LOVELAND, Ohio — The city celebrated the opening of a new outdoor classroom shared by Loveland Intermediate School and Loveland Middle School on Thursday evening, marking the completion of a project built with contributions from more than 200 community members and businesses, the city said in a post.
The Loveland Schools Foundation led the fundraising drive for the outdoor learning space, which sits on the district’s Lebanon Road campus and is designed to serve the more than 1,200 students in grades 5 through 8 at the two schools, according to the foundation.
Public fundraising for the project ran from March through June, the foundation said. Crews then spent the summer building it out, starting with irrigation and concrete work in June and July before installing a large shade sail structure and outdoor furniture in the weeks leading up to Thursday’s dedication.
The foundation said the space is meant to support hands-on, student-centered instruction and give teachers a new setting for collaborative and experiential lessons outside a traditional classroom, along with a place for students to gather that supports their wellness.
In its post announcing the ribbon-cutting, the city thanked the schools’ Student Ambassadors and staff members “that have also been instrumental in the development of the classroom.”
Any funds raised beyond the project’s cost will go toward maintaining the outdoor classroom and funding future educational enhancements there, according to the foundation.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the City of Loveland, Ohio.