The 2010 senior class provided LZHS with an outdoor classroom for students and a memorial garden to honor a former secretary who passed away last year.

            Phil Stank, scienceteacher, thought of the concept of an outdoor classroom. The idea was to design a place where classes can meet to perform activities like art projects or classifying trees, and to provide another space for students while they wait for rides, do homework, or to just sit and talk.

            The outdoor learning space has four tables, which seat a total of thirty people. The space is also handicapped accessible.

Along with the outdoor classroom, Stanko presented the idea to the senior class board of constructing a memorial garden for Mary Baumer, a secretary who passed away last year from cancer.

“The memorial is for the former secretary who passed away from a long time battle with cancer,” Stanko said. “She loved gardening, so it would be great.”

Senior class board decided to adopt the ideas Stanko presented and decided to use the money they raised to make the idea their class gift.

“The money is raised through Homecoming dance, charity bash shirts, senior shirts and others,” Sharon Price, senior class sponsor, said. “All the money [the senior class raises] is accumulated their past four years of high school.”

At least $1000 had been raised throughout the senior class’ four years of high school. Although some of the money is used for events for seniors, like the senior breakfast, all the money left over is used toward the senior gift.

“Every class has an account that has been carried since they were freshmen,” Price said. “Our goal is to raise, and to get as much money as possible, and to get [the school] a great senior gift throughout all the activities we do.”

The senior class mainly funded the outdoor classroom portion of the site, while friends and faculty mainly provided the memorial garden. The final project will cost around $6,000 Price said.

“The location of the site is great because it’s the first thing you see when you walk into the building, and [Mrs. Baumer] was the first person to greet you when you walked in for so many years,” Price said. “She would really appreciate it.”