At University Place Elementary in Huntsville, Peggy Long, their special education teacher, and Dr. Helen Taylor, past Principal, had the vision to create an outdoor classroom in an unlikely location-a corridor 15 feet wide and approximately 80 feet long that was created between two wings of their school when a new library was built. Although the corridor was known to have drainage problems, the door of the new library opened into the corridor and offered a prime new location for conservation education opportunities for the school's 400 students.

In her role as the Outdoor Classroom Project Leader, Peggy Long inspired her fellow faculty and local business and community leaders to get involved in developing the Outdoor Classroom. The school received their initial seed money to help start the project from their librarian Pat Purshotham, who had recently retired, along with a grant from the Tennessee Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council. In the end, over 60 volunteers and businesses donated countless hours, monetary contributions, and materials to the project.

Trevor Cole with Cole Farm and Landscape assisted them with the design so that they could alleviate the drainage problems and create a sustainable outdoor classroom. An s-shaped sidewalk was built curving through the corridor with gardens on either side and benches along the pathway for reading, all leading to a beautiful pond with white water lilies at the end of the path. An area that had formerly been a nuisance for the school became an outdoor classroom where the students could interact with their natural environment, learn more about Alabama's wildlife, and utilize a variety of multiple educational disciplines.

"The students have learned to identify various forms of flora and fauna, use mathematical skills for measuring and graphing, and use problem solving skills involving mapping and reading," explained Ms. Long. "The Outdoor Classroom also provides great inspiration for process writing activities."

University Place students also enjoy the opportunity to help maintain the butterfly garden, vegetable and herb gardens, frog pond and bird feeders throughout the Outdoor Classroom in addition to feeding the fish in the fish pond. For many of these students, the outdoor classroom provides outdoor experiences that their apartments and public housing cannot provide. Future plans for their Outdoor Classroom include nesting boxes, a composting area and a weather station.

On September 8, University Place Elementary in Huntsville became the fifth school in Alabama to be certified through the Alabama Outdoor Classroom Program. As the first school in the Huntsville City School System to be certified, University Place will provide a model for other schools to follow when developing an Outdoor Classroom. If you would like to learn more about University Place Elementary's Outdoor Classroom, click here to visit their webpage.

If you would like to receive an information packet about the Outdoor Classroom program, please contact the AWF at 1-800-822-9453.