Learning on Laurel School's Butler Campus

A Q&A with Heather Diemer Havre '86, Director of School@Butler, Grades 3-5

The pandemic brought many changes for schools and learning. In March 2020 Laurel, along with schools across the country, pivoted to virtual learning. With the start of the 2020-2021 school year, Laurel was fortunate enough to be able to utilize our abundant outdoor space at the Butler Campus to allow for physical distancing and to offer in-person learning to many of our students. Experiential learning at the Butler Campus is not new to Laurel. With the Outdoor Pre-Primary Program, regular immersion learning units for Primary girls, and science LAB (Learning at Butler) days, Laurel girls are accustomed to utilizing the 150 acres of the Butler Campus to enhance their traditional classroom learning. Therefore, it made sense to move all students in Grades 3-5 to Butler when distance and fresh air were key ingredients to learning safely during a pandemic. With the construction of four new yurts and the transformation of existing space at Butler, what was always a future plan became a reality in August 2020. Heather Havre, Director of School@Butler delves into why this move was so beneficial for students, and how utilizing an outdoor classroom supports curriculum and brings immersive learning to the forefront.

What was most remarkable about last year at Butler was what girls made of the moments in between structured learning tasks. While teachers did a phenomenal job of using Butler to leverage content-area learning in the classroom, it was what the girls were able to create independently that truly speaks to the power of outdoor education. In a ‘traditional’ year, time between classes is spent visiting lockers and talking in the hallway, but at Butler, our Fifth Grade girls used every spare moment between classes and at recess to create a society—complete with storefronts, currency, and an elected government—on the banks of a small creek in the woods outside of the Butler Center. When not confined by the walls of a traditional school building, girls were moved to imagine, play, and work cooperatively to create their village, which they called ‘Mudtopia’. Nearly every student involved in the creation of Mudtopia cited it as one of the highlights of her Fifth-Grade experience. There is something really special about a whole class of 11-year-olds needing to hose the mud off of their boots before walking into math class.

—Kate Webb, English Department Chair

HOW DID THE PANDEMIC ACCELERATE THE TIMELINE FOR GETTING MORE STUDENTS ON THE BUTLER CAMPUS?

It has always been a strategic priority for academics to take center stage at the Butler Campus, but the pandemic certainly accelerated our timeline. We considered what ages made the most sense to move to Butler. Grade 4 already had a significant unit of study called Power & Purpose based at Butler. Grade 3 also spent a lot of time at Butler. Developmentally and curricularly, it made sense to include Fifth Grade in the move to Butler.

Once the decision was made, our team, both faculty and facilities staff, worked quickly to modify some of the building space into usable classrooms for seven different pods in Grades 3-5. This meant acquiring desks, chairs and materials for use. We also made great use of the woods, the ponds, the fields and even the fitness center. We made use of the whole campus! Generous donors funded the construction of four additional yurts to provide warm and dry classroom spaces.

WHAT ADVANTAGES HAVE YOU SEEN TO LEARNING AT BUTLER THIS PAST YEAR?

As could be expected during a pandemic, more outdoor time was a big positive for the mental health of students and teachers alike. This was the case at our Lyman Campus, too, as Laurel’s response to the pandemic has been to put a strong focus on girls’ well-being as well as on their academics. We know being outside is good for girls—to stretch, to breathe deeply, to observe the natural world. Research also finds that being outdoors confers academic benefits including increased engagement and retention of information. Making deliberate use of the outdoors has been beneficial for students on both campuses. As has always been the case, Butler provides students the opportunity to develop great memories and learning beyond the classroom through hands-on experiences. For instance, Butler was a natural setting for Grade 3 to study its National Parks unit. The setting supported their learning. Additionally, we have always used the Butler Campus to put Laurel’s Center for Research on Girls’ (LCRG) five components of resilience into practice. While most everyone practiced persistence in the face of challenges this year, School@Butler allowed us to plan these kinds of experiences with intentionality and in the service of academic skills as well. A mantra at Butler is “We can do hard things,” and another is “There is no bad weather, only bad gear.” Girls at Butler practice resilience, resourcefulness, and flexibility every day—lessons that are as essential as the powerful academic subjects they pursue.

HAVE THERE BEEN ANY CHALLENGES?

With change there always comes challenge and moving three grades to Butler for the year was no exception, especially during a pandemic. Our biggest challenge was transportation to the Butler Campus, which made for slightly shorter school days. There were also more constraints on the day due to safety protocols. And as was the case at Lyman, podding meant very little interaction across grade levels last year. As we continue to move through the pandemic and revise our approach, I expect to see a positive shift in how we can adjust the schedule and interact and collaborate more across grade levels for the girls and faculty to once again feel the sense of community for which Laurel is so well known.

WE KNOW THAT GRADES 3-5 ARE AT BUTLER AGAIN FOR THE 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR. HOW DO THINGS LOOK?

Students have always had the opportunity to learn and explore on our Butler Campus. Whether it is our Outdoor Pre-Primary students, or the variety of immersion units our Primary and Middle School girls experience, learning at Butler has always been an important facet of a Laurel education, but this past year challenged us to examine learning in the face of adversity. We saw what worked and what did not, and we are altering certain approaches to make the Butler learning experience everything we want it to be—both from the teacher and the student perspective.

We know that experiential learning—learning in the field—is enduring. Life-long pursuits, as well as good habits of preparedness and resilience, were hopefully born out of the 2020-21 pandemic year at Butler. We returned to campus this school year with a continued focus on interdisciplinary teaching, place-based learning, resiliency and growth-mindset; not only when it comes to curriculum, but when it comes to lessons outside the classroom. For instance, planning for the weather is much more important on the Butler Campus so we encourage girls to take responsibility for their clothing to be prepared for whatever Mother Nature has in store. We learned from parents that they saw their girls take ownership of their gear as the year went on to ensure they had exactly what they needed to be comfortable and prepared when outside on any given day. That’s a great outcome—engaged, empowered students eager to be prepared for the next day’s learning!

Throughout the year I found myself so inspired by the Fourth Grade girls’ commitment as stewards of our Butler Campus and the community. They embraced roles such as caretaker, weather forecaster, wildlife reporter, scheduler and materials manager. The power in these jobs was their true importance and impact on our safety, progress, and success as a community. I was also inspired by the growth in the girls‘ observational skills and their connection to their surroundings. While the beginning of the year was dedicated to safety protocols and orienting ourselves to new outdoor spaces, as the year progressed I was amazed at how the girls noted changes and became more aware of and connected to their surroundings. They identified birds, trees and plants and wondered, questioned, hypothesized and tracked. They cared for animals, the environment, and each other.

—Shannon Lukz, Fourth Grade Teacher