Garlough Environmental Magnet School

Through a collaboration that promises one of the most dynamic magnet schools ever developed for elementary students, School District 197 and the Thomas Irvine Dodge Nature Center are partnering in the transformation of Garlough Elementary School into the Garlough Environmental Magnet School (GEMS), which will open in the fall of 2007. GEMS serves students in kindergarten through grade four in a rigorous environmental studies program emphasizing science, technology and math.

Garlough is located directly across the street from Dodge Nature Center’s 320 acres of prairies, hardwood forests, lakes, wetlands, miles of hiking trails, plus a working farm, orchard, and bee apiary. In addition to Dodge’s vast natural resources, Garlough students also have access to Dodge equipment. Snowshoes, waders, dip nets, specimen collection materials, and water-sampling equipment are some of the Dodge resources Garlough’s students use. The Garlough building has been completely renovated, and the spacious Garlough campus combined with the Dodge Nature Center make GEMS an incredibly beautiful place to learn. The dedicated, highly trained teaching staff is committed to helping each child experience the wonders of the natural world within a rigorous, academically challenging curriculum. Students participate regularly in activities directed by a Dodge Naturalist either at Garlough or the Nature Center.

The combined resources and staffs of Garlough and Dodge are committed to offering students a world-class education that prepares them for success in school, in life, and as stewards of the earth. Three major grants from the Minnesota Department of Education have provided funding for the school. The curriculum is rich in science, technology and math concepts and skills which are necessary for students to understand the systems and interactions they encounter as they explore nature and the environment through event-based and project-based learning. Science, technology, math, music, art, and other subjects come to life with hands-on learning that extend the classroom into the school’s fresh-air surroundings.

Click on Garlough Elementary School to visit their website for more information. Call 651-405-2973 to arrange a visit to the school, ask questions, or have materials mailed to you.