Crestline dedicates outdoor classroom completion

Lauren Estes-Velez

Hartselle Enquirer

Students, teachers, faculty and community members gathered outside Crestline Elementary School Thursday afternoon to recognize the completion of an outdoor classroom project that has been in the making for some time.

Principal Karissa Lang and elementary science teacher Barb Helton led the dedication service with announcements of community members who had donated money, labor and time in order to see this addition through.

“We are waiting on money for everything to go through Montgomery to build our pavilion, and we will have shade, aren’t you glad?” Helton said, and he received cheers from the students.

Helton thanked the Morgan County Soil and Water Conservation, the Alabama Wildlife Federation and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for their involvement. He also shared Hannah’s Lawn & Landscape Service donated a decorative pond for the outdoor classroom, which they were very thankful to receive.

“We went to them with just a little bit of money, and they said they would help out, and it’s so great,” Helton said. “We have fish in it, and it’s the perfect time because we are learning about fish.”

Several teachers put money in together, specifically five retired fifth-grade teachers, so that something could be purchased in their memory.

“Because of that, we were able to get two benches instead of one,” Helton said. “So those benches are in honor of Edith Hammond, Sue McCarley, Jan Poole, Susan Tidwell and Glenda Wright. If you combine all of their careers together, you would have about 132 years together of teaching. They changed a lot of lives when they were here, and we are so thankful for that.”

An arbor was donated by the Kiwanis Club of Hartselle for students to walk under. It was donated in memory of Roy Greenhill, who was the principal at Crestline for 28 years.

Many other workers, businesses and individuals were brought together for the ceremony to recognize the local community donors who have donated money, time, labor and more to the completion of the Outdoor Classroom.