Outdoor learning labs were a topic of discussion during Monday’s Eastern Pulaski School Board meeting. Winamac High School Principal Jeremy Tucker said he wants to install a new outdoor classroom to be shared between the middle and high schools.
“What is needed for this project: two large concrete pads, up to 12 deck composite picnic tables, four large canopies for shading, 16 metal posts for canopies, and the possible removal of the concrete that’s out there, just kind of in the middle of nowhere,” Tucker explained. “My thing is, when we do this, we want to make it maintenance-free, so basically, all you’d have to do is take the canopies off every fall, put them back up in the spring.”
Board members agreed to allow Tucker to apply for up to $30,000 in grant funding from the Community Foundation of Pulaski County. Tucker said the outdoor learning lab would have a number of benefits for students, but it would also make Eastern Pulaski Schools more marketable. “The bottom line is, when you’re talking budget crunches and you’re talking being competitive with other schools, we’ve got to do things to stand out,” he said, “to be a school where people want to send them from Knox, from Pioneer, from Caston, et cetera.”
Meanwhile, an existing outdoor learning lab at Eastern Pulaski Elementary School may soon be getting an upgrade. The school board agreed to let Gabe Benninghoff renovate the facility as an Eagle Scout project. He plans to install a new metal roof, create a second enclosed storage area, and clean up surrounding property.
Benninghoff said several Boy Scouts from local troops will help him with the work, but a licensed contractor will be on-site to make sure it’s being done correctly. Local businesses have offered materials at a discounted price.
The total cost is expected to be just over $1,500. School officials noted that a cost estimate to have the work done professionally was significantly higher. The school board agreed to contribute funding toward the effort, but directed Benninghoff to seek outside donations, as much as possible.
