FORT SMITH, Ark. — When Southside High School senior Evan Smith had to design his Eagle Scout project, he knew exactly what to do. He set out to build an outdoor classroom at his old elementary school, Ballman Elementary.
"We met with the school district design planners [for] a lot of many hours drawing, redesigning, and then drawing to meet the demands of certain people," Smith said. "And then also resourcing all the materials that we need, like the board and then the metal and all that."
But why did he choose this project?
"The outdoor classroom was a memorial and a dedication for Mrs. Kim Friery," Smith said. "She was a PTA mom that dedicated a lot of hours and a lot of resources to Ballman Elementary when I was a student here, and unfortunately, she passed away. And so I wanted to create something that could bring the students to light outside, and also have a place to remember Mrs. Kim Friery."
However, over the past couple of months, the outdoor classroom was vandalized at least twice. That didn't stop Smith from rebuilding.
"Instead of moping on the fact that it was destroyed, I kind of thought that I knew I had a strong community around me that would be able to help rebuild everything," Smith said.
According to Evan's Scoutmaster Preston Davis, Smith's head went straight to problem-solving.
"You could tell he was upset, but his major concern at that point wasn't to be mad. He was like, 'How am I going to fix it?'" Davis said.
For his work developing, maintaining, and rebuilding the outdoor classroom, Smith received an award from the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution and a $500 check to put toward the classroom. Smith said it's all thanks to the people around him.
"[It] says that there's a big community around me," Smith said. "A lot of people love and support what I do, and it just shows that I have a lot of hope for my future and my community just backs what I do in my life."
His mother said she is so proud of the work her son put in.
"I'm so proud of Evan," Karen Smith said. "When he had this vision a few years ago and said that he wanted to do an outdoor classroom for our school, that was amazing. But, to look at it now and see it come full circle, he's never given up. I mean, it is more than I can imagine what he's done here."
Ballman Elementary principal Nancy Burris said the students love to go outside and visit the classroom.
"We have families who come down here. They came down all through the summer to water and to make sure the plants were growing. The kids comment that it's a calming place that they can come to. They've met friends. It's a place they can come and just sit and enjoy nature," Burris said.
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