By: Andrew Conover
Engaging students with the natural world is not easy. Traditional classrooms create a barrier between students and the environment that supports them. Fortunately, St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, can bring students into nature through the religion department’s Faith in the Wild elective course. This course focuses on integral ecology, which Pope Francis summarized in Laudato Sì:[1] “The environment is part of a logic of receptivity. It is on loan to each generation, which must then be handed to the next.”
Cincinnati, Ohio, encompasses the land once stewarded by the Hopewell, Adena, Osage, Shawnee, and Miami native tribes. In a modern context, Cincinnati is known for manufacturing and distribution, and companies like Procter & Gamble and Kroger are headquartered there. The city lies on the northern bank of the Ohio River—the most polluted river in the United States, according to EcoCation.[2] This bleak ecological reality is being addressed in the classroom, preparing the next generation of leaders for justice.
Founded in 1831, St. Xavier’s mission is to shape students into “men for others.” Like many other Jesuit secondary education institutions, St. Xavier promises to provide growth in the five categories of the Graduate at Graduation.[3] This goal is achieved by steeping students in the Jesuit tradition through daily Examen[4] and emphasizing intense critical thought, creating a passion for changing the world through a commitment to doing justice. As a St. Xavier alumnus, I can say that this institution shaped me into who I am today through the values taught by the dedicated faculty.
Educator Katie Collins, who has dedicated her career to getting students involved in the surrounding communities, created Faith in the Wild. Throughout Collins’s 12 years at St. Xavier High School, she has had the opportunity to leave a lasting impact on students’ lives through service learning, community engagement, and advocacy through Catholic Social Teaching. Whether that is done through leading the St. Xavier delegation to the Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice every year or sending her World Religions students into faith communities to observe how religious values are lived out in different traditions. Collins’ engaging approach to teaching instills in students a deep-rooted passion to “go forth and set the world on fire,” as St. Ignatius commanded.
Collins’s awareness of the ecological crisis began in her youth when the primary concern of the time was acid rain and the growing ozone hole through the Montreal Protocol,[5] which showed the potential for collective action to address global ecological issues. She offered: “As the environmental crisis continued to unfold, [I] felt a growing urgency to inspire students to grow an awareness of the global community’s challenges.” Collins heard many students saying nature was one place to connect with God. When first reading Laudato Sì in 2016, she noted that she would like to teach a class on the reality of the ecological crisis from the faith-filled perspective presented by Pope Francis. Unsure of where to begin, she researched and collected resources to build her curriculum.
Moving forward with her inspired vision, Collins reflected, “In the fall of 2021, I pitched the idea of developing a senior elective to my colleagues, and the idea was approved by school administration in the spring of 2022.” Her dream became a reality in the fall of 2023. Collins started teaching Faith in the Wild as a religion elective. The required text for the course is Laudato Sì. Furthering the focus on integral ecology, she uses related dense resources to inform the class. Still, she provides students with various excerpts and poems to guide the conversation and assist in the students’ comprehension of the reality of ecological issues. This class is unlike any other religion class at St. Xavier because it is taught outdoors. There is no Wi-Fi or technology, creating a truly unique experience through its engaging content. One alumnus, Colin Jarczyk (St. Xavier ’24), reflected, “It was impactful to learn about the importance of integral ecology while being in a natural setting; for me, it helped to drive that point home.” Reflection is at the core of the class; over the semester, students complete 24 reflections on various ecological topics and discussions on the topic areas.
The Faith in the Wild course results from many students’ hard work and dedication. The outdoor classroom that it is today is the culmination of many years of effort. In 2019, the nature trail behind the school was filled with honeysuckle and other invasive species. The students in the Environmental Action Club began working on Saturday workdays to remove these ecologically destructive species. Nick Steingraeber (St. Xavier ’24) stated, “I was the student leader of the nature trail restoration project. This project encompassed the woods and the outdoor classroom area used for our class. Taking the class in the spring of my senior year was a full-circle moment. I had led and witnessed the complete transformation of this space, finally getting to experience the fruits of my—and many others’—years of effort.” The year after Steingraeber started leading, many of these species had been removed & replaced with indigenous perennials.
