Gardening and Trees
Pioneer Springs is committed to teaching environmentally sustainable methods with hands-on nature experiences. Our school’s landscape contains beautiful, heritage trees, pristine woods, and multiple natural playgrounds. We are dedicated to environmental preservation through maintenance and replenishment of native species.
Pioneer Springs offers two garden beds for each grade that students maintain. In addition our campus boasts a rain garden created by students featuring native plantings, a fruit orchard planted by students, and a pollinator garden created and maintained by parent volunteers. We also have a pond and wetland that serves as an invaluable learning environment for our students, allowing them to experience firsthand many curriculum standards such as life cycles. We also have multiple natural playgrounds with wooded areas, boulders, sand features, and a dry river bed to support creative and imaginative natural play. Finally, a significant amount of green space on campus is kept pristine for low-impact instructional purposes such as sit spots for journaling and bird blinds for observation.
Repurposed trees are utilized as climbing structures for our students. These tree structures are very popular at recess and support imaginative play and healthy risk-taking. In addition, classes use these structures during instruction as sit spots for observation and journaling. In any case, they provide an opportunity for students to be in contact with a natural material rather than the premanufactured play equipment found on many school playgrounds. Our trees contribute to our students' education in countless ways as teachers use the natural world to engage students' senses on every level. In addition, certified arborists give presentations about tree health to students when appropriate in conjunction with the work being done.
Vermicomposting at PSCS
From Kinder to HS, Pioneer Springs students submitted design ideas for vermicomposting bins for each of the school’s houses. From these plans, Ms. Sandy will prepare bins the bins, once the students are back in school the bins will go to each building for students to maintain. Click here to see the student created plans for The Red Barn, Davis house, Croft Schoolhouse, Asbury and The Hive.
