Hawthorne Elementary School Dedicates its New Outdoor Classroom

After more than two years of planning, a 50-by-100-foot plot of land adjacent to Hawthorne Elementary School's blacktop playground area has been turned into an outdoor classroom.

Two Hawthorne moms, Stacey Burns and Lisa Gerhold-Dirks, along with Hawthorne teachers Susan Lindstrom and Geri Sorrentino, have contributed hundreds of hours championing the cause and doing lots of behind-the-scenes work writing grant applications, obtaining donations and preparing learning activities for the children.

Hawthorne School invited members of the businesses and organizations that donated to the project to spend the morning on Earth Day with the grateful students, teachers and staff.

Steinhebel Landscaping provided the bulk of the work, with additional donations from Peter Troost Monument Company, Maher Lumber, Wangler Builders, James and Williams Jewelers, Good Natured Landscapes LLC, BellaScapes Landscaping, the City of Elmhurst, the District 205 Foundation, and the school's Student Council and PTA.

“The Hawthorne Green Space has really come alive in the two years I have been here,” said Nikki Tammaru, principal of Hawthorne Elementary. “It has gone from a large grass area to a living outdoor classroom where students in all grades can come and learn. We are proud of the work that has gone into creating this space. It would not have been possible without the generous donations from Elmhurst community members and the support of our Board of Education."

The outdoor classroom is being used by every grade at Hawthorne. The fifth-graders study earth sciences, fourth-graders study native Illinois prairie plants,  third graders study weather (the outdoor classroom also has a weather station), second-graders and kindergarteners study the plant life cycle, and first-graders study insects and butterflies. A number of the plants selected will invite butterflies and a variety of insects and birds to the outdoor space.

Last month, Hawthorne second-graders planted a variety of vegetables in pockets that hang from the wire fencing around the outdoor classroom. Then, just before school is out in May, they, like last year's second-graders, will harvest the vegetables from this vertical garden and enjoy eating them as part of their salad bar.

Last fall, Hawthorne fourth- and fifth-graders planted more than 150 native Illinois prairie plants—nearly 40 different species—that will live and grow not only for their use, but for generations of Hawthorne students who will follow in their footsteps. Third-graders then did their part by spreading mulch to protect the plants and help them retain water as their roots take hold in the soil.

“When we had a prairie garden in front of Hawthorne before we did the addition, the students could learn first-hand about the native Illinois prairie plants,” said Cass Rufus, a longtime fourth-grade teacher at Hawthorne. “We haven't had that for a while, but now we will have it in our back yard. The students will be able to see the plants and touch them, and we will have more butterflies. It will be a wonderful learning experience all around.”

“It was inspiring to see students learning plant names and specifications of mature height, width and care for each plant they planted in the space,” said Sorrentino. “When I observe students in the outdoor classroom now, they have great pride and respect for the plants that they tended and are eager to see the growth. The fourth- and fifth-graders all know which plant is 'theirs' and proudly show it to me when I'm out there at recess.

The students are enjoying a peaceful oasis for talking, reading and observing nature away from the blacktop activities, she said.

“We really didn't know how much we missed having a space like this until we got it.”

Source: Elmhurst District 205