This reality allowed Sam Warren (St. Xavier ’23) to begin work on his Eagle Scout Project, an outdoor classroom, with the help of over 50 volunteers. Collins explained the inspiration for his project, “I [taught] Sam in ‘Faith, Church, and Sacraments’ during his sophomore year (2020-2021). I would take my students out to the Nature Trail—but there was no “classroom”—Sam identified a need and made it a reality—which helped make Faith in the Wild a reality!” Warren’s project was completed in 2022, spanning 520 volunteer hours. Warren described his Eagle Scout Project: “For two years, I ideated and constructed an 8-bench seating area with the input of [Collins and other teachers], who emphasized several key hopes for the space. Given the outdoor conditions in which the benches are constructed, [there was a need to create] long-lasting and sustainable benches.” Further, he explains, “The project’s underlying goal was to give community members a space where they could immerse themselves in the outdoors.” Warren’s outdoor classroom provides the St. Xavier Community a unique opportunity to connect deeply with the natural world. Reflecting on Laudato Sì, Warren expressed appreciation, as he puts it: “[Laudato Sì] enabled me to reflect inward on how my personal experience with our common home is so tied to my religious experience. Pope Francis’s choice to present this call to care for the common home to more than just a Catholic audience was a beautiful testament to the need for collaboration within these efforts.” Warren now Studies Environmental Policy at Stanford University.
In the first year Faith in the Wild was offered, 50 students registered. In the second year, that number doubled. Students at St. Xavier feel called to connect with God on a deeper level through this unique immersion in nature. The registered students have many interests, hoping to study anything from business to medicine to environmental science. Students “are simply intrigued by a different course structure,” opening themselves to growth.
The class looks very different depending on the semester. The fall semester starts with hot, sunny days and ends with the falling of leaves and snow. The spring semester begins with dormant trees and snow and ends with flowering plants, leafy trees, and rain. Mindful of the weather, the class meets until the temperature drops below 30°F or a heavy downpour, then meets inside. Due to the seasonal aspect, the class can never be the same from one semester to the next. This reality offers students a unique experience that could not be replicated in a traditional classroom. Steingraeber noted, “When studying Laudato Sì, there was little room for doubt about the interconnectedness of God’s creation.”
Without action, Catholic Social Teaching cannot effectively address social injustices. Collins believes in getting students active in the community to learn first-hand how the ecological crisis the class explores affects their neighbors daily. Three assignments empower students to learn hands-on. In the first quarter, students pick a local park from a list of 20. After selecting a park, they research the land’s history and any challenges it has faced and identify the communities it serves. Students then visit the park. This assignment helps students realize that minority and low-income areas do not have access to well-maintained green space compared to more affluent areas. Collins elaborates, “The starkest disparity is in the funding and upkeep of parks in lower-income areas of town versus the wealthier neighborhoods. Mt. Airy forest needs a lot of infrastructure care, whereas Eden Park looks fantastic.” In the second quarter, students learn through service, picking an organization working to improve the ecological reality in Cincinnati. Collins states, “After their experience working with this agency, the students write a paper inviting them to research the agency’s work and reflect on their experience working with them and how this work is connected to Catholic Social Teaching.” For students to advocate, they first research an ecologically related bill in their state or local legislatures, then write to their elected representatives to persuade them to support or oppose the bill, including aspects of storytelling and direct asks.
On extended class days, students join their communities on field trips to nearby nature preserves or community ecological organizations like Tikkun Farm, a local nonprofit dedicated to serving creation through action and spirituality. The experience at this farm leaves a lasting impact on the students. When asked about some of her favorite moments from the class, Collins pointed out one moment when a student struggling to overcome his anxieties could forget them when he dedicated a significant amount of time to learning how to hold a chicken. She stated that these experiences bring her the most fulfillment when students “find delight in nature.” In addition to reflective journaling, she observed that students channel their emotions into art, creating arrangements of stones and sticks or even building tiny snowmen. These small things connect positively with the natural world, benefiting the students’ mental health.
