Theme: Service Learning
— Helping Kids and Communities Grow
Creating A Cultural Connection
The school's name, Grandview U'uqinak'uuh Community
School, reflects the region's rich cultural heritage. Now,
the "Spirit of Nature" schoolyard proudly does the
same. Graduate education student Illene Pevec and landscape
architecture student Tracy Penner brought together students,
parents, teachers, and community members to turn an underused,
muddy, 1-acre field into a multigenerational, award-winning
garden that celebrates and preserves local cultural history.
Building
a Community of Knowledge
In
search of a graduate research project, Illene turned to Grandview U'uqinak'uuhCommunity
School with the idea of developing a garden. After proposing the idea to administrators
and conducting extensive research, she wrote a grant to the Parks Department.
Illene knew she needed help. Tracy, who was finishing her degree in landscape
architecture, was interested. Equipped with practical knowledge and bountiful
enthusiasm, the two women crafted a plan.
First, Tracy and
Illene banded together with the school principal and a lead
teacher who would facilitate meetings with other
Grandview teachers, staff,
and students. They invited several potential advisors to participate, including
landscape architects, a native plant expert, an architect, and the grounds
supervisor. Next, they conducted a site inventory. This
included reviewing sewer, drainage,
and underground utility plans; old maps; school architecture drawings;
and neighborhood aerial photographs to compile information
on soil type, water availability, and
weather conditions.
Recognizing the importance of including students,
teachers, parents, and other community members in the design
process, Tracy and Illene held several workshops. The student
workshops came first. Working in groups of six, students created
maps representing how they used the schoolyard and built three-dimensional
models of their dream gardens using sand trays and natural
objects. "Almost every student requested a stream, pond,
and waterfall," recalls Tracy. At the end of the workshop,
students went home with surveys for their parents to complete.
Next, the two champions held separate teacher/staff
and community planning workshops. At Grandview, the sessions
were part of the school meeting agenda. To advertise the community
workshop, the two sent home notices with students and hung
posters around the neighborhood. Each workshop began with a
brainstorming session on important aspects of a schoolyard,
issues to overcome, and garden design. Teams were asked to
prioritize the brainstormed list. Finally, the whole group
conducted a "hot-dotting" exercise to vote for their
preferences. Each participant received seven dots representing
$1,000 each to place next to the features on which they would
prefer to spend their money. The tabulated results informed
the final design. Lacking postage funds, the organizers hand-delivered
surveys to neighbors to solicit additional input.
Tracy used the input to draft three plans for the
schoolyard. After presenting them to the grounds supervisor,
she revised and presented them to Grandview teachers and staff.
Finally, she consolidated the three plans into one master plan
and took it to the school board for approval.
A
Design That Celebrates Culture
Every
child, staff member, and interested community member participated in envisioning
and designing the school grounds," recalls Illene. The site, as a result,
reflects the neighborhood population. The area, now densely populated and crowded
with low-income housing, once belonged to three First Nations groups: the Musqueam,
the Burrard, and the Squamish. Fifty percent of the community is of First Nations
heritage, though many are disconnected from the history and culture of their
ancestors. The plant life and architectural design of the Spirit of Nature schoolyard
reconnect students and community members to the people who influenced the character
of their surroundings.
The covered outdoor classroom, designed in the style of a traditional
Musqueam longhouse, sits in the center of the schoolyard with the entrances
facing north and south. This orientation was preferred because it takes full
advantage
of the sun yet is protected from winter winds. Fitting up to 40 people, it
is "a
community gathering place for outdoor learning and celebration," says Tracy.
It provides a sheltered place to read, conduct classes, watch performances, and
hold community celebrations. In fact, chiefs from all three First Nations attended
the longhouse dedication ceremony, in which students participated in traditional
cultural activities.
The Coast Salish (a group that includes the Musqueam) are
known for their skillful weaving. Recognizing this as a
dying art form, the University of British
Colombia established the Museum of Anthropology to preserve and display coastal
arts
and crafts. Tracy and the students spent hours at the museum, researching
and gaining inspiration for the garden design. During a field trip there,
sixth and seventh graders studied traditional weaving patterns.
They designed their
own patterns on graph paper and then used these patterns to lay bricks
in the
schoolyard patio.
At the other end of the garden site, a concrete wall
(not pictured on map) stood in stark contrast to the lush green
life springing up around it. "We knew we needed to somehow
give life to that huge concrete wall, and the theme should
somehow connect the school, garden, and community," explains
Tracy. A local artist met with students and brainstormed ideas
about what lives in and around rivers in British Colombia.
He incorporated their ideas into a mural and transferred it
to the wall. Students painted the "River of Life" mural,
which now prominently illustrates the importance of water as
a source of life.
Discovering
People/Plant Connections
"Information about the traditional use of native
plants by aboriginal people in this region has almost been
lost," explains Illene. "The idea behind the ethno-botanical
garden is to encourage elders who know about these plants to
share their information with others." A group of native
elders and young adults planned this garden, and teachers and
students planted it. Now families can come to the schoolyard
to learn the names and uses of indigenous plants from First
Nations herbalists. Illene has even developed curriculum materials
to help students learn about these plants, uses and folklore.
The personal impact that this project has had on
students is as important as what its taught them about their
cultural heritage. "They have seen the real, physical
results of planning and carrying out their plans and felt the
pride that comes with such success," explains Tracy. "They
have transformed their soggy, barren field into a vital neighborhood
backyard."
The
Spirit of Nature Schoolyard is one of the twelve school gardens
featured in our book Schoolyard
Mosaics: Designing Gardens and Habitats. It features
brilliant detailed school garden maps from butterfly oases
to history
gardens along with how-to advice and companion stories on
how students made decisions, built community support, and achieved
learning goals. You'll also find scads of useful resources
Web sites, Listservs, books, articles, videos, and supplies. Click
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© 2007
National Gardening Association