On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the students, faculty and staff of
Oceanway Middle School gathered with City Councilman Ray Holt, School Board member Vicki Drake and representatives from Jaxport, Greenscape of Jacksonville and RS&H for the dedication of the school’s new outdoor tree classroom.
The outdoor classroom will be used as an outdoor learning lab for Natural Science class.
“It's a hands-on science lab so they can smell it, see it, touch and experience it instead of just sitting in a classroom talking about it," said Oceanway Middle School Principal John Cochran.
The idea for an outside classroom at Oceanway Middle began four years ago when JaxPort began development of a Dames Point terminal for Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. Knowing trees would be removed during construction, JaxPort approached Greenscape to see what more could be done to help its mission of keeping the city green.
In addition to the partnership between Jaxport and Greenscape, Councilman Holt and Board member Drake partnered to secure additional funding from the city’s Tree Mitigation Fund.
"This is a project solely funded outside the school resources. In this tight budget year, it is great to have those partners," Cochran said.
In honor of Principal Cochran’s more than 20 years of service to the students of Oceanway, a tree was planted in front of the outdoor classroom. Students also planted flowers in the classroom that will be utilized by them and their classmates.
While the first dedication for the outdoor tree classroom was held on April 22, Earth Day, a dedication for the community was held that following Saturday, April 24.
At the discretion of the school, the area can also be used by residents and groups for events and activities that benefit the local community.
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