“When I came to Saddle Brook, there was an empty area in the middle of the school,” says Gayle Dunlap. “I went to the principal and asked if I could build a small greenhouse in this area to teach some classes in. He told me to go for it. Through the Saddle Brook Educational Foundation, I received the grant that started it all.”

With the help of students, senior citizens, and the Bergen County Audubon Society, the courtyard is now a National Wildlife Federation certified wildlife habitat. Other schools visit the Saddle Brook courtyard to learn about what is being done, take ideas back to their classrooms, and hopefully do for their students what Kim and Gayle have done for theirs.

The students at Saddle Brook have benefited in many ways from having a wildlife habitat right at their own school. The teachers believe that their students now have more of an interest in studying nature in college, and the parents love that their children are interested in the natural world.

“I see the kids in the courtyard looking for and identifying birds,” says Mrs. Dunlap. “Students often stop me in class to ask if I have seen the Red-Tailed Hawk or the ducklings at our pond. The students have started to watch birds and hang feeders at home, and some have even started composting.”

Mrs. Dunlap leads an environmental club that meets once a week for an hour during the school year and once a week for two and a half hours during the summer. If they are not working in the courtyard, the club members are planning presentations for students and adults.

Saddle Brook School’s wildlife habitat is an amazing place. In a time when technology increasingly separates students from nature, Kim and Gayle have brought birds and butterflies right into the classroom. They have put forth time, energy, and commitment to not only make sure that their students have the opportunity to learn about nature, but also to help other schools do the same thing.