Our Partners
In the Field
Partnerships are an important part of the holistic education our students receive. Through partnerships, our students gain enrichment opportunities, complete service projects, and explore their place within the wider world.
Blueberry Gardens
Through our partnership with Blueberry Gardens, families can purchase fresh produce, eggs, and honey from a farm just down the street. And, we are able to sell microgreens grown on campus. Over the years, Blueberry Gardens has also been a place for staff education, team building, experiential learning, and de-stressing, including a staff trip to visit the gardent and pick blueberries each June.
Natural Partners/Monarch Sister Schools
Natural Partners is a DC based organization focused on assisting grassroots environmental groups in protecting and improving the natural world. They also spearhead the Monarch Sister Schools Program, and Mater Amoris’s lovingly curated gardens and focus on native plants - particularly milkweeds - have allowed us to become a certified Monarch Sister School.
National Wildlife Federation
Our beautiful campus, emphasis on native plants, and staff dedication allow us to maintain status as a Certified Schoolyard Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. As a Schoolyard Habitat, we maintain at least three sources each of food, water, shelter, and places to raise young for native species, as well as provide students a place to learn outdoors and connect with nature.
La Palma - Escuela Telebachillerato
Through our status as a Monarch Sister School we are paired with La Palma, a Telebaccalaureate School in Zitácuaro, Michoacán. In late 2026, Mater Amoris adolescents and recent graduates had the opportunity to travel to Mexico, meet students from our sister school, and visit the oyamel forests where monarchs overwinter. We hope to continue this trip every other year so that all adolescents have the opportunity to participate.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Heron and Monarch students benefit from experiential learning at the Philip Merrill Environmental Education Center. This field experience includes canoeing and seining to observe, identify, and study aquatic species. Students grow their understanding of our place in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, how we impact the ecosystems of the bay, and the state of biodiversity in the brackish water where Oyster Creek meets the Chesapeake Bay.
Maryland Association for Environmental & Outdoor Education
MAEOE certified Mater Amoris as a Maryland Green Schools in 2023. Green Schools work to integrate sustainability into and with curricula in order to develop a new generation of responsible environmental stewards. As a school, we have completed numerous projects, trainings, and activities to achieve and maintain our Green School status. As a green school, we get to send students to participate in the MAEOE Youth Summit hosted each year in May.
On Campus
On campus partnerships provide opportunities for students to engage within the school community, participate in outreach activities, and connect with visitors from our local community.
Girls on the Run
Mater Amoris is excited to have a Girls on the Run (GOTR) program on campus. GOTR is a physical activity-based positive youth development program for girls in 3rd-8th grade. The program teaches life skills through dynamic interactive lessons and running games. The program aims to unleash confidence through accomplishment while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness.
TREX Recycling
The NEXTREX Recycling Challenge allows participants to turn in plastic bags and other soft plastic films to be utilized in their recycled plastic decking and other materials. By recycling these materials, the Mater Amoris community reduces the amount of plastic ending up in the landfill and TREX converts it into something that is positive and helpful. Participants have the opportunity to win a bench made from these recycled plastic panels, which would be a fantastic addition to our campus.
Sandy Spring Friends
Intergenerational friendships remind us that no matter our age, we can still learn and grow. Seniors from the Sandy Spring Friends House come to campus periodically to bake and work on crafts with our students. These visits allow children and elders to bond, fostering mutual respect, bridging generational gaps, and promoting social cohesion. Research shows that all involved benefit from these experiences.
Radio Telemetry with San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
The San Digo Zoo Wildlife Alliance loaned us radio telemetry equipment to study how endangered and threatened populations are counted and monitored. Heron students led Monarch students in an activity using radio telemetry receivers to track marked Yellow Legged Frog stuffies hidden in the woods on campus. All students had a chance to use the equipment and discussed benefits and drawbacks of using mark/recapture methods when monitoring animal populations.
National Aquarium & Terps in the Classroom
Heron students were accepted into the Terrapin Education and Research Program (TERP) and received a baby terrapin to raise until release. Herons studied the role of terrapins as a keystone species, learned the requirements for supporting terrapins in the classroom and in the wild, followed a research protocol, educated others within the community, and ultimately released their tiny terp back into the Chesapeake Bay in April.
Across Programs & Ages
We look for opportunities to build strong bonds across our classroom communities, engaging adolescents and elementary students alongside Children's House to support shared goals. Recent collaborations include planting a grove of blight resistant American Chestnut saplings on campus, as well as selling potted pothos plants to raise money for an adolescent camping trip.
Interested in Partnering?
We're always interested in connecting with mission-aligned organizations. Please reach out to office@materamoris.org to share your ideas for partnership and schedule a time to talk.