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The Donna ISD groundbreaking for a $250,000 outdoor learning center kicks off the district’s $120 million bond projects with the first of multiple projects happening there.
“One of the things that we were really adamant about as we went out for the bond was thinking about innovative learning spaces,” Donna ISD Superintendent Angela Dominguez said. “As we were we were coming back from COVID and being in remote learning settings, we noticed that more than ever, our kids needed opportunities to have hands on learning and to be outdoors in the open”
The outdoor learning center for M. Rivas Primary Discovery Academy is the first of a variety of proposed bond projects from adding new wings at several campuses to new cafeterias to additional classrooms at Donna High.
Every elementary campus in the district will construct an outdoor learning center.
M. Rivas Primary Discovery Academy is an elementary school from Pre-K through second grade and is the recipient of the 2024 H-E-B Excellence in Education Early Childhood Award.
Dominguez said the school’s outdoor learning center will have an early childhood focus featuring such things as nature stations, sand and water tables, and a music area.
“It’s an opportunity for students to learn about science and the environment,” she said.
According to a press release from the district, outdoor learning has a multitude of benefits.
The benefits listed range from improved academic performance, increased student engagement, enhanced social skills to physical and mental health benefits.
The center is expected to take about two months to complete. Following the completion, the next elementary outdoor learning center will be started.
Other proposed bond projects are additional wings at Munoz, Garza, Salazar and Singleterry elementaries and at Donna North High School.
As well as a new cafeteria and additional classrooms at Donna High, an upgrade to gymnasiums, library upgrades and relocations at AP Solis and Todd middle schools and campus additions at Veterans and Sauceda middle schools.
“Additional wings are happening at several of our elementary campuses that are high growth areas,” Dominguez said. “We also had a lot of portables out, and that really wasn’t the most safe environment for students … This will eliminate the need for those external portables and really make a safe learning environment for our students.
“We’re probably going to see a couple of projects simultaneously get launched,” Dominguez said.
Expecting to see more groundbreakings this fall, the superintendent said passing the $120 million in May 2023 was historic.
“It’s the largest bond that we’ve ever passed, and we want to be true to the promises we made to our community, to start really demonstrating that we’re launching into the work,” She said. “With any bond, you have to do all the planning first, the design phase. And what’s most exciting is we break ground on the first project, and then I think things are going to get rolling pretty quickly after that.”
