Melrose Leadership Academy

Oakland | California

What We’re Doing
Transforming Oakland’s schoolyards from empty lots into green oases

Our Goal
Connect more students and community members to the benefits of the outdoors

Support Our Work in California

Goodbye gray, hello green

500

students at the school

14,100

square feet of asphalt removed

new trees planted

The Melrose Leadership Academy Story

As a dual-language Spanish and English immersion school, Melrose Leadership Academy in Oakland is a vibrant blend of experiences and welcomes students from all cultures; yet its schoolyard was quite the opposite of welcoming. Mostly concrete with almost no shade, it was dangerously hot in the summer and prone to flooding during rainy winter storms. Students had no choice but to endure recess on the hot asphalt, using their imagination to play games without much inspiration to draw upon. But Trust for Public Land, Oakland Unified School District, and Green Schoolyards America partnered to change that.

We removed 14,100 square feet of pavement and replaced it with gorgeous trees and native plants that absorb stormwater and keep kids cool in the shade. We’ve added basketball and foursquare courts, so students have space to play with their classmates. Teachers now use the schoolyard to improve environmental literacy with new vegetable gardens and planting areas. As the first project in our partnership to renew Oakland schoolyards, the new space demonstrated what a renovated schoolyard could be: a welcoming green space for students and families to exercise, play, and connect to nature’s benefits.

About This Project

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Oakland Community Schoolyards

Explore our work at Community Schoolyards across Oakland

Oakland Community Schoolyards

Get in Touch With Our California Team

Los Angeles Office

135 West Green Street
2nd Floor
Pasadena, CA, 91105
(323) 223-0441
[email protected]

Sacramento Office

1107 9th Street
Suite 810
Sacramento, CA, 95814
(916) 557-1673
[email protected]

San Francisco Office

23 Geary Street
Suite 1000
San Francisco, CA, 94108
(415) 495-4014
[email protected]

Guillermo Rodriguez

Vice President Pacific Region, California State Director

[email protected]