Harrison Students Learn OutdoorsLearning isn't limited to the indoors at Harrison Elementary School.
For taking learning outdoors, the Warsaw school found out in December it was named the Outdoor Laboratory of the Year District Winner, presented by the Indiana Tree Farm Committee and the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen's Association.Monday, Harrison Elementary learned it also is the state award winner. On Feb. 5, Harrison Principal Randy Polston and teacher Judy Kinsey will travel to Indianapolis and pick up the state award at the Hoosier Association of Science Teachers Inc.'s 40th conference.
As part of the award process, the school and students were interviewed in December for three hours by representatives of Project Learning Tree, Project Wild, The Indiana Forestry Association, Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen's Association and the Indiana Tree Farm Committee, Kinsey said. They were discovering how Harrison took learning outdoors.
"Harrison Elementary is one of the perfect learning environments," said Kinsey.
The school sits on 40 acres. When Harrison opened in 1991 with Polston as principal, Polston wanted to make use of the whole 40 acres. But he knew he couldn't do it alone, so he encouraged teachers and staff to help.
David Huemmer was a student teacher under Dorothy Van Cleve. Together, Polston said, they took the bull by the horns and helped start an arboretum at Harrison. Trees were planted and bird feeders were hung.
Over the years, a Living History Quarters was added to the front of Harrison. Not only does it feature a log cabin school, but also trees native to Indiana. Polston said they are only missing a few trees.
In the past several years, thanks to the work of physical education teacher Scott Mehlberg, Kinsey said, the public can now make use of a fitness trail at the school.
"He made the fitness trail dream become a reality," said Kinsey of Mehlberg.
"The trail ties in to the classroom as it relates to physical education," said Polston.
Kinsey always impressed Polston, he said. When she joined Harrison Elementary, she kept the "outdoor learning" dream alive. She works with the school's environmental club. Kinsey has overseen a pumpkin garden at Harrison that promotes philanthropy.
Through the years, Kinsey has worked closely with Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation District Program Educator Darci Zolman. Zolman and Kinsey have written grants together to bring programs to Harrison.
In September, Zolman told Kinsey how she liked the outdoor learning campus at Harrison. Zolman asked Kinsey if she would fill out some papers for an award. Kinsey took it to Polston who gave his OK.
"It was a pleasure and honor to fill out that paperwork," said Kinsey.
The learning outdoors Harrison has done to date is just a tip of the iceberg of what Kinsey would like to see. She wants to see the Living History Quarters become a Hoosier Heritage Learning Center. Perhaps they'll add a chunk of Indiana limestone out there. Maybe they'll even add animals out there, like pheasants, to raise.
"It's just that kind of vision and dreaming that Mr. Polston has supported," Kinsey said.
