Student Technology Leadership Program is Upgrading Outdoor Classroom

The Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) at Tilden Hogge Elementary School has been working on a project to clean up the outdoor classroom and ponds. The members of the group have used technology to help with their project and have reached out to community members, school staff, and families of students to help complete the project. The students were inspired to do this project because they noticed that there was a lot of overgrowth in the outdoor classroom area with non-native plants and both ponds no longer have water and have overgrowth as well.

Above: STLP students show Judge Clark the overgrowth and non-native plants at the outdoor classroom’s pond

Mr. Tom Biebighauser, who helped build the outdoor classroom and ponds several years ago, visited with the students and helped them to identify the non-native plants growing in the outdoor classroom area and the students flagged all of the plants to be removed. The students learned a lot about the different plants and created signs with the help of Mr. Harry Clark, Rowan County Judge Executive. They also learned more about how to care for a pond and its needs. Mr. Tom Biebighauser graciously donated a liner for our vernal pond and the students are excited to work with him and the community to restore the ponds. We are asking for volunteers to help with the restoration and look forward to bringing the outdoor classrooms and ponds back to life!

This article by Kayla Lowe-Stafford originally appeared in the May ‘24 Rowan Review. View it here: rcky.us/review/may-24-edition

Above: Students created these signs identifying native plants with help of Rowan County Judge-Executive Harry Clark