Burgess-Peterson Academy To Hold Outdoor Classroom Dedication

The children of Burgess-Peterson Academy are hosting a party to show off their newly built outdoor classroom April 14.

The Spring Butterfly Festival, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., follows months of work to build the outdoor classroom by parents, neighbors and other volunteer boosters of the East Atlanta grammar school.

The Spring Butterfly Festival will feature local food trucks, crafts making, a petting zoo, and other activities, said Jeanne Fore, special events chairwoman of BPA's Parent Teachers Association.

BPA's students, who have been tending to and taking care of caterpillars are now in the cocooning stage, plan to release them the day of the festival, Fore said.

The classroom was made possible via a $7,500 grant that Robin Robbins, BPA's principal, received in November from the Atlanta Families Awards for Excellence in Education.

Founded in 2006, AFAEE is a foundation that highlights the work of outstanding educators in Atlanta Public Schools.

Robbins, a 15-year education veteran and a former instructional liaison specialist at Mary Lin Elementary, was one of 10 district teachers and principals awarded.

The classroom is being named for Kevin Hester — a special dedication ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. on festival day — BPA's beloved custodian who died last school year.

If you go: The Spring Butterfly Festival at Burgess-Peterson Academy is scheduled at the school, 480 Clifton St. SE, beginning at 10 a.m.