Funding for an outdoor classroom at Rosemount High School has been granted, and with math teacher Michael Floersch leading the project, construction is expected to start either this fall or next spring.
The outdoor classroom at Rosemount High School will provide all students with a chance to escape from the traditional indoor classroom into a wide-open outdoor area with fresh air. The classroom will be situated in the open courtyard on the north side of the school, and will have several picnic tables, a whiteboard, a pergola-style roof, and a canopy cover to provide shade.
This purpose of this outdoor classroom is to give every class and every subject a platform to creatively expand the course material in order to give students a more hands-on approach to learning the lesson plan.
Mr. Floersch believes that the outdoor classroom will be very beneficial for the students, as he stated “Sometimes you just need a change in environment, just to be a little creative, and to spread out a little bit”.
Many other staff members are also excited about the possibilities that the outdoor classroom can provide. Susan Semmler, who is the faculty representative for the Rosemount High School Foundation, said “For certain lessons and activities, it [the outdoor classroom] lends itself to being a little more creative”.
Mr. Floersch initiated the project of building an outdoor classroom at Rosemount High School, because he wanted to provide students with an opportunity to have an occasional change in scenery by learning in a different environment. When Mr. Floersch thought of this idea, he applied for a grant from the Rosemount High School Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides additional funding to the Rosemount community, and received a $5,500 grant to construct the classroom.
Following the acquisition of the grant, Mr. Floersch had to find an engineer to help him design the classroom. Once he found an engineering company and received a design for the classroom, Mr. Floersch then had to get approval from the city of Rosemount to build the structure. However, he is still waiting for a building permit from the city.
Due to cold weather and a pending building permit from the city, construction on this project may be delayed until next year. Mr. Floersch originally wanted to start the project this fall, but the start of construction may have to wait until spring.
Upon completion of the outdoor classroom at Rosemount High School, students and faculty for many years to come will have a new resource to help expand creative learning.
