DALLAS — More than two dozen Dallas ISD schools that live in “park deserts” are getting neighborhood parks through a partnership with Texas Trees Foundation Cool Schools Program.
Park deserts are areas that do not have park access within a 10 minute walk. Lang Middle School is the first middle school within Dallas ISD to receive a neighborhood park.
"We launched the Cool Schools program to provide students with an outdoor hands-on learning experience to foster environmental education and land stewardship which, ultimately, improves the health of our children and our neighborhoods," said Janette Monear, Texas Trees Foundation CEO/President. "These outdoor classrooms and spaces will bring surrounding neighborhoods closer as a community but will also reflect the transformative learning experiences happening within each school.”
The Texas Trees Foundation Cool Schools program transforms selected school campuses into safer, cooler outdoor learning spaces with the goal of increasing outdoor education and tree canopy coverage by supplying teachers with the necessary resources, such as an outdoor classroom, to educate students about urban forestry and environmental stewardship.
These schools are considered Cool School Community Parks and were identified through the Smart Growth study completed by the Trust for Public Land.
"The 25 schools were chosen as part of an initiative to increase the park score in Dallas, so these schools qualified because they were not within a 10 minute walk of a park. Additionally, these schools often lack canopy coverage, the average is 7% and we're trying to get them to at least 30%,” said Samantha Bradley, Cool School Manager. "So adding trees is a great way to promote the green space where students can walk to it, neighbors can walk to it and have a park nearby, which they deserve. These schools are oftentimes in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods, so we’re providing nature to areas that often lack it."
The initial Cool School Community Parks were all for elementary schools, so Lang Middle School’s park differs from elementary school play. It features obstacle course-like climbing structures, seating, a loop trail and fitness equipment powered by kinetic energy, which can be utilized for group classes.
“These new resources will be a great addition to this park that will benefit everyone,” Cool Schools Coordinator Alexa Francisco-Vazquez said.
At an event at school on Oct. 14, Lang students in Dallas took part in increasing the tree canopy for the future, getting in groups to plant trees. In the next five to 10 years, students, like Kaela Vaughn, will be able to see the fruits of their labor as the trees grow up around the new park.
“It feels great to know that we got to plant the trees that are going to be be here forever, and that we planted them specifically. And it feels good,” Vaughn said. “I just want to thank the people who came out here, that brought us the trees and stuff. I hope they become beautiful.”
The goal of the Cool Schools program is to enhance the landscapes and outdoor learning opportunities of more than 150 elementary school campuses in Dallas ISD and expand the Cool Schools model to surrounding regional school districts and across the state of Texas. Schools in Dallas are some of the least shaded urban heat islands in North Texas.
So while the day of tree planting was hard and muddy work, with the help of the Texas Trees Foundation, a blank canvas was transformed.
“It rained the night before, and we're in the Blackland Prairie, so this soil is like gum, it's clay, it was hard to move, but they really got into it, got their hands dirty, got those shovels and raked,” said Texas Trees Foundation Urban Forestry Manager Rachel McGregor. "It’s a good way to get them involved in understanding what trees can do, not only for your mental health but your physical health. These trees are going to be here for years to come, so they can always come back to this campus and know that they made a difference in their community where they grew up for cleaner, greener, cooler healthier benefits in their neighborhood."
Research shows outdoor time can be academically beneficial for students, leading to more attentiveness in the classroom.
“If I was a student, I would love this. Middle schoolers in Dallas ISD do not have access to playgrounds. Which if you think about it is silly because what better age group needs to get outside and really blow off some steam than our tweens and our middle schoolers? This was absolutely a blank canvas, there was not a single tree in this entire space. There wasn't anywhere to sit, or to hang out and so this area to me now is perfect. It checks a lot of boxes for the students and community members,” Bradley said.
The Lang Cool School Neighborhood Park, as well as the other parks created as part of the Cool School Program, will be open to the community after school hours and all day on weekends. If you live near any of the below Cool Schools campuses, you can register for a complimentary tree that can be picked up on the corresponding date, as part of the “NeighborWoods Program."