Hewitt-Trussville HS outdoor classroom now open

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - On Monday, Oct. 31, community leaders cut the ribbon on Hewitt-Trussville High School’s brand new Amerex Outdoor Learning Center.

The covered classroom is just steps away from the high school, offering teachers opportunities to take their lessons outdoors. Conversations of the center began over six years ago.

The classroom was a collaboration with Amerex, the Cahaba River Society, Faith Community Fellowship and Hewitt Trussville school district.

Biology teacher, Kurt Kristensen, has big plans for the new space including hopefully a year long project where he students will monitor a space of land and spot changes throughout the seasons.

“Getting students outside has been a challenge. Many of my students aren’t used to going outside at all. some of them are even afraid of it, so my goal is getting my students comfortable with being outside,” said Kristensen.

The Hewitt-Trussville campus is surrounded by trees and the Cahaba River flows on property. In order to build the facility, contractors found the most clear area of land so no trees had to come down.

Freshman Sophie Burns has a dream of going to medical school one day. She said getting hands-on outside is going to help her reach that goal.

“There’s only so many labs you can do with an entire ecosystem in the classroom. So, it’s much, much more of a learning opportunity to come out here and actually be in it,” said Burns.

The classroom is now open and many teachers have already taken advantage of the new environment.

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