ters, he said planning ahead ….

ters, he said planning ahead helped the groups in the long run to get their tasks done safely, easily and with high quality.

“One of the things they have had to learn is to be prepared,” he said. “This is true in the wilderness where mistakes can be costly, but also in real life. They can take these lessons with them as they go through life and apply them to whatever struggles they are facing.”

Even as the students went about their tasks, Moseley said this year’s class has a benefit that the past several classes before never had: the completed Nature Center. Ever since he started teaching in his hometown seven years ago, Moseley said it was a dream of his to create a place where classes could go to learn in an outdoor environment. It was that dream that drove him to reach out to area organizations and businesses for donations to build the Nature Center, and now, five years later, it is finished.

“We wanted to make something for the whole school, something where the kids could come down and learn at,” he said. “This all started in my second year of being here five years ago. In my first year we didn’t have this. We started asking for donations and contacting organizations and we received almost $60,000 in donations.”

With the funds, the school has slowly been able to build the shelter. In the first years, Moseley said they were able to build the shell of the building, using that for outdoor classes. COVID-19 put some delay on the completion of the project, but with the help of the high school technology class in the past year, he said they were able to add the finishing touches to the center to make it more useable.

“Last fall the high school shop class came down and worked on the Nature Center,” he said. “They came over two times a week and they did the ceiling and sheet rock as part of the school project.”

Today, the Nature Center now includes a classroom, full bathroom with a shower, and a storage area that will be used primarily by the physical education department to store its skis and snowshoes. In addition to the physical aspects of the building, Moseley said the Nature Center also has electricity and working wi-fi so that students will be able to use their computers while at the site.

With the Nature Center fully complete, Moseley said the plan is to continue to hold events such as the annual sixth-grade survival camp at the site, and continue to give all classes at the Greenwood Elementary School the opportunity to learn in and about the great outdoors. Beyond its educational capacity, he said the Nature Center also stands as a testament to the Greenwood community and how supportive it is of their school.

“It is the typical school that is supported by its community,” he said. “The school is the center of our community and I know that people just want their kids to get the chance to get out and make some memories. They have been supportive throughout this whole project, and that does not surprise me one bit, but it does make things like this so special.”

CHEYENNE THOMAS/STAFF PHOTO