Timmi Jones; BMS science teacher Tara Mills; Batesville Community Education Foundation executive director Anne Wilson; BMS
science teacher Jennifer Russell; BCEF board members Tricia Jennewein, Sammie
Hardebeck, and Jama Linkel-Cleghorn, and BMS assistant principal Austin Glaub. (Provided Photo)
(Batesville, IN) – The Batesville Community Education Foundation (BCEF) has exceeded its annual campaign goal of $50,000 to support an outdoor learning area at Batesville Middle School (BMS).
Correlated with the 50th anniversary of the school’s grand opening in 1975, the foundation’s fundraising drive this fall netted $54,000, which was recently donated to the Batesville Community School Corporation (BCSC) for the project.
“When BMS first opened in 1975, it featured an outdoor learning area, which eventually had to be removed when the building’s footprint expanded,” said Anne Wilson, BCEF executive director. “The BCEF board thought it was fitting to bring back fresh-air learning 50 years later, providing teachers with a dedicated space to take classwork outside and students with a break from the four walls of a traditional learning space.”
Funds donated by BCEF will be managed by BMS principal Dave Strouse and a committee of teachers, who are finalizing plans for the new space.
Possible uses for the money are tiered outdoor seating, a classroom pergola, an outdoor whiteboard, solar ovens, raised garden beds, and hydroponic gardening kits.
“We are grateful to BCEF for spearheading the fundraising for this project,” Strouse said. “We are looking at possible collaborative efforts within the school system to build some of the items on our wish list to make the money go as far as it possibly can. By creatively using our resources, we’re sure that we can provide an exceptional new outdoor space for our students that enhances learning at BMS.”
About BCEF: The Batesville Community Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Its mission is to provide additional funding for innovative learning opportunities that go beyond the basics in academics, athletics, and the arts in the Batesville public schools, enhancing the educational environment for all BCSC students.
In addition to the classroom grants, BCEF supports larger projects, such as the Art on Main mural project in downtown Batesville, the planned outdoor learning area at BMS, and the new Student Success Center at Batesville High School, a unique hub that combines the guidance office with student mental health resources.
For more information, visit the BCEF website at BatesvilleEducationFoundation.org or email Wilson at awilson@batesville.k12.in.us.
(Batesville Community Education Foundation press release)
