After a year of contemplation, surveying and grant application work around the Pagosa Peak Open School outdoor spaces… PPOS parents have received a $25,000 grant from the Colorado Health Foundation to fund planning for the “Playground for the People.”
Once plans are complete, the playground planning team will be able to submit them for a second and final round grant, that would help fund the building of the playground in 2023.
During the design and planning process, the team is looking for input from students, families and Pagosa Springs community members. The community is invited to the Playground for the People Planning Party at 5:30pm on September 15 in the cafeteria at Pagosa Peak Open School (3133 Cornerstone Dr.) to collaborate and share ideas.
The team will also be meeting with PPOS students this month to collect their thoughts around the ideal outdoor space. Students are excited to potentially have things like swings and a bouldering wall.
The space will be designed to serve not only PPOS students but also the entire Pagosa community after school hours. With limited uptown playground spaces available to the public, the planning team is hoping to create a fun, outdoor space for Pagosa families.
“We are working together to build an award-winning playground that will bring joy for generations,” PPOS Playground Planning Team member Cady Allione said.
The school has just completed a $1.5 million building renovation, and the staff is excited to now look toward renovating the exterior spaces on the property.
“Our students and community deserve a beautiful and fun place to play,” PPOS Director Angela Reali-Crossland said. “We are fortunate to have dedicated parents working toward this goal.”
Pagosa Peak Open School is a tuition-free public school open to all Archuleta County families. The educational model is built upon Project-Based Learning, a student-centered pedagogy that involves a dynamic classroom approach, through which students can acquire a deeper understanding through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems. Students in all classes at PPOS engage in multiple projects throughout the year; looking for ways to influence their own community, and create positive change.
Emily Murphy is School Director at Pagosa Peak Open School, the first District-authorized charter school in Archuleta County. Prior to her appointment as School Director, Emily filled various roles at PPOS including Project-Based Learning advisor, instructional coach, and assistant director.