Muddy Sneakers Annual Report 2018

ANNUAL
REPORT
2018

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
David Watkins - President
Cliff Dodson - Vice President
Anne Bullard - Secretary
Peter Johnson - Treasurer
Townsend Birdsong
Gene Bell
Gloria Clouse
Betsy Jordan
Marshall McCallie
Chase Pickering
Jordan Robbins
Sandy Schenck
Ben Geer Keys - Emeritus Member
Aleen Steinberg - Emeritus Member
STAFF
Ryan Olson - Executive Director
Perry Hodgkins Jones - Development Officer
Carolyn Morrisroe - Communications Coordinator
Anna Ewing - Administrative Assistant
Lindsay Green - WNC Field Office Director
Thor Jones - WNC Program Director
Chehala Andriananjason - WNC Assistant
Program Director
Lee Choubane - WNC Camp Director
Elise Tellez - Piedmont Field Office Director
Cynthia Peedin - Piedmont Program Director
Michelle Ward - Piedmont Assistant Program Director
Field Instructors 2017-2018
Piedmont
Dawn Anderson
Eric Bowen
Kathryn Burns
Davis Hayden
WNC
Than Axtell
Jace Besold
Dana Bradley
Carlton Burke
Lee Choubane
Deborah Davis
Nancy Gamble
Molly Gillespie
Micaela Hyams
Shannon Lora
Ryan Lubbers
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Barb Knight
Jennifer Peedin
Cindy Ramsay
Michelle Ward
Ben Nelson
Carlisle Rankin
Kat Rice
Nadia Razavi
Kat Scala
Rachel Shopper
Allie Showalter
Bryan Suson
Kiersten Wilber
Shalyn Yost

OUR MISSION
To awaken in children a
deeply felt connection
with the natural
world — one that
inspires curiosity,
stimulates
learning, and
brings new life
to classroom
performance.
All photos by Capturing WNC Photography except where noted
2

OUR PATH
From the Executive Director
RYAN OLSON
Fiscal year 2018 was remarkable for Muddy Sneakers.
It was a year filled with new initiatives and historic
anniversaries, the addition of talented new
staff and board members, expanded partnerships,
and broader private investment. The NC General Assembly saw this investment and
rewarded our successful launch of a Piedmont field office in FY ’17 with another
single-year appropriation toward maintaining and growing the organization’s work.
Recognizing how important it is to first serve those schools most interested in partnering
and those best positioned near preserved natural areas, the organization
made the decision in FY ’18 to pilot a hub-and-spoke model to reach more distant,
underserved schools. Through our two existing field offices, we launched a satellite
program where staff are asked to travel beyond their typical 1.5-hour radius.
Through spending multiple nights in the area and offering sometimes back-to-back
Hands-on learning
fosters creativity
and achievement.
3

days of programming, instructors learn the landscape while providing students with
a minimum six-day, three-season experience.
Our first satellite counties were Cherokee to the west and Robeson to the east. Both
communities were excited for the opportunity to participate, and the response
from staff and students alike was phenomenal. I’m proud to say that both schools
were among the first to re-enroll for the 2018-2019 school year. If successful in our
growth plans, satellite programming could one day allow Muddy Sneakers to reach
every North Carolina school interested in being a part of the program, even if not
located in the immediate vicinity of a regional field office.
Under the guidance of a new, multi-year strategic plan and behind the strongest
staff the organization has ever seen, Muddy Sneakers concluded FY ’18 with all
eyes focused on the future. The next growth phase will likely see Muddy Sneakers
becoming a statewide organization, wth coastal expansion planned for the 2019-
2020 school year.
The achievements described here are due in large part to your commitment to our
mission and a shared belief that this work truly makes a difference. The Muddy
Sneakers success story is ours together. The first 10 years were an absolute adventure
and now, as a community, we set our sights on new horizons and aim for the
possibility of Muddy Sneakers soon reaching children in every corner of the state
and maybe one day, beyond the boundaries of NC.
4

