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a beautiful place to learn BY RACHEL PASICHOW How does one transform a weedy, unattractive space into one of natural beauty and value to its surroundings? Day in and day out as I walked past our school courtyard, I wondered: how could we make this wasted space into a useful venue? What could be done so that students and staff would find it more comforting and alluring? Parent Nikki Gonzalez and I decided to take on this task and collaborate in the renovation of the courtyard at Highland Park's Bartle Elementary School. Our goal was to transform it into an outdoor classroom with various zones of instructional space that were available for our second through fifth graders. Through a $5,000 grant from the NJEA Hipp Foundation, our Bartle Garden Team has developed a “learnscape” masterpiece design for the blank canvas that was our Bartle courtyard. This unique garden will provide students with an inspiring environment that will include a garden/environmental zone, a quiet reading/ reflection nook and a discussion/lecture area with seating in the round. In addition, we will create a variety of indigenous planting zones throughout the years. This outdoor area is safely surrounded on all four sides by classrooms, away from vehicles, strangers or possibilities of vandalism. It will provide unique, inspiring environments for creative, handson learning for generations of students. Most profoundly, we hope that through this project, our students will further cultivate a love for learning. A TEAM EFFORT Our innovative, hardworking Bartle Garden Team consists of educators Tracey Maiden, Jewel Seroka, Kimberly Crane and me; parents Nikki Gonzalez, Meredith Carman (a landscape architect), and Irene Marx; and administrator Anthony Benjamin. The team is networking with community clubs and other local groups to extend the impact of the learnscape project well beyond the school. Students also play a role. They will be encouraged to take ownership of the learnscape in its upkeep and maintenance. Students will be responsible for tending the garden, monitoring the compost, accessing the rain barrel and other activities through a rotation of opportunities. These cross-grade responsibilities are also intended to instill in our students a sense of pride, responsibility and teamwork, developing a positive outlook about themselves, their peers and their school. Work in the courtyard is done during the school day, after school and during the summer. Phase 1 of the project, which included weeding, mulching, removal of dead trees and weedy shrubs, trimming of trees and movement of rocks, was completed in September , 2015. Phase 2 will be ongoing through May 2016. It will include repair of a water spigot; securing materials such as a hose, hose container, hose nozzle, benches and planters; planting herbs, decorative plants and bushes; the formation of indigenous planting zones; the creation of tic-tac-toe and chess board from tree stumps (students will create the game pieces from river rocks); and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. WHAT IS A LEARNSCAPE USED FOR? In the short time the courtyard has been cleaned up, it has been used as a lunchtime getaway for teachers, a pumpkin patch project for second graders, an area for class instruction, a venue for administrative observations, and a safe haven for students needing a “calm space.” Parents, teachers, school board members and visitors have offered accolades for the work completed so far. The area is free 32 NJEA REVIEW SEVEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NJEA’S 1 2 Applications for 2016-17 grants are due by mail on or before March 1, 2016. The application, tips for applying, and descriptions of past winning projects can be found on njea.org/Hipp. 3 Grants of $500 to $10,000 are awarded to New Jersey educators every year. 4 5 The foundation has awarded more than $1.8 million in support of 342 innovative educational projects since 1994. Hipp grant recipients are featured in segments of “Classroom Close-up NJ,” NJEA’s Emmy® Award-winning television show.
Thanks to a Hipp Foundation grant, Bartle Elementary School staff, parents and students turned a courtyard into a learnscape from weeds and appealing to all those who walk by the windows looking out on this garden revitalization project. All current and future students of Bartle Elementary will benefit from this learnscape project. The lessons that can be incorporated into and inspired by the various zones are limitless. All areas of instruction — from science to math to Spanish to art to language arts — can utilize the space for creative, inspired projects. In the environmental/garden zone, for example, students will actively plant and maintain herbs, vegetables and fruit. Classes will network with local soup kitchens to donate fresh ingredients. In the lecture/discussion area, an additional seating area will be added to accommodate intimate, academic discussions and promote a sense of unity and teamwork among the students. The quiet reading/ reflection area may inspire detailed, creative journaling or be the location for nature-inspired artwork. Online and written resources will be provided for teachers, with additional lesson plans designed specifically for use in an outdoor classroom setting. SEED MONEY FROM NJEA’S HIPP FOUNDATION This project would never have been fully possible without the NJEA Hipp Foundation. NJEA staff helped make the process of applying for a grant easier than we imagined it would be. So, if you have a “seed” idea, consider making your dream grow with the help of this valuable resource for educators. The renovated Bartle courtyard garden promises to become an oasis of possibilities and to open a plethora of opportunities for students and teachers. Blossoming flowers and the natural greenery of nature are just a few of the benefits of this project that will inspire our community for years. Rachel Pasichow has been teaching since 1997, and she currently teaches grades 4 and 5 at Bartle School in Highland Park. You can contact her at rpasichow@hpschools.net. HIPP FOUNDATION GR<strong>AN</strong>TS 6 7 You can like the Hipp Foundation on Facebook at www. facebook.com/ HippFoundation. GOT QUESTIONS? Contact the foundation at hippfoundation@ njea.org. The Bartle Garden Team, top row from left: paraprofessional Jewel Soroka, teacher Rachel Pasichow and teacher Tracey Maiden; bottom row: Principal Anthony Benjamin, parent Irene Marx, parent Nikki Gonzalez, and parent and the project's landscape architect Meredith Carman. J<strong>AN</strong>UARY 2016 33
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