Sustainability focus of spruced-up courtyard at middle school in Lower Burrell

Elizabeth Hartman gave her eighth grade students at Charles A. Huston Middle School a task at the beginning of this school year: create a sustainable space in a neglected courtyard at the Lower Burrell school.

“We wanted to engineer the space to be more sustainable,” she said. “I wanted there to be a nice space to use since we don’t have a lot of usable outdoor space.”

The eighth graders got right to work on the outdoor space located in the middle of the school.

Hartman had her students research the best ways to clean up overgrowth, make proposals for what should be done and brainstorm ideas for future uses of the courtyard.

Cleanup efforts included pulling weeds, fixing up the flower beds by planting perennials and tilling soil. They researched the best ways to kill and deter lanternflies from the courtyard — which included spraying them with vinegar and planting lavender.

“The biggest thing was sustainability,” Hartman said. “This can’t be something we forget about.”

A $250 grant from the Jane Goodall Foundation jump-started the work.

The students learned lessons in problem solving, engineering and design, as well as leadership, Hartman said. Students stepped up in leadership roles — especially those who probably wouldn’t have normally in a traditional classroom, she said.

“I was shocked by the amount of leadership from the kids,” she said.

Students’ goals for the spring, Hartman said, are to add more improvements to the courtyard, including possibly adding a compost bin, setting up water collection, starting a garden club and planting vegetables.

“An eighth grader doesn’t want to sit at a desk all day,” Hartman said. “They’ll remember when they fixed up the courtyard and what they did.”

Student Alania Discello enjoyed the project and learning about the environment. She worked on the flower beds and said it was something she’d like to do on her own time. She also liked how the lessons were hands-on.

“You get to see for yourself how things work,” she said.

Izabel Paglia is excited for the space’s future.

She enjoyed painting rocks, learning how to kill and deter lanternflies, and how to plant and till soil.

“I’m not very into planting, so that was a learning experience for me,” she said.