By
Daniel Scarpinato
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Outdoor learning facility unveiled after 2 years of planning
Members of the local community gathered at a South Tucson elementary school yesterday to dedicate an outdoor classroom, which represented the culmination of two years of design and planning by UA graduate students.
Annie Park and Irene Herring, University of Arizona landscape architecture graduate students, were two of five students who became involved in the project through a studio course in 1999. The two designed the master plan during a summer course and submitted them to a local firm for review.
"The seeds of this program are planted in my heart and will grow forever," Park said before about 100 children and onlookers at Ochoa Elementary School.
Linda Letterman, a representative from Congressman Ed Pastor's office, passed out awards to the classroom's contributors.
"Many caring people made this possible under the umbrella of the Weed and Seed program of South Tucson," Letterman said.
One of those recipients was Pima Community College Desert Vista Campus President Miguel Palacios. The college helped fund the project through a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, with additional financial support from Canyon Ranch resort.
Palacios called the final product a result of the elementary students' energy.
"This is yours," he told them.
A "peace patio," "healing garden" and the outdoor classroom all reflect ideas that the students and parents brought to the architecture students. Mosaic tiles, flowers and herbs decorate all of the areas of the facility.
Gail Roberts, a local artist, worked with the younger students to incorporate the design of the tiles into their classroom studies.
"The students did a lot of research," she said as she pointed to a ceramic model of the solar system. "We've found that promoting this kind of art improves literacy among the students."
Elena Durette, a language arts resource teacher at Ochoa, agreed that art is an important part of the learning process.
"Our principal really encourages multi-intelligence learning," she said.
The public can view the new facility March 24 as part of a tour of schools conducted by Master Garden, a U of A Cooperative Extension program.
Kathryn Beautty, a representative of the program, said that integrating gardening into learning has shown positive effects.
"Children learn better in that environment," she said.
