JMS students beautify campus

GOAL classes create outdoor classroo

By Lacey Walters, countyreporter@laurelleadercall.com

Jones Middle School gifted teachers announced the winners of the outdoor classroom design project Wednesday. Teachers challenged both seventh and eighth grade students to design an outdoor classroom that could fill the courtyard areas located to the right and left of the administrative offices at the middle school.

The students stepped up to the challenge and researched possibilities while using their imaginations to create a usable space.

“This place (courtyard) is old and run-down and not used for anything,” said seventh grade GOAL (Greater Opportunities for Accelerated Learning) student Ben Willis.

Now, with the work of the students both the seventh and eighth grade courtyards will provide a unique learning environment for students even beyond the current group. The students have raised money for the projects through various fund-raisers and have received donations from area businesses to assist in making their creative designs a reality.

“It will provide more hands-on activities,” said seventh grade GOAL student Lewis Bateman.

Seventh graders Willis, Dontreal Pruitt and Bateman were the winning team for the seventh grade. Their design project will be constructed in the courtyard to the right of the administrative offices and will include a tornado-shaped fish pond, a small gazebo, butterfly gardens, a large entering walkway and stepping stones. Pruitt said that the stepping stones would be designed and painted by the students at Jones Middle.

The eighth grade winning team, which included Acie Smith, Morgan McQueen, Maisie Evans, Anna Axton, Quinn Mackey and Eli Morris, will construct its design in the courtyard to the left of the offices. Their design will bring a fish pond, bird baths, benches, a butterfly garden, stepping stones, picnic tables and a rock garden to the area.

“I am very proud of them,” said eighth grade GOAL teacher Gaye Napier. “It really amazes me to see how much pride they are taking in this.”

Along with the redesign of the courtyard spaces, the students have taken the classroom outdoors and have spent weeks preparing the flower beds in front of the courtyards for planting. Wednesday the students, with the help of landscape designer Christy Raiford, planted a variety of shrubs and grasses in the area. Raiford donated her time to assist the students in designing a unique flower bed that even includes shrubbery in the shape of the schools initials, JMS.

“I love being here. Landscaping is so important to me and the teachers are teaching them about the importance,” Raiford said. “It’s great for them to be out here doing the work and they can take pride in it.”

JMS Principal Carl-Michael Day praised the students on both the outdoor classroom and flower bed projects.

“They have worked so hard on this,” Day said.

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