Mayor Menino announces that six schools will receive campus renovations and outdoor classrooms

Standing at the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Elementary School in Roslindale, Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced today that six schools have been chosen to receive new outdoor learning and recreation spaces as part of the Boston Schoolyard Initiative (BSI). The nationally recognized BSI was founded in 1995 and has transformed 125 acres of Boston’s once-barren schoolyards into vibrant and safe spaces for learning and playing.

“The Boston Schoolyard Initiative opens the door to new possibilities for learning, playing, and gathering in school communities across the city,” said Mayor Menino. “This project will have long-lasting benefits for each school: Educators are able to provide hands-on instruction that helps students learn the curriculum; students have safe spaces for exercise and play; children can connect with the environment; and neighborhood residents, families, and community groups also enjoy use of the spaces.”

Three schools were selected to receive full campus renovations while three others will receive outdoor classrooms. The schools receiving full campus renovations are:

• The 104-year-old Oliver Hazard Perry K-8 School in South Boston.
• The Mather Elementary School in Dorchester, the first public elementary school in America.
• The Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart School in Roslindale.

Schools receiving stand-alone Outdoor Classrooms are the William E. Russell Elementary School in Dorchester, the Ellis Mendell Elementary School in Roxbury, and the James F. Condon Elementary School in South Boston.

“The wonderful schoolyards and outdoor classrooms of the Boston Public Schools allow students to engage in innovative learning inside and outside,” said Dr. Carol R. Johnson, Superintendent of the Boston Public Schools. “We are delighted that the Boston Schoolyard Initiative is helping to create even more opportunities for children to experience hands-on learning and recreation outdoors.”

A partnership among the City of Boston, Boston Public Schools, and the Boston Schoolyard Funders Collaborative, the Boston Schoolyard Initiative has renovated more than 75 schoolyards, serving more than 25,000 of Boston’s students every day. These schoolyards promote creative outdoor play in safe, green environments, support academic learning in science, writing and math, and encourage child health and wellness.

About The Boston Schoolyard Initiative

The goals of the BSI are ambitious: to foster healthy lifestyles, improve academic performance, give Boston children nature-based learning experiences, and beautify neighborhoods. BSI has transformed more than 125 acres of underutilized asphalt and trash-strewn school lots and turned them into valued spaces for teaching, recreation, arts, and community gatherings. The Boston Schoolyard Initiative is recognized nationally as a model for public-private partnerships, schoolyard improvement, and outdoor learning. For more information, please visit www.schoolyards.org.