Two years ago, as part of its Resilient, Inclusive, Sustainable, and Equitable (RISE) Schoolyard Program, Juncus Studio partnered with Portland Public Schools to find ways to make schoolyards into inclusive, sustainable spaces. The goal was to create Schoolyard Vision Plans for several schools that focused on removing unneeded asphalt and replacing it with green spaces, trees, and native plants to combat urban heat islands, improve stormwater runoff, and better meet the needs for their communities. Capitol Hill, with one of the highest asphalt-to-student ratios in the district, was invited to participate in a vision planning process to gather issues, ideas, suggestions, and input to organize a plan for our schoolyard. Students and community members submitted tremendous feedback, which was turned into the Schoolyard Vision Plan. From there, it was up to the community to take the plan and make it a reality.
Last year, Capitol Hill families generously donated over $22,000 to kickstart the process, with a $20,000 match from the PTA. Since then, we have worked with the Principal, Juncus Studio, and PPS to begin what is projected to be a decade-long project. Because no school in Portland has undertaken such a large community-based project before, the PTA worked with PPS and other stakeholders to develop a framework for making it happen. A patch of 1,000 square feet of asphalt along SW 19th Avenue was selected to be a pilot project to work through the process and gain the knowledge necessary for larger changes to the schoolyard.
Over Spring Break last year, contractors removed the asphalt and laid down new soil. In April, the City of Portland's Urban Forestry Department planted three donated trees in the new space. Volunteers spread grass seed, which should take off quickly. Although the grass will need some time to establish itself, we hope the area will be available to enjoy soon enough.
We are excited to see the project take shape after the community has provided so much support and waited so long for this moment. It is a small, but important, step to realizing the vision plan, and it sets the stage for big things to come! In fact, the next phase is already in the works, with planning to begin this summer.
A number of people have already signed up to help and we would love to hear from anyone else interested in transforming the schoolyard.
