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.
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“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.”
“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.
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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