Blazer's Trail and Ampitheater Hosts Grand Reopening

On May 19, over 100 community members celebrated the grand reopening of Blazer’s Trail and Amphitheater, located on the campus of Roaring Brook Elementary School.

Constructed in 2009, the trail and theater seating were the first undertaking of The Unplugged Learning Project, a non-profit community organization that seeks to connect children and their families to nature.

A generous Avon Education Foundation grant funded the materials for construction, while volunteers, led by Larry Sparks, Roaring Brook assistant principal and Unplugged Learning board member, did the labor.

Over the years, the trail and amphitheater have become a popular outdoor classroom for the school’s K-4 teachers. And they’re about to become even more popular now.

In partnership with Winding Trails and the Avon Historical Society, Sparks and a team of teachers, including Joe Pereira, Kristin Cutler, and Kevin Caselli, worked to design learning stations and develop portable learning materials to make outdoor education accessible for all teachers and all subject matter.

The result is six beautiful kiosks strategically placed around the trail loop that teach young learners about trees, woodland creatures, and forest fauna and flora. Content from the kiosks is repeated and elaborated on in durable, child-sized flipbooks that are beautifully designed and easy to read. The books are kept in a fleet of backpacks each of which contains a clipboard, pencil, tape measure, and magnifying glass for outdoor learning and exploration.

There are enough backpacks for one class, and teachers reserve them prior to taking their students out to the trail. The material for the books and kiosks was funded by the Avon Education Foundation.

At the grand reopening event, guests meandered around the trail loop, participating in various activities including tree banding (measuring), listening to a nature story, playing tree stump games, making clay prints of tree bark and leaves, and hanging bird houses.

Guests then convened in the amphitheater to join in a nature sing-along, hear from folks who helped bring the project to fruition, and cut the Blazer cake.

Photo Captions:

1 – Two students read the first kiosk on Blazer’s Trail.

2 – An attendee attaches the first tree band to measure tree growth.

3 – Guests sing enthusiastically in the amphitheater.

4 – Roaring Brook Assistant Principal and leader of the Blazer’s Trail intiative, Larry Sparks, identifies a sound overhead.

5 – A proud scout listens to the dedication speeches and appreciates the recognition his troop gets for helping with the trail clean-up.

6 – Using stone letters and words, one attendee shows appreciation for Blazer’s Trail.

7 – A student displays a Blazer backpack and some of its contents.

Photos courtesy of Susan Rietano Davey.