Hawthorne Outdoor Classroom Wins Chicago Wilderness Award

Submitted by Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205.

Hawthorne School has been chosen to receive the Chicago Wilderness Conservation & Native Landscaping Award to recognize its leadership in restoring biodiversity to its Outdoor Classroom. “Hawthorne Elementary School exemplifies the collaboration and dedication needed to effectively steward our rich lands and waters,” stated the awards letter. “As an alliance of more than 300 organizations, Chicago Wilderness is pleased to support native landscaping and conservation design efforts that protect and leverage resources to build a resilient future for our region.”

Hawthorne’s Outdoor Classroom is used to provide structured teaching and learning activities, as well as unstructured play and relaxation opportunities surrounded by nature and the benefits of being outside. It includes wildlife habitat for birds and butterflies, a rain garden, vertical vegetable garden, compost bin, weather station, classroom-sized sitting area and smaller benches throughout. Installation was donated in September of 2012 by Erwin Steinhebel & Sons Inc.

Instrumental in this project have been Landscape Designer Denise Sandoval of Good-Natured Landscapes LLC (who submitted the application), as well as Hawthorne parents Lisa Gerhold Dirks and Stacey Burns, with support from Principal Nikki Tammaru. Three Hawthorne teachers have also been key to the Outdoor Classroom’s recent success. They are: Cathy Behrend, Cathy Hochleutner and Sue Lindstrom.

“Our project is small (only 5,100 square feet) compared to many that receive this award,” noted Lisa, “which, I believe, speaks to the value that Chicago Wilderness places on educating young people about conservation issues.”

Hawthorne’s Outdoor Classroom will be honored at the Chicago Wilderness awards ceremony, to be held at Loyola University’s Mundelein Center on December 11.

As part of the award process, Hawthorne representatives were interviewed by the Morton Arboretum, the Chicago Botanic Garden, and Conserve Lake County regarding their plans for and progress with the Outdoor Classroom over the last few years.