PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Bay District Schools held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the Winston Chester Outdoor Education Building at Mosley High School.
Local residents, Mosley alumni and current students celebrated the new facility, which is named after Winston Chester, a school board member and former Mosley School teacher.
Chester founded the Outdoor Education program in 1993, starting with just 12 interested students, but the program has since grown into a rite of passage for Mosley seniors.
Chester said students will have space to store equipment and work on large-scale projects centered around the outdoors. As you learn these skills, you also learn life lessons, he said.
Looking back on his days teaching the course, he said: My favorite part is standing in front of the classroom and talking to them and spontaneously trying to give them life lessons. That's always my favorite part. Because I had 18-year-old kids and all 45 of them saw me and heard me. So you can't put a price tag on it. That is my fondest memory. The phrase “dreams come true” is overused, but truly this is a dream come true, not only for me, but also for the graduates and future children here. ”
Bay Area Schools officials said the new facility will serve as a guide for other counties interested in implementing outdoor education programs.
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