No one ever tires of hearing the song, Eye of the Tiger, especially Philadelphians. When the Taggart Elementary School chorus serenaded the crowd at the schoolyard opening ceremony, with songs themed to their mascot, the tiger, we couldn?t help but sing along. The long path toward realizing a green schoolyard began with the Trust for Public Land (TPL) in 2014, facilitating a participatory design program with the school?s students. TPL then hired TEND and their design team partners, Duffield Associates, Playcare, and Becker & Frondorf to bring the student?s inspired vision to reality. After closing the schoolyard for construction all summer and the beginning of the fall term, it reopened this November to the students and community with great excitement and jubilation. What was once only asphalt is now a meaningful school campus for the students and the surrounding community supporting play, active recreation, outdoor learning, socializing and cultural activities. A few links to what project partners and others are saying about the transformation:?

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