Two years of planning, construction, and a lot of hard work on the Southampton Schools’ outdoor classroom entitled “The Green Room” culminated with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, October 26th. “The Green Room,” located outside adjacent to the 3rd and 4th grade wing in School #2, is now officially opened for business!
Ms. Carol Pero, School #2 teacher, served as the master of ceremonies for the ribbon cutting, and she was ably assisted by her students in making presentations to the honored guests who included members from the Southampton Township Academic Resource (STAR) Foundation and the Moore Family. One School #2 class, one School #3 class, some of Ms. Pero’s former students involved in developing the concept of the outdoor classroom, and representatives from the Board of Education were also in attendance.
During the brief ceremony, Brendan and Bryan Conover, third grade students in Ms. Pero’s class, presented plaques to the STAR Foundation and the Moore Family for their contributions in making “The Green Room” a reality. Damien Carter, a third grade student in Ms. Pero’s class, was a featured speaker who read his opinion essay about “The Green Room” to the guests that were attendance. Two sixth grade students, Kylee Czepiel and Lindsay Moore, were also guest speakers. Fifth graders Ivan Ruble and Christina Lippincott assisted Mr. Steve Zoltowski, the Chairperson of the STAR Foundation, with the ribbon cutting. Following the ribbon cutting the guests were invited into “The Green Room” to enjoy some light refreshments.
Inside “The Green Room,” the students warmly welcomed their guests. In addition to serving refreshments, students in Ms. Czarsasty's class sold pumpkins and potatoes that were donated by Waretown Farms and the Kumpel Family, of Southampton. Students in Ms. Pero’s class sold hand-made bird feeders for 25 cents each. Engraved pavers were available for order, and proceeds from all sales will be used to further enhance “The Green Room”. Gardening photos, student essays, and student directed garden tours added to the warmth of the ceremony.
“The Green Room” was the brainchild of Ms. Carol Pero, School #2 teacher, Mrs. Pamela Wells, teacher assistant, and their students. It was funded via Southampton Township Academic Resources (STAR) Foundation mini and major grants submitted collaboratively by Ms. Carol Pero, Mrs. Robin Auwarter, Mr. Phillip DeSousa, and Mrs. Pamela Wells. STAR provided a total of $18,500 in funding for the project which took two years to complete.
“The Green Room” provides an alternate outdoor educational setting for classroom instruction that is available to every teacher in the district and their students. This outdoor learning area affords teachers with the opportunity to provide students with an environmental living laboratory for learning.
Finally, the school district would like to sincerely thank Mr. William Moore and his family for their effort in bringing “The Green Room” to life. Mr. Moore, who is the president of Vincentown Landscape & Nursery Inc., completed the construction of the outdoor classroom with beautiful landscaping, a hardscaped seating area, and an irrigation system. The Moore Family is assisting the school district in maintaining “The Green Room” by cutting the grass, mulching, and trimming the shrubs. It has been a true labor of love for Mr. Moore.
|