A flat, unused, grassy area behind Wolfle Elementary will be transformed into a garden and outdoor classroom, creating an open, inviting area for students to enjoy during recess or explore with their classes.

This spring, according to Wolfle first-grade teacher Maria Steinbeisser who is leading the project, students will cover the grass with newspaper and cardboard so that over the summer, the hard ground decomposes into healthy soil. In the fall, students will see how it’s transformed.

Fifth- and sixth-graders leaving the school to head over to Kingston Middle School next school year will create stepping stones for the garden. Steinbeisser hopes future classes will continue to contribute special projects.

The garden will also tie in, she said, with the interpretive nature trail behind the school currently being re-established by volunteers.

Wolfle Principal Benjamin Degnin is excited about the project and opportunities teachers and students will have to not only enjoy the garden, but also tie into different hands-on learning styles. He foresees it as a place students can take ownership of and use to express themselves through art, science and social activities.

Brad Pugh of Larson-Casteel Landscape donated his services to design the garden that will include an entry pergola with Native carvings, ethnobotany garden to learn about the use of indigenous plants by Native Americans, a gathering area, a working garden to teach about soil health and an embedded compass to teach about directions.

The first phase of the garden next fall includes the creation of raised beds and planting native, winter and drought-tolerant plants. Steinbeisser is working to obtain funds and donations of materials. The school was awarded a $400 grant from Hansville’s Flotsam and Jetsam Garden Club, and hopes other grants will come through as well.

For more information or to contribute, contact Maria Steinbeisser at (360) 394-6827, msteinbeisser@nkschools.org.