Sarah Hedin and Amber Mlynczak, Winona Middle School educators, wrote a Dare to Dream application to begin the project Let’s Go Outside! In Ms. Hedin and Ms. Mlynczak’s application, they discussed adding an outdoor classroom space to the Winona Middle School’s beautiful outdoor environment to continue to meet the needs of their students, but in new ways. They wrote, “During the last couple of years, our educational world has been turned upside down, not only with the current pandemic, but also with the soaring increase in technology use by students often before their brains are ready for it. Kids are spending less and less time outdoors. Adding an outdoor classroom to the green space would be beneficial to both students and teachers. Having the designated outdoor classroom spaces would allow teachers of all comfort levels to get more students outside and aware of their surroundings. Having kids outside, even for small portions of their day, increases their ability to focus, regulate their behavior, and increases their overall attentiveness to their academics.”
Students are in need of Dare to Dream moments and the Foundation is proud to support those goals and moments.
Congratulations to Sarah Hedin and Amber Mlynczak for Daring to Dream. For more information on this project or other exciting things happening at the Foundation for Winona Area Public Schools, contact us.
The Foundation for Winona Area Public Schools has given out hundreds of grants throughout the years that have gone to benefit schools and enrich the lives of students throughout the area. Browse a year below to view our list of grants.