(Photo Credit: Savanna School)

By Nathaniel Leigh

Outdoor Education

Student accessible fire pit available at Savanna School

Sep 15, 2023 | 1:10 PM

Savanna School is opening a hot new amenity for students in Grades 7-12.

The rural school has installed a fire pit for students to gather at and to use to cook food during lunch time.

Co-principal Chris Young says the pit is an expansion of the outdoors cooking component of Savanna’s Outdoor Ed program.

“We had established a small cooking area for the Outdoor Ed class,” Young says. “Last year I had the idea that we should expand this, build a fire pit area that our Grade 7-12 students could come out during lunch if they wanted to and cook their meal, roast a hot dog, or just enjoy the fire in the company of their friends.”

Young says permission forms have been sent out to make sure students and parents understand how the program works and how to use it safely.

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“We have a A-frame support that allows students to hang a grill over the fire or they can hang a dutch oven if they’re gonna work on something communal,” he says.

“I’m going to volunteer my time to go out during lunch to make sure the students are building the fire responsibly and that the fire is properly put out at the end of lunch.”

Young says the school will provide cast iron cooking utensils if the students do not bring their own.

“If they want to borrow the dutch oven or the frying pan or something like that, they’re responsible to bring it back in and clean it afterwards,” he says.

“One of the big aspects is building that independence with our students and giving them an opportunity to be responsible for their own actions. If you want to use this pan you’re going to be responsible to bring it back in and get it cleaned up.”

He says the fire pit will help teach students to be good steward of the environment and that they are mindful of any fire safety requirements or bans.