2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA 1,382 STUDENTS
asheville city
Claxton
Francine Delaney
Hall Fletcher
Ira B. Jones
Isaac Dickson
Vance
buncombe county
Black Mountain
haywood county
Shining Rock Classical
henderson county
Atkinson
Hillandale
Mountain Community
macon county
Mountain View Intermediate
mcdowell county
Pleasant Gardens
This school year, students in Western North
Carolina spent a total of 155 days experiencing
science curriculum in the area’s beautiful
forests and along its many waterways. Students
in the mountains get to experience a
collection of magical sites that vary widely,
from the wooded coves of Pisgah National
Forest, to the waterfalls of DuPont State
Recreational Forest, to the still waters of
Lake James State Park, to the privately protected
lands of Walnut Creek Preserve in
Rutherford County.
We at Muddy Sneakers believe it’s crucial
that students get hands-on opportunities
to investigate problems, make scientific observations,
and think creatively — all using
natural resources and their own ingenuity. “I
get to visually experience a world of science,”
one WNC fifth grader said. “It’s better than
taking notes on something you can’t see!”
polk county
Saluda
N.C.
rutherford county
Forrest W. Hunt
Lake Lure Classical Academy
Pinnacle
Rutherfordton
Sunshine
S.C.
transylvania county
Brevard
Brevard Academy
Pisgah Forest
5

PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA 1,057 STUDENTS
montgomery county
Candor
Green Ridge
Page Street
Rowan county
Carroll T. Overton
China Grove
Hanford Dole
H.D. Isenberg
North Rowan
The Piedmont office has now completed its
first full school year of programming. This year,
we continued to learn about our communities,
build exciting partnerships, and discover many
significant natural areas that are perfect for use
as outdoor classrooms. Students have ventured
to the Uwharrie Mountains, the Yadkin River, Pilot
Mountain State Park, and Catawba College’s
Fred Stanback Jr. Ecological Preserve. We provided
a total of 83 days of education outside
the classroom this year in the Piedmont.
stanly county
Aquadale
Central
Locust
Millingport
Stanfield
The success of the past year is best exemplified
in students’ own observations about their
progress. When we hear a fifth grader say, “We
get to actually experience science” during Muddy
Sneakers expeditions, and “You’re teaching
me how to think like a scientist!” we know our
program is deeply impactful.
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA 142 STUDENTS
greenville county
Alexander
Slater-Marietta
SATELLITE PROGRAM 129 STUDENTS
robeson county
Piney Grove
cherokee county
The Learning Center
This spring we ran a successful pilot of our new
satellite programming model, reaching 129 students
in Cherokee County in Western North
Carolina and Robeson County in the Piedmont.
Each satellite school had the opportunity to explore
the outdoor classroom with Muddy Sneakers
four times this past spring. Through these satellite programming efforts, Muddy
Sneakers has developed new land partnerships with Lumber River State Park, Mainspring
Conservation Trust and the Nantahala National Forest — just to name a few.
We believe that all students in North Carolina deserve and will benefit from the experiences
that Muddy Sneakers provides, and we’re thrilled to begin extending our
reach even further.
6

