One morning last year in Forest Hill Park, a barred owl called from somewhere in the trees. The preschoolers standing below stopped to listen. That single call turned into weeks of studying Virginia’s native owls; what they eat, where they nest, how to tell one from another by sound.
That is an ordinary week at Good Shepherd Episcopal School, the preschool through eighth grade school that families in Forest Hill have been calling Richmond’s best-kept secret for years. Students learn outdoors every day, classes are capped at 16, and the James River Park System next door works as an extension of the classroom.
In recent news, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources has recognized Good Shepherd as a Virginia Naturally School for the 2025-2026 school year, the school’s second consecutive year earning the designation. The program honors schools where environmental learning runs all year long as part of the dedicated curriculum.
That work shows up in every grade. The Nature Preschool meets in the park each morning, in every season. K-8 Outdoor Education students have tracked beaver activity around the lake, researched Virginia’s invasive species, and read the James River Association’s State of the James report cards on the river running past their campus. There is even a River Wise Bayscape certified by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
See Good Shepherd in Action
Families are invited to see Good Shepherd firsthand at two preview days on Saturday, October 17.
Event Details:
2027 Nature Preschool Preview Session
Saturday, October 17 · 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. · School playground, 4207 Forest Hill Avenue
Meet our outdoor early childhood teachers, hear a program overview, see our nature-inspired indoor classrooms, and ask how a preschool operates outdoors year-round. Children must be between the ages of 3 and 4 1/2 by September 1 to be eligible for this program. Children are welcome to play on the playground during the session, but the program is intended for parents and remain in the care of their families and childcare is not provided.
2027 Kindergarten Preview Session
Saturday, October 17 · 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. · School playground, 4207 Forest Hill Avenue
Parents and preschoolers ages 3 to 5 are invited to experience our kindergarten and outdoor education program with an overview, classroom visit, and time for questions. Children must be 5-years-old on or before September 30 of the school year to be eligible to apply to kindergarten.
For more information on these events, please contact Associate Head of School Lorie Bartee at
lbartee@gses.org.
For registration and details, visit gses.org/admissions/apply.
