Teacher dreams of taking science, Shakespeare outdoors
Posted on Friday, March 9, 2007
tion, but West Fork Superintendent Diane Barrett said she wants to wait until the future of the middle school building has been evaluated before approving the project. The school may need to be expanded to accommodate population growth, and how it would be expanded has yet to be determined.
"I hope we can find a spot for it," she said. "He's done some great research."
Buell hopes to develop a stage and a small amphitheater where teachers could make presentations on video with overhead projectors and other technology.
"The stage area will be large enough to teach one classroom," Buell said. "With our Shakespeare theme, we can have skits and plays."
Other features would include a bird and butterfly garden, a lily pond, a wetland pond, storage areas and a soil test area.
Buell said he hopes features such as the solar panels will distinguish it from other outdoor classrooms. Buell said he also spoke with a representative from the Audubon Society about the possibility of adding some rain barrels.
In September, an architect developed an illustration for the layout of the outdoor classroom. The estimated cost for the project is around $ 18, 347. Buell submitted a grant proposal to the Arkansas Fish and Game Commission, but funds will not be available until later.
Funding for the project and school board and administration approval of the site will have to be resolved before the project can proceed. Buell has presented his plan to the West Fork Park Commission and the West Fork City Council, and they have expressed their support for the idea. Buell hopes some of the construction cost can be offset with volunteer labor by generating support for the project.
West Fork Middle School teacher has dreams of transforming vacant land beside his school into an outdoor learning environment.
Larry Buell wants to create a place where students can learn such varied topics as alternative energy and William Shakespeare. Buell said the outdoor classroom could include such features as a rock garden and weather station for the science classes, plus some solar panels that could provide lessons on alternative energy. The garden could also be decorated with a Shakespearean theme, including plants and flowers from various plays that would have the source cited. Buell said this would establish the outdoor classroom as a resource for teachers in subjects besides science.
Buell has identified an area north of the middle school as the ideal loca-
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