Noticing the abundance of open space in the Scenic Heights Elementary school forest, Kindergarten teacher and School Forest Coordinator Amy Altenburg saw a golden opportunity and seized it. 

This past July, Altenburg organized a team from the Minnetonka community and beyond to help turn that space into a hammock park for students to enjoy once the school year begins. 

“We’re so lucky to have this space available to us on school grounds,” Altenburg said. “My number one priority was really just getting more students there.”

Also involved in the project was Sam Gausmann (Hopkins ‘21), the Eagle Scout in charge of completing this project. He was accompanied by Paul Hocker, his scout leader and a Minnetonka parent, as well as his friends, parents, grandfather and various other community members. His father, Peter Gausmann, is the Instructional Technology Coach at Minnetonka Middle Schools East.

Looking for volunteers to help prepare and install the hammocks, Sam used the Nextdoor Neighbor app to find a retired landscaper, Thomas Modeen, to help with the project. Donating his time and equipment, Modeen helped dig holes in the ground in order to install the wooden posts which would hold up the hammocks. Sam also recruited the help of Minnetonka’s building and grounds crew, led by Jim McCann, to mow down the space and spread wood chips in the area. 

“Having the community so involved with this project was a really cool aspect of this,” Altenburg said. In addition to the generous community members who donated their time, the Scenic Heights PTA gave the team a grant to complete this project. 

With all the exciting prospects the hammock park offers, Altenburg believes its addition to the school forest will allow for more enriching educational experiences.

“Classrooms do things like Drop Everything and Read [DEAR], and we want to encourage classrooms to take [their] books down to the forest and hang out in a hammock! Students could also take their iPads down there, take some pictures, or just have some free time,” Altenburg added. “For a writing experience, older kids could take their journals and do some writing in the hammocks—the possibilities are endless.”

Now completed after a month’s worth of hard work and preparation, the hammock park is ready for use! Thank you to all community members that have made this project possible.

Photos courtesy of Amy Altenburg