Why a Yurt?

The next time you drive through the campus, take a moment to check out the latest addition to Rivers’ facilities. Nestled on the lawn outside Haffenreffer is a … yurt! Constructed during the summer, the yurt will be used this year primarily as a 7th grade humanities classroom, as well as for other Middle School classes and activities. 

From a curriculum standpoint, the yurt is an ideal venue for a class that focusses on geography and different world cultures, particularly Asian cultures. The yurt’s history dates back to the Huns in the 4th and 6th centuries AD. Yurts have been used for thousands of years by the nomads of Central Asia, one of the oldest cultures in the world. The yurt, or “ger” as it is known in Mongolia, continues to be the main dwelling in the Mongolian Steppe.
 
“My interest in the yurt for a humanities classroom has to do with the importance of experiential learning for this developmental age,” said Head of Middle School Susie McGee. “How great to have students learn in a unique space that is still used by other cultures that they are studying. Nomadic peoples are an important phenomenon in the world culture and the experience of inhabiting a space like theirs provides Middle School learners the opportunity for a heightened level of appreciation.”

From an aesthetic standpoint, Rivers’ yurt is quite a beautiful space. Roughly 30 feet in diameter, the natural wood of the interior framing, the height and circular shape of the ceiling, and the light from the skylight combine to have a calming and meditative effect. The structure itself is green, in keeping with the school’s commitment to the environment.

“We need to pay attention as an educational institution to ecological friendliness and impart to students the importance of an environmental ethic,” continued McGee. “The clear dome at the top of the structure allows the sunlight to create a large circle on the floor, which moves around the room—just another fascination and concrete connection to the natural world!”

Bringing nature into the classroom is nothing new for The Rivers School, founded in 1915 as an open-air school. Current students won’t need to wear their coats indoors in winter as did their counterparts a century ago – the yurt will be well-heated. But Rivers’ yurt is a fitting nod to the school’s early history as we launch into a celebration of the centennial in 2015.
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