The Outdoor Environmental Learning Center and Garden was created through a Sustainable Jersey for Schools Grant funded by the NJEA and brought to life through the support of community partners, staff, and student leaders. This outdoor learning space features a native garden filled with local plants, shrubs, and trees, as well as a greenhouse, oak tree nursery, compost station, weather station, bird houses, a bat house, a dead hedge, and a kindness rock garden. The space also includes a seed library and serves as the home base for our school’s Air Quality Flag Program.
Students use the Learning Center as a living classroom, engaging in hands-on explorations of science, sustainability, and environmental stewardship. Student Green Team members help maintain the space, study pollinators, monitor water conservation, observe weather patterns and air quality, and care for our native plantings. The Learning Center supports our school’s Jersey-Friendly Yards certification and provides meaningful opportunities for students to connect with nature and make a lasting positive impact on their school and community.