Thornapple Kellogg — A class of students left their legacy at Page Elementary before moving up to middle school when they cut the ribbon on a new hammock garden outside their school.
This year-long project for teacher Deb Rossi’s fifth-graders finally came to fruition a few weeks after the school year ended. More than 20 hammocks are now hung between wooden posts near the playground, creating a designated space for reading and relaxing.
Rossi said librarian Jessica Shuck was inspired by social media posts showing students reading in hammocks on their school playgrounds and thought, “Wouldn’t this be cool for our students?”
“I pitched the idea to my class (at the start of the year) and they were in,” Rossi said. “We started researching, getting the necessary permissions from the superintendent and they presented their findings to a few board members.”
Allie Pennington, who will be a sixth-grader at TK Middle School next fall, said the class was divided into committees, each responsible for a different facet of the project planning and execution.
“We researched what we could use the hammocks for, like reading in them and taking work outside on clipboards,” she said. “They could calm us down and help us feel more focused on our work.”
The class presented their work to a few members of the school board to get their approval for the project.
“When the school board said yes, that was exciting,” Allie said. “I feel proud of what we accomplished (and) I hope the next class uses them and they like it.”
Page Principal Amy Forman said she was impressed with her students’ effort, because they knew it wouldn’t be done until after their time as fifth-graders but they still worked hard.
“I’m so impressed with our kids,” she said. “They did this knowing they were doing it for future generations of readers at Page.”
Building an Oasis for Reading
Rossi’s students were also responsible for figuring out how to fund the project.
After making several phone calls and sending emails to local businesses, they secured a $2,278 grant from the Barry County Youth Advisory Council, $1,000 from Family Fare’s One School at a Time program, material donation from NTA Landscaping and deals on supplies and delivery from Barry County Lumber.
Student Haddie Lee said researching and fundraising alongside her friends was her favorite part of the project.
“I was in a group of all girls and we had a lot of fun,” she said. “It was hard to brainstorm ideas but we worked together as a group.”
During the final weeks of school, the TK grounds team helped clear an area outside the library doors to install wood chips, pour concrete and install several wooden posts to hang the hammocks.
After the ribbon cutting, Rossi and her students enjoyed popsicles in the summer sun while they swung in their hammocks.
Shuck said she hopes having the hammocks available outside will get students excited for reading and also teach them about responsibility, safety and respect.
The staff at Page has a plan for teachers to schedule time to bring their students out of their classrooms and use the hammocks next school year.
“Reading in nature reduces stress and anxiety,” Rossi said. “It took so long but it was so worth it.”
Read more from Thornapple Kellogg:
• Potato project loaded with character
• Thornapple Kellogg chooses new superintendent
