After winning a $15,000 grant, the school installed an outdoor garden classroom and an indoor maker lab to expand the variety skills being taught at the school.
Instead of sitting at their desks, students of Winslow Township Middle School got to enjoy the sunshine while building a garden on Friday, April 28.
The school won a $15,000 grant from BernzOmatic that allowed the courtyard to be converted into an outdoor space that will function both as a garden and a teaching area.
The school also used the money to update an old computer lab into a maker space that will teach students how to design and create a variety of projects.
Environmental STEM teacher Ross Cruz submitted the school’s application for the grant. After seeing the success of his first year teaching the course, he wanted to expand it.
“It’s going to impact kids here, it’s going to impact kids coming up, and it could change the direction of the curriculum throughout the district,” Cruz said.
The school was not without professional help. Nicole Curtis, who stars in her own HGTV and DIY Network show “Rehab Addict,” was on site working with students.
“I’m always happy to see projects with kids,” Curtis said. She said she was glad the kids had an opportunity to gain experience with hands-on skills.
Curtis and teachers supervised the students in building benches and large plant holders, as well as planting a garden. Adults also constructed a copper trellis for plants to grow on.
Cruz, a Marlton resident, said the area will serve as an outdoor classroom next year, where he will continue teaching his environmental STEM course, or teachers can simply teach a class outdoors.
In the indoor workshop room, students will learn to design projects online and gain the necessary skills to create them. This year, students have already created birdhouses and etched designs onto pieces of wood.
BernzOmatic is a torch manufacturing company. This is its second year hosting a competition that awards communities with funds.
BernzOmatic chooses the top 10 project applicants, and the winner is decided by a public online vote. Cruz spread the word about the vote as much as he could, spreading the word to the entire school district and surrounding community. He even reached out to the Philadelphia Eagles for help.
“There were more than 4,000 votes cast for this community in a month, which put them above any of the other programs,” said Jennifer Fening, the marketing manager for BernzOmatic.
Cruz, who was named the District Teacher of the Year for the 2015–2016 school year, described the sense of accomplishment as “phenomenal.”
“I’ve been teaching for 18 years, and I’ve never seen us rally together as much as we have for this,” Cruz said. “It just goes to show you what happens when we focus on a task, put our differences aside, and make the kids our priority.”
Curtis, whose show focuses on her “rehabbing” homes while advocating for architectural preservation, said the program was a great way for students to get experience with skills that are not commonly taught.
“We had over 100 students working on this. That’s 100 minds that learned today you can come in and work on something, and you don’t have to be confined to what you think is the normal,” Curtis said.
Curtis noted there is a shortage of tradespeople in the country, and said college is not the “end-all, be-all” for kids who would rather learn a trade.
Student Gregory Abad echoed this sentiment.
“This is something I might explore for a career,” he said while helping students construct a bench. “I think it’s also going to help out the environment and help us be more environmentally friendly.”
