Whitewater Middle gets new outdoor classroom, thanks to PNG and interns

Interns fasten metal benches to concrete slabs

Students returning to Whitewater Middle School in August will have a new outdoor classroom for learning about nature and gardening.

On a steamy July morning, Piedmont Natural Gas interns and workers installed the eight benches and several informational signs beside the school’s vegetable gardens. The gardens are located between the school’s main parking lot and its track.

Benches and nature signs provided by Piedmont Natural Gas

Signs have lessons about plants, wildlife

PNG is a corporate sponsor of the Catawba River District, which has been working with several area schools on improving opportunities for hands-on learning of science, technology, engineering and math skills.

The new black metal benches replace several straw bales that served previously as informal seating. Students and visitors also can learn more about wildlife and plants thanks to eight small information signs that the interns installed near the gardens. Each sign has a mini lesson on topics such as bluebirds, soil types and deer. 

Gardens, outdoor classroom build STEM skills

Whitewater Middle and neighboring Whitewater Academy are among several schools that the River District and its sponsors are working with to improve STEM learning through gardening and other activities.

One of the garden plots, installed with the help of Clean Air Carolina, is full of flowering plants that are sensitive to high levels of the harmful gas, ozone. Students monitored the plants, ozone forecasts and daily temperatures last spring as part of their winning entry on in the Eco-Footprint Challenge that the River District and PNG sponsored last spring.

Interns celebrate finishing their project (posing for a photo, of course!)