What if a walk around campus could become an adventure through a children’s book?
That’s the idea behind Heidelberg University’s new Story Walk, an outdoor reading trail designed to bring books to life while creating another connection point between Heidelberg and the Tiffin community.
The trail, which opened officially today, features 18 child-height mounts positioned along a walking path behind Hoernemann Stadium. The trail starts on Rebecca Street, winds around the pond near the Saurwein Health & Wellness Center, follows the path behind Hoernemann Stadium and back toward Main Street. Each month, the trail will feature a different children’s book, with pages of the complete story displayed along the route.
The first book will be Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner, an exploration of the plants and animals that live above and below the surface of a pond.
The Story Walk is the brainchild of Shauna Hurles, Heidelberg’s Director of Student Development, who got the idea while having lunch at Schekelhoff Park in Tiffin, home to another of Seneca County’s Storybook Trails.
“This is a great way to connect the community with the campus,” Shauna said.
She worked with Bryce Kuhn of the Tiffin Parks and Rec District, John Hoffman and the team at Heidelberg’s Krammes Service Center, and the Tiffin-Seneca Public Library and Friends of the Library group, which is providing the books. Dr. Stacey Pistorova’s literacy class is also planning to contribute by recording the stories, allowing families to scan a QR code along the trail and listen to the book as they walk.
The project also received support from Tiffin’s Great Lakes Ace Hardware and Lowe’s stores, which donated materials, as well as the Sue and Ralph Quellhorst Endowment for Student Community Service and the Swinehart Family Endowed Chair in Education, among other sponsors.
The first and last mounts serve a special purpose. The first will feature a calendar of upcoming campus events and activities, giving families ideas for other ways to enjoy Heidelberg while they are visiting. They might stop by Hoernemann Refectory for a meal, grab a beverage at HeidelBean or check out a campus event.
The final mount will recognize sponsors and partners who helped make the Story Walk possible.
In between, it’s all about the story.
Shauna plans to change the featured book each month, offering families a new adventure each time they visit. Future selections may include books tied to cultural celebrations, observances and holidays, such as Constitution Day.
More than a reading experience, the Story Walk encourages early literacy, family engagement, outdoor activity and discovery, Hurles said. As children and adults move from one “page” to the next, they can read together, listen to the story, talk about what they see and explore the natural surroundings of campus.
The concept is modeled after the Storybook Trail initiative championed by Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources launched its Storybook Trail project in 2019 and partnered with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio in 2020. Today, dozens of Storybook Trails are located at Ohio state parks, along with rest areas and welcome centers. The trails feature children’s books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Heidelberg’s Story Walk brings that same spirit of reading and discovery to campus — with a distinctly Heidelberg twist. It’s a place where families can turn a walk into story time, discover something new and see the university as a place for the entire community.