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New Tree School Brings Classrooms Outdoors
Last week, the Cincinnati Reds, P&G, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, and hundreds of volunteers performed magic in the Winton Hills neighborhood during the 2026 Community Makeover. Now in its 17th year, the Community Makeover pools the talents and resources of Cincinnati’s most iconic institutions together to create a lasting, transformative impact in a Greater Cincinnati neighborhood.
“The projects and scope of the makeovers is different each year. In the past few years, we’ve been proud to contribute Urban Learning Gardens to makeover sites. These have impacted thousands of students who not only learn about gardening but also reap the benefits of connecting with nature,” said Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s director of horticulture, Steve Foltz. “This year, we created a ‘Tree School’ at Winton Hills Academy that essentially gives teachers the option to hold classes outside in classrooms made out of trees!”
Each of the 12 outdoor classrooms are surrounded by a unique species of tree, providing a different feel and atmosphere as people walk through the “Tree School”. Each classroom is named after the tree that creates it, like Elm, Sugar Maple, Linden, Buckeye, and Honeylocust. Some rooms are 30’-40’ in diameter while others are much smaller and more tranquil like the Weeping White Pine room. About 150 trees were added to the landscape.
“This project is about creating more livable outdoor teaching spaces for all classes from Math and English to Art and Science,” said Foltz. “It is also meant for both teachers and students to relax and decompress if they are having a rough day. We want to intentionally bring nature closer to the student’s daily experience.”
How do Trees make us Feel?
“The trees that were planted are quite large so we could quickly establish the spaces and begin to see how different types of trees make us feel,” said Foltz. “The feel of the fine texture and dappled shade of the Honeylocust is completely different than the much denser, deeper shade of the Lindens.”
Foltz added that the columnar room of the Hornbeams was placed next to the more open room of the Sugar Maples. The smell of the Weeping White Pine needles or the anticipation of the bright red fall color of the Brandywine Red Maples in the fall, the blooms of the Magnolias in the spring or the eventual “knees” of the Bald Cypress are part of the unique features and experiences of these classrooms. Trees offer us so much to enjoy if we just stop and notice them, and that is what we hope the students will do.
Health and Wellness Provided by Trees
“When we originally started to plan this Community Makeover, the idea was to plant many trees to help catch air pollutants and cool down the wide-open expanse of lawn at the school’s play area,” said Foltz. “In meeting with the teachers at the school, several ideas emerged that set the tone for the new “Tree School”. The over-arching message that we would like to get across to the students, the teachers and the Community is the important role trees play in our everyday lives.”
By immersing themselves in the tree classrooms, students will learn that trees clean the air we breathe, cool the spaces where we live, reduce noise, create spaces that lower our anxiety, and add beauty to our lives. Trees are a key component to our health and wellness. Winton Hills Academy and the Winton Hills Community can be the leaders in this growing, scientifically supported idea that trees contribute to our wellbeing.
More about the Makeover
The Tree School was only one part of the 2026 Community Makeover. The project, which was made possible with participation from Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority, GE Aerospace, Kroger, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Cincinnati Recreation Commission, Playground Equipment Services and over 600 volunteers, included six sites in Winton Hills. Read about the neighborhood transformation here – Annual Reds Community Makeover lends a hand to Winton Hills