A North Carolina Principal Rethinks The Classroom And Brings Students Outdoors
Last year's COVID-19 lockdown disrupted the idea of school as we know it and it forced educators to think outside of the box. For one elementary school principal in North Carolina, thinking outside of the box had him heading outside — literally.
Nicholas L. Dixon, principal of Foust Elementary School in Greensboro, had long been a supporter of outdoor learning, so when his school won a grant of $13,000 from the North Carolina Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council last year, he knew exactly what he wanted to do with the windfall: build an outdoor classroom that would inspire not only students but teachers as well.
Dixon used the money to order the needed supplies and, with the support of an enthusiastic school district and maintenance workers who took care of clearing the needed space and installing the equipment, Dixon's dream was realized within two weeks. Desks and chairs fashioned to look like logs filled an outdoor classroom area, with enough space between them to facilitate social distancing protocols. There's even a waterproof chalkboard.
The school was able to debut the outdoor space in December, right around the time students first began returning for in-person lessons and were adjusting to a new normal. First-graders were among the first to try out the space and luckily, Dixon told NPR, it was an instant hit — and it still is today.
https://www.npr.org/sections/back-to-school-live-updates/2021/08/19/1029037920/north-carolina-outdoor-classroom-foust-elementary-greensboro
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