Mary McLeod Bethune Schoolyard

In the Hunting Park neighborhood of North Philadelphia, residents have few inviting places to gather outside and enjoy the benefits of close-to-home nature. The community has suffered from hard times and disinvestment, but they’re working hard to reverse the trend. Several community-advocated development projects are taking shape to create a healthier, safer, more connected neighborhood—and the work at Mary McLeod Bethune Schoolyard serves an essential role in creating a greener future for all.

Trust for Public Land teamed up with local partners like North10, Philadelphia, Bethune students, staff, and administration to revamp their schoolyard from nearly an acre of asphalt to a vibrant community space for everyone to enjoy. Through our signature participatory design process, students worked together to imagine what a cool playground looked like. Now those dreams have come to life with this new Community Schoolyard.

Brimming with vibrancy and greenery, Mary McLeod Bethune Schoolyard features new play equipment, a multi-use track, a colorful basketball court, outdoor classroom, rain gardens, trees, and climate-smart infrastructure to reduce flooding and mitigate the heat island effect.

The school is named after Mary McLeod Bethune, an important community activist and educator, devoting her life to ensure the right to education and freedom from discrimination for African Americans. A new dynamic mural in the schoolyard honors Mary McLeod Bethune and embodies the very core of the school’s mission: to allow all children a place to learn, play, and dream.