This Saturday: Grattan Elementary Celebrates Open Schoolyard With Ribbon-Cutting

This Saturday: Grattan Elementary Celebrates Open Schoolyard With Ribbon-CuttingPhotos: Caitlin Harrington/Hoodline
Caitlin Harrington
Published on November 05, 2015

This Saturday, Cole Valley’s Grattan Elementary School will celebrate its participation in San Francisco's Shared Schoolyards Project with a kick-off celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The program, which was revamped in 2011, opens San Francisco schoolyards on weekends from 9am-4pm to give neighborhood children and families accessible, safe spaces to gather and play.

"In a dense urban environment like San Francisco, the public schoolyards offer a great opportunity to add additional space for folks to use," said Jess Montejano, communications director for District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell, who spearheaded the project.

Grattan officially joined Shared Schoolyards a year and a half ago, after the school's principal, Matthew Reedy, passed by one of the first open schoolyards while out walking his dog. He had always considered it natural for schools to serve as public resources, so he reached out to Farrell's office about joining the project.

Farrell launched Shared Schoolyards in 2011 after taking his children to ride bikes at their neighborhood schoolyard, only to find it locked. Playing at his local school had been one of Farrell's fondest memories growing up in San Francisco, so he convened members of city government and the school districts to discuss reopening schoolyards. A similar program had existed under a different name, but it stalled in 2007 during recession-based cutbacks. The city agreed to allow the project, on the condition that Farrell raise the funds privately.

Playground at Grattan Elementary School.

Since the project began, 28 schools have joined. Montejano said the plan is to expand in phases to nearly 80 schools over the next two or so years. The Inner Sunset’s Independence High School (1350 7th Ave.) is a longtime member of the program, which was in place when principal Robert Maass joined the school six years ago.

Maass called his school's involvement a positive experience. “It’s just really nice to see neighbors, especially young children, using the schoolyard. Even though we’re two blocks from Golden Gate Park, the scale is much smaller and it’s more neighborhood-like. It's like [the neighbors'] own private park.” Aside from one complaint, Maass said the program has had overwhelming support from neighbors, and it hasn't experienced any of the negatives one might expect, like graffiti or vandalism.

This squares with the feedback Montejano has received. "What we’ve heard anecdotally is that opening the schoolyards on the weekends has actually helped decrease vandalism and damage at the schools, because it's pretty well known by the neighbors and the surrounding neighborhood that the school’s open and there are kids playing there."

Basketball court at Independence High School.

In the event of an incident, schools can call 311. At the close of each weekend day, Rec and Park patrol officers inspect the yards, ordering cleaning or repairs if needed so they're ready for schoolchildren come Monday morning. SF Public Works also provides participating schoolyards with two deep cleanings per year.

In exchange for their participation, schools' parent organizations (PTA/PTO) receive $1,000 per year to use as they see fit. "It ends up going a long way, especially in a cash-strapped district," said Montejano. Independence High School puts their $1,000 towards their student activities fund, and Grattan has used the money for playground equipment, greenscape maintenance, and supplies for the yard. Another $2,500 is available for schools to host weekend events that promote physical activity.

Currently, Grattan and Independence High are the only participating schools in the Inner Sunset and Cole Valley. However, three additional schools in the area have been identified as part of the program's planned expansion program: Jefferson Elementary School at 18th and Irving, Alice Fong Yu Alternative School at 12th and Lawton, and Clarendon Elementary School on Clarendon Avenue.


Grattan's kick-off celebration (Saturday, 11am-1pm) is part of a series of awareness-raising events the Shared Schoolyards program is hosting in partnership with neighborhood organizations. Supervisors Farrell and London Breed will be in attendance for a ribbon-cutting ceremony; the event will also feature food, kids' activities, and tables from neighborhood groups.

Reedy said he appreciates the benefits the project has had for Grattan's students and neighbors. "It unifies the community outside of teaching and learning, which makes for a more holistic approach."