The Grade 3 class at Crossroads School in Devlin, along with the help from several Grade 7 and 8 students, have nearly finished rebuilding their compost bin there.
Caren Fagerdahl, teacher and head of the committee for the school’s “Outdoor Classroom,” noted they received a donation from the Fort Frances Sportsmen’s Club to fund the rebuilding.
“They’ve been on board with us the whole way,” she said.
“We [originally] built the composter a number of years and we’ve been using it since then,” Fagerdahl explained. “And several of the boards needed to be replaced.”
She said the students have been working on the project for the last two weeks.
“We’re just about done,” Fagerdahl enthused, adding the older students have been very helpful with the younger ones.
“They’ve been so patient and wonderful. They’ve guided the children, helping them with things they are not quite big enough to handle,” she remarked.
Rebuilding the compost bin is just one aspect of “Outdoor Classroom” project, which was launched a few years ago.
“It’s meant to address the science curriculum from JK to Grade 8 right on the property,” Fagerdahl noted. “We’re in the country and have the perfect alcove to develop this.”
The “Outdoor Classroom” is located on the west side of the school, outside the library.
Crossroads partnered with the Township of La Vallee for the beautification project at the school and at the municipal office. Retired teacher Jeff Johnston has been involved with the project from the start.
“The community has been involved, too,” he noted, adding people have brought plants to use in the space.
“Now we’re trying to get more native plants and more variety,” Johnston explained, adding they also would like to include plants that provide food or are used for medicine.
“It’s a really nice spot,” he enthused. “I had a class out there reading recently. It just keeps getting nicer and nicer.”
Johnston noted it will teach the students about plants and how to grow things. “And it will connect them to caring for the land,” he added.
He indicated they had lost a couple of trees to mice, but hopes they will be replaced soon.
“There’s quite a bit of work to do yet,” he admitted. “But the kids have been working hard.”
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
