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OurSpace Courtyard Unveils Signature Mural, Greenhouse

greenhouse laughs

Jill Hawthorne paints mural

posing on the bridge
From inside the greenhouse, where teacher Jenny Neuhoff laughs and converses with students (left), to the beautiful mural, on which teacher Jill Hawthorne continues to paint final touches (center), to the walking bridge connecting both (above), the OurSpace Courtyard at High School North is a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of high school life.

Oct. 20, 2023-- Jenny Neuhoff applied for and was awarded a Sustainable Jersey for Schools grant worth $10,000 back in the spring of 2022. Since then, she and her students at High School North have worked tirelessly to make their vision of the OurSpace Courtyard come to life. Landscaping, seating including floating, half-circle hammock chairs, lighting, a peace pole, and trees and plants are just some of the elements that make the enclosed courtyard a sustainable, beautiful, and unique place to learn.

Two of the outdoor space's core elements, however, are a mural and greenhouse, both officially unveiled yesterday in a small ceremony at the school. Professional muralist and HSN Arts Academy teacher Jill Hawthorne led the mural project, while fellow Arts Academy teacher Keleyn Wraga served as head of the greenhouse. Students helped paint the former and design and build the latter, and the results proved to extraordinary, a testament to vision, planning, execution, and collaboration.