Gilman looks at options for outdoor learning spaces near the school

Gilman School District is hoping to transform its school forest into an exciting space for students to learn from in the coming years.

On Tuesday afternoon, the School Forest Committee came together to talk about various ways the forest could be utilized, not just by students, but also from people in the community. District administrator Walter Leipart told the board that they would like to have a space that is close to the school, so that the district wouldn’t have to continue to transport students to the wayside on Hwy 64 for exterior classrooms.

Jessica Korzeniewski and Teri Steinbach, Agriculture and Science teachers, along with Brian Phelps, have been working together to come up with some ways the space could be updated and used in the coming years.

Phelps talked about the options that could make the space the most effective. “Prairie Grass would be a good choice for the south side of the parking lot toward the east, because it would be easiest to clear the area of poplars and grasses growing all over anyway. The opportunities you could do with that space are endless. I love the idea of someday having an outdoor classroom out there where the kids can learn in a whole new way, this could be a cool opportunity to do this.”

The district has been trying to resolve issues on the north side of the baseball field by planting pine trees to block some of the wind, however in the past when they have tried to plant trees on the northwest side, they have never grown.

With that being said, Phelps contacted Big Rock Trees Company, of Stanley. He emailed the owner of the company asking for advice on what to plant there because in the past, nothing has grown.

Phelps said “The owner emailed me back saying that there is a deer-resistant willow tree that grows to be 12-feet tall, and is real bushy-like. That would solve your issue with the drifting and such. He also told me to plant a row and then fence them to barricade the snow.”

The owner of Big Rock Trees informed Phelps that he would be willing to do the labor for free, if the students could be out helping plant and work on the project with him.

Leipart said “I think the fast-growing trees are the best option because then the students will be able to see them grow in a short amount of time, whereas you get slower growing trees, the students will graduate before anything happens with the trees.”

Steinbach said “It’s good for kids to learn in a tangible environment. Kids learn best by doing things outside of the classroom. Maybe we can create a space where students, who are really interested in butterfl ies, do a project where they learn about the different types of butterflies. We could also set up a space where students could come into an enclosed area, where they walk in and there are butterflies all around them. The possibilities are endless when it comes to taking advantage of this space.”