(Credit for Photo: Photo Courtesy of Grove City College, Photo Provided with Release)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Grove City, PA) An unlikely group of VIPs helped break ground Tuesday on a new Nature Classroom at Grove City College’s Early Education Center. 

Wearing hard hats and safety vests, nine preschool students — ages 3 and 4 — lined up along a fence outside the center, clutching small gold shovels for the ceremonial photo. Many seemed more interested in nearby balloons and cupcakes than the proceedings. 

As the children dug into the dirt, Early Education Center Director Jolene Munson described plans for the outdoor classroom, which will be built next to the playground behind Staley Hall of Arts and Letters on campus. 

The Nature Classroom will feature elements designed to engage young children with the natural world, including garden beds, diggers, play tables, a balance beam made from a downed branch and tree stumps for seating and play. 

The project was conceived by Munson and designed by 2025 graduates Taylor Funai, Hannah Lewonka and Faith Sheldon with assistance from architect Mark Scheller of Draw Collective. Darren Wood, an associate professor of biology, also contributed to the project. 

Sheldon and Scheller, who volunteered his services, attended the groundbreaking. 

Funding for the project was provided by alumni Scott and Donna Dysert, both members of the Class of 1987. 

The Early Education Center is an on-campus preschool program serving young children and their families, staffed by certified teachers and education majors.