Outdoor classroom opens for Brownville Elementary and the community

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    BROWNVILLE — Last year Brownville Elementary School’s half-mile nature trail, complete with nine stations providing information on some of the various sites along the walkway, opened for use by the teachers and students during the day and for the community on nights and weekends.

Photo courtesy of Brownville Elementary School

    LEARNING IN THE OUTDOORS — Brownville Elementary School fourth-graders and their teacher Rebecca Burgess sit in the school’s new outdoor classroom. The learning space was formally opened with a ribbon cutting on the afternoon of Aug. 30, and is located by the school’s nature trail.

    Not long after the trail was finished, school officials began to consider an outdoor classroom adjacent to the nature trail to help create more educational opportunities and be another resource to share with the community. The planning, fundraising and construction culminated with the formal opening of the outdoor classroom, comprised of a stone surface area and two curved rows of seats, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 30.
    “We had a dream just about a year ago that an outdoor classroom would really complement our nature trail,” Brownville Elementary Principal Lynn Weston said during the Aug. 30 ceremony. “But after we found something we really liked it came down to money and we thought it will just take as long as it takes and we plugged along. 
    “Sadly, the uncle of three of our students passed away but his family asked that donations be made to this fund in his memory. This was such a kind, generous offer and it got our whole project going. So we sincerely thank the family of Willie Stubbs for doing something for the school where his niece and nephew attend.”
    Weston said several months later former Milo Elementary School Principal Cathy Knox informed her of a possible grant opportunity for the outdoor classroom. “She said it wasn’t a difficult grant and that we had a good chance,” Weston said. “So I went to a workshop and applied for the Maine Community Foundation grant and in June we got it — nearly $5,000! That meant our mason Kevin Finkle could get going. With help from the town of Brownville and Earl Gerrish and Sons, he would get this built in less than two weeks.
    “After it was done (grade 1 teacher) Miss Ivy picked out some hydrangeas and roses to plant so it will look even more beautiful. The last thing we did was to plant a lilac tree in memory of all those who have donated to our school in recent years.”
    The lilac tree recognizes contributors Valre Burgess, Stephen Bradstreet, Doris Chase, Elizabeth Chase, Earl Gerrish, Justin Gerrish, Andy Larson, John Martin, Arlene Morrill, Donna Paul, George Richardson, Charlie Sickler, Willie Stubbs, Arlene Watters and Eli Zwicker Sr.
    “But now … let’s cut the ribbon to open the outdoor classroom to everyone in our school and community,” Weston said as the learning space became officially open.