Greensburg Salem is considering construction of a pavilion and other improvements to make an outdoor area used by science classes into a space that can be used for a broader range of courses.

Many area schools are looking for ways to get students outdoors more during the covid-19 pandemic.

The proposal includes development of a multi-discipline outdoor classroom on the grounds of the high school, where a greenhouse used to stand.

Science students have been making use of the area, which is just outside their classrooms and includes an old pond, a grassy area and a cement pad.

Science instructor Angelo Testa told the school board this week about proposed improvements there, including construction of a pavilion.

“It’s an opportunity for all our students, not just science classes,” he said. “This area can be improved so everybody can use it.”

He proposed restoring the pond, which hasn’t functioned properly, while “improving the area around the pond, in terms of the local ecology, and tying that into the curriculum.”

With the addition of a pollinator garden and raised gardening beds, learning support students could practice gardening skills, he said.

“The overall goal is to create a space that can be used by all curriculum areas and also provide some cover if there is rain or snow,” Acting Superintendent Ken Bissell said.

Testa said he’s been working with a local garden center on plans.

Board member Robin Savage suggested drawing upon the skills of students at Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center.

“The students have to get hands-on work experience,” she said. “That would be a perfect project for our students in masonry and construction trades, if they want to build that pavilion, and students in the horticulture program could help with landscaping.”

Planners are hoping to complete the project without district funds. A potential funding source, Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit program, would require partnering with a business that could receive tax credits in return for making a financial donation to the district.

Such funding would have to be channeled through the Greensburg Salem Education Foundation, according to business manager J.R. Dzurica.

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