Peninsula Elementary School - Portland, Oregon

Description

The year-and-a-half process to develop the Peninsula School Rain Garden shows the importance of patience, utilizing Surfrider chapter resources, and developing partnerships. The project team had to address significant issues: flooding problems in a school courtyard, clogged storm drain piping, and a small budget.

After Surfrider-Portland Chapter was awarded a $10,000 Community Watershed Stewardship Program grant, planning and design meetings got started between the project partners. Jocelyn Gary, a schoolteacher and the Surfrider-Portland Ocean Friendly Gardens Program Co-Chair, developed the 3 units of curriculum used to teach two 5th grade classes about OFG:
Unit 1 – What a rain garden is and its benefits;
Unit 2 - Assess the courtyard and research native plants;
Unit 3 – Learn about landscaping, develop a plan for the site, and design a rain garden.
Jocelyn’s principal asked her to attend monthly Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meetings to keep the parents and community members updated on the progress of the garden. They learned about Surfrider Foundation and volunteered in many ways – even during the day to help teach the classes. Two parents started rain gardens in their own homes because of this project!
Surfrider-Oregon Policy Manager, Charlie Plybon, and Jocelyn brought a preliminary design to Surfrider member Allan Schmidt, who volunteered to develop to-scale computer drawings for the school district. General contractor, Todd Blossom of Blossom Earthworks, was hired to lead the project. Jerad Lillegard was assigned as the school’s project manager.
Jerad was put in charge of fixing a large sinkhole and replacing an underground storm drain pipe that was clogged with tree roots. The school district began to see that the $10,000 grant was insufficient and helped with excavation, grading, permits, and plumbing for the project.
There was a work party with lots of parents and students, and four Surfrider volunteers. Working in 96 degree heat, they completed a pathway, got a basalt rock fence installed, and tilled the ground and mixed the soil for planting. Two weeks later, the plants were brought to the school by Todd and his crew, and a group of volunteers got them laid out in the courtyard for planting preparation. On the following Monday, the two now-6th grade classrooms planted the plants to the rain garden and it’s finally installed.

Watch a video of the May 2015 dedication: https://oregon.surfrider.org/peninsula-school-rain-garden-dedication/