Our Story

Mountainside Education and Enrichment (MEE) was founded in 2008 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit to broaden environmental and scientific educational programs, provide community engagement opportunities, and attract grant funding and donations for sponsoring low-income youth in MEE educational activities and Bar-T Summer Camps.

Since its creation, MEE has offered experiential education programs for K-12 students in Montgomery and Frederick Counties. Our programming has grown over time to include Harvest Clubs for after-school centers, in-classroom and on-site field trips, and overnight retreats. Science-focused, interactive lessons and experiments educate youth on a variety of subjects including watersheds, stream ecology, agriculture, and renewable energy. Our Challenge Course provides the perfect setting for school and corporate retreats to focus on team building initiatives.

Our Campus

Situated on 115 acres of rolling hills covered with forests and meadows, the Mountainside campus is the perfect place to enjoy the beauty of rural Maryland without having to travel far from home. Our Challenge Course and hiking trails provide opportunities to explore the outdoors with physical and educational activities. Our variety of event spaces makes this perfect place to host your school field trip, wedding, or corporate retreat.

We feel it is our responsibility to further environmental stewardship not only with our campus and facilities, but also in the minds of every person who visits. In that spirit, Mountainside features an energy efficient green building for workshops or conferences and the entire campus has become net-zero producing as much energy as it uses. We maintain close ties with the land through:

Regenerative Agriculture

Restoration Projects

Pollinator Gardens

Renewable Energy Systems