John Hanson Middle School in Charles County received $5,000 from the WUSA9 Eco Challenge to expand and restore its on-campus wetland and outdoor classroom, school officials announced.
Meteorologist Topper Shutt and Andre Francis, director of strategic communications for Washington Gas, visited the school last month to present the award. The grant, sponsored by Washington Gas, supports environmental projects at middle schools across the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. John Hanson was one of two winners selected this year.
The wetland area, established in the 2000-2001 school year as a seventh-grade community service project, serves as an outdoor classroom for studying native plants, waterways, and local ecosystems. Science teacher Jill Locco, who has taught at Hanson since 2000, said the space has grown gradually over the years.
“This is a multi-generational labor of love,” Locco said. “Each year we have kind of expanded it.”
Recent student-led improvements include a cleanup organized by the National Junior Honor Society, installation of native plants, and creation of a small painted-rock garden. Eighth-grader Valeria Paz Avalos, an NJHS member, described much of the area as previously barren.
“We wanted to expand it and make it healthy,” Paz Avalos said.
Fellow eighth-grader Kylie Hudson noted the lack of vegetation before the recent work. “A lot of it was barren, there were no plants,” Hudson said. “We needed to add more color and more life to the area.”
Students have proposed several additional upgrades, including:
- Installation of a Little Library for book sharing
- Planting more native species to attract birds, frogs, and other wildlife
- Regular water quality testing tied to classroom science lessons
- Replacement of weathered picnic tables
Funding limitations had delayed many of these plans until the Eco Challenge award. “The only thing holding us up was funding,” Locco said. “We fell short on funds to overhaul the picnic tables. We want to do water chemistry testing out here too. It’s a great place for students and teachers to experience nature.”
In addition to the $5,000 grant, the school will receive continued professional development and educational materials from the Smithsonian Science Education Center.
The wetland connects to a nearby nature trail where students recently encountered a flock of wild turkeys. Art classes use the space for outdoor sketching, and previous additions include trees and benches.
John Hanson is the second Charles County middle school in consecutive years to win the Eco Challenge. In 2024, Matthew Henson Middle School received $5,000 for a pollinator garden led by computer teacher Derrick Blackwell and his students.
The Hanson award segment was scheduled to air on WUSA9 on December 1, 2025.
The WUSA9 Eco Challenge, now in its second year targeting middle schools, accepts applications from educators proposing hands-on environmental projects. Washington Gas funds the $5,000 awards, while the Smithsonian partnership provides long-term instructional support.
