GLOVERTOWN, N.L. — Getting outside during school was always a bonus reserved for the warmer days of spring and fall.
On these outdoor excursions, students get the chance to have gym class outside or take a brisk walk in the crisp fall air.
Still, there is only so much for students when their teachers opt to take advantage of a sunny day.
Now, Glovertown Academy hopes to give its students a bit more to do outside soon.
To that end, the school council at Glovertown Academy recently started fundraising to build an outdoor classroom on school grounds.
The move would follow other schools in the province that have recently installed outdoor classrooms for their students. Some were put in before the COVID-19 pandemic, while others were put in before school was re-opened.
“There is really only so much you can do outside,” said Glovertown Academy school council representative Mike Barrett. “This means you’ve got a more versatile space.”
The school council figures that raising between $12,000 and $13,000 will allow them to finish the project as they want.
Right now, they’ve been sticking to recycling blitzes to help raise some money but there are plans to try some other things as pandemic regulations allow.
“We’re stoked,” said Barrett. “It is a great project. It is a wonderful project.”
Make sure you have your pictures uploaded. We will be drawing for the Robin’s, Foodland and Timber & Twine gift cards this week. ♻️
Posted by Glovertown Academy on Monday, January 18, 2021
Some of that money could be coming from the organizing committee behind the Seize The North road race that took place in Glovertown a couple of years ago.
The idea then was to have the money raised for the race to get donated to a project that promotes mental and physical health.
Until the idea of fundraising for an outdoor classroom in town, there hadn’t been a cause the group felt comfortable donating the money to.
“We reached out to the school earlier this week and are now scheduling a follow-up committee meeting to decide how we want to donate and contribute to the outdoor classroom project,” a spokesperson for the group wrote in an email. "We are excited to help out with this great project the school is organizing.”
Glovertown Academy is an all-grade school and has students from Kindergarten and to Level III.
That disparity in ages has the school council looking at different outdoor classroom zones. Each will cater to a different level of the student with the idea of keeping the mixing of young and older students to a minimum.
“It is a real vision,” said Barrett. “We want to develop four areas.”
While still very much in the planning phase, the school council recognizes there needs to be seating and shade for students.
There are other items on the wish list as well. They are things like a whiteboard and other teacher resources.
“Everyone is excited,” said Barrett. “It has tremendous value and the benefits are well documented.”
Nicholas Mercer is a local journalism initiative reporter covering central Newfoundland for SaltWire Network. [email protected]