OUR INVESTMENT
KAREN RAMSAUR
A growing child is influenced by so many factors. In
today’s fast and furious world, there are countless
things that stimulate a child’s mind, and not all of
these are healthy. With the Muddy Sneakers program,
children are taught to walk with nature. In
outdoor classrooms, students learn to slow down and experience the natural world
around them. And through this environmental education, barriers are broken down
and doors are opened to encourage personal growth and critical thinking.
My introduction into the Muddy Sneakers program nine years ago was a day that will
forever be etched into my heart. While walking with the children and the naturalist/
instructor, I began to realize the importance of this experience. On that expedition,
I delicately submerged my hands in salamander eggs and watched, amazed, as
the tiny creatures moved about in my
palms. We learned how to read the
health of a river and dug wild ginger
out of the forest. The students’ faces
brightened as they became aware of
lessons found only in nature.
Our family believes that by giving
children knowledge and teaching critical
and creative thinking in the outdoors,
we’re molding students’ minds
to be more aware of self and community.
The students who experience
these outdoor classrooms are better
equipped to deal with the changing
world around them. That seed of confidence and knowledge can bloom into creating
the conservationists of the next generation. We place a high value on the merits
of sitting quietly beside a sparkling stream and feeling at home any place in the
world. The children learn to listen for the music of birds in flight, to connect with
wilderness unafraid, and to be comfortable in their surroundings.
We hope that children will always have access to these outdoor classrooms and
will be encouraged to find where their main roots run. Our support of the Muddy
Sneakers program began with that expedition nine years ago and continues today
with an annual financial commitment and community sponsorship. Long live “the
joy of learning outside!”
23 7

NC STATE UNIVERSITY
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP9
Muddy Sneakers is dedicated to measuring and understanding the impacts of our
program. To that end, we have partnered with North Carolina State University in an
ongoing collaborative research project that recently
concluded its first two-year evaluation. NCSU’s team
is a unique group of professors and scholars that was
created for the explicit purpose of measuring environmental education.
The results from this evaluation are encouraging and overwhelmingly positive. We
are seeing a number of inspiring trends in the resulting data, including a sharp uptick
in science knowledge and grades for female students, significant improvements in
both grades and behavior among students struggling with learning disabilities, and
improved science knowledge for all children in Muddy Sneakers schools.
These results show that Muddy Sneakers closes gaps that typically form at this critical
age. We hope that these results, combined with ongoing research, will help to
move public opinion on how environmental education is perceived in public education.
This strong partnership will continue in the years to come as we find ways to
investigate together the long-term impacts Muddy Sneakers has on students.
FEEL THE
CONNECTION:
Students who grow
more confident
learning outside
with Muddy
Sneakers boost
their connection
to nature over the
course of the year.
GIRL POWER: With
Muddy Sneakers, girls
significantly increase
their knowledge and
interest in science
at a time when the
STEM gender gap
typically sees girls
falling behind.
WILDNESS MATTERS: Muddy Sneakers
offers the unique opportunity to visit
wild sites, where students become more
comfortable learning outside.
8

FISCAL YEAR July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018
REVENUE
Major Donors
Grant Awards
NC Appropriation
School Contributions
Community Sponsors
Events
Camp Muddy Sneakers
Other Income
NC Appropriation $500,000 48%
Major Donors $148,000 14%
Grant Awards $142,500 14%
School Contributions $107,246 10%
Community Sponsors $64,420 6%
Events $43,225 4%
Camp Muddy Sneakers $28,620 3%
Other Income $8,604

OUR VISION
From the Board President
DAVID WATKINS
Muddy Sneakers had a successful year of evaluating
the best ways for us to grow geographically in order
to teach many more students in the outdoors. With
two field offices up and running, our plans to expand across North Carolina are accelerating
and we hope to soon announce a third location.
In the past year, we have tested our ability to serve schools further afield through a
hub-and-spoke model. If successful, this approach will allow us to reach thousands
more students in the state. We have proved that this method works and we now
plan to double the number of satellite schools in 2018-2019.
After completing a formal strategic planning process in the fall of 2017, the board
realized that our administrative staff were wearing too many hats. To increase effectiveness
and properly evolve the organization, we have reorganized each field
office and begun the process of separating the home office from the day-to-day
programming operations. We are now much better positioned to manage programmatic
growth, sustainable development, and continued expansion efforts.
Muddy Sneakers continues to be an attractive model for ensuring public school students
receive experiential science education.
10

