Baltimore Inspiring Connections Outdoors (BICO) has been providing free outdoor education to Baltimore City youth for 20 years. What do students gain from these trips?
Results run the gamut from students becoming interested in hiking or recycling to learning new things like how to ride a bike, how to cook outside, or how to put up a tent. I’ve had five or six kids get their scuba certification after one of our trips. It could lead to a job opportunity for this child who now has a new skill over the majority of the planet. It’s about making those kinds of connections for the kids and being the push that makes it happen.

You’re also a teacher at Digital Harbor, where you’ve created onsite outdoor spaces for students, such as the school garden. What motivated you to start it?
A few years ago, there were kids in my class who said they were allergic to tomatoes but would eat pizza or ketchup. They didn’t have the knowledge to know that ketchup is made from tomatoes. There were lots of kids who really didn’t have any idea of where their food came from, and it made me interested to find out why kids thought what they thought. Now there’s an on-campus place for kids to grow things and start to see themselves and their world differently.

In 2016, you helped Digital Harbor earn its Maryland Green School certification for its environmental sustainability efforts. Why does that certification matter?
Authentic science and biology always win in my book. In a Green School, students are learning about things like recycling through the lens of science when they write about it or do a service-learning project. It’s also an equity piece. As a parent myself, I want the same things for the students at this school that I want for my kids, whether they live in Baltimore City or not. There shouldn’t have to be a Green School certification to ensure that everyone is learning about these topics, but if that’s what it takes, then that’s what we’ll do.

What’s the value of teaching environmental science?
I remember teaching about the importance of water quality to kids in 2004, and I told them then that there would be wars over access to clean water in their lifetime and that they will pay more for water than ever before. I’ve seen past students since then who have told me, “I thought you were crazy when you said that, but now it’s 2019 and it’s not so ridiculous.” If kids are not made aware that there are major climate and environmental issues going on, then we’re not helping them. If they don’t learn about it [at school], who is going to teach the next generation?

How do students apply lessons learned in the classroom to their outdoor experiences?
We were walking through a field once and there was a toad on the ground. One of my students noticed him and said, “That’s camouflage!” I could’ve cheered. Those are kind of connections and experiences we need more of. They may not think [science] is palatable, but depending on how you present it, they’ll realize they’re learning about what’s around them.

Though they may not get as much court time or mentions on the highlight reel, two Baltimore natives are making a big impact on the men’s and women’s Terps basketball teams. Senior forward Jonathan Graham and redshirt freshman forward A’Lexus Harrison both bring energy, teamwork, and defensive ability to their squads as they prepare for the NCAA Tournament.

Graham, a Catonsville native and Calvert Hall alum, is following in the footsteps of his father, Ernie Graham, who was a Terps great that also wore No. 25, a jersey that now resides in the rafters of Xfinity Center in College Park. “The more I kept hearing about his story, watching him in the early years, it really inspired me,” Graham says. “The original mission I had when I was 10 years old was to go to Maryland and break his scoring record.”

Similarly, Harrison knew from a young age that Maryland was her dream school. “When I was 12, we came to a game,” she recalls. “The intros were about to start, the lights went out, and the fight song was playing. It was mesmerizing to me. I looked up at my mom and told her I was going to play here one day.”

Of course, between the dream and reality was a lot of hard work for Graham and Harrison, would pushed themselves to the limit in high school.

“We recognized his potential right away,” Calvert Hall head basketball coach John Bauersfeld says of Graham. “He played varsity as a freshman and, by sophomore year, his numbers were tremendous. After that, he did such a good job of buying into the team player part of it, whether he was cheering on the bench or bettering himself as a defender.”

“In high school, I really learned that it wasn’t about one guy,” Graham says. “And Coach taught me how to be a good defender because I wasn’t when I got there.”

For Harrison’s part, it came down to inherent confidence and early-morning motivation. Digital Harbor head coach Patrick McDonald would pick her up at her Lansdowne home for 6 a.m. practice.

“I wouldn’t knock or blow my horn,” McDonald says. “I would flash my lights so she had to be ready and waiting. She never missed a morning practice for two years. She brought that energy to her play. She has a terrific motor and could sprint down the court so fast it made your jaw drop. She plays relentless basketball.”

Her relentless style helped Harrison lead the Digital Harbor Rams to a title her senior year and Maryland came knocking. But a setback came her true freshman year when she got appendicitis and had to sit out.

“That was a big step back for me,” she says. “But I also got a year to just learn and adjust, to both college life and a faster, more physical college game.”

Graham’s basketball career also took an unorthodox path, as he played for Penn State for two years before transferring to Maryland to be with his family while his dad was going through surgeries.

“My dad isn’t the most patient guy in the world,” Graham says with a laugh. “So I wanted to help my mom out. Plus, we always dreamed about me possibly coming to Maryland.”

Now, Graham is living out that dream with successful performances like a career-high 16 points and six rebounds against his former team Penn State in February. And, now he’s looking to prepare for the men’s basketball team’s first NCAA tournament bid in five years. The team was seeded a controversial fourth and also in a tough region with Kentucky and Kansas.

“We’re definitely going in with a chip on our shoulder,” he says. “The team’s been great about that all year—playing with something to prove. We ended up second in the Big 10 behind a really good Wisconsin team. A lot of things people thought wouldn’t happen, we’ve made happen. I’m really excited for our first game against a really good Valpo [Valparaiso] team. The elephant in the room is that Kentucky is in the region, but we’re not looking too far down that road yet.”

The women’s team has had an incredible year, going practically undefeated and winning the Big 10 Championship, despite losing last year’s star player Alyssa Thomas to the WNBA. Unlike the men, they’re extremely happy with their No. 1 seed, which Harrison attributes to successful team chemistry.

“We’re more than a team; we’re sisters,” she says. “As a whole, we’re so excited for the tournament. For me, I’ve been through it, but never been able to play before. I’ve worked all year to prepare myself for this moment. And now we have a big target on our backs. Every team wants to send Maryland home.”

On the court, Graham and Harrison’s play styles are similar, with strong defense and impressive rebounds. Off the court, they both say they want to work with young children and motivate them the same way they were inspired by their parents and coaches like Bauersfeld and McDonald.

“With Maryland being close to my heart,” Graham says. “I have a little extra motivation to bring Maryland back where it belongs—to the NCAA Championship.”

Catch Graham and the men’s squad play at 4:40 p.m. on Friday on TNT and Harrison and the women’s team on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2.