BY ASHLYN CAMPBELL
PUNGO — In a field across the road from Charity United Methodist Church, a stone pathway leads from a parking lot to a small area marked with a wooden sign that says “Ms. Susan’s Outdoor Classroom.”
Charity United Methodist Church Preschool recently celebrated the retirement of Susan Flanagan, a teacher at the preschool for 26 years, by creating an outdoor space dedicated to her work.
Flanagan retired last year amid the height of the pandemic, and Heather Harris, the preschool director, said there were limited options to celebrate Flanagan’s retirement at the time.
Harris said the preschool staff brainstormed safe ways to celebrate and honor Flanagan.
“You just don’t think Susan Flanagan without thinking three things – her love of teaching, her love of nature and her love for the Lord,” Harris said. “I wanted to do something that the church could use as much as the preschool.”
Harris said the outdoor classroom incorporated all those elements, as well as giving an area in nature for people to spend time together in the outdoors.
Flanagan said in an interview that Harris surprised her with the outdoor classroom by calling her and asking to set aside a day in June to “do a little something” for her retirement.
After eating and spending some time together, the classroom was unveiled.
“I had no idea,” Flanagan said. “They said, ‘Oh let’s go over and see Susan’s outside classroom.’ That was the first I heard about it, and I had not even noticed it over there.”
The classroom incorporates plenty of elements of nature, like log seats painted with different colors and hands-on experiences for children.
Harris added that the Charity community pitched in to add elements that were a nod to Flanagan.
From rocks painted as strawberries – the Flanagan family are longtime strawberry farmers in Pungo – to the Very Hungry Caterpillar, Harris said many people contributed to little details that encapsulated Flanagan’s life and time at Charity.
“We really wanted to have future generations feel like they know her a little bit,” Harris said.
Flanagan said she’ll miss the camaraderie with the preschool teachers and teaching the young students, but she’ll still be around to make appearances at the preschool.
“It was just a real clever thing to do,” Flanagan said of the classroom. “I’ve never heard of anything like that before. It’s nice that I’ll be remembered.”
Harris noted that Flanagan’s work helped many students and their families, as well as teachers at the preschool.
“Susan just brings something special to Charity,” Harris said. “She just is an amazing person and loved being there with the kids day in and day out. It was a work of heart for her.”
© 2021 Pungo Publishing Co., LLC