Teacher secures $18K in grants to help students get inspired by nature

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Jenny Bumgarner, a W.C. Friday Middle School seventh-grade Language Arts teacher, will close out nearly three decades inside the classroom this year and as a parting gift, she secured $18,000 in local grants.

The grants were used to create outdoor learning spaces to inspire students.

“I go outside. I see things I’ve never seen before and learn things I’ve never learned before,” a student said.

There is an art walk, a basecamp, a bench dedicated to civil rights, a nature walk, and a small library among the trees and grass in the natural area.

“To be outside in nature is authentic and it’s real and I think they have been missing out on it,” the Gaston County teacher said. “And the kids will tell you they didn’t know they were missing out on it.”

It’s a place where students can connect and learn with no screen time.

“I’m leaving it a little better than I found it and that makes me happy,” Bumgarner said.

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