By Phoebe Donald Robinson / Community Columnist

There has been a lot of activity going on at Elvin Hill Elementary School concluding at the start of school. All of it has been part of three ambitious Eagle Scout projects of Wilsonville’s Troop 588 led by Scoutmaster Don Langner.

“These young men came to me to ask if there were needs at Elvin Hill,” said EHES Principal Betsy Smith. “We desperately needed to upgrade our outdoor classroom and needed a shady place for people to sit outside. These scouts fulfilled our needs.”

The first project was constructed by Wil Langner, a ninth-grader homeschooled with Evangel Christain School. He built a gazebo in the back of the school near the football practice field. The structure has a metal roof with table with benches.

“I wanted to build a place where teachers, coaches and students could hang out,” said Wil.

Johnathon Langner, a 10th grader at Calera High School, began work on the outdoor classroom, specifically making it safe. This summer, nails were pulled out, overgrown branches cut down, and rotten wood removed. Langner with the help of fellow scouts, Hall Hobbs, Jacob Dover, Wil Langner, Jared Woods and Nick Chapple, greatly improved the safety of the space.

After the space was safe, Corbin Hillman who is a ninth grader at SCHS and Smith’s son completed the outdoor classroom. Assisted by father Randy Hillman and step-father Darin Smith, Corbin drew the plans, built the benches with decks and added the plants, birdhouses and rain gauge.

“The outdoor classroom will be used greatly by our students,” said Smith. “It is wonderful when the community works together for the good of the school. The kindergarten classes are coming to observe the trees as they change colors during fall. The science classes will monitor the rain gauge. I am just thrilled with the results of the gazebo and outdoor classroom. I hope that a future Eagle candidate will complete our last wish, to upgrade the fish pond and add plantings in the pond area. Then this space will be complete.”