Miller School students
        now have an
    outdoor classroom


  by Tracy Robinson
    staff writer

OLD BRIDGE --  This spring, students
at Miller elementary school are enjoying
an outdoor educational experience which
has sprung up from land formerly inhabit-
ed by weeds.
    The new garden is called the Outdoor
Learning Center and it did not just spring
up magically, of course.
    Fifth grade teacher Claire Falik is rela-
tively new to the school and when she was
on a tour of the building last summer she
noticed the outdoor courtyard area in the
middle of the school and got an idea.
    "It was just a grassy courtyard and I
had the idea of creating an outdoor area
out of it which the children could learn from"
Falik said.
    The 2,200 square-foot area inside the
school's perimeter was soon to be turned
into a garden used for everything from
learning about botany to listening to Bach.
    "I pictured it as an outdoor classroom
that the kids could learn from as well as
in" Falik said.
    Falik may not have realized how much work
it would take, but luckily she had help from
many local people and businesses.
    Township resident and architect Peter
Cantwell, whose son attends Miller School
was one of  the first who came to the aid of the
project by planning it our on paper, Falik said. Initial plans had to be altered because of tree roots and other obstacles, which meant that Cantwell had to put in even more time, she added.
    A number of area businesses including
Home Depot, Schulmeister's Nursery, A's Nursery, The Old Bridge Education Foundation(OBEF) and the school's PTA, as well as many parents, also chipped in to help create the educational oasis

    The nurseries supplied marigolds, impatiens, snapdragons and ornamental ribbon grass either for free or at a reduced price.
Home Depot gave the school project other supplies, such as irrigation equipment, two arched trellises and hand cultivators as well as a lining material.
    "I must have been somewhat persuasive;
plus they are a do-it-yourself type of corporation
so they understand that type of customer" Falik said.   
    The OBEF and the PTA helped the effort by
giving the school $500 each, said the teacher.
    In addition, Principal Dr. Carl Schavio, who
was supportive from the beginning, gave extra inspiration when the task started to seem too big, said Falik, by  telling her it did not have to be done all at once, but could be completed eventually in
phases.
    For two weekends in April and May, parents and staff volunteered to till the soil, put down sand, gravel, weed deterrent fabric, pavers, and more than 20 tons of small stones.
    "The parents and the community have really been supportive and done a lot of labor intensive
work," Falik said.
    The investment made in sweat by the volunteers has already begun to pay off, according to
school educators.
    This week for example as the rain fell on Monday some students sat with their noses pressed against the windows worried that the heavy rains would ruin their new gardens, Falik said.
    Other children who have already planted their one allotted flower in the garden are asking to go back and plant again, she said.
    "Children like being close to the earth," Falik said.
    The area is also a peaceful sanctuary where students can pursue other educational and enjoyable activities.  For instance, enough large rocks for each student have been put in the courtyard for them to sit on when they are reading or relaxing, she added.
    "Not only is it a garden but every curricular subject could be taught out there.  You could sketch a flower in the garden or you could have a math lesson by learning to measure it's perimeter."
    Each of the more than 300 students has had the opportunity to plant a flower in the courtyard, which now consist of mostly annuals, a few perennial flowers and a few vegetables, Falik said.

OUR GARDEN BEGINS TO TAKE SHAPE.......AS IT HELPS TO GET US IN SHAPE!