10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY
In May, hundreds of community
members came together at the Brevard
Lumber Yard to join us in celebrating
a decade of Muddy Sneakers.
It was a joyous evening, filled
with merriment and recognition of
all those who have played a role in
bringing us to where we are today.
From our founders to our teachers, and our newest instructors to our original staff
members, people from all corners of our organization came out to share our vision
for the future of Muddy Sneakers. Thank you to all who attended, whether in person
or in spirit, to celebrate 10 great years of introducing the joy of learning outside.
Here’s to many more!
Above: Sandy Schenck, Muddy Sneakers co-founder
and board member, tells attendees of the 10thanniversary
bash about the inspiration to create an
organization that fosters in children a love of nature
and an enhanced foundation in science.
11

Above: Aleen Steinberg, a founder and board member of Muddy Sneakers, receives recognition from
supporters of the organization during its anniversary party in May at the Brevard Lumber Yard.
OUR FOUNDING SCHOOLS
We were honored to be able to recognize Brevard Elementary School and Pisgah
Forest Elementary School at their closing assemblies this spring as our first partner
schools. For the past 10 years, fifth graders from these schools have been exploring
the wealth of natural resources in Transylvania County with Muddy Sneakers. They
took a chance on a fledgling program a decade ago and have stayed with us as we
found our wings. Thank you to all involved!
At left: Muddy Sneakers Executive Director Ryan Olson
shares the Founding Schools award with teachers
Deanna Campbell and Jeanne DeJong of Brevard
Elementary.
Above: Olson and Muddy Sneakers instructor Deborah
Davis present a Founding Schools award to teacher
Cheryl Gardner of Pisgah Forest Elementary.
Photos by staff
12

CAMP MUDDY SNEAKERS
We had another fantastic summer at Camp Muddy Sneakers! We want to say thank
you to parents for allowing your children to join us in exploration and discovery.
We offered many new activities, such as aquatic exploration while paddling some of
our region’s rivers, getting to know snakes in real life, and
exploring a permaculture garden. Campers challenged
themselves and discovered their potential
for adventure and learning.
The new partnerships we forged with local businesses
and organizations have been a great way
to more deeply connect with the communities we
serve, and we look forward to expanding these relationships
in summers to come. Special thanks to: Blue Heron Whitewater, Carolina
Mountain Naturalists, Green River Adventures, Headwaters Outfitters, Serpentarium
Magic, the Park at Flat Rock, Brevard College, Carolina Day School and The Sassy
Goose. Throughout the coming school year, look for updates on camp’s next season.
13
Photos by Green RIver Adventures, staff and Capturing WNC

‘‘
There is brilliance in the Muddy Sneakers
name and philosophy. Through multiple school
days spent learning alongside expert naturalists,
public school students venture into the living
laboratory of local protected lands to experience
the ‘S’ in STEM. ... An innovative model for
conservation education that fosters sense of
place, a love of inquiry and something much
more valuable: childhood wonder.
‘‘
— Richard Louv
author of “Last Child in the Woods”
14

THANK YOU,
DONORS!
The Muddy Sneakers board
of directors and staff would
like to acknowledge the
following supporters for
their ongoing and significant
contributions to our
sustained growth over the
past year:
Judith Haskell Brewer Fund
Lastinger Family Foundation
Muddy Sneakers’
outdoor education
programming
instills a lifelong
love of nature.
Fred & Alice Stanback
Friends of DuPont Forest
Domokur Architects
2017-2018
Grant Awards
Beattie Foundation
Fanny Landwirth Foundation
Judith Haskell Brewer Fund
Lake Toxaway Charities
Pisgah Forest Rotary Club
RHI Legacy Foundation
St. Philips Episcopal Church
15
To align with our fiscal year, the following
donor report reflects gifts intended for use
during the 12-month period
from July 2017 to June 2018.

