Outdoor Classroom is not merely an organization but a movement, a philosophy, and a transformative force in STEM education.
Since its inception in 2015, Outdoor Classroom has been on a mission to develop and instill a STEM mindset in young innovators, teachers, and non-traditional educators. What sets them apart is their intentional and heartfelt commitment to inclusivity, ensuring that individuals with diverse learning needs and challenges are not only included but thrive in their programs.
OverviewBrian Bovaird
Executive Director and Naturalist
Brian Bovaird graduated with a degree in Geology from Southern Methodist University in 1984, and earned a MBA from Duke University in 1990. For the past eight years, Mr. Bovaird has provided remediation services for hydrocarbon and brine-impacted soils throughout the energy industry.
Mr. Bovaird has studied and participated in well-regarded outdoor education programs in Texas, North Carolina, Vermont, and Colorado. Brian devised today’s Outdoor Classroom in 2015 at Camp Loughridge. The program stabilized at the well-manicured Woodward Park before returning to the woods of Mohawk Park in 2024.
Zoe Hale
Lead Naturalist Educator
Zoe started working with the Outdoor Classroom program in 2021. She grew up around the nature of Woodward Park as her mom has worked her way up to becoming the Head of Horticulture for the City of Tulsa, which oversees our wonderful park system. Zoe is working towards achieving her Associate’s Degree in Biology at Tulsa Community College. Zoe’s background dovetails into Oklahoma’s 5th grade curriculum of Earth Sciences. Ms. Hale was integral to the development of the two Jr. Naturalist Bading programs piloted in Summer 2023.
Amanda Fisher
Lead Naturalist Educator
Amanda graduated from the University of Oklahoma in spring of 2021 with a Bachelors of Science in Secondary Science Education with a specialization in Chemistry and a minor in Native American Studies.
Mrs. Fisher has always loved science, but realized in college that most people have negative experiences with science when they were young. Amanda decided she wanted to work with youth to show them how cool and amazing science is!
Amanda learned about the Outdoor Classroom program, fell in love with the program, and has now been working here for nearly two years. Amanda enjoys bringing her love of science and knowledge of learning pedagogy to the Outdoor Classroom. Amanda has seen that nature is an incredible place to study science and provides many opportunities for phenomenon-based learning, which she believes plays a critical role in students learning and remembering scientific ideas. It is Amanda’s goal to show students that STEM is fun and anyone can be a scientist if they want to be!
WildSTEM Badging Program: ORIENTEERING, an introductory Mastery of the related skill sets for Orienteering, Block Coding, and Drone Aviation
This badging program takes traditional orienteering skills several steps beyond, with the confluence of block code programming derived from map data to guide a drone on a course through our forest! This is a three-in-one, rigorous, and FUN nature-based STEM badge traversing multiple career and workforce pathways!
Young innovators will stretch and develop their observation skills beyond the length of their arms (at a smartphone) by exploring and charting our unique landforms and historic features at this 1926 Tulsa Park. Then, like everything else digital in their world, they will translate their paces, bearings and starting points into computer block code, which in turn will lift a drone off the ground to fly a course they have created themselves.
Participation is by School Counselor Recommendation Only
Base Camp Mohawk Park
4218 Choctaw Drive
Tulsa, OK 74115
4218 Choctaw Drive
Tulsa, OK 74115
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 52826
Tulsa, OK 74152
P.O. Box 52826
Tulsa, OK 74152
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