The RHS Outdoor Learning Environment (OLE) is on the west side of the school, next to Moffatt Road. It includes a large circle for gathering, a platform for performances and presentations, tables for collaborative work and is shaded by a Miyawaki Pocket Forest. It's a place where students, classes, clubs, staff and community members can gather to connect, learn, build community and enjoy a piece of nature in our urban environment. Further south along Moffatt, the OLE features a berry patch and pollinator garden. Finally, we also have a school garden, which we share with the Richmond Community Gardens. Our students grow, nurture and harvest a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flower plants from our gardens.
We hope you come and check it out, stay a while and enjoy the space!
Students and classes use this space in a variety of ways. Being in an "outdoor classroom" allows students to immerse themselves in the outdoors, to feel the elements, breathe in fresh air, interact with the flora and fauna and connect to the land. There are no walls, no rows of desks and chairs, no artificial lighting. Learning this way changes the way their brains take in information and experience the world.
This special urban forest was planted in November of 2022. The project brought together our school's Green Team, our Studio 111 Lifeskills program, our Science 11 students, our Art students, our Tech Ed students and Ferris Elementary students as well as Garden City Conservation Society, Earth Literacies, and a variety of artists under the direction of JPeachy. It is an authentically grassroots project that continues to build community, environmental stewardship and resilience in the face of environmental change.
Click here to learn more about our Miyawaki Pocket Forest!
