Inside the oasis between the library and the nurse lies a sundial, unable to be read, a stone monument masked under the needles of a sprawling pine tree, a birdhouse overgrown with vines, and thousands of dew drops illuminated by the sun. 

For many schools, courtyards are used for outdoor education. Students can usually go out for an assignment with their teachers who don’t have to worry about where they wander because it’s in a confined space.

But at Rhinebeck, our court yard is a forbidden open space in the center of the school filled with plants, trees and bushes, Red Holly’s, precisely placed rocks and other objects that give the courtyard an enticing look. 

Having green space in schools has many benefits according to Time Magazine. Spending time in an outdoor setting has even been prescribed by some physicians like Dr. Robert Zaar, a pediatrician in Washington DC. 

With so many students at Rhinebeck and all over the world suffering from school-related anxiety and stress, the courtyard could be a possible aid to the problems that we as students have with mental health. According to Dr. Strauss of Harvard Health Publishing, “Having something pleasant to focus on like trees and greenery helps distract your mind from negative thinking, so your thoughts become less filled with worry.”

On a dreary day, maybe the only thing that could help you rise above your fatigue is walking through the doors and feeling the warm sun beams on your face.

If the outdoors are so beneficial, why aren’t students allowed inside the courtyard? Why can’t Rhinebeck students use the enclosed outdoor space?

Why does the school maintain the area so well if no one is allowed out there?

Has the school ever even opened the area to the students at all? Or was it for visual pleasure instead of just an open cement corridor?

What route would students take during a safety drill?

Why do we only get to look upon the eden that the courtyard could be?

Comment here if you want us to continue our investigation and find answers to these lingering questions. Let your voice be heard!