PORT ANGELES — Hamilton Elementary School’s outdoor classroom is renovated and ready for finer weather.
Originally built in the 1980s, the woodsy area in the northeast corner of Hamilton’s campus had become overgrown, and Parent Teacher Organization members decided it was time for a makeover.
With a $5,000 grant from Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Program, which was written by former PTO President Anne Mitchell and awarded to Hamilton last year, current PTO President Carrie Walls and volunteers completed the renovations before the ribbon-cutting last week.
Hamilton Elementary Principal Loren Engel welcomed Lowe’s representatives from the Silverdale store — Nancy Kellogg, Jessica Correa, Carly Christofferson and Charline Besel.
Contractor John Kimmel of JK Dirtworks and volunteer Pat Milliren also attended the ceremony, along with several of the Hamilton students who will use the space.
The newly minted stage and benches — set among the more than 30 types of trees and shrubs in the area — form an area for students to study, hear presentations and find a quiet place to write, Engel said.
