Medfield Heights Elementary School Gardens
Over a four-year period, the Neighborhood Design Center, in partnership with Irvine Nature Center, worked with faculty and students at Medfield Heights Elementary School to transform the school grounds into a series of gardens and outdoor classroom spaces.
Work began in 2003 when volunteer landscape architect Melissa Dzugin, from Mahan Rykiel Associates, developed a master plan for improvements to the school grounds. Included in the master plan was the creation of a rain garden at the rear of the school. The rain garden would not only reduce the amount of impervious surface at the school but also filter and clean storm water run off. Over 500 square feet of asphalt was removed for the project, and hundreds of school children helped to plant trees and native plants.
The second project was to expand the outdoor gardens. NDC volunteer Catherine (CeCe) Carter, from Pinehurst Landscaping, worked with the school to develop plans for a raised edible landscape (to accommodate special needs students at the school) and a discovery garden for younger children. Again, students at the school, as well as volunteers from the Jones Falls Watershed Association, helped to build and install the gardens.
Finally, in 2005 a landscape architecture class from Morgan State University, under the guidance of Professor Diane Jones, worked with teachers and students to develop plans for an outdoor classroom that would serve as a gateway for the school. Out of the eight plans developed, two were selected and voted upon by students. The winning design was developed by Jodi Shively. The plan, an amphitheater space surrounded by native plant gardens, was completed in the Spring of 2007 by Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse as a part of the James Rouse Community Service Day.
Over the course of the project, NDC's plans and technical assistance helped Medfield Elementary School raise over $40,000 in funding and in-kind services to implement the various gardens and outdoor spaces. During this time the school was also awarded Maryland Green School designation. Support from the project has come from the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, and Parks and People Foundation. Today, children at the school now have outdoor spaces that are beautiful, that provide opportunities to learn about nature, that help filter storm water, and that provide a habitat for birds and butterflies.
Project Completion: 2006
Project Location: 4300 Buchanan Avenue Baltimore, MD
NDC Volunteers: Melissa Dzugin, Mahan Rykiel Associates; Catherine (CeCe) Carter, Pinehurst Landscaping;
and Jodie Shively, Morgan State University