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By NATHAN MARCHAND
“It’s been a dream for a long time,” said Tom Gibson, the principal of Bluffton Elementary School.
Now that dream is about to become reality in the form of the Tiger Discovery Den, an outdoor learning lab being built next to the playground at the elementary school.
It began two years ago.
“Our original thought was a garden, then an outdoor classroom,” said Gibson.
The project quickly took off, and Stephanie Hiday, president of the school’s Parent-teacher organization (P.T.O.), and Brittany Kitt began raising money. While they failed to acquire a $15,000 grant from Hamburger Helper’s “My Hometown Helper” program, most of the project’s $80,000 cost has been paid for with contributions from community businesses and residents.
Phase II of the project will take place this month as the gardens and pond are built around the Den. This part of the project is expected to cost $6,000.
Scott Minnich of Minnich’s Landscaping will donate much of the labor and supplies needed to complete phase II of the project.
Local artist Nancy Wagner donated her time to paint a mural that will be used to thank many of the monetary donors who contributed to the Den. Each donor’s name will be placed on a golden apple cutout and “hung” on a tree in the mural.
“Thanks to all the families, community members and organizations who donated not just money, but time and energy into this project,” said Hiday.
Once construction on the lab itself began last year, each student was asked to submit a name for the lab. The winning name was submitted by Courtney Smith, who is now in third grade.
A prominent feature of the Den will be a pond. It will be built using a “pond kit” donated by Franklin Electric. The pond will be 14 feet by 20 feet and two to three feet deep.
There will also be a butterfly garden, raised vegetable beds and an archeological dig. Hiday said they hope to add apple trees, a pumpkin patch, birdhouses and bat boxes later on.
“I asked teachers to write down their wish lists for what they want [in the lab],” said Hiday.
The gardens will be used by 500 students in the school district and could be used by more than 1,000 other students from surrounding schools, clubs and other organizations.
“It will impact our community by being available to be used not only by our students but also by many organizations within our community,” Hiday wrote on the “My Hometown Helper” web site. “Groups such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Master Gardeners, Bird Watchers, YMCA, summer camps and workshops could utilize the gardens to teach, grow, and provide essential lessons on the importance of our environment and healthy food.”
“Our goal is to have classes do hands-on learning with whatever subject they’re studying,” said Kitt, a member of the P.T.O.
“It’s going to enhance their learning opportunities,” added Hiday. She said the Den will be incorporated into other subjects besides science.
Gibson hopes the Den will help students “have a more hands-on science close to the school.”
With fuel prices skyrocketing, proximity has become an important benefit.
“Now that transportation budgets are being cut,” said Gibson, “we’d like to have that same experience close by” since the school can’t always afford to take students on field trips to the state park or elsewhere.
“We didn’t anticipate an energy crisis when we started, but it fit in well,” said Gibson.
Kitt said the Den will be good for students because it will be their own space. “Kids need to feel like they have ownership.”
Hiday has already received support from several community leaders, as was seen when she posted the project on the “My Hometown Helper” web site.
Her husband, Brent, who is on the Bluffton-Harrison School Board and operates Hiday Motors, commented, “In today’s busy world, it seems that the simple things we find in nature [that] often get overlooked. It is hard to compete with the Playstations and Wii’s and the like for the attention of our kids. This garden project is the perfect answer to help a new generation of our children to better appreciate our world and all it has to offer.”
Daryl Elliott, president of the Bluffton-Harrison School Board, wrote, “This committee of people who raised money to build our outdoor learning lab have worked very hard to create this learning environment for our students. Receiving money for the garden would be a great way to give our kids a chance to learn more and have a sense of ownership with this garden.”
Kent Shady, school board secretary, wrote, “This grant would be a great push in raising the additional funds to accomplish this project.”
City attorney Andrew Carnall, who is a former school board member, commented, “I am familiar with this project and believe that it will greatly enhance the education of Bluffton’s elementary school children. Not enough of a child’s education is ‘hands-on,’ and even less of it occurs outside of our traditional classroom. Your help with this project would be worthwhile community participation.”
School board member Dawn Frauhiger wrote, “This would be a great way to add to our outdoor lab.”
Currently, the Den is empty and a bit musty. However, it should open officially in the fall.
“We would like to have a dedication ceremony at the beginning of the school year,” said Hiday. She will invite all the donors and students to it.
“It will be good [because] people can see how far we’ve come from nothing,” she added.