18 Jul Middle School Courtyard Makeover
We are excited to share our collaboration with the Hampton Roads Show to transform Deep Creek Middle School’s courtyard. Deep Creek Middle School here in Chesapeake, Virginia, was built in 1975, so it’s an older school, but it’s beautiful in many ways. However, they have two great courtyards that need a bit of help. Dory Suttmiller, a history teacher at Deep Creek Middle School, reached out to the Hampton Roads Show to ask for help with the courtyards. Her classroom overlooks the courtyard, and her students often request to go out. The teachers try to take them out when they can, but once they get outside, it’s either too hot or there’s nothing for them to do, so they end up going back indoors.
The teachers know that students need to spend time outside, away from fluorescent lights and screens, and we couldn’t agree more. After Dory Suttmiller contacted the Hampton Roads Show, they reached out to our team at Easton Outdoors to ask for help with the middle school courtyard makeover. We are passionate about helping people get outside, so of course, we said yes!
When we first looked at these courtyards, it was clear that they were well-loved and well-used at one point, but that they were no longer serving the students and teachers. It’s important to get these kids outdoors. The goal is to pull them away from their phones and screens and into the courtyard and help them feel proud of this space.
The courtyard has a lot of square footage to work with, and we can add seating, create shade, and provide spots for reading and relaxing. To help make design decisions, we asked the local community to choose between various elements that would be going into the space through a “this or that” selection process.
The community’s input has been crucial in deciding the key components for the five main features of this revitalized space. We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Check out the final design plans at the end of this post!
First off, let’s discuss shade. We would love to hear your thoughts on the shade options for the students. Are you inclined towards the modern sunshade sails or the classic pergola for the courtyard?
During the selection process, there was a strong preference for the sunshade sails, although opinions were pretty divided between the two options.
Winner: Sunshade Sails
Moving on to seating, we want to ensure that the students have comfortable seating options. Which seat option do you think would be ideal for the courtyard – the built-in seating wall or the moveable bench?
The built-in seating wall was the clear favorite among the choices presented, securing its place as the winning option for seating in the courtyard.
Winner: Built-In Seating Wall
Now, let’s talk about walkways. We have two options – pavers and slate. Which type of walkway would you prefer for the students in the courtyard?
After careful consideration, the majority leaned towards pavers, making it the preferred choice for the walkways in the revitalized space.
Winner: Pavers
Next, we need to choose some landscaping elements. When it comes to trees or boulders, which do you believe would be more suitable for the students? Would you choose trees or boulders to enhance the courtyard?
The community input seemed to be strongly in favor of the trees to create a natural and inviting environment in the new space.
Winner: Trees
Lastly, we’re talking garden beds! With the choice between fenced garden beds or individual raised beds, the raised beds emerged as the preferred option for the revitalized courtyard.
Winner: Individual Raised Beds
Courtyard Design Plan
Alright, now it’s time to reveal the design the community helped us create! We are grateful for the community support and loved hearing everyone’s thoughts about the project.
The courtyard was quite hot when I visited. So, to provide some shade, we’re going with a large shade sail, with benches underneath and some benches under the existing mature trees. We’re also adding lacebark elms and a couple of boulders for kids to play on. Additionally, we’re building two stone planter beds for the kids to grow vegetables and using them as extra seating. We want to make the space low-maintenance and enjoyable with plenty of shade, organic seating, and room for the kids to spread out.
There are some logistical issues for this project, as the courtyard is only accessible from inside the school building. We’ll need to transport our equipment and supplies through the school’s hallways, which has impacted how much we can do. The work is set to happen in July, so we’ll be able to reveal it sometime in August. We can’t wait to show you the completed results!
We also want to thank all the businesses who donated materials and services to this project. Belgard has provided all the paver materials through their program Paves the Good, Shawn Cameron has donated the trucking, Mercury Mulch in Hampton, VA, donated all the gravel, and Bennett’s Creek, a local nursery, has given us the trees. Their contributions have been invaluable, and we look forward to sharing the final result!