Schools

Ravenswood Elementary Chosen for $750K Grant to Revamp Playground

The elementary school was one of 13 across the state and the only Chicago recipient awarded the grant.

Ravenswood Elementary School just got a big helping hand toward a playground renovation that will benefit not only students, but also the surrounding community. 

Officials found out Tuesday the school was one of 13 in the state that received a $750,000 Illinois Green Infrastructure grant. The funding will help give Ravenswood kids a new playlot on the south end of the school.

The need for new facilities is evident after every heavy rainfall. Students and teachers have dubbed the space “Lake Ravenswood” in the aftermath of stormwater accumulation on the concrete playlot surface. 

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But work isn’t done for the Friends of Ravenswood School, the group leading fundraising efforts.

While $750,000 puts a large dent in a $1.5 million price tag for the project, $300,000 is still needed. About $1.2 million combines state and aldermanic menu funds with local fundraising.

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“Ravenswood does so much with so little,” said Cornelia Grumman, president of the FORS, which submitted the grant proposal in partnership with the Chicago Public Schools. “Despite the slashes to our school budget – and not just this year but for years in a row – we have extraordinary teachers. We have a wide and talented network of can-do parents, neighbors and local political leaders that operate together like a well-toned muscle, and get ambitious projects like this done.”

(See related: Ravenswood Mosaic Cements Relationship with School and Community)

Parents, students and teachers designed the plan, which includes an outdoor amphitheater, artificial turf field, obstacle course, learning garden and a sports court. Officials hope the playground is ready for students by the fall of 2014.

The team worked within EPA guidelines to create a system that best handles large amounts of rain.  A virtual “pillow” will capture excess stormwater and regulate its release, according to Ravenswood parent and architect Michael Waechter, a key developer of the proposal. 

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Gov. Pat Quinn announced grant, awarded by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and intended to help mitigate storm water runoff to improve water quality.

“This new playground will benefit not only the nearly 500 children of Ravenswood Elementary, but will serve as an important gathering spot and play area for the entire neighborhood, which suffers from a lack of open green space,” said Ward 47 Ald. Ameya Pawar in a release. The alderman worked with FORS to develop the proposal and secure the funding.


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