I’m excited to welcome you to our newly redesigned website. It’s been in the works for quite some time now, and as with most good things, it was worth the wait. We hope you agree!

The past few years have marked a period of tremendous growth for Schoolyard Films. Our audience has been steadily expanding, and that growth is about to accelerate as we upload our entire film library to two new distributors this month (February 2026). At the same time, our development team is opening new doors to support our work, and our mentorship initiative continues to teach, train, and support emerging wildlife and environmental filmmakers around the world.

These mentored films are adding a truly international dimension to our library—one we had not fully achieved before. Together, they reflect a simple but powerful truth: environmental challenges don’t stop at borders, and neither should the stories that inspire solutions. Teachers, students, and audiences everywhere will benefit from the breadth, diversity, and quality of these films.

Closer to home, we’ve begun a new series focused on water issues in the southeastern United States. Florida, in particular, is defined by water—from the Everglades and underground aquifers to rivers, estuaries, and rich coastal habitats. These resources are vital to both people and wildlife, and they must be managed with care and foresight if they are to sustain life for generations to come. As this series grows, we expect to expand into related water stories across the country.

Water connects everything. It shapes landscapes, cultures, economies, and ecosystems. Our goal with this series, just as with all our work, is to help students better understand that connection, and to inspire thoughtful, positive change in behavior, communities, and policy.

As I write these words, I’m away from home filming a story about the importance of seagrass—one of the most overlooked yet essential habitats in our coastal waters. It’s a reminder that some of the most important stories are the ones just beneath the surface, waiting to be seen and heard.  At Schoolyard Films, we’re doing our best to tell these stories. As E.O. Wilson wrote: “The future of the planet lies in the hands of those who understand and care about it.”

Thank you for being part of the Schoolyard community!