‘An unbelievable opportunity for our kids’

In northwestern Minnesota, the Waubun-Ogema-White Earth School District (WOWE) is finding that its 160-acre School Forest outdoor classroom is a popular venue for students and community partners learning about nature, culture and the world around them. A recent $150,000 Fueling Futures donation from Enbridge has helped WOWE Schools expand those outdoor classroom facilities. “Outdoor learning is good for the social and emotional development of kids. It’s just good for health,” says Lisa, superintendent of WOWE Schools, where 84% of students this scholastic year are Indigenous. “To hear parents tell us they used to have to fight with their kids to go to school, and that now the kids are excited to go to school . . . that’s what engagement is.”