I was thrilled to receive a call from the PTA some years ago to see if I would be interested in the landscape transformation. We just looked at the non-paved area to see about removing the invasive weeds, dead trees and shrubs, and junk that had snuck into the corners. Working closely with PPS and the PTA, we dug out a giant rain garden that helped take in some roof water to slow, spread and sink it into the garden area and keep it out of the paved area and city lines. We pruned existing trees and shrubs and created wood chip paths and added new grasses, shrubs, and flowers-- some native and some climate-adaptive.

The students were able to see the transformation over several months and always had the best comments as they walked through. My favorite was an 8th grader who said to their friend, "when did it get like pretty in here?" The teachers who had classrooms with windows facing the courtyard said they felt like they had won the lotto. It was an incredibly rewarding project.