Our secondary campus faces some unique outdoor challenges as well. The limited square footage of the building, which opened in 2019, meant that our two outdoor spaces couldn’t be green–instead we built a lower courtyard and a rooftop patio. For students entering grade seven, the transition to smaller outdoor spaces can be hard.

Last school year Luis, then a grade seven student, didn’t use the courtyard much for play. “Usually when I was outside in the courtyard I was either eating lunch or someone challenged me to a one versus one in basketball, but that wasn’t too often.”

Mr. Wasik, principal at our secondary campus explains, “We have students who are still really enthusiastic and ready for play, but a courtyard that has some limitations, so over the summer we made some enhancements that focus on community-building and play.”

Now in grade eight, Luis says, “I’m there every lunch and every morning before school starts now that the Gaga Ball pit has been installed. It’s a great place. And the benches and picnic tables are really nice for lunch, too.”

But students like Luis aren’t able to enjoy the courtyard year round because of a lack of shelter from the elements. “For the entire day I feel a bit disappointed that I can’t go outside because of the rain or because it’s too hot and there’s no shade,” says Luis.

“Students build resiliency learning to play through rainy weather,” says Mr. Wasik. “But at the same time, if our outdoor spaces were more adaptible, teachers would book more outdoor class time and students would spend more time outside.”