A t the end of the 2015-16 school year, a meeting took place to finalize the plans and consider best uses of the Andreve Teaching Garden behind the Bell Family Middle School which included input from parents, community members, and current Greensboro Day students. After compiling this information, the Andreve Teaching Garden has taken on a new life as rock seating, a new shed, and a pergola have been built, solar panels were installed by Ian McIvor ’18, and new trees and shrubs were planted. On the northwest section of the Andreve Teaching Garden, 7th grade science teacher, Mrs. Clarissa Marshall commissioned help from Greensboro builder and parent, Wade Jurney, to build a shed so that Mrs. Marshall can now have class outdoors under the newly built pergola. Mrs. Marshall reflects on the process, “Mr. Jurney was a pleasure to work with on the garden classroom structure. He allowed for me to be creative and encouraged me to think through the specific needs I have for teaching, as I do, in the out of doors. We came up with a great space that has increased the functionality and, thus, the accessibility to the garden tremendously. In the center of the garden, a group of school leaders including Mrs. Kathy Davis, retired Upper School math teacher and Mr. Barry Davis, Director of the Middle School, envisioned an area that the entire school could enjoy. Mr. Davis, who was instrumental in the vision of this space comments, “I see the garden as a place that takes a person to an immediate place of calm and reflection. When sitting in the garden you can hear the birds, feel the breeze, meet with friends or enjoy some time by yourself. You will also have an opportunity to enjoy athletic events on the fields below. Whether you choose to sit on the stone walls or relax in a comfortable Adirondack chair, the Andreve Teaching Garden is a special place that everyone can enjoy.” Ian McIvor’s solar stream is a terrific feature of the Andreve Teaching Garden. Ian solved problems in physics, electrical engineering, and design in order to provide an excellent teaching tool and beautiful feature. The Andreve Teaching Garden is a great example of what makes GDS so amazing. While the space provides a natural setting in which students can observe and apply principles of science, it is so much more. Students have taken ownership and show tremendous pride in their garden projects and are learning valuable lessons in making mistakes, collaboration and observing cross-cutting concepts such as patterns, energy flow, cycles, and interdependence. The final steps in this process would not have been possible without several donors and volunteers including Kathy and Robert Davis, Hannah and Sydney Britt, the Parents’ Association, Jane Gutsell, The George Andreve Foundation, and the Class of 1997 in memory of Russell Britt ’97. n The Amazing Andreve Teaching Garden Hannah Britt, Kathy Davis, and Jane Gutsell 24 | Winter 2017