By Khalida Sarwari
Walden West, the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s environmental education center, was selected as the recipient of this year’s Best of Saratoga award in the category of “special interest schools or instruction.”
The Best of Saratoga award program honors the achievements of local businesses throughout the Saratoga area, with the goal of recognizing their contributions to the community at large.
Walden West was chosen for its “successful communication and exemplary marketing of its signature educational programs,” according to the county office of education.
This is the center’s first time winning the award, said Anita Parsons, director of environmental education at Walden West.
“We’re honored,” Parsons said. “It’s always nice to be recognized for things like that.”
Walden West provides residential environmental science education to fifth- and sixth-grade students in Santa Clara County. The program’s mission is to empower children to develop a lifelong passion for science, engineering and environmental stewardship.
“I think that we have a great message,” Parsons said. “I think that there’s a huge need for students to understand how important it is to take care of the environment and learn about it, and there aren’t many places for parents to send their kids to learn about the outdoors and their role as stewards.”
The kids come from all backgrounds, Parsons said.
“We get wealthy kids, socioeconomically disadvantaged kids–it doesn’t matter,” she said. “The schools that come from lower income areas have to do a lot of fundraising to come up; other schools are able to write a check. It’s something that teachers and principals are dedicated to doing.”
According to Parsons, roughly 10,000 students visit Walden West each school year, enrolling in hands-on programs that use the outdoors to teach science and sustainability concepts. At Walden West, kids are able to step outside the classroom and actually see and be a part of the lessons they’re learning, she said.
During the school year, entire classrooms come to Walden West and stay for a week. They partake in backpacking trips and daylong courses offered by the Abby Sobrato Science and Sustainability Center. For the younger kids, there is the Trail Blazers program, which tends to be more nature-based. In the summer, the center offers day camps. This summer, close to 2,500 kids were enrolled in the various camps, Parsons said.
“I think what we do we do really well,” Parsons said. “The staff that works at Walden West is really committed. Some have been there 20 years, 30 years and they all have degrees in environmental science. The instructors are very good at what they do.”
Walden West was founded in 1950 in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but moved to its Sanborn Road location in the early 1980s, according to Parsons. A second site opened in Cupertino in the early 1990s.
Today, the center is completely self-funded and relies on donations to grow, Parsons said.
For more information about the center, visit waldenwest.org.
