New outdoor classroom to be named after former staffer Jenni Nichols

LAKE MILLS — The Lake Mills Parent-Teacher Organization is starting to fundraise for a new Outdoor Learning Center that will be named in honor of the district’s former reading specialist, Jenni Nichols.

Teachers who worked with Nichols said she was a constant guide and made everyone she worked with feel supported. She worked at the elementary and middle school for nearly ten years before developing cancer.

She took a year off to fight the disease, then came back before having to fully retire in 2022. Nichols eventually lost the battle with cancer and died in July. She was 59.

“To honor this amazing educator and friend, Jenni Nichols, we will continue to carry her torch of inspiration forward, ensuring that her love of the outdoors and her legacy of learning continues to brighten hearts and minds for generations to come,” LMES staff wrote in a letter to the school board, where they asked if the Outdoor Learning Center could be named The Jenni Nichols Outdoor Learning Center.

Michelle Cook, who took over as reading specialist after Nichols left due to cancer, said Nichols stayed for a year to help her transition into the position.

“This says a lot because her health was going down — but she wanted to stay to help the next person, which was me,” Cook said.

Nikki Berg, a first-grade teacher and the PTO president, said this “shows how much she cares.”

Berg said the Outdoor Learning Center project started with a staff survey about what kids and the community would benefit from — and an OLC came up quite a few times.

There are several benefits to an outdoor classroom, according to district staff. Students can engage in hands-on and experiential learning activities. The OLC could also give students the opportunity to connect with nature and experience an integrated curriculum, with lessons that encompass science, math, art and more.

Pam Moen, a reading teacher at LMES who worked with Nichols, said the staff heard about Nichols health declining, and they agreed that they should find a way to give her the recognition she deserves.

“It seemed fitting that if this was the direction we were going that it would be a good way to honor her,” Moen said.

Moen added that it made sense because Nichols loved the outdoors and was great at bringing people together.

Cook said she only worked with Nichols for a year, but she could already tell how nonjudgmental and welcoming Nichols was. She added that Nichols made everyone feel like they could succeed in anything.

Deb Galstad, a first grade teacher who also worked with Nichols, said Nichols really cared for the teachers. Every in-service with her was like a “master class,” according to Galstad, because she was just so knowledgeable.

“She was really loved,” Galstad said.

“Jenni Nichols was a cherished member of our school community, and her love for teaching and the outdoors left an indelible mark on all of us,” Wendy Sallam, the principal at LMES, said in an announcement about the learning center. “The Jenni Nichols Outdoor Learning Center will be a place where her spirit lives on, inspiring curiosity and a love for learning in our students.”

Berg said that they are working on the OLC in phases. Currently, the PTO is in the early stages, as they are waiting on a rendering of a drawing. After that, they will look at contractors to evaluate the cost. The building would then begin in phases based on how much the PTO has fundraised.

This project will not be funded through the school budget nor will it have an effect on taxpayers’ school levy. It will be paid primarily by fundraising through the PTO. When finished, the OLC will be located behind the elementary school.