Cincinnati Launches Urban Wilderness Center And Opens Education Dialogue

As Cincinnati continues to evolve as a hub for educational innovation, two developments this February are putting the city’s schools and students in the spotlight. On one hand, The Cincinnati Enquirer’s new education reporter, Grace Tucker, is inviting the public to share their concerns and ideas about local education at her upcoming office hours. On the other, Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) has broken ground on the Robert Shuman Urban Wilderness Center at Aiken High School, a project that promises to deepen students’ connection to nature and hands-on learning. Together, these stories paint a picture of a city both listening to its community and investing in the next generation’s growth.

Grace Tucker stepped into her role as The Enquirer’s education reporter in September 2025, and she’s wasted no time diving into the region’s most pressing issues. Covering everything from K-12 public school districts across Greater Cincinnati to major universities like the University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, and Northern Kentucky University, Tucker has already tackled stories on school levies, property tax reforms, homelessness among students, international college students, and the often-contentious world of school board politics, according to Cincinnati Enquirer. But, as she herself admits, she’s only scratched the surface.

To bridge the gap between the newsroom and the community, Tucker is hosting public office hours this February. She’ll be available to parents, teachers, and concerned taxpayers on Friday, February 13, and again on Friday, February 27, both from 3 to 5 p.m. It’s an open invitation for anyone with an education story or concern to step forward and be heard. Tucker’s approach signals a new era of engagement for education reporting in Cincinnati. As she puts it, “Are you a parent, teacher or simply a taxpayer in Greater Cincinnati wanting to share an education concern or story idea with The Enquirer? Join me at my office hours.”

While community voices are being invited to the table, Cincinnati’s schools are also making headlines for their efforts to connect students with the natural world. On Monday, February 2, 2026, CPS hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Robert Shuman Urban Wilderness Center, set to open at Aiken High School in the College Hill neighborhood. This new facility will serve as the home base for the Camping and Education Foundation’s Urban Wilderness Program, which has long aimed to foster environmental stewardship among local students.

The centerpiece of the program is a STEM-based boat building project. According to Hugh Haller, President and CEO of the Camping and Education Foundation, students learn to build handmade canoes over the course of two weeks—a process that begins with skepticism and ends with pride. “We go into schools and teach kids how to make a handmade canoe,” Haller explained to WVXU. “They honestly don’t believe that they can do it. We show up with a bundle of sticks, and two weeks later, they built this beautiful canoe that they actually can take out on the waterways.”

Until now, much of the program’s woodworking and preparation took place in a cramped garage. The new Urban Wilderness Center, designed with a spacious woodshop and flexible learning areas, will allow the program to expand its offerings and reach more students. Haller is enthusiastic about the possibilities: “We will be here five days a week during the school [year] and working with Aiken students and teaching them a lot of the behind-the-scenes skills that they wouldn’t normally have exposure to.”

The Urban Wilderness Program isn’t just for Aiken students, either. The after-school program will be open to all CPS students, offering hands-on opportunities that blend outdoor education, craftsmanship, and personal growth. “It’s a wonderful educational pathway to either higher learning, vocational opportunities, or just to create a spark, whether that’s working with their hands or getting outside,” Haller said.

The location of the new center is no accident. Aiken High School sits adjacent to about 60 acres of green space, including the sprawling Mount Airy Forest. A trail connects the forest directly to the school, providing students with easy access to outdoor learning environments. There’s even a working farm on the Aiken campus, where students can grow crops and raise animals—further underscoring the school’s commitment to experiential education.

The Urban Wilderness Center is expected to be completed by summer 2026, just in time for a new wave of students to take advantage of its resources. It’s named in honor of Robert Shuman, a figure who dedicated his career to both the Camping and Education Foundation and Aiken High School, leaving a legacy of mentorship and community engagement.

These two stories—one of a reporter opening her doors to the public, the other of a school opening its doors to nature—reflect a broader trend in Cincinnati’s educational landscape. There’s a growing recognition that learning doesn’t just happen in classrooms or lecture halls. It happens in conversations between journalists and citizens, in the careful assembly of a canoe, and in the planting of seeds on a school farm.

While the Urban Wilderness Center is poised to become a beacon for environmental education, it also serves as a reminder that innovation often requires investment and vision. The move from a small garage to a purpose-built facility demonstrates the city’s commitment to expanding opportunities for its young people. As Haller noted, “Part of that is just the proximity to Mount Airy Forest. Aiken is surrounded by about 60 acres of green space, and there’s a trail [from the forest] all the way Aiken.”

At the same time, Grace Tucker’s initiative to hold office hours signals a shift toward more inclusive and responsive journalism. In a time when education policies and school funding debates can feel distant or opaque, her willingness to engage directly with the community is both refreshing and necessary. By inviting parents, teachers, and taxpayers to share their perspectives, she’s helping to ensure that the stories shaping Cincinnati’s schools are grounded in real experiences and concerns.

For families, students, and educators across Greater Cincinnati, these developments offer reasons to be hopeful. Whether it’s the chance to shape the local education conversation or to build something tangible in a new woodshop, the city is making space for voices and experiences that have too often been overlooked. And as the Robert Shuman Urban Wilderness Center rises behind Aiken High School, it stands as a testament to what can happen when a community chooses to invest in both its land and its learners.

With construction set to wrap up by summer and new channels of communication opening up between the press and the public, Cincinnati’s education scene is on the cusp of meaningful change—one rooted in listening, learning, and a shared commitment to the next generation.