16

CELEBRATING OUR
COMMUNITY SPONSORS
We are surrounded by a giving and supportive community in Western North Carolina,
the Piedmont, and beyond! Thank you to everyone for making this a memorable
year and for joining us in celebrating 10 years of Muddy Sneakers.
MOUNTAIN MOVERS
$10,000 +
Lastinger Family Foundation
Brad & Shelli Stanback
Donor Advised Fund of the Foundation
for the Carolinas
Fred Stanback
Donor Advised Fund of the Foundation
for the Carolinas
Alva & Ida Whitehead
STAR GAZERS
$5,000 - $9,999999
Dave & Sue Corby
TRAIL BLAZERS
$1,000 - $4,999
The Ammondson Family Charitable Fund
Anonymous
Anonymous
via Vanguard Charitables
Hank & Townsend Birdsong
Dan & Peg Bresnahan
C. Rivers Stone Foundation Trust
Gloria & Jerry Clouse
Friends of DuPont Forest
Robert & Nancy Gilbert
Hendersonville Woman’s Club
Huisking Foundation
Kay Hunter
Christopher Hyland & Betty Shotton
Mike & Michelle Leonard
Little Acorn Fund-H
of The Community Foundation of WNC
Marshall & Amye McCallie
Chuck & Jean McGrady
Michael McGrady
Dogwood Fund of The Community Foundation
of Henderson County
17

Rosalie & Neil Morris
Doug & Laurie Ombres
Chase & Clary Pickering
Ted & Karen Ramsaur
Noah & Deborah Reynolds
Sandy & Missy Schenck Fund
of The Community Foundation of WNC
Jim & Robin Stickney
Bob & Babs Strickland
Aleen Steinberg
Strayhorn Family Charitable Fund
Taylor Hunt Fund for Rivers and
Outdoor Learning
of The Community Foundation of WNC
BUSINESSES
KA Designworks, Inc.
Looking Glass Realty, LLC
Milepost355
Sycamore Cycles
WNCW
COMPASS MASTERS
$500 - $999999
Charles & Elke Burden
Dan Cameron Family Foundation
Helen C. Gift
Michael & Sydney Green
Donor Advised Fund of the Community
Foundation of WNC
Jeff & Pam Gross
Anna & Connor Guthy
C. Douglass & Ren Harper
Richmond & Perry Hodgkins Jones
Miranda Hunter
Frances Jackson
Al & Demi Loftis
Gus & Margarete Napier
Scott & Susan Nelson
Bill Nichols & Ann Wallace
Brayden & Meredith Pitcairn
Sam & Missy Rankin
Lori Shook
Hugh Tucker & Paul Thomas
David & Maureen Watkins
Virginia Williams
BUSINESSES
Diamond Brand Outdoors
Domokur Architects
The GORGE/Green River Adventures
NCLINE Adventures
Pisgah Coffee Roasters
Platt Architecture
Second Gear, Inc.
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TURTLE TRACKERS $200 - $499
Mike & Ann Beatty
Joel Boblit
Mary Grace Brennan
Cindy & David Bruce
Anne & Grant Bullard
Anne Burkhardt
Elise Burnett
Terri Burns
Chuck & Laura Callahan
Jeff & Sarah Carter
Ryan Cecil
Sally Cook
Terrell Garrard
Marilyn & Kit Garren
Angus & Caroline Graham
Billy & Kristy Harris
Bill & Alice Hart
Edward & Debra Heimerdinger
The John & Vicki Held Charitable Fund
of the U.S. Charitable Gift Trust
Melinda Hendershott
Kimberly & David Ivans
Whitfield Jack
Mark & Cathy Janney
Peter & Dawn Johnson
Betsy & Don Jordan
Michael Karas
James & Karen Kolisch
Larry & Lynn Klein
Lane & Beth Lastinger
Chris & Mary Jane McDonnell
Henry D. & Edith R. McHenry
Henry & Ruthanne Lucius
Jane L. Olson
Ryan Olson & Maria Whitehead
Mary Louise Powell
David Robb
Jordan Robbins
Dr. Nicholas & Rosemary Sabbia
Joseph Heath & Nikol Shuler
Joan VanOrman
George & Mary Carol Vickery
Ellen K. Watts
Weinstein/Marsee Family Fund
Paul Wilander
Kent & Gail Wilcox
19
BUSINESSES
Brevard Insurance
Mast General Store
Smith Systems, Inc.
FROG CATCHERS $100 - $19999
Matthew B. & Lauren Jean Agrella-Sevilla
Betsy Alexander
Gloria Alvarez
John & Linda Austin
Dorel & Joyce Baila
Rod & Bess Baird
Meredith Balgley
Randy & Joy Baron
Ronald W. & Judith Behrman
Frank & Nancy Bell
Lyle & Molly Burgmann
Charlotte Anne Cameron
Tara Campion
Karen & Walter Charen
Ken & Leslie Chepenik
Paul & Anne Coletta
Ruby Compton
Peter Chaveas
Dick & Suzanne Childs
Rich Dileader
Chris & Jane Dauster
Lavoe Davis
Ray & Martha M. Dean
Kathleen Delaney
Cliff & Terri Dodson
John S. & Katharine Dreier
Charles S. & Carol M. Elliott
Scott Elliott
Fay C. Fitzsimons
Charles & Melissa Fox
Helen C. Gift
Anita Goldschmidt
Lindsay Green
Miriam Greenberg
William & Geraldine Hambley
John & Trisha Harrison
Knox & Priscilla Haynsworth
John & Sandy Hemmer

