Regional High School Builds Outdoor Classroom

ERMA – A former weed-filled courtyard between two wings of the Lower Cape May Regional High School has been turned into an outdoor classroom with a grant from Lowe’s.
On Fri., Sept 10, students were finishing up the project planting a row of Winter Gem Boxwoods in front of a large wooden deck designed by Dan Quinn of the commercial sale division of Lowe’s Rio Grande store, who was the project manager. Contractor James Bratten, of JWB Unlimited Home Improvements, was putting the finishing touches on the deck.
Lowe’s awarded the high school a $5,000 Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant. Ethel Lippman, assistant superintendent for support services, had submitted the grant with a vision to create an outdoor classroom for students, teachers and members of the community.
Lippman described the courtyard as a “disaster” before works was started. The grant paid for lumber, pavers, plants and landscaping.
Quinn said eligibility for the grant involved sprucing up an area for a new use.
After receiving the grant last spring, Lippmann contacted Quinn who coordinated a workforce with volunteers from Lowe’s and local builders to complete the project. Regional high school environmental sciences Teacher Karren Barr, who designed the landscaping, worked with Quinn recruiting students and members of the 4H club to donate their labor for the project.
The $5,000 grant actually provided $6,500 of materials, according to Dan Hawkins, manager of the Lowe’s Rio Grande store. He said he was able to get reduced prices for the project including a mountain of mulch.
Lowe’s encourages its employees to volunteer in the community, said Hawkins. He said organizations can apply for Lowe’s grants online.
Record summer heat did not make the project any easier for 4H students who dragged 420 bags of mulch, wood, stone and gravel through the school building since the courtyard has no direct access to the parking lot. They labored during their summer vacation from classes.
The project will include raised flower beds, some of which will supply items for the school’s flower shop, said Barr.
On Sept. 10, student Zack Banks, whose mother, Kate McCarthy works at Lowes, was single-handedly carrying heavy bags of mulch to the work area. She is a 1988 graduate of the regional high school.
Matt Lawson, a project specialist at the Lowe’s Rio Grande store, also assisted with the overall design and getting the project off the ground.
Quinn and other Lowe’s employees gave up their days off to work on their project. The result is a sunny courtyard with a large enough deck to seat as many students as an indoor classroom.
Monarch Butterflies have discovered old growth bottlebrush shrubs that formerly were hidden in a tangled of weeds.