School of Conservation Leadership Designation Bestowed on 31 State Schools

Thirty-one Arkansas schools, ranging from Pre-K to 12th grade, have been designated as a School of Conservation Leadership for 2026-29 and were honored by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Education Division on Thursday at the AGFC’s Little Rock headquarters. Many schools sent representatives who nearly filled the auditorium, while others from around the state joined the ceremony online.

“Every single grade level earned a designation,” Derek Ratchford, the AGFC’s Outdoor Education Initiative Manager, said. “It proves conservation education has a place no matter how old they are, no matter what types of learning environments, no matter what types of classes you offer. It fits, it’s impactful and it matters.”

Schools receiving School of Conservation Leadership designation in the agency’s Cohort 2 were: Izard County Consolidated and Loblolly Pine School (Malvern), Pre-K category; Clear Spring (Eureka Springs) and Joshua Academy (Van Buren), K-12 schools; Asbell, Bernice Young, Don Roberts, East Pointe, Forest Heights Stem Academy, Hunt, Kirby, Linda Childress Knapp, North Little Rock 6, Root, Sonora, Terry, Valley Springs, Walker and Watson elementary schools; Valley Springs Middle; Wynne and Clinton junior highs; and ALLPS School of Innovation (Fayetteville), Bentonville, Clinton, Cossatot River, Delta Preparatory (Blytheville), Melbourne, Norfork, Perryville and Thaden School (Bentonville) high schools.

In the first year for achieving School of Conservation Education designation, 21 schools went through the program. Cohort 2 drew interest from 65 schools, with 56 reaching the site-visit stage, and from that, 31 achieved the designation.

“What I often get asked,” Ratchford said, “what about the ones that didn’t (receive designation)? The reality is, they all built a very strong foundation of conservation education that only needs to be grown. They’ve built something special that we’re going to continue supporting as they continue trying to build it. They’re not going away.

“So we’re going to continue pouring into those classrooms and those students, but we also want to celebrate (this group) for the level of commitment made to that.”