Albert M. Greenfield School
Building a Strong Team of Stakeholders
Located a few blocks from the Schuylkill River, Greenfield is well-known in the city as an excellent, resourceful public school with a diverse student body. The Home and School Association had started the greening process with a modest first step: a student penny drive to buy a weather station. Then, in 2005, the Collaborative worked with parents and teachers on the Greening Greenfield Committee to create a conceptual plan for the schoolyard.
Throughout the design process, the committee engaged students, neighbors, and community groups and later public agencies, nonprofits, and foundations. This strategic organizing was a huge factor in the success of the project, and resulted in many different sources of funding—large and small, from state representatives to benefit concerts. Greenfield leaders sought to benefit more than their own community—they wanted to spark schoolyard greening projects at other Philadelphia public schools.
“Forming a dedicated committee of alumni, parents, and teachers was key to helping us get through the most important early phases.”
Lisa Armstrong, Chair, Greening Greenfield Committee
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Mind the flow: The thin gray topographic lines on this site plan show how the playground’s stomwater flows towards the street and shaped the design for Greenfield.
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Hands-on learning: Greenfield is working with the Fairmount Water Works to bringing a green curriculum out into the schoolyard that will enhance its environmental education program.
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It took a village: The finished product required the collaborative efforts of numerous volunteers, public agencies, contractors, and design professionals over the course of many workdays.
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Good planning for both plants and play: Play equipment is adjacent to rain gardens, which means that stu¬dents end up interacting with the native plants—playing hide and seek, digging for worms—while at recess. The paved play areas have the added benefit of channeling water into the plant beds.
