ANDOVER - Sixth-graders at Wood Hill Middle School aren't just learners. They're engineers and construction workers, too.
More than 80 students designed and built the school's new outdoor classroom that dozens of school officials and parents turned out to celebrate at a grand opening.
"It is really quite beautiful," said Superintendent Claudia Bach, who had the honor of cutting the ribbon at Friday morning's ceremony.
Last year's sixth-graders drew up the preliminary plans for the classroom. This year's classes used their math and technology skills to finalize the design, then placed the bricks to form the classroom's 20-by-40-foot patio.
The classroom, adjacent to the sixth-grade wing at the rear of the school, will be open to any teacher who wants to take his or her students outside on nice days. It will be especially beneficial for science classes studying astronomy, climate and other environmental subjects.
Teacher Steve Tisbert, who oversaw the project, is already planning his next task: using the hill next to the outdoor classroom to create an amphitheater.
