Outdoor Classroom Built Around Holocaust Tree At Northbrook Jr. High

NORTHBROOK, IL — A $27,000 outdoor classroom broke ground last week at Northbrook Junior High School. The gathering space is centered around the Terezin Tree, a silver maple that is a direct descendant of a tree planted in the Terezin Concentration Camp and nurtured by children during the Holocaust, according to District 28.

The classroom was funded in part by donations of each school PTO and individual donations in honor of Dr. Larry Hewitt, who retired as district superintendent last school year. The district said the space was designed and built by J.D. Mathein, of Northbrook's Green City Gardens.

"I've said several times during my tenure here that what makes District 28 so special are the people — the staff, the Board members, the parents, the children and the entire community,” Hewitt said during an Oct. 20 ribbon-cutting ceremony. "So here we stand, and thanks to all of you, this dream of mine and others is real, and as I gaze about, I can picture in my mind teachers and students in the garden and in this beautiful classroom, using and enjoying what we’ve created."

Adjacent to the organic garden, the outdoor classroom includes seating and a teacher's desk made of cut rock, pebble walkways, native shrubs, and perennials, according to the district. Longtime Northbrook residents Sam and Dede Harris donated the Terezin sapling, which was planted on June 1, 2017, and has grown into an established tree.