LWA Antics

Outdoor classroom strives to honor Barbra Feldman

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With the first quarter complete, Lawrence Woodmere Academy students continue to raise the bar as their hopes for creating an outdoor classroom come to fruition. Last year, the Helping Hands Club, a successful group of students who lead community service projects in and out of school, attended a National Student Leadership Conference in Philadelphia to learn about how to implement service learning into the school’s curriculum. Upon their return, they met with the school’s administration to propose the creation of the outdoor classroom, including Barbra Feldman, the school’s beloved former headmaster; she approved it without hesitation. 

Over the summer, sadly, Feldman died. The students who wished to revamp the outdoor area still hoped to do so. It would be the perfect place to honor her memory and beautiful legacy. We have begun the transitioning of the area that had sadly turned into a junkyard for boxes and garbage. The service living class started the process off by clearing out the area of any unnecessary items and broken tree branches. The next step was to give the area life, filling it with color; what better way to do this than with a mural painted by yours truly?

The Helping Hands club’s mantra is “Be the change,” as its members want to change the world for the better. I have painted the wall on the outdoor area with these words written in the center. Surrounding the mantra are flowers and butterflies of various colors and sizes. Although it is not done, it will be finished by Dec. 5, adding a whimsical touch of fun to the outdoor classroom, a quality that Feldman was known for. 

LWA is a three-division school. There are high school students, middle school students and adorable elementary school students; I call “tadpoles.” It is these children that are the real future of our school and of the world. The outdoor classroom would not be complete without the touch of their perfect little hands. They will be decorating miniature rocks that will be placed around the koi pond, emphasizing our love for individuality. 

Plans for the outdoor classroom include adding benches for teachers’ and students’ comfort where they can sit and hold class discussions. Students are excited to be able to use the area by spring. By then, we hope to plant flowers and make it into a garden.

Feldman was a driving force and bettered the Lawrence Woodmere Academy community with every breath she took. She touched the lives of all of us, and we want to keep her legacy alive. This outdoor classroom is only a small part of our greater plan to honor her and make her proud.