Tower School's Backyard to Re-Open September 2019

A transformative gift, designated for the installation of a turf field at Tower, enabled the School to design a premiere outdoor environment to enhance Tower’s athletic, physical education and science programs. The Backyard Project includes an environmentally friendly turf field, two new playgrounds, a teaching garden with a greenhouse, an outdoor classroom adjacent to the wetlands, and a community gathering space.

Highlights of the Backyard Project include the following:

• An environmentally friendly turf playing field will provide weather-resistant athletic space for games, practices and outdoor recess. Additionally, Marblehead youth athletic programs will benefit from access to a second turf field in town, giving hundreds of children a dependable field for play, even following inclement weather.

The new turf field and underlay align with the school’s commitment to sustainability. All materials are recyclable or compostable. The shock pad and infill for the turf are manufactured by Brock, a Colorado-based company. BrockFILL is made in the USA from a species of southern pine that is grown, harvested, and replanted in continuous cycles, making it ideal for a sustainable, renewable organic infill product.

• A new teaching garden including a greenhouse and raised garden beds will enable teachers to create living laboratories for students, cultivate community partnerships through sustainable and equitable food initiatives, and equip students with important skills that strengthen learning, such as: the use of scientific tools, the ability to think systematically, inquiry and the strengthening of solution-based skills.

• An outdoor classroom will provide access to the wetlands on campus to observe and discuss systems and environmental science.

• Two newly designed playgrounds for students will enhance experiential learning. Through joyful, imaginative play and physical activity, children gain skills in negotiation, and problem solving within a group.

• A new community gathering space defined by the creation of a raised terrace in front of the greenhouse, will be used for gatherings and school-wide events.

Photos from the groundbreaking ceremony can be found online at https://www.towerschool.org/di...