Includes Track, Ball Courts,
Artificial Turf, Classroom Space
By Jessica Dailey
Special to Brooklyn Daily Eagle
CROWN HEIGHTS — A student-designed playground debuted on Wednesday, bringing an outdoor classroom to Public School/Middle School 394 and a neighborhood haven to Crown Heights.
The $1 million playground, the product of a public-private partnership, includes two jungle gyms, a track, artificial turf, multi-purpose courts, and a gazebo that serves as the outdoor classroom. The learning area features color illustrations of the rain cycle, and a garden.
“The other day we came out and planted the plants,” said student Lasiem Kirk, 10. “And our teacher explained the ecosystem to us.”
Funded in part by the MetLife and Starr foundations, the playground is the 13th of 28 parks constructed by the Trust for Public Land. PlayLab, a science-learning movement developed in conjunction with Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC, created the outdoor classroom materials.
Principal Claudette Murray plans to incorporate the new resources into the school’s curriculum. “This is about strengthening science education,” she said. “But it’s also for the core curriculum. This is a classroom without walls to be used in all the seasons.”
The school’s science teachers received training on the new materials, which include a weather tracking station on the school’s roof. WeatherBug, a company that provides live weather data, installs professional grade stations at schools to help students learn math, science and geography.
“This is a huge bonus,” said eighth-grade science teacher Rolly Greenidge. “The kids can get hands-on experience. They can get involved with motion and balance or planting things.”
Students in Grades 4 through 6 contributed to the design of the playground, with a dedicated group of 10 working closely with professional designers and architects.
During the 2008-2009 school year, the group met weekly with the architects to create a space that satisfied the students’ desire for place to play and the community’s need for a park. Students sketched ideas and selected elements from designs shared by the professionals.
“My favorite part is the turf,” said Lasiem, breathing heavily after chasing friends. “We can run around and play soccer, football, and all kinds of other sports.”
The students’ old recreational area was a large asphalt lot painted with lines for games. Many groups contributed to the lot’s transformation, including the city Department of Education, the city School Construction Authority and Friends of Crown Heights.
Mary Alice Lee, director of the Trust for Public Land’s playground program, said the group chose P.S./M.S 394 because of its 800-plus student body and its prime location on Rochester Ave. The program’s officials look for schools that serve a diverse population and are connected to the community.
The public can use the space, which is open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk. Florencio Cruz, 76, an area resident for nearly four decades, called the park “the best thing that ever happened to the neighborhood.”
Cruz, who remembers playing baseball on the lot when it was just dirt, said the new park gives the community a safe place to spend time.
“The neighborhood has a bad reputation. I used to be afraid to walk around,” he said. “But now we have this. My wife and I can walk here and feel safe.”
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