Outdoor Learning Alliance (OLA)

The Outdoor Learning Alliance goal is to create outdoor learning spaces where all children can learn, play, and rest. We believe learning outdoors is important to sensitize the kids to the beauty, importance and complexity of nature; experiencing science hands-on is an effective and long-lasting learning strategy; and playing and resting outdoors is important for physical, mental and emotional well-being.

To get involved, please email us at outdoorlearningalliance@gmail.com or fill out the OLA volunteer interest form. We welcome you!

Spring 2025

OLA is setting its sights on the next area to conquer - the inner courtyards of Holliston High School! We started the clean-up process in the fall of 2024 and will continue through 2025. This is currently a work-in-progress and we are so grateful to our partners, Barrios Landscaping and Stucchi Landscaping for donating their time, resources, and expertise in support of beautifying our school groups. This project is supported by the HHS administration and the student clubs of woodshop, art, leadership. Interested in helping out? Please email us at outdoorlearningalliance@gmail.com.

Fall 2024

Can you smell the back-to-school flowers? The Outdoor Learning Alliance (OLA) sure can! This fall, OLA has been hard at work in a few outdoor learning areas at Placentino and RAMS. These spaces provide a blank educational canvas for any teacher to use while rejuvenating everyone’s minds with nature.

At Placentino, the courtyard vegetable beds are ready to be planted by students, the weeds are gone, and the flowers are tucked in with a fresh layer of mulch. Some of the students even helped to decorate a newly donated birdhouse to add to the collection. Oh, and did we mention the smell of flowers? That would probably be the new colorful planters which now greet students and staff every morning at Placentino and Miller.

Meanwhile, RAMS has their Outdoor Learning Area Project in full-swing. Beds have been dug and filled, and the picnic tables (AKA Adult Legos) have been assembled and placed. This will surely be a cool place to read a book or witness some abscission!

Spring 2023

OLA is back to work after winter break! Special thanks to Barrios Landscaping, Jim Stucchi, and Shannon Cornwell for their assistance and donations of labor and materials!

Fall 2022: Watch us grow!

The Outdoor Learning Alliance (OLA) - a group of parents reimagining outdoor spaces for the Holliston Public Schools - officially broke ground on their first project Friday, Nov 4, 2022.

The Placentino Elementary Inner Courtyard is evolving from a modest dry grass space into a whimsical and colorful garden of learning and discovery for all of Holliston’s Public Elementary School students, staff and teachers.

The Outdoor Learning Alliance (OLA), a subcommittee of the Holliston PTO, would like to thank all our community volunteers who worked hard to prepare the space for transformation in this first phase of the project.  Additional work will continue in the spring of 2023.  A big shout out and thanks to Barrios Landscaping - amazing Francisco Barrios and his crew - Lowe’s Milford and SiteOne Landscape Supply in Milford for donated labor and materials, Weston Nurseries for donating all the soil. Thank you to Peas, Love and Parsley - a local women owned garden design company - for donating their time and expertise to help design the space and to come get dirty with us to put our vision into action.  We also want to thank Holliston Dunkin Donuts for donating coffee and sweets that cheered us up in the morning and the Holliston Superette for donating the delicious and nutritious lunch that kept us going way past lunchtime. Go OLA!