BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. –For nearly a half century American school kids have been getting lessons on protecting the Earth and using our natural resources wisely. A team of students from Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City, MO has reached the pinnacle of that environmental education. The FOX 4 Young Achievers of the Week are on top of world in learning how to be great stewards of our world.

An afternoon trek into Burr Oak Woods State Conservation Area outside Blue Springs, Mo. is much more than just a walk in the park for six teenagers and their adult mentor.

“You look around and see Burr Oak Woods and you kind of want to maintain it,” says high school junior Ryan Hrinya. “And help manage it and keep places like this as beautiful as they are now and maybe expand that and help us humans live in a better way with our environment.”

This forest is their classroom for learning environmental science.