Civic Design Center, Nashville TN
Playground Project This case study explores the journey, failures and ultimate success of Playground Project in transforming the Murrell School playground. With the support of the Nashville community and the students and faculty at Murrell, the project created a space the students can be proud of, take ownership over and send the message that they are valued, important and deserving of the same opportunities given to all students in the Metro school district.
September 2008- June 2009
Contents Vision for the Murrell School Project Objectives Project Approach Renovation Day Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Participants Lessons Learned
Vision for the Murrell School The Murrell School serves students certified as seriously emotionally disturbed and learning disabled in the K-7 grades. The students are 87% African American, 1% Hispanic and 12% Caucasian with 97% of the entire student population on free and reduced lunch. It is of utmost importance that Murrell’s students have the opportunity to expend excess energy and benefit from daily physical education but their outdoor space was inadequate and unsafe. Playground Project, inspired by a community development class at Vanderbilt concerned with the effect a community’s physical space has on a “sense of community” (directly correlated with safe, healthy, thriving neighborhoods), turned to Murrell’s playground to make a difference.
This “story” is written from my point of view and includes some of the greatest challenges and lessons we learned from each other, our failures and successes and ultimately the deep-rooted pandemonium that is community development. Jessica Demorest, Playground Project Director