Chatham’s Milton Avenue School Enhances Outdoor Classroom Space With Shade Structure

CHATHAM, NJ — Beloved Special Education Teacher Adele O’Neill, who passed away in 2001, was recently honored 20 years later with a special shade structure in her memory over the outdoor classroom at the Milton Avenue School, where she had been a teacher.

The idea for the outdoor area at the school pre-dates COVID to January 2020, which, the School District of the Chathams reported in a news release, “At that time, no one knew about COVID-19 and how important outdoor spaces would become, but the leadership at Milton knew they wanted learning outdoors to become an integral part of the educational experience at the Milton Avenue School.”

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The outdoor space was opened in September 2020, having been funded by donations and a grant from the Chatham Education Foundation and Milton Avenue School Parent Teacher Organization, as well as in O’Neill’s name. Then-PTO President Sharon Piskadlo’s husband Mark, drew up the plans for the outdoor classroom space, the school district stated.

The canopied structure was the third phase of the project, the second was native plants which were planted in the outdoor classroom space by third graders, also underfunded by the Chatham Education Foundation For Environmental Sustainability, through an endowment gift from the Abbott family. The school’s Principal Nicholas Andreazza worked first with Chatham Township resident Kathy Abbott to identify the plants, according to the district’s news release.

As part of the final phase for the outdoor classroom creation, was the installation of benches and the new shade structure, which was dedicated in O’Neill’s memory. Andreazza specifically acknowledged those people in the community that helped to bring the outdoor classroom to reality during an Oct. 28 assembly at the space.

Among those recognized for their donations were O’Neill’s husband Frank, as well as the Indart, Buckspan, Drum and Sifuentes families, who all honored Adele O’Neill through their donations for the space, the district stated.

In looking to remember O’Neill on the 20th anniversary of her passing, Frank O’Neill spoke to Andreazza, who told him that the school was seeking funds for the shade structure.

In addition to the shade structure, the pre-school playground was created in Adele O’Neill’s memory.

“Mr. O’Neill thought this would be a great way to honor his wife’s love for teaching and would be a way for her to continue to look over and protect the children of Milton Avenue School,” the school district wrote.

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