The Merrill School District Head Start/Early Childhood Program has received a grant for $2,000 from the Wisconsin Retired Educators’ Association (WREA) Foundation for the innovative Secret Path, Natural Playscape Project. Teacher Joan Krohn applied for and accepted the award.

The Secret Path, which began in 2008, has received community-wide support. It develops a sense of wonder and an appreciation of nature in a day when our society has turned toward technology and away from life’s simple pleasures. Exploring nature builds a foundation for life-long learning, citizenship, and global stewardship.

The Secret Path is open to the public and currently includes a small playhouse, a boulder field, a sod mountain, and gravel pits. Teachers and families notice positive results when children respond to this natural playscape: they develop a greater sense of imagination, improved language and problem-solving skills, and experience an overall sense of fun. Time on the playscape also encouraged discovery, exploration, experimentation, and teamwork.

Future plans include adding more vegetation, outdoor musical instruments, a frame building for climbing, and a "story stage" as increasing numbers of children and their families spend time together at The Secret Path.

The Merrill Elementary School Headstart/Early Childhood Program was one of five projects to receive the 2009 awards. The other recipients were: Jefferson Elementary, Kenosha; Marshfield Elementary School, Marshfield; Chappel Elementary School, Green Bay; and Crestwood Elementary School, Madison. Each received $2,000 to reward programs that demonstrate innovation in student achievement or contribute to a better environment for students, schools, or the communities they serve. The awards were presented the week of Oct. 19 during regional meetings of the WREA.

The Merrill Schools were represented at the award ceremony by Lisa Snyder, John Sample and Carole Witt Starck. Merrill Area Public Schools retired teachers Gene Bebel, Barb Dintelman, Delores Leindecker, Bob Gruling, Ruth Koblitz, and Ruth Dietrich, Lincoln County WREA president Carol Plutam, WREA Past President Clara Welch, and WREA State President Elect Carol Lamp were also in attendance. Lamp congratulated each of the winning schools and spoke highly of 70 other schools that applied for the award.

"Each submission showcased innovative and inspiring programs," she said. "We congratulate each one for the great work they do to engage students in learning, achieving, and succeeding. We all benefit from the good things that are happening in Wisconsin’s public schools."