The Great Outdoors: Room to Grow, Space to Thrive

By Mark Macrides, School Archivist

In 1936, when our fledgling Community School searched for land upon which it could relocate from downtown New Canaan to a true campus setting, trustees were delighted to find the Grace Church property at the corner of Frogtown and Ponus Ridge. The 150-acre parcel possessed a variety of resources that the young school needed: open fields fresh from farming and ready to accommodate football and field hockey games; hidden streams, ponds and swamps waiting to be explored, and acres of woods deforested in colonial times by farmers but now re-wooded with second-growth hardwood trees.

The school quickly developed a robust coed athletic program and christened three playing fields. Expeditions regularly set off for the woods to hike or collect tadpoles in the vernal ponds. Recess itself became an adventure as students could flex their minds developing new games and their muscles engaged in play. One can only imagine the excitement of being presented with such an expanse of raw nature with endless possibilities. Over time, as the needs of a growing school (athletic fields, recess space, parking areas) began to take shape, so too did the innovative ideas for how to implement them.

By 1963, Head of the Science Department, Robert Riedeman, began to explore the new concept of ecology and the need for, as he put it, “the desirability of imparting an understanding of the principles of conservation to our students.” In true Country School fashion, he designed and led an effort to develop the woods, creating trails, boardwalks over vernal ponds and an outdoor classroom. The plan, carried out by seventh grade science students and funded by a special parent gift, included newly accepted conservation concepts and practices such as hardwood management, reinforcement planting and forest nursery. Over time, outdoor challenge activities were added. Recently, QR codes were posted as well to mark the trails and give details of the native flora and fauna. The outdoor classroom became a regular stopping point for Kindergarteners on Monday afternoon adventures, second graders’ Roxaboxen explorations, seventh grade natural science lessons, and ninth graders contemplating a special piece of poetry.

Today the concept of land conservation is embedded in the mission and ethos of the school. Recent construction projects have included very intentional green spaces and created new areas to experience the outdoors. Classroom doors continue to open directly to gardens, fields and woods loaded with potential for enjoyment and understanding of the value of the land and the need for preservation.

Eighty-six years later, how grateful we are that our predecessors gave us all the priceless gifts of the great outdoors!