After a semester of work, a group of Elon elementary education students have finalized plans to create an outdoor classroom at South Graham Elementary School. The groundbreaking ceremony will take place on Monday, May 4, at 9 a.m.
The school children will be on hand to watch and explain the projects they have been working on in the outdoor classroom. Other guests include Judith Howard, interim dean of the School of Education at Elon, and , Graham Mayor Jerry Peterman. Carol Younger, former principal of South Graham, is also scheduled to attend.
The garden will also be dedicated to Younger, who was loved by her students and staff and who put in many years of work for the school.
Elon students have been placed in various classrooms in South Graham ranging from kindergarten fifth grade as a part of their Principles of Learning and Teaching Methods 1 class. Their professors, Bird Stasz and Mark Enfield, have assisted in constructing this outdoor classroom, complete with butterfly gardens, a compost bin and a sundial.
Each class has found some way or something to contribute to the outdoor classroom.Students are planning to create a book of lesson plans for future teachers and students to use the outdoor classroom for years to come.
All are welcome and encouraged to come to the groundbreaking ceremony.