FROG CATCHERS (CONT.)
Thomas Heyward & Eleonor W. Carter, Jr.
Norwyn “Cowboy” Johnson
Leah Karpen
Donna Kelly
Deborah Kerr
Helen R. Lee
Mark S. & Page Ives Lemel
Sandy & Paddy Lynch
Susan MacDonald
Harrison & Margaret Marshall
Patti McAbee & Tommy Eison
Jon & Lynne Montague-Clouse
Karl & Joan Munn
John Myers & Jane Lawson
Helen & John Pape
Keith & Jonlyn Parker
Dr. & Mrs. Walt Peery
John & Elizabeth Pringle
Grant & Nancy Purcell
John & Kathy Reiff
Doug Tate & Megan Riegel
Fred Roane
Hal & Sarah Schuelke
Dave & Lucius Schweikert
Ed Schwen
FROG CATCHERS (CONT.)
Dorothy Semans
Mike & Lou Shelley
Wilson & Ann Sims
William S. & Joyce H. Spencer
Steve Supreme & Amolia Willowsong
Allison Taylor
Steward Trimble
Katherine Tweden
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the
Swannanoa Valley
Trenholm & Susan Hull Walker
Reed & Susan Watson
Richie R. Wilkinson & John Bologni
Hamilton & Renee Williams
Kathleen Wilmer
Hilde Wisert
Jacqueline B. Witherspoon
BUSINESSES
Brevard Yoga Center
CDB Instruments
D.D. Bullwinkel’s
Food Matters Market
A SPECIAL THANK-YOU
to our corporate sponsors who gave in-kind to support this year’s events:
Asheville Screenprinting
Biltmore Wines
Blue Firefly Inn
Blue Ridge Bakery
Bold Rock Hard Cider
Brevard Clay
Brevard Music Center
Brevard Rock Gym
Broad Street Wines
Burntshirt Winery
Clif Bar
D.D. Bullwinkel’s
Davidson River Outfitters
ENO
Falls Landing
Floressence Flowers
The GORGE/Green River Adventures
Jus’ Running
Lumberyard Arts District
MountainSong Productions
Navitat Canopy Adventures
New Leaf Garden Market
Oskar Blues Brewing
Pilot Cove
REI
Squatch
Stewart Sound
Sycamore Cycles
Sylvan Sport
Tryon International Equestrian Center
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WNC Office
P.O. Box 146
Brevard, NC 28712
828-862-5560
Piedmont Office
P.O. Box 2151
Salisbury, NC 28144
704-209-4009
www.muddysneakers.org