The original concept for an outdoor amphitheater was a dream of the Land and Legacy Project developed by Bruce Fincham, Caroline Wenger Korn, Tiffany Newberry, Don Fox, students, and other community members around 2008, back when the campus was home to Catheys Valley Elementary. That school was closed due to budget cuts in June 2011. When the campus re-opened in August 2012 as Sierra Foothill Charter School, fifth and sixth grade students decided to fulfill the dream of an outdoor classroom under the guidance of Service Learning Coordinator Barbara Milazzo.
The finished outdoor amphitheater at SFCS was the dream of the Land and Legacy Project fulfilled by SFCS students under the direction of Service Learning Coordinator Barbara Milazzo. It is ready for use in the 2017-2018 school year and is capable of seating all students.
Before outside work began, students worked inside, doing much research and planning. They partnered up to research one aspect of the project per team - from why the location was chosen, what methods and materials would work best, the pros and cons of superadobe earth bags (the material they ended up using), what they could do to ensure longevity, and more. They then reported back to the entire class and they made decisions together.
Students learned about construction best practices and the reasons behind them. For instance, they learned that putting in drains behind every tier would prevent back pressure and creep. Also, to help with this, they decided to put gravel underneath every tier and barbed wire in between. Students also learned about rise and run, why it was important, and what needed to be done to make the steps consistent.
Skylee Butler works with a partner, using the concrete mixer back in May 2015. Service Learning Coordinator Barbara Milazzo made sure to pair boys with girls and to break through gender stereotypes throughout this project.
In looking at the design of the amphitheater, one concern students had was that at 135 students, SFCS double the enrollment of the former Catheys Valley Elementary, so the structure had to be much larger. Students studied this problem, did the math, and adjusted the original plans accordingly. Students studied ratios, volume, area of circles, weight, and scale. One of their jobs was to figure out how much coarse sand, cement, gravel, barbed wire, and other materials they needed to order to get started and complete the project.
Students began the excavation in 2015 to create a 3-tiered structure. This involved significant work with shovels, picks, tampers, levels, strings, and stakes. Students learned how to use a shovel and pick effectively in hard clay soil, how to load a wheelbarrow so it doesn't tip over, how to work as a team, and work safely with many tools in a tight area.
Students began excavation work, defining the three tiers of the outdoor amphitheater, in March 2015. It required much work with picks, shovels, wheelbarrows, stakes, and string - and a lot of applied math.
One important lesson Milazzo consistently taught was that the girls are just as capable as the boys at running mixers, pushing wheelbarrows, swinging axes, and pounding tampers. She asked the boys to encourage the girls and the girls to assert their strength.
Milazzo made sure to pair boys with girls for tasks.
“I always monitored to see that the boy did not dominate and that the girl did not relinquish,” said Milazzo. “I built confidence in our girls. If I saw a gender control issue arise, which happened a lot at first, I would talk with the team kindly but adamantly. We discussed societal gender stereotypes and the false messages about gender abilities that often begin long before kids can add 1+1. I asked them to break those stereotypes and they did.”
('Click' picture above to view larger image): Barbara Milazzo, center, sits with SFCS seventh and eighth graders, many of whom started this project with her back when they were in fifth and sixth grade. Pictured: Tristen McCulloch, Craig Helzer, Gabriel Specht, Tyler Brown, Jacqueline Telles-Trujillo, Marilyn Kleiman-Moore, unidentified student, Spencer Baumann, Malte Salonen, Barbara Milazzo, Skylee Butler, Jaden DuBois, Bayleigh Davis, Daniela Garagarza, Ryan Ramirez, Emilee Cordero, Allex Smith, and Ian Beutel-DePrano.
All students were supported and encouraged. “They all succeeded,” said Milazzo, “even with tasks some were afraid of doing at first, like running the mixers.”
When students discovered a large boulder in the area of the steps, the Mount Bullion Conservation Camp #39 workers were called in when students weren't on campus to pick at it until it conformed to the step pattern. This was one task the students would not have had the strength to do.
Once the tiers were defined, students began the long and difficult process of filling sandbags with a mixture of the excavated dirt, course sand, and cement. Students ran the mixers, filling them with ratios of materials they had calculated, and transferring the damp mix into bags. These bags were carefully aligned, tamped level, checked, and then stacked, with a row of barbed wire between each stack, to lock them into place. Students were able to fill 10 to 13 bags a session.
This process was repeated two afternoons a week for the 2015-16 school year. Students formed the majority of the seating and stairs. Completing the top row was proving to be quite difficult for the 5th and 6th grade class. Carrying the full sandbags that far was too much for their strength. That portion was completed with the assistance of the Mt. Bullion work crew.
Skilled stonemason Pat Conlisk put on the finishing touches. Here, he works on applying a scratch coat of cement. After that, Conlisk meticulously applied a finish coat of colored concrete, and added details to give it a stone like appearance.
This school year, it was time to put the finishing coat on the superstructure. The school was fortunate to be able to hire Pat Conlisk, a very skilled stonemason who said he was fascinated by the project, to finish it. He was impressed with the accuracy and quality of the structural work done by the kids.
Conlisk and a crew of students wrapped the hardened structure in stucco wire and applied a scratch coat of cement. After that, Conlisk meticulously applied a finish coat of colored concrete, and added details to give it a stone like appearance.
The original dream of a cozy amphitheater for a school of 67 is now a beautiful tribute to a school of 135, embodying its git-er-done spirit!
“SFCS thanks Service Learning Coordinator Barbara Milazzo for taking on this project and managing it from beginning to end,” says Principal/Superintendent Mindy Bolar. “We also thank all the students for their calculations, measurements, and hard work, and Pat Conlisk for providing the beautiful finishing touches. This is now an excellent spot for teachers to use for outdoor lessons and for the entire school to gather on occasion.”
“When you look at the structure,” said Milazzo, “don't just see a very cool amphitheater, see the construction of those student's concept of self, of persistence, of strength, of realization, of courage, of teamwork, and of accomplishment. Oh, and there was a lot of real math application involved, too!”
Sierra Foothill Charter School is a free, non-profit, TK-8 public school. For more information, contact the office at (209) 742-6222 or visit SFCS’s website: SierraFoothillCharterSchool.org. To stay up to date on all the latest happenings, “like” SFCS on Facebook.
'Click' here to see earlier picture of the amphitheater project on June 27, 2016:: Students Enjoy the Last Day of the School Year at SFCS.
