JACKSON – There was plenty of excitement recently at the Elms Elementary School for a very special occasion.
A new Outdoor Environmental Learning Center and Garden officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Second grade teacher Shaina Brenner, a Milken Educator Award winner, described it as a “wonderful celebration. We had perfect weather that day, too!”
She told The Jackson Times that former Student Green Team members (now attending school at JT 5-6) returned to join current 4th graders at Elms. Some students presented their research and trifolds while others served as greeters and helped things run smoothly.
The $10,000 Sustainable Jersey for Schools grant the school received in 2023 “has allowed us, in collaboration with many community partners, to build this learning space over the past two years. My husband, Jose Santiago (Delia Studios), documented the creation of the space and together we produced a short video that captures its development.”
The Outdoor Environmental Learning Center and Garden now includes eight raised garden beds filled with native plants, a compost bin, rain barrel, dead hedge, insect hotel, bird houses and feeders, and a bat house.
It also features a weather station and NJ Air Quality flag program (updated daily by students), a greenhouse and the beginnings of an oak tree nursery which was supported further by a $1,500 New Jersey Natural Gas grant that Brenner applied for and had recently received.
The new center also includes a kindness rock garden, and three large picnic tables with umbrellas for outdoor learning.
“We were honored to welcome Renee Haider, Deputy Director of Sustainable Jersey, and Mike Rollins of New Jersey Education Association, who both spoke at the event. Council Vice President (Giuseppe) Palmeri also attended, along with our district leadership including Superintendent Nicole Pormilli, Assistant Superintendent Rob Rotante, Business Administrator Dan Baginski, and Director of Buildings and Grounds Anthony Bruno,” Brenner added.
Board of Education members Megan Gardella and Allison Barocas were also in attendance. She said, “we were joined as well by Rutgers Master Gardeners, Ocean County 4-H, Ocean County Department of Solid Waste, New Jersey Natural Gas, the Barnegat Bay Partnership, and author William J. Lewis (“Preserving the Pines”).”
Green Team members like Emily Ranson and Brooklyn Bassano who are students at the school got to take part in the event that day.
“Teachers had an opportunity to tour the space in advance, and on the day of the event, every class participated in a nature-themed craft before touring the station. Moving forward, the Student Green Team will help maintain the space, but it will also be used by all Elms students and staff as an outdoor classroom,” Brenner added.
“The only way to affect real change is by teaching our children to care about the world around them. The Outdoor Environmental Learning Center and Garden gives our students the chance to experience nature firsthand, develop a sense of responsibility for the environment, and recognize that their actions matter. My hope is that what they learn here will inspire a lifetime of stewardship,” she said.
Superintendent Pormilli who was at the ribbon cutting said, “I had the opportunity to see it and explore it and it is a great learning opportunity for our students to learn all about science. Students helped to create it, develop it. They did weeding and planting and they are learning all about our environment and what special species we have, butterfly’s, plants and weather.”
Palmeri described the new facility as a “remarkable space for students to explore, learn, and grow.” He also commended Brenner and the team for all their work to make it a reality.
