This program brought educators into the park for two summers where they worked with park rangers to develop and teach educational programs to park visitors. The teachers then brought their love for Shenandoah back to their classrooms to share with their students.

For example, a Rappahannock County Teacher-Ranger-Teacher helped develop and present Shenandoah’s first family camping seminars. The teacher helped procure equipment and supplies, assisted with marketing materials and registration, taught the seminars, set up and broke down the tents, prepared the menus and cooked the meals, and camped overnight with the participating families. The next summer, he returned to Shenandoah to assist with a pilot project that brought under-served middle school students to camp in the park.

Teacher-Ranger-Teacher is a wonderful avenue for showcasing Shenandoah National Park as a “living classroom” and an excellent way to educate the next generation of national park stewards.