdoor Lab offers! Register Today.
outdoor lab spring open house April 20
Volunteers are also needed — great opportunity for students to get those volunteer hours! Signup Here.
And if anyone is interested in getting more involved with the Arlington Outdoor Education Association (AOEA) to support this APS resource, we have openings for adult and student Board members; Learn More.

Save ODL Overnights!

Posted on by AOEAwebmaster

Thank you to all those who’ve reached out with their support to Save the Overnights at the Outdoor Lab! Please spread the word to other Outdoor Lab supporters, families and school groups and check back at www.outdoorlab.org for updates.

Send Emails to Decision-Makers

Share in your own words what makes the ODL Overnights such a magical experience. You can include the impact the Overnight had on you as well as any pictures you may have. Your outreach will help decision makers really understand how significant cutting the Overnights would be to Arlington students and families. Please be respectful and don’t disparage other APS programs. While this is NOT an end to all Outdoor Lab programing, it could be the end to the 5th grade overnights, one of the most popular programs. So let your voice be heard! Save the Overnights!

(More Talking Points and Key people and contacts Below) Please cc [email protected] on emails so we can track all of your support.

Superintendent, Cabinet, Key Staff ([email protected])

School Board ([email protected])

County Board ([email protected])

  • Libby Garvey, Chair
  • Takis P. Karantonis, Vice-Chair
  • Matt de Ferranti, Member
  • Maureen Coffey, Member
  • Susan Cunningham, Member

Meet with Decision-Makers!

Wear your Outdoor Lab Merch, make a sign, sign-up to speak if you can. All ages welcome!

Additional Information https://www.apsva.us/arlington-school-board/school-board-meetings/

Talking Points

General Points

  • Urge Superintendent & Cabinet to restore the Outdoor Lab Coordinator position
  • Urge School Board Members to reject proposal in Superintendent’s FY 2024-25 budget to eliminate the Outdoor Lab Coordinator position.
  • Urge County Board to provide funding necessary for this important and unique program

Position to be cut is an Educator (NOT a central office position)

  • All of you understand the Outdoor Lab provides unique learning opportunities for students throughout APS.
  • The Lab Coordinator position is critical to delivering the educational programming and maximizing the benefits for our students.
  • The 5th grade Overnights are often the most remembered experience of all of APS
  • The ODL Overnights are valued by ALL schools and children of on all points of APS family spectrum

Position is a direct link between Outdoor Lab and science learning

  • The ODL Coordinator is the only position based at the Lab that provides a direct connection between classroom teachers and STEM learning experiences at the Lab.
  • The ODL Coordinator not only helps 3rd, 5th and 7th grade teachers prepare for ODL field trips – the Coordinator helps teachers amplify lessons, applied science and critical learning objectives back in the classroom.

Eliminating this position also jeopardizes 5th grade overnights next school year.

  • For this school year, APS adopted additional requirements for staff and parent chaperones at each 5th grade overnight. It requires 1 of 2 Admin level staff to be present at every overnight (one including the Coordinator position which is proposed for elimination)
  • In an average year, there are about 40 overnights, usually 2 each week in the fall and spring.
  • With only 1 ODL Administrator to fulfill this requirement, it is hard to imagine that 1 person would be willing or able to sustain a presence multiple nights each week for consecutive weeks between mid-September and Thanksgiving, for example, when overnights traditionally run in the fall. Then repeat this multiple nights weekly in the spring between mid-March and end of May.
  • This is not a reasonable expectation for anyone – it’s almost certainly bound to fail.

With 2 Administrators on site at ODL, this years Overnights were few

  • And consider what happened this fall when the new chaperone and staffing requirements took effect.
  • Of roughly 20 scheduled overnights, only 6 actually occurred
  • The ODL Coordinator worked with schools to get Volunteer Chaperones vetted and coordinate all details of upcoming trips
  • without the Coordinator, the ODL Supervisor would be preforming roles from 3 former APS employees

History- Proposed budget Cuts and Effect on The Outdoor Lab

At the February 29th School Board meeting, Dr. Durán presented his proposed FY2025 budget. In a tight budget year, there are cuts across all departments; however, a couple proposed cuts greatly affect the Outdoor Lab and starting next year may CANCEL 5th grade Overnights.

The proposed budget eliminates the ODL Coordinator Position, threatening the viability of 5th grade overnights and compromising the ODLs mission to deliver hands-on STEM education to APS students. The decision to reduce staffing is particularly alarming in light of the SIX leadership changes the ODL has faced since 2018. To function efficiently, the ODL needs strong, supported leadership and continuity. For that, the ODL needs funding from APS. We need your help to make this happen.

Previous leadership changes shifted the mix of teachers and administrators on-site and at Syphax. The proposed change would leave:

  • ONE Administrator doing the functions of THREE former staff
  • ONE Administrator at all 40 overnights
  • NO science professional at the ODL
  • NO direct connection between neighborhood classrooms and lessons at the ODL

In Spring of 2023, Overnights were cancelled to perform a safety and staffing review. The resulting Overnight Plan included:

  • Current Staffing of 2 on-site Administrators (Supervisor & Coordinator) 5 Resource Assistants and 1 Custodian
  • Requirement that TWO staffers be present at all overnights (1 Administrator and 1 Staffer)
  • chaperones ratios increased to 1 Adult per 5 students (from 1:10 previously)
  • tent sleeping arrangement change requiring 2 Adults to sleep in Large tent with up to 10 students

In Fall of 2023, under the new plan, only a handful of the 20 scheduled Overnights occurred. The primary cause of conversion of a School’s Overnight Trip to TWO Day Trips was lack of vetted Chaperones willing to sleep in tents with kids.This Spring, we hope more 5th graders can stay overnight, but with proposed changes, next year’s Overnights seem unlikely.

If you support the unique and wonderful 5th grade overnights, please take action and help pressure APS to restore the ODL Coordinator position and fully fund the Outdoor Lab.

Send an email to Supt. Duran ([email protected]) and the APS School Board ([email protected]) and say:

Please also spread the word to other Outdoor Lab supporters, families and school groups and check back at www.outdoorlab.org for updates.