New Outdoor Multi-Use Classroom At Sydenham High School

Feb 07, 2013

News of the success of a proposal for a $10,000 grant to build a multi-use outdoor classroom at Sydenham High School was received enthusiastically by students and staff at the school. The new facility will serve a number of purposes according to Mike Mol, Head of the Technology Department at the school. Mol made the proposal for the project on behalf of the school back in October 2012 for a grant being offered through Skills Canada and Lowe's Building Centre for a community-based project. He got news in November that the application was successful and said that plans are now underway to complete the final design for the outdoor classroom. He expects construction to get underway by the end of March.

The facility will be named the Dick Hopkins Outdoor Classroom, in memory of Dick Hopkins, a former Head of Technology at SHS who taught for 10 years at the school and who passed away suddenly just before reaching retirement. Hopkins, who had a passion for technology, outdoor activities and non-traditional teaching methods, was also a strong supporter of and organizer with Skills Canada, and many of their staff and student awards have been named in his honour. Hopkins started some of the first on-line classes in the province and he was also instrumental in implementing the robotics competition at Skills Canada. According to Mol, Hopkins “made a huge impact on students and staff at the school. He really loved the idea of the non-traditional classroom so it seems really fitting that we are building this outdoor facility in his name and to honour him.”

The project will include the design and construction of a mutli-use outdoor classroom that will be located west of the main entrance of the school on the front lawn under a large maple tree. The space is laid out in a semi-circle, and will be formed by a combination of retaining walls, interlocking brick, paving stones, natural rock and log construction with two layers of seating that can hold 30 people. Students from the Chain Saw Certification program at the school will be using their skills to construct a row of pine log benches for the facility. The facility will not only serve students and teachers at the school but will also be made available to any individuals or groups in the community who may be looking for an outdoor space to hold events and/or performances.

Over 50 students from three different technology programs at the school, manufacturing, construction and communications, will take part in the project, which Mol said he hopes to see completed by mid-May in time for Sydenham High’s annual May Madness celebrations.

Mol said this kind of project will benefit students by giving them hands-on experience that they otherwise might not be able to get in the classroom. “Students will be working in the field, as they say, doing various types of design, layout and construction and will be working with a number of different materials that they might not otherwise be exposed to,” Mol said. The fact that this is also a collaborative project between students from various programs will allow students to work together who might not otherwise have a chance to do so.

Mol added that the new facility will also help to beautify the community while remembering a much loved and respected member of the community.

Sydenham High School’s principal, Jessica Silver, who strongly supported the proposal from the start, said that she is thrilled to see the project going forward. “It's really exciting and I know that the new outdoor facility will not only get great use here at the school but will also be a great added feature for the entire community to use and enjoy.”