The Kickemuit Middle School Outdoor Learning Zone project has secured new funding from community partners who believe in its potential to transform education there. Years in the making, the project is slated to be completed by the end of 2027.

In the project’s final stretch of fundraising and construction, the Lawson Charitable Foundation has granted $10,000 to strengthen youth mental health, support emotional regulation, and expand access to social-emotional learning for diverse learners through the creation of a Reset Space.

“We were inspired by the vision behind the Outdoor Learning Zone and its focus on meeting students where they are," said Nicole Anderson of the Lawson Charitable Foundation. "By integrating nature-based practices with social-emotional learning, the Reset Space will offer meaningful support for students' mental and emotional well-being while creating a more inclusive learning environment. We are honored to help make this important resource possible."

The grant expands a collaboration between outdoor education nonprofit Thrive Outside, Roger Williams University Department of Education faculty and KMS psychological staff, to design and implement a dedicated space for reflection, sensory engagement, de-escalation, and reintegration into the learning environment through nature-based practices.

Community and inter-district partnerships have been the secret to success for the KMS Outdoor Learning Zone project. In addition to a partnership with Mt. Hope High School's Career and Technical Center's construction program that built the OLZ pavilion, there is a collaboration underway with the high school’s business, environmental science, construction and graphic design programs to create interpretative signage for the space. This initiative is funded by the Bristol Warren Education Foundation.

Thrive Outside’s “Fresh Air Funders Collaborative” has united local education changemakers: businesses like NuGen Capital Inc and Coastline Design + Build, members of the Warren High School class of ‘65 and ‘77, as well as community members Jeanne and Jim Leffers and parents of two Mt. Hope High School graduates, Stacia and Chris Jackson. They share a belief in the OLZ’s potential to be what Jeanne Leffers refers to as a vehicle for “influencing further generations to protect the environment, love the outdoors, and learn from the natural environment."

Anchoring the Funders Collaborative is the Brito Family Foundation who has been instrumental in the creation of the OLZ’s STEAM/Creativity Space.

Thrive Outside is eager to connect with foundations, businesses, major donors, parents, grandparents, Warren High School/Mt Hope High School alumni, and local education advocates who are interested in helping to fund the remaining elements of the project.

Please contact Thrive Outside’s Development Director, Sheila Dobbyn, at SheilaDobbyn@thriveoutside.info, for more information.