BOILING SPRINGS – Melodie Anderson-Smith, who for 40 years taught children as “Earthwalker,” received the 13th annual Spirit of the South Mountain by South Mountain Partnership at SMP’s recent Power of the Partnership event.
The award is given each year to an individual, project or organization making exceptional efforts to promote good stewardship of the South Mountain Region.
Anderson-Smith served as the executive director of Renfrew Institute for Cultural & Environmental Studies, known today as Buttonwood Nature Center, Home of The Institute from 1993 to 2017. In 1985, she created the first environmental education program available in the Waynesboro Area School District using her background as an early childhood educator. This program was incorporated into The Institute’s educational offerings for visitors in 1986.
Conducting classes for young visitors as “Earthwalker,” Anderson-Smith served for nearly 40 years as an educator focused on fostering appreciation for the natural world through direct, hands-on engagement. Her lessons invited students to explore the environment with their senses, whether it was by studying snowflakes or sloshing through streams.
Additionally, Anderson-Smith developed partnerships with various community organizations, including SMP, Happel’s Meadow Wetlands Committee and Antietam Watershed Association, strengthening efforts to care for local natural resources across the South Mountain region. From 2017 to 2021, she brought her passion for environmental education to the university level by working with student teachers and interns as The Institute’s director of environmental studies.
