- Wallace Elementary School
- Overview
Generation Next Article
With the arrival of supplies and materials this past summer, Wallace Elementary has taken the first steps into a schoolwide project dubbed Generation Next. The vision of Generation Next at Wallace Elementary is to mentor, educate, and inspire the future generation of successful citizens. FLOCK, a non-profit outreach organization through House of Raeford, has partnered with us, and has been instrumental in implementing the project.
Careful planning, consideration of space utilization, and alignment to our district’s STEAMA initiative has set the stage for the project. Prior to student arrival in August, concrete was poured for a sidewalk and outdoor classroom spaces. Mrs. Rivenbark’s 7th Grade STEAMA 2.0 classes, installed landscape throughout the courtyard, along the sidewalk and in areas dedicated to social and emotional support.
Science, technology, engineering, arts, math,and agriculture (STEAMA), were integrated in a real-life setting as students installed a variety of vegetation in the Generation Next area. Mrs. Tiffany Cassell, Duplin Agribusiness Academy Coordinator, generated conversations with each class about the connections of this project to careers and STEAMA. Binomial nomenclature, plant growth habits, cataloging species using QR coding, architectural drawings of the space utilized, aesthetic importance of plant selection, area and volume of plant spacing and depth, and landscape design were elaborated on as students worked diligently to place each plant and landscape feature.
Now that the plants have been placed, students, and staff are excited to take the next steps in implementing Generation Next. The future includes raised garden beds and outdoor classrooms for continuous integration of all the aspects of STEAMA education. “Generation Next” is a school-wide initiative to collectively bring all grade levels together and will truly make Wallace Elementary a place where greatness “GROWS”.