By Amy Batista, Special Writer
MONROE — A group of students at the Woodland Elementary School recently had the opportunity to participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Environmental Center, sponsored by the Woodland/Mill Lake PTO.
”We were able to help (fifth grade teacher Nicholas) Reinhold pay for the landscaping and plants for the center,” said Michelle Marrone, PTO Secretary. “We did a specific fundraiser to help offset the costs.”
”I felt this was an important project to fund for several reasons. First, I think it gives the children an opportunity to own and be responsible for something in the school,” Ms. Marrone said. “Second, it gives the classes a very serene setting to go to do lessons. Sometimes if you take the child out of the classroom and do a lesson in a different environment they learn differently,” Ms. Marrone said.
Mr. Reinhold’s students celebrated the occasion with posters saying “Welcome to the new Environmental Center”, “Save the Earth”, and others in honor of Earth Day.
A group of students from Mr. Reinhold’s class, PTO members, Vice Principal Patricia Dinsmore, and Steven Feldman, a former teacher at the school that created the center, attended the ceremony earlier this year.
”I thought the ribbon cutting ceremony was great and I was also happy that we were able to honor Mr. Feldman since he started the garden in Woodland many years ago,” Ms. Marrone said. “I hope the children in Woodland learn to use the center to their advantage.”
Mr. Feldman inspired the original concept of the Environmental Center when he was teaching at the school.
”My inspiration behind the Environmental Center was that I did not like to have my students bored in class,” said Mr. Feldman, a retired teacher from Woodland. “I liked having my students excited about school and when they observed nature and worked in the Environmental Center, they enjoyed themselves and also learned a lot.”
The Environmental Center was created in 1975 by Mr. Feldman along with two other teachers, Monica Owens and Jack Kutz. It was a project that integrated many academic disciplines, according to Mr. Feldman.
Upon retiring, Mr. Feldman handed over the responsibilities of the Environmental Center to Mr. Reinhold, who was “happy to accept it.”
The transformation of the Environmental Center occurred during last winter break. The staff and students came back from the break to find the newly renovated center.
”It really gets the students excited and eager to assist in the center,” said Mr. Reinhold. “The one thing about my and Mrs. North’s fifth grade class is that they are extremely eager and giving students. They always want to do things for people and help the world. They know they are fortunate too have it and they really appreciate it.”
There is long term plan to make all students in Woodland School active participants, even though, it is only Mr. Reinhold’s and Mrs. North’s fifth grade students currently working outside in the Environmental Center.
”Mr. Reinhold, who currently cares for and coordinates the students’ efforts maintaining the Environmental Center, makes it a point to respect Mr. Feldman’s previous efforts and, at the same, time put his own twist on the Environmental Center,” said Adam Layman, principal.
Mr. Layman said he came to the Woodland School two years ago and that the Environmental Center was an area that needed some attention.
”Maintaining the Environmental Center is a massive undertaking. Mr. Reinhold was working with students as much as time would allow and barely keeping up,” Mr. Layman said. “This past December, the PTO supported the Environmental Center by providing Woodland an opportunity to work with a professional landscaper to design and create a low maintenance outdoor learning environment.”
Mr. Feldman designed the plans for the new center this year. He used low maintenance plants, flowers, and grasses, framed in a vegetable garden and herb garden, and created an outdoor classroom with seating for students. This space now provides all the classes in Woodland the opportunity to use the Environmental Center as an outdoor learning space with Mr. Reinhold’s class spearheading the planting and gardening efforts.
”We currently have more than 125 herbs and veggies – basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, and jalapeno peppers – just to name a few,” Mr. Layman said.
There are plans in the future for the students of the school to incorporate their gardening efforts into their school lunches.
”We have had conversations with the Director of Food Services about growing food to support the school lunch program in the future. Currently when the vegetables and herbs are ready to be picked we utilize them to support our curriculum, embed them in science classes, and of course students and staff enjoy them as snacks or for cooking,” Mr. Layman said.
Even though Mr. Feldman has retired, he is still an active participant in the Environmental Center.
”I recently procured some cottonseed for him so that the students could grow cotton. Over the years the students and I grew some very unusual crops including sugar sorghum cane, tobacco, peanuts, cotton, and popcorn. You can well imagine how much the students’ loved eating sugar cane,” Mr. Feldman said. The Environmental Center won a gardening grant of tools and plants from the National Gardening Association in 1995 in addition to Mr. Feldman received a recognition for the center by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
”I felt very honored and proud for myself, my school, and my students when I received the award and a beautiful plaque from the US Department of Environmental Protection in 2005. My wife and I went to a ceremony in New York City where I was presented with the award by George Pavlou, the EPA Deputy Regional Administrator and Adrian Benepe, the New York City Parks Commissioner,” Mr. Feldman said. “I am extremely appreciative of the support I have from the Woodland School administration and the Woodland Mill Lake PTO,” Mr. Layman said.

