In 2000, Oil City Elementary School faced collapsing enrollment, a high-risk student population, and a reputation as the place for kids who were not smart enough to attend the nearby academic magnet. The school was slated for closure. But the school had a history of connection to Oil City, a town of 1,500 in western Louisiana, and school staff members committed to keeping it alive. In 2001, they adopted a schoolwide environmental science program and convinced the school board to cast the school as an area-wide magnet. Irvin describes how incorporating three national environmental education programs--Project Learning Tree, Project Wild, and Project WET--into Oil City's curriculum and instruction revitalized the school. Enrollment, achievement scores, and student and teacher pride have all soared. (Contains 2 endnotes.)