In 1972, the Vermilion County Conservation District welcomed 4th and 5th grade students from St. Patrick, Diamond, Oakwood, Catlin, Westville, Georgetown, and Ridge Farm to Forest Glen Preserve for the Outdoor School Program.
In 2024, Outdoor School will celebrate 50 years* of continuing to educate students about Vermilion County’s biodiversity of plants and animals, natural resources, and the importance of conservation. We estimate that nearly 72,000 students have attended Outdoor School in these 50 years.
The VCCD invites all former Outdoor School students and classroom teachers to the 50th Outdoor School Celebration on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at the Kennekuk Environmental Education Center, Kennekuk County Park, from 1 – 4pm. A walk-back-in time presentation will begin at 1:15pm, with guided hikes, pond dipping, sharing memories, and more until 4 pm.
A collection of memories, photos, and stories will be gathered from former instructors, students, and classroom teachers for a “Outdoor School Memories Journal.” Please send submissions for this journal to Lara Danzl at [email protected], or to Kennekuk County Park, 22296 Henning Road, Danville, IL 61834.
For more information, please call 217-442-1691, or email [email protected]
*Outdoor School was not held in 2020-2021 due to COVID restrictions