At 1 Tacoma school, kids go to recess next to I-5. Here’s what we’re doing to help | Opinion

Staff at Jennie Reed Elementary School are always looking for ways to improve their students’ ability to learn and grow — but as the only elementary school in Tacoma located alongside Interstate 5, Jennie Reed’s biggest issues are embedded in its location.

A school’s physical location can have a huge impact on student outcomes. Because their playground is right next to the highway, students need to shout to be heard over the sounds of the noisy corridor during recess. The highway even impacts air quality inside the school. To deal with pollution from cars, the school changes their air filters twice as often compared to other Tacoma schools. Teachers are also concerned for their students’ health because studies show people who live close to the highway have much higher rates of asthma hospitalization and lung disease.

Thankfully, Tacoma Public Schools is trying something new to help students. They’ve partnered with Metro Parks Tacoma and Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors, to transform Jennie Reed Elementary School’s playground with new equipment and trees. The new green space also serves as a park for the community after school hours.

Over the next few years, Trust for Public Land and Tacoma Public Schools will update five school playgrounds into green spaces to improve students’ physical and mental health — including the already completed park update at Helen B. Stafford Elementary, and future parks at Mann, Whitman and Larchmont elementary schools. This work was spurred by a recent report showing Tacoma has the biggest park access gap in Washington, with 65,000 people in the city living without easy park access.

The completion of the Tacoma Community Schoolyards projects will serve more than 25,000 people, increasing the percentage of Tacoma residents living within a 10-minute walk to a park to 75%.

Parks provide places for people to exercise and are a proven mental health resource, with studies finding that people who spend regular time in green spaces enjoy lower levels of stress and are less likely to experience anxiety disorders and depression. Students who spend time outdoors and in nature also have improved academic outcomes when compared to students that lack the same access.

Together, Jennie Reed Elementary School and Trust for Public Land worked closely with neighbors to make sure the park update included what community members said was most important. Parents and students asked for new trees to be planted and serve as a sound barrier for highway noise, reducing the stress students feel when they can’t hear teachers or carry on a conversation. The update also includes basketball courts, a new track and ramps that make the playground more accessible for students with disabilities.

These additions are also cost-effective. With the price of land rising in Tacoma, transforming existing schoolyards into community parks is an innovative way to increase much-needed public green space without buying new land.

Students who attend Jennie Reed live and play in an area with the highest concentration of concrete and pavement in Tacoma. Renovating the schoolyard means improving the primary green space that people can access in the community. By transforming their playground into a park with more greenery, the school added a community resource that will make their students and neighbors healthier.

Sarneshea Evans is a program director for Trust for Public Land in Washington. TPL helped preserve 222,800 acres in Washington and Oregon, including the Rattlesnake Ridge and Cougar Mountain Trails.

This story was originally published May 29, 2024 at 5:00 AM.