Benjamin Mays Elementary School

No one knows your school community better than the people who live, work and play there. Each Space to Grow schoolyard is designed to meet the unique needs and priorities of its school community. Students, teachers, staff, administration, parents and neighbors are all important members of the school community, and your ideas and feedback will ensure your new Space to Grow schoolyard is a fun and cherished place for years to come.

You are invited to participate in a community meeting on December 16 at 4:15pm. The schoolyard design team will present two draft concept plans during this one-hour virtual meeting. Participants will have an opportunity to view the plans and give feedback. Your input is very important and we look forward to hearing your ideas – please use the form below to register for the meeting. This meeting is open to all staff, parents, caregivers and neighbors – please help spread the word!

You may have participated in a survey recently to gauge priorities and concerns about the schoolyard – the design team has used that information to draft the two concept plans. The purpose of this meeting is to make sure that we are hearing what the school community is saying. Meeting attendees will have the opportunity to highlight where we were successful, suggest modifications or things that should be added, and make the designers aware of potential issues or concerns. From this feedback session, the design team will then create a final design that will be shared once completed. We will continue to keep you updated throughout the process, and look forward to all of your input along the way.

Space to Grow is managed by Healthy Schools Campaign and Openlands and made possible through the financial support of Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Department of Water Management and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

Zoom link