Pandemic pivot: Sonoma looks to take learning outside

Sonoma Community Center expects to unveil a new outdoor learning center in mid-2021 thanks to two large community grants.

The new center will serve both Sonoma Valley adults and children with theater, outdoor movement and art classes. It will be located on the northwest corner of the East Napa Street property, in a flat, shaded, fenced-in space of about 1,000 square feet, with an expected opening date of mid-2021.

Outdoor classrooms are a hot topic right now. Green Schoolyards America advocated for outdoor access for students, even pre-COVID. The nonprofit sees outdoor classrooms as providing a solution to social distancing guidelines for in-person instruction as well as fresh air and ventilation — with the added benefit of improving students’ social, emotional and mental well-being.

The new Community Center space will be named after iWorkGlobal, a Nelson Family company. Gary and Marcia Nelson, who now split their time between Austin, Texas, and Sonoma, have been longtime local supporters and advocates for the arts and education. Sonoma Valley Rotary also provided an initial $10,000 grant to clear the space and draw up plans.

Jeff Phelps, CEO of iWorkGlobal, said in a press release announcing the company’s $50,000 grant, that the Nelsons were impressed by the way the nonprofit evolved its approach in recent months — providing outdoor and virtual classes during the pandemic. “We’re thrilled that this outdoor learning and art center will provide much-needed space for continued growth not only in the arts, but social and emotional learning as well,” he said.

“We’re grateful for the Nelson family’s support in expanding our organizational capacity with the creation of the new space,” said John Gurney, SCC’s executive director. “Research has shown art education is a major positive influence on student success and with this gift, we will be able to provide educational programs with an emphasis on youth art programs.”

Around the Valley, a handful of other schools and nonprofits are also implementing or exploring outdoor education options.

While there are no formal plans for outdoor classrooms, before students return to campus, Sonoma Valley Unified School District will take delivery of 200 new outdoor tables and benches. Associate Superintendent Bruce Abbott said these will be used for both additional outdoor dining and potential classroom use.

Jacqueline Gallo, the new head of the K-8 Presentation School in Sonoma, said her administrative team is busy planning for the fall, including the identification of an array of options for outdoor learning.

“We want to take full advantage of our spacious property by incorporating more outdoor and experiential learning activities,” she said. “We expect to be able to accommodate multiple shaded outdoor class areas. We plan to use a variety of pedagogical approaches to meet our students' needs with outdoor learning.”

Perrin Cutting of St. Francis School said St. Francis has the capacity to divide its K-8 students into smaller cohorts. By using the entire campus, the administration expects to be able to get all of its students back on campus every day with proper social distancing, when allowed.

“Our outdoor spaces will be used for frequent breaks, movement and, when practical, some instruction,” she said.

Sonoma Charter School is being creative with its old classroom furniture now made redundant thanks to the new district purchases for all campuses.

“We’ll be opening up outdoor spaces around the campus for teachers to reserve for classroom learning,” said Sonoma Charter School director Marc Elin. “New campus construction has also opened up new spaces to develop into outside garden-study areas and we’ll (use) our surplus furniture to create the outdoor classrooms.”

Woodland Star Charter School has a long tradition of outdoor learning and director Jamie Lloyd said that more options are in the works.

“We’ll use our solar panels for shelter for some outdoor classrooms with picnic tables, student desks, portable chalkboards and so forth,” he told the Index-Tribune. “We’ll create other spaces around the campus with tenting. But fire season and winter will happen at some point, which will interfere with everyone’s ability to conduct outdoor learning.”

Sonoma Ecology Center staff are examining whether they can assist the school district in providing outdoor learning space.

“We have the amphitheater at Sugarloaf and will be bringing in log rounds for seating areas in the Sonoma Garden Park,. to accommodate three sets of 12 students at a time at various locations around the park,” said SEC Education Program Manager Tony Passantino.

Vintage House senior center is also taking a hard look at maximizing its outdoor spaces. Gardener and interior designer Bonnie Waldron is helping the nonprofit develop plans to turn its back patio into a space for outdoor classes — an initiative she hopes will be ready by fall.

The advantages of formal outdoor gathering spaces can also extend beyond just classes.

“We gathered all of our staff to talk about classes, rentals and programs and imagined all the uses for our new space,” said Beth Fox, SCC’s development director. “Shaded by the redwood trees, it would be a great space for weddings, camps, culinary events, the possibilities are endless.”

Contact Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.