SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – When Union Park Neighborhood Association learned that Union Street School had the idea to incorporate outdoor classrooms into its reopening plans, the group jumped to attention and began fundraising. Union Park Neighborhood Association and the Parent Teacher Association purchased a total of eight portable carports that will become outdoor classrooms for the school.
Teacher Vanessa Stern, who organized the outdoor classroom project, said, “When planning to reopen this fall with maximum Covid-19 protection for our students, we realized that outdoor classrooms during appropriate weather would offer great protection while also allowing students to enjoy the benefits of being outside. Our Parent Teacher Association and the Union Park Neighborhood Association joined forces to make sure that we met these two goals.”
Lori Claffee, president of Union Park Neighborhood Association, said, “Union Park Neighborhood Association’s mission is to build a vibrant, safe, and cohesive neighborhood. I can’t think of a better way to carry out our mission than to support our neighborhood students by purchasing these carports.”
Springfield’s Union Street School students have returned to school with a hybrid model that follows the Covid-19 protection guidelines jointly developed by the Vermont Agency of Education and the Vermont Department of Health.
For further information about activities of the Union Park Neighborhood Association, call Lori at 802-885-6388 or go to the Union Park Neighborhood Association Facebook page.