This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

Students Bring Learning Outside For Courtyard Project

Monday was the last day of school for all three East Windsor schools.

 

Sixth-grade students at East Windsor Middle School were busy digging up the center courtyard Monday, on the last day at school.

Math teacher Holly Surrette said this is the culmination of a project the students have been working on in class, creating presentations and learning about area, perimeter and volume. Students worked in groups to come up with different landscaping plans, including how much mulch they would need, the type of flowers they wanted to plant and the cost for the project.

Find out what's happening in Windsor Locks-East Windsorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There are seven different sections of the courtyard that the students are working on. Surrette said there were about 29 plans presented to the superintendent and then those plans were voted on, with one plan being chosen for each section. A grant from Loews for $4,650 was used for the project.

“The kids really enjoyed the hands-on aspects of the project,” Surrette said. “Measuring the different areas, and now the digging and planting. They worked really well together.”

Find out what's happening in Windsor Locks-East Windsorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Students will continue to work on the project during the summer.

Aneliesse Fontanez, 12, said the project was hard at first but has gotten easier as it went along.

“It was interesting because the younger students will get to see the project, it will be here,” she said. “Everyone has worked really hard on this. We want it to be cool for others.”

Alyssa Henderson, 12, said she liked being able to work with her friends to make the courtyard look better.

She said this summer she is going to Florida to visit Discovery Cove, but she will miss her teachers and friends.

Xavier Hernandez said at first he didn’t want to do the project, he didn’t like working on the posters, but he has enjoyed working outside clearing out the sections.

He said his summer plans include spending a week at his grandmother’s house, visiting Six Flags amusement park and going to Mohegan Sun to see a WNBA game.

Surrette said the project has been good because some students are more mathematically inclined, while others are more creative. In each group, students had different jobs, such as accountant and landscape architect.

She said she will be working on the courtyard this summer, as well as figuring out projects for next year.

Assistant Principal Patrick Tudryn said he is looking forward to seeing the final product in the courtyard.

“It got kids excited about learning,” he said. “They were able to be creative, but had to work within a budget, which is a good real-life lesson.”

Tudryn said he will be spending the summer getting prepared for the next school year, interviewing new hires and working on schedules. He is going to Cape Cod for a week of vacation.

Monday was the last day of school for Broad Brook Elementary School, East Windsor Middle School and East Windsor High School. Graduation for seniors will be Friday night at La Renaissance.

 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?