Franklin Elementary School introduced their newest endeavour, the “Outdoor Classroom” to friends and family, with a ceremony on Saturday, October 29th. The initiative is meant to encourage an appreciation of the outdoors—one that was recognized by the 200 people that braved the cold weather to attend the event.
Franklin Elementary School Principal, James Walker, emceed the event, inviting several prominent school board members and long-time teacher Ms. Melanie Robidoux to share their thoughts on the initiative. Three New Frontiers School Board (NFSB) commissioners were in attendance, including the vice-chairman of the school board, Mr. John Ryan, as well as Mrs. Barbara Ednie, and Mrs. Dianne McKell Eastwood. NFSB Director General, Mr. Rob Buttars, and Assistant Director General, Mr. Mike Helm were also present.
While the entire school staff worked on the project, NFSB’s Community Learning Centre (CLC) technician, Lianne Finnie, helped coordinate many aspects of the endeavour. The school is the first amongst the New Frontiers School Board schools and centres to carry out such an innovative idea. « Outdoor education is part of the cultural fabric of Franklin Elementary School. Many teachers and administrators in the past have promoted harnessing our wonderful natural surroundings to teach the students. Our current team is working to develop a more comprehensive approach to using the outdoors. We applied for and have received a grant to link and develop our outdoor experimental program with the curriculum,” said Walker. As of October, the small school has four outdoor learning centres, the two classrooms, an arboretum, and garden boxes—providing the students with the opportunity to enjoy a hands-on education.
Two Franklin Elementary School alumni, Gary and Trevor Livingstone, provided the materials for the classrooms, donating the majority of both the tools and the labour needed to finish the project. “Our school cannot thank these two men enough for their contribution,” said Walker. “The expenses that were incurred by the school were paid for by donations to the school in the name of Kristen Maither, a longtime volunteer, alumni, and member of the Franklin family who passed last year after a long battle with an illness. To honour her, we will be working with the family to find an appropriate message to etch in the centre stone this spring,” explained Walker.
Food was prepared by local caterer Marie Shewchuk, with entertainment being provided by local musicians Stewart Burrows, Brandon Maither, Brandon Arnold, Jessica Sutton, and Cathy Dunn, all of whom donated their time to the event. Stevenson’s Orchard also donated juice and apples.
« Events like this are what make our school so special. So many people in our community came out to support us. The work of the staff needs to be highlighted because they are so dedicated to the school and this community’s children. They spent countless hours helping organize and prepare this event,” said Walker.
