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Outdoor classroom dedicated
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ODNR Division of Wildlife Officer Jamey Graham, left, speaks during a dedication of Wild School Site at Poland Union Eelm. School Tuesday. Next to her is Poland Union 2nd grade teacher Linda Watts. Students gathered outside the school for the dedication.
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Poland Union School Kindergarten students Justice Garcia, left, and Sam James, right, during dedication of Wild School site at their school Tuesday.
By Denise Dick
Union is the fourth Mahoning County school to earn the Wild School Site designation.
POLAND — Fourth-graders David Gessler and Sophia Grenzig will miss the outdoor classroom at Union Elementary.
“It shows how much we worked to achieve it,” Sophia said.
“I think it’s a peaceful place, and I’m going to miss it because I have to leave,” David said.
Both students move on to fifth grade in another school building next year. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, dedicated the outdoor classroom, a wooded area behind the school, as a Wild School Site in a ceremony Tuesday.
“I am so impressed with your site,” ODNR wildlife communication specialist Jamey Graham told students and teachers. “This is definitely one of the more impressive sites I’ve ever seen. There’s no question there’s been a lot of effort and work that’s going into it.”
Union is the 98th Ohio school site to receive the designation and the fourth in Mahoning County. The other local schools are Jackson-Milton Elementary, Austintown’s Lynn Kirk Elementary and Western Reserve-Ellsworth Elementary School, which is part of the Western Reserve school district.
Jen Dennison, wildlife education coordinator at ODNR’s Division of Wildlife, said certification as a Wild School Site recognizes the hard work a school does to create the outdoor space.
Second-grade teacher Linda Watts came up with the idea for an outdoor classroom a couple of years ago and secured permission from school district officials to begin the work.
The school received grants to help with the work, and students, parents, teachers and others pitched in to clear trash, create paths and hang bird feeders.
Children and teachers use the area with benches assembled beneath several trees year-round, learning about nature and the changing seasons.
“This is dedicated as a place for wildlife and a special place for us to learn about nature,” Watts said.
To get the Wild School Site designation, ODNR had to visit the site. To earn certification, a school must incorporate wildlife information through the curriculum.
Third-grader Jessica Seppi enjoys her time in the outdoor space.
“I think it’s a very special place where we can learn outside and experience the nature, and it’s a very nice place to work,” she said.