Penn High School Students Help Bring Bittersweet Gathering Grove to Life

Students in Penn High School’s Civil Construction classes are putting their skills to work while helping create a new outdoor learning space for Bittersweet students.

On Thursday, Oct.15, students helped pour the concrete floor for a new 24-by-24-foot pavilion at the Bittersweet Nature Center. The project is part of the Bittersweet Gathering Grove, an initiative to create a sheltered outdoor classroom for hands-on learning.

The project is funded by a $6,500 P-H-M Education Foundation grant awarded last year to Bittersweet teachers Michelle Leniski and Niki Kornrumph.

The Gathering Grove is a partnership between Bittersweet Elementary and Penn High School’s Building Trades, Architecture and Civil Engineering classes. Penn students are helping design and construct the pavilion, gaining valuable real-world experience while creating a space that will benefit younger students.

The Bittersweet Nature Center is a fenced outdoor learning area located near Bittersweet Elementary. The space has undergone improvements over the years, including revitalization efforts by local Boy Scouts and a Book Walk project completed by former students.

The pavilion marks Phase One of a larger effort to develop a sheltered outdoor classroom equipped with picnic tables, providing students with additional opportunities to learn and explore outside the traditional classroom.

The collaboration highlights P-H-M’s commitment to hands-on learning, career and technical education, and partnerships that benefit students across the district.