The capstone of this class is something Collins calls the ‘solutions matrix paper.’ This is the student’s opportunity to outline future commitments to combating the ecological crisis in their personal and professional lives. Fortunately, as a senior elective, this assignment forces students to pause and think critically about their convictions, as many are ready to embark on their journey through college. According to Collins, many students can identify specific actions that promote integral ecology in the professional fields they plan to join. Jarczyk is now studying Mechanical Engineeringat Ohio State University.When reflecting on his role in the solutions matrix, he responded, “I see myself being more conscious in my decisions, aiming to make more environmentally friendly solutions. This includes buying sustainably raised/grown food, reducing electricity consumption, and avoiding products containing excess plastic waste. I also see myself actively helping the environment by planting native vegetation around my house, avoiding using fertilizers and other chemicals in my yard, etc. I see myself and everyone around me as an integral part of the solution – we need everyone on the same page.” This demonstrates a concentrated effort to address the ecological crisis at an individual level. An alternative viewpoint was offered bySteingraeber, who is studying Environmental Engineering at Purdue University, who said of his experience with the Solution Matrix paper: “I would love to work in conservation, pollution mitigation, and remediation. I’m focused on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to make a meaningful difference.” Additionally, he details that “Faith in the Wild significantly influenced my decision to pursue Environmental and Ecological Engineering.” The future is bright with students ready to change the world through just actions rooted in faith; this course offers students the potential to channel their passions, offering a new, hopeful perspective: integral ecology from Laudato Sì.
When reflecting on their experiences through Faith in the Wild, both alumni praise the curriculum and engaged approach to Catholic Social Teaching offered in Faith in the Wild. Steingraeber concluded, “The class gave me the language, knowledge, and religious context to articulate the need for environmental stewardship—not just scientifically, spiritually, and morally. Before, I mistakenly saw environmental issues as isolated problems: warming oceans only affecting oceans, deforestation only impacting the forest, and so forth.
Understanding Laudato Sì through this class completely shifted my perspective, opening my eyes to the absolute interconnectedness of all God’s creation.” Further, Jarczyk stated, “Through this class, I was able to recognize my role in nature, and, in turn, nature’s significance in my life, not only from a physical perspective but also a spiritual and emotional perspective.” Clearly, after 10 years, Laudato Sì directly connects students with God through the work of integral ecology. Faith in the Wild allows students to channel their anxieties or frustrations about the world’s ecological state.
In the near future, Collins’ hope for Faith in the Wild is to share her curriculum and resources with inclined faith educators worldwide. Her curriculum can be easily adapted to educational communities worldwide because it uses open-source texts, student engagement through service, the overall focus on reflection, and the benefit of equity created by teaching technology-free. In the long term, Collins hopes another outdoor classroom will be constructed in a round configuration to encourage and facilitate discussion. Ultimately, she hopes the class content will be adopted into the core religion classes curriculum. This action would follow what is asked of educators in Laudato Sì,making the ethical responsibility of addressing the ecological crisis apparent to all students, not just those who elect to enroll in Faith in the Wild.
[1] https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html
[2] https://ecocation.org/15-most-polluted-rivers-in-the-us/
[3] Open to Growth, Intellectually Competent, Religious, Loving, and Committed to Doing Justice.
[4] A 10-15 minute reflective prayer to find the movement of God in all the people and events of our day.
[5] https://www.unep.org/ozonaction/who-we-are/about-montreal-protocol
If you are interested in teaching an iteration of Faith in the Wild at your institution, contact the Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat at <sjes-rec@sjcuria.org> or connect directly with Katie Collins at ccollins@stxavier.org. Inspire the next generation of students to change the world through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching!
