“Thank you again for believing in me and for making this incredible opportunity possible.” –Elle Neufeld
Two educational grants from All Hallows Guild allowed Alma Raznahan and Elle Neufeld from the National Cathedral School to spend time over the summer break investigating, learning, and presenting projects related to the environment and conservation.
Alma Raznahan spent a lot of time in our Bishop’s Garden, traveled to the National Library of Medicine garden in Bethesda, and hopped across the ocean to visit the Royal Physician’s Garden and the Chelsea Physic Garden in London. Her studies resulted in a delightful booklet she created and called “Medieval Medicinal Plants.” On the cathedral close, she focused on the herbs grown around the Hortulus, a small garden room in the Bishop’s Garden. You can see her booklet by clicking here.
Elle Neufeld used her grant to make a dream come true. She spent two weeks alongside scientists, conservationists, and other volunteers dedicated to supporting one of the world’s richest ecosystems: the Peruvian Amazon. She worked with rescue wildlife, planted trees, conducted bird and bat surveys, and memorably helped relocate endangered river turtle eggs to protected nesting areas and assisted the release of hatchlings into the wild. By the end of her work-study stay at Taricaya Research Center, Elle had gained a deep understanding of environmental stewardship, and comments, “It strengthened my desire to become involved in protecting natural ecosystems and showed me that even small contributions can make a meaningful difference when combined with the efforts of dedicated scientists, volunteers, and local communities.” You can read her insightful report here.
All Hallows Guild (AHG) supports educational opportunities that encourage students to explore the natural environment and pursue interests related to horticulture, conservation, landscape architecture, and environmental science. Each year, AHG will award a $1,500 grant each to a student from St. Albans and a student from National Cathedral. Those in forms III-V or grades 9-11 are eligible to apply. Application materials are to be sent in a single PDF by email to AHG@allhallowsguild.org by March 2, 2027, for next year’s program. Questions should be directed to Ingrid Miller at ingridcmiller@gmail.com.
