SPRUCING UP THE COURTYARD: Members of the Riverside PTO met this past Tuesday to help get the new courtyard space ready for its public opening on Thursday, May 21, in conjunction with the school art show. Pictured seated, from left, are Danielle Boyle, Michelle Baxter, and Shep Kauffman. Standing, from left, are Sarah Mian, Sarah Spross, and Eleanor Hubbard. (Photo by Wendy Greenberg)
By Wendy Greenberg
Once the Riverside Elementary School courtyard was a turtle garden with a pond. Then it became overrun with wet tree and shrub debris. But thanks to the diligence of the Riverside Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), a revamped school courtyard will be formally “gifted” to the school on Thursday, May 21, during a short reception at 6 p.m. (Raindate May 29 at 11 a.m.)
This week volunteers were putting finishing touches on the welcoming space, placing native plants in the raised beds that are set in the shape of a turtle as a nod to past inhabitants.
“It’s a special project for a special community,” said PTO Co-President Michelle Baxter.
Back in February, in a presentation to the Princeton Public Schools (PPS) Board of Education, Baxter and Co-President Shep Kauffman presented an ambitious plan that involved the Rutgers Landscape Architecture Department expertise (thanks to a district parent). Some $65,000 was earmarked, with club fees to boost the fundraising pot.
The goal, they stated at the board meeting, was a “tranquility space” — not a playground.
“It was so undermaintained for so long. It had become like a swamp, especially for the turtles, and it was hard for the district to maintain it,” Baxter said recently of the 135 by 40 foot space. “If we held an event, there was not enough pavement to fit everyone on it.”
Now the courtyard, in the middle of the school, has educational components like a learning wall, sensory tables, rocking chairs, a Zen garden, picnic tables, a pollinator garden with arches and nature camera, and even chairs made from the trunk of an oak tree that had to be removed. More than 100 students, teachers, and staff provided input, said the PTO.
According to Riverside Principal Max Achtau, the district partnered with the Riverside PTO to help restore our courtyard. “Our facilities team removed the older pond structure last year and cleaned out some of the overgrown brush and debris,” he said in an email. Going forward, he said, the district will maintain the newly planted grasses in the courtyard and power wash the pavers and stones.
Achtau added that he “would like to thank the Riverside PTO for their dedication and collaboration in transforming an unusable space into a beautiful and tranquil environment for our students. Teachers and staff are excited by the transformation and look forward to bringing their classes outside for learning, reading, nature observation, and quiet reflection.”
Third grade teacher Kathryn Solovay was one who expressed enthusiasm for the new space. “I am very excited for my third-grade students to use and enjoy our newly renovated courtyard,” she said in an email. “This beautiful space will continue to serve as an extension of our classroom. Before the renovation, my students would go out and sit on small cushions while reading. However, with the upgraded seating and more, it is now a welcoming environment where students can read, collaborate on their work, recharge in nature, take part in a class lesson, or simply connect with one another. Providing students with opportunities to learn and grow in a peaceful outdoor setting is so valuable, and I know this courtyard will quickly become a favorite place for both learning and community-building.”
Solovay added that the project has been especially meaningful because she watched it evolve. “Watching this vision finally come to life has been incredibly rewarding, and it truly would not have been possible without the teamwork, support, and dedication of so many people working together toward a common goal,” she said. “I am grateful to everyone, especially our PTO, who helped make this dream a reality for our students and staff alike.”
At first, said Baxter, there was talk of spending a few years on the restoration. But she wanted to get it done sooner, and actually completed much of the project in less than a year. Her goal was to have it open for the school art show (which is held in conjunction with the ceremony on Thursday evening), Science Day, and Riverside graduation, and the goal was met.
“We came up with the idea in the fall,” said Baxter. “We noted a surplus in our budget, and we were advised to do something thoughtful and meaningful for the school, to identify a cornerstone project. Everyone always asks about the courtyard, so I jumped on it.”
She said they are under budget because several vendors generously gave of their time, and Stonybrook Garden Club donated plants.
Because Riverside is home to classes for students with autism, the PTO reached out to the Rutgers Center for Adults with Autism, whose director had taught children as well. The center recommended a magnetic learning board and sensory tables, along with the advice that effective inclusive landscape spaces should have interactive possibilities to generate interest, according to PTO information. Spaces are separate and defined to help with focus.
Some of the outcomes of student and faculty input sessions are a deck with stadium seats and sensory sandboxes. Students are excited about the “fairy garden” with small fairy house models on the trees, and the pollinator arches in a tunnel formation.