“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery” – Mark Van Doren, American poet, and writer. This year’s 2023 National Educator Award for Outstanding Environmental Stewardship exemplifies this quote. Raul Toscana, a 4th-grade teacher at Gaithersburg Elementary (MD), has worked with our #BuddyBison School Program since 2017 to encourage his students to discover the outdoors. The award - also known as “The Buddy” - recognizes an educator who has made a significant impact on their students’ understanding of the importance of protecting our nation’s treasured parks, public lands, and waters. He works inside and outside of the classroom to connect more than 130 4th-grade students annually with our nation’s parks, public lands, and waters. During his tenure, he has personally championed outings to local parks throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C. The May 11th presentation of the award was a surprise for Mr. Toscana, who was on a trip he had organized for the 4th-grade students ...