School News

A new approach to science

Levittown plans Outdoor Education Center for next year

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While English Language Arts and math get a lot of the attention in schools, leaders of the Levittown School District don’t want to forget about the other subjects. They are looking to boost the science program with the creation of an Outdoor Education Center that would open in September and expand over the next several years.

The facility would be constructed in the courtyard at the Levittown Memorial Education Center. The former high school now houses the district’s administrative offices and career and technical center.

The courtyard is approximately an acre. As existing greenhouse, which has not been used in several years, would be the centerpiece of the Outdoor Education Center. Built in the 1980s, the 3,000-square-foot greenhouse is structurally sound, noted William Pastore, the assistant superintendent for business. It has been used off and on over the years, most recently by the PTA for growing vegetables for a local food pantry.

Half of the space would be used for students in the Applied Behavior Analysis program, which is for children and teens with autism. The back half of the greenhouse would be part of the science center, which would serve all students in Levittown’s 10 elementary and secondary schools.

Getting the greenhouse in shape would require cleaning it up and adding tables for plantings, and installing an intercom. There is already working heat, lights and fire alarms.

Superintendent Dr. Tonie McDonald said some ideas include hydroponics and a butterfly habitat, but the exact use of the greenhouse will be up to her experts. “The science teachers have such an amazing breadth of knowledge,” she said. “They will come up with something and run with it.”

Near the greenhouse, a pond will be installed. McDonald said the exact location is not yet known, as they have to find the right place to put it.

Chris Milano, the district’s facilities director, said he has the original plans to the school, which was constructed in 1952, to identify underground wires, pipes and drainage. The pond would be constructed around those utilities.

McDonald said the pond would be three to four feet deep, and large enough for an entire class to gather around at once. She explained that construction would take place over the summer, so it would be ready for the new school year.

Once the pond is constructed, it needs time to cure so it is ready for fish and vegetation. “That has to go in as soon as possible so that process can begin,” McDonald said.

Birth of an idea

McDonald, in her first year as superintendent, said the idea for the Outdoor Education Center came from her desire to find a use for the vacant Pintail Lane property in the northern section of the district. The site, on a narrow but long strip of land, used to house a small elementary school that closed and was torn down in the late 1970s.

That site was difficult, because the district would have to put bathrooms there, so then Laurel Lane was considered. That property, also a long and narrow parcel in the north end of Levittown, houses a former elementary school that is rented out, but the fields are largely unused.

Finally, administrators settled on the courtyard at Levittown Memorial. McDonald said the existing greenhouse, its central location in the district, the security of it being in an enclosed courtyard and the adjoining classroom space made it ideal. It also gets good sunlight. “We all really agreed that this was the best place for it,” she said.

Debbie Rifkin, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said nothing beats hands-on instruction, and looks forward to seeing children enjoying the site next year. Teachers are already developing lesson plans for the space.

Rifkin said that when its opens in September, it will be far from a finished product. “We want it to evolve,” she said, “because it will come from the needs of the students and the teachers.”

Milano has visited successful outdoor education centers, including one at the Sands Point Preserve. An outdoor coordinator from BOCES will serve as a consultant for Levittown as it develops its site.

McDonald said that once the Outdoor Education Center opens, it will be a facility unique to Levittown. She said having students get out of the classroom and learn about science in the natural environment will be a benefit to all.

“There’s a lot of testing going on right now,” she said. “There’s a lot of set and prescribed curriculum. This is the opposite of that.”