Across the country, children of all ages attend school on grounds with acres of asphalt and grass, and very few trees to provide shade or protection from increasing heat and a shifting climate. It’s time to change that! 

We are embarking on a decades-long initiative to address this problem. In 2022, as a first piece of this bold vision, Green Schoolyards America, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the California Department of Education, and Ten Strands launched the California Schoolyard Forest System℠, a statewide initiative that seeks to create schoolyard forests across pre-K-12 public school grounds statewide to directly shade and protect students from extreme heat and rising temperatures due to climate change. In the future, we envision Schoolyard Forest Systems in every state, collaboratively established with local partner organizations and state agencies.

As part of this work, we are convening an open and welcoming monthly discussion forum for school districts, county offices of education, and public agencies in California and around the country to share information as they move forward with establishing schoolyard forests at scale. Our goal is to provide support and to build a collegial “community of practice” and national network to strengthen these efforts. We also welcome tree planting organizations, landscape architects, and others from anywhere in the world who support school districts in this work.

Meeting information

The Community of Practice for Schoolyards Forests is on summer break! Check back in the fall for future meeting dates. See below for past format.

Registration

Participation is free. Please register via Zoom below.

Format

These interactive online meetings feature engaging presentations from school district colleagues, invited guest speakers, and technical experts who share their work on schoolyard forests. We also include time for small group conversations to encourage networking, share best practices, ask questions, and build relationships among schoolyard forest practitioners.

Past Dates and Speakers 

These recurring online meetings are held once a month on a Tuesday, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm PT / 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET.  

• November 15, 2022 — Berkeley Unified School District

• January 17, 2023 — Rialto Unified School District

• February 21, 2023 — Los Angeles Unified School District

• March 21, 2023 — Oakland Unified School District

• April 18, 2023 — Harmony Union School District and
  Lagunitas School District

• May 16, 2023 — Green Schoolyards America

Accessibility

All meetings will occur online via Zoom. Attendees will have access to live captioning and a live transcript. All meeting presentations will be recorded and available to the public on our website with the exception of the group discussions which will not be recorded. 

MEETING #6 — May 16, 2023

GREEN SCHOOLYARDS AMERICA
Schoolyard Forest System℠ Resource Library Overview

Guest Speakers
– Ayesha Ercelawn, Education Specialist, Green Schoolyards America
– Rachel Pringle, Director of Operations and Strategy, Green Schoolyards America
– Sharon Danks, CEO and Founder, Green Schoolyards America

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Erica Fine
7:45 Presentation by Rachel Pringle
14:10 Presentation by Ayesha Ercelawn
31:00 Presentation by Sharon Danks
49:00 Questions and discussion
56:50 Closing by Erica Fine

MEETING #5 — April 18, 2023

LAGUNITAS SCHOOL DISTRICT AND
HARMONY UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT
Lagunitas, California and Occidental, California

Guest Speakers
– Laura Shain, Superintendent and Principal
Lagunitas School District
– Matthew Morga, Superintendent-Principal
Harmony Union School District

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome, introduction, and updates by Erica Fine
10:18 Panel discussion with guest speakers
46:35 Closing by Erica Fine

MEETING #4 — March 21, 2023

OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Oakland, California

Guest Speakers
– Kat Romo, School Gardens and Living Schoolyards Program
Manager, The Center Education and Community Programming Team,
Oakland Unified School District
– Roland Broach, Executive Director, Custodial Services and Grounds,
Oakland Unified School District
– Mark Cavalli, Coordinator, Buildings and Grounds, Oakland Unified
School District

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome by Lauren McKenna
5:51 Introduction of guest speakers by Alejandra Chiesa
7:58 Presentation by guest speakers
33:28 Questions and discussion
51:00 Closing by Alejandra Chiesa and Lauren McKenna

Resources

• Oakland Unified School District Central Kitchen, Education Center, and Instructional Garden/Farm

• Oakland Unified School District Living Schoolyards Design Guidelines

MEETING #3 — February 21, 2023

LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Los Angeles, California

Guest Speakers
– Christos Chrysiliou, AIA, CCM, LEED AP BD+C, Director of Architecture
& Engineering, Los Angeles Unified School District
– Gerardo Salazar, Administrator for the Office of Outdoor and
Environmental Education, Los Angeles Unified School District

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome by Erica Fine, Green Schoolyards America
5:01 Introduction of guest speakers by Erica Fine
7:27 Presentation by guest speaker Gerardo Salazar
23:21 Presentation by guest speaker Christos Chrysiliou
42:36 Questions and discussion
55:21 Closing by Erica Fine

RIALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Rialto, California

Guest Speakers
– Juanita Chan-Roden, Agent of Science and Career Pathways,
Rialto Unified School District  
–   Brian Montez, Grounds Maintenance Supervisor,
Rialto Unified School