Rucker Boulevard Elementary School officially unveiled its outdoor classroom on April 19 during an Earth Day celebration.
However, the timing of the event was no coincidence, as April is Volunteer Month. Without volunteers from the local community, the outdoor classroom wouldn’t be what it is today.
“We’ve had a lot of help from permanent duty soldiers, flight students at Fort Rucker, parents, students and members of the Enterprise community,” Assistant Principal Audrey McMillin said. “The outdoor classroom will be a great opportunity for students to go outside and participate in hands-on learning.”
During the ceremony, the students of Rucker Boulevard dedicated an American flag to the soldiers of Fort Rucker, who helped with much of the construction and heavy lifting associated with the outdoor classroom project.
The outdoor classroom wraps around a majority of the school and features several areas including a “charitable garden,” which is made of raised flowerbeds.
“Everything we grow in the garden, we give away.” McMillin said. “Each homeroom class has its own raised bed.”
The classroom also includes an outdoor learning area, complete with a chalkboard and seating for a few students.
Students will also be able to give performances on the outdoor stage, the rails of which were created with parking gates from the old Enterprise High School.
The Coffee County Landfill donated dozens of 2-liter plastic bottles, which have been mounted on bamboo and used to create a greenhouse area.
The area also houses a composting site, sensory garden, solar energy station, butterfly garden and much more.
“The goal is to get the students outside so they can learn,” McMillin said. “They can observe what’s going on out here and then experiment with it.”
Rucker Boulevard’s Student Government Association President Lucas Rodgers said it has been exciting to see the outdoor classroom come to fruition.
“We weren’t expecting all the progress that we’ve made, but we’ve gotten it done,” he said. “We’ve accomplished so much with the help we’ve been given.”
Rodgers is one of many students who have volunteered to work on the project throughout the past year.
“There have been several Saturdays we’ve volunteered to work on the classroom,” he said. “We’ve built, planted, pulled weeds and everything.”
Though the classroom is not fully completed, many of its components are, and students at all grade levels are already enjoying it.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Rodgers said. “It’s helped a lot of kids who don’t (have access) to these types of things to be able to learn about them.”
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