Robert Eagle Staff Forest

Within the grounds of Robert Eagle Staff Middle School, we have planted a 3,000 square foot forest containing 1,000 native plants representing 40 species of trees, shrubs, and groundcover. Students, volunteers, and members of the local Coast Salish community all took part in the planting, creating a shared sense of stewardship from the very beginning.

With 790 students on campus, this new forest - located in an outdoor classroom known as the Raven’s Nest, in honor of the school’s raven mascot - will serve as both a learning space and a living laboratory. Here, students will engage directly with the local ecology, studying soil moisture, microbiome health, biodiversity and climate interactions, matter and energy flow in ecosystems, and natural selection. These studies align with SPS Science Teaching and Learning outcomes and support a phenomena-based approach, while also creating natural opportunities for ELA, Social Studies, and Math projects.

At the same time, the forest will deliver direct environmental benefits - sequestering carbon, improving soil and air quality, filtering stormwater, providing habitat, and cooling the surrounding landscape - further reinforcing the Raven’s Nest as a place where ecological understanding and environmental stewardship grow side by side.