2025-2026 School Year Programming We appreciate the continued support from Gaston County Schools and extend a special thank you to the school staff for approving our program materials for use in the classroom. We offer a variety of FREE educational programs designed for public, private, charter, and homeschool groups. Each program is tailored for a single classroom presentation and covers engaging, standards-aligned content. To register your class or grade level, please click on the Request form below. Once your registration is submitted, a staff member assigned to your school will contact you to confirm your date and finalize the details. For more information on any of our programs you can reach out to keepgastoniabeautifulnc@gmail.com and the staff person assigned to your school will contact you. Each program is best suited for individual classrooms. Keep Gastonia Beautiful Environmental Programming 25/26 School Year Chronolog Did you know that all the nature you're observing could actually be helpful to scientists and to different city departments to collect needed data? Keep Watch how the water changes at each location but clicking on the links below. Storywalk Our Storywalk is located at Rankin Lake 1750 Rankin Lake Road, Gastonia, NC. What is a StoryWalk®? It's a fun activity that engages families in literacy and getting active. Pages from a children's book are printed and placed in displays along a walkable path. Families will be able to walk a short path at Rankin Lake and read a page of a book at each stop.We welcome children of all ages, the chance to get out and read while they are at Rankin Lake! Tag us on social media or send us a picture of your group enjoying this new addition to our beautiful park!#KGBStoryWalk Interested in finding other Story Trails throughout the state? Head over to the NC State Library The Storywalk® concept was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and was developed with the help of Rachel Senechal, Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Now this concept has been brought to Gastonia provided by Gaston County DHHS through a grant to Keep Gastonia Beautiful. I Can Save the Earth! by Allison Inches Coming soon:
School Programs
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Chronolog
Gastonia Beautiful, in partnership with our Storm Water Utility Division, has installed two Chronolog stands along our waterways. Chronolog is Time-lapse Photography initiative, with devices installed at Rankin Lake (on the bridge between the Clubhouse and the Lake) and the Greenway at Lineberger Park (after the bridge and before Forest Drive).
How It Works:
1. Take a photo at one of the Chronolog devices.
2. Follow the instructions on the stand to email your photo to Chronolog, with the site specific code.
3. The online platform compiles and organizes these photos.
4. Watch as we capture environmental changes and track bank stability and erosion over time.
Your participation helps us monitor and protect our natural spaces. It's a fun and easy way to get involved in community science!
We all spend a lot of time outdoors, whether it’s at a park, on a bike path, or even just walking around town. Community Science allows us to share the things we see and experience while enjoying the great outdoors. If you like spending time in nature and want to help out your community, we encourage you to look into community science at our Chronolog stands. By our powers combined, we can track data to better understand what is happening in Gastonia and beyond.
Storywalk
Start your journey by the boathouse and end by the pavilions. This is an all paved path along the waterfront with 13 pages for your family to enjoy!Current featured book:
Save the Bees by Bethany Stahl
The Little Raindrop by Joanna Gray
Over in a River Flowing Out to the Sea by Marianne Berkes
The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming & Nicola Slater
Little Turtle and the Changing Sea by Becky Davies
Save the Butterflies by Bethany Stahl
Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev
Save the Air by Bethany Stahl
Mari the Mariola By Sarah McCune
Offices for Keep Gastonia Beautiful are located at the Garland Municipal Business Center at 150 S. York Street on the second floor.
