Courtyards. We walk by them every day and notice how no one is ever in them. Sure they light some of the classrooms and help with the drainage, but can they do more?

Our courtyards have so many potential uses. One big idea for them is to turn them into learning environments for science classes to conduct research and do field work. Students could examine different plant life and conduct experiences that couldn’t normally be done inside.

It is becoming a trend for schools to have outdoor areas for science classes to conduct research and do experiments. Having our courtyards used for this would give West science students more experience in their science classes that could benefit them in the long run.

Of course, this plan would take a lot of work. “It takes a lot of work to come up with that plan,” says AP Environmental Science teacher Mrs. Baxter. In order to plan this, research would need to be conducted as to what kind of plants would be best-suited for the courtyards and how to raise the funds to make this dream a reality.

“I wish we could use the courtyards to do research or run experiments in AP Environmental Science because we could be more hands on which would give us more experience,” says senior Heather Barry. Although the dream is there, it may take years before it happens. It would be a huge project.

Having the courtyards used more often, would make the school lively and what better way to do it than turning them into outdoor learning centers. Having science students going out and doing field work would really add to their science education while at West.