Though Adam Keagy began his teaching days at Chairville Elementary School eight years ago, he did not spend the entirety of that time in Medford.
Keagy was one of the many teachers who fell victim to the mass budget cuts in 2009.
During the three year period following his layoff, his career bounced from one place to another, but he is happy to have landed back at Chairville last year.
“When I returned, I was ready to make up for lost time and get back to some projects,” he said.
Being an outdoor enthusiast, Keagy has always enjoyed immersing himself in the wilderness, whether that be through driving, backpacking or climbing.
“That was my other life before teaching,” Keagy said.
Going to school and obtaining his master’s degree in outdoor education gave Keagy a unique understanding of how beneficial it can be for kids to get out of the classroom for a bit.
Recently becoming a parent has also opened his eyes to how much kids today sit in front of a screen.
Keagy alluded to how most of the parents he confronts about this kind of behavior chalk it up to a similar saying, “kids these days.”
“I wanted to actually do something about it instead and encourage them to get outside any way I could,” he said.
About three years ago, Keagy began drafting a proposal for an outdoor classroom to be built at Chairville Elementary School.
He viewed the potential addition as a formal teaching space where teachers could bring their students instead of just sitting on the ground and gathering around for a quick book reading.
After discussing the logistics with several contractors and landscapers, Keagy brought the idea before administration and was turned down for financial reasons — not much of a surprise considering the recent budget cuts.
So Keagy took to grant writing.
He spent all of last year applying for about two dozen grant opportunities and was turned down by just about every one of them.
However, instead of getting disgruntled, he kept plugging along in pursuit of his vision to implement a new fresh air learning environment for his students.
He was tweaking his proposal and researching where else he could send it to when he came across a group Medford Public Schools has worked with in the past — the Sustainable Schools for Jersey Program.
“Our district has already gotten certified with the program, so that gave me a leg up,” Keagy said.
Sustainable Jersey for Schools is a certification program for public schools in New Jersey. It was launched by Sustainable Jersey, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that provides tools, training and financial incentives to support and reward municipalities and schools as they pursue sustainability programs.
The organization gives out four $10,000 grants and 30 $2,000 grants each year to fund a variety of projects including food composting, outdoor classrooms, sustainability education, rainwater collection, recycling and more.
“The grants create an opportunity for teachers, administrators and their respective communities to shape the future of their students and schools for years to come,” co-director of Sustainable Jersey Donna Drewes said.
The PSEG Foundation has contributed more than $1 million in funding to the Sustainable Jersey Small Grants Program.
“Our long-standing partnership with Sustainable Jersey has helped to empower schools to develop projects that provide students with the opportunity to learn more about sustainability, protecting the environment and STEM education,” PSEG Foundation President Ellen Lambert said.
All proposals were evaluated by an independent Blue Ribbon Selection Committee, and Chairville ended up receiving $10,000 from the organization.
“I was originally shooting for something in the $2,000-$5,000 range, so I was very excited to receive a grant that would hopefully fund most of the project,” Keagy said.
Keagy expressed his appreciation to his staff members, Superintendent Joe Del Rossi and his principal, Jared Fudurich, for their constant support and congratulatory comments afterward.
Fudurich voiced his enthusiasm to construct this innovative new addition that will provide new learning space for nearly 400 students at his school and be open to the entire district.
“We are excited to investigate and explore the many ways in which to effectively use this space to enhance our instruction,” Fudurich said.
The school is shooting to begin phase one of the construction sometime during late April or early May and to have the project finished by the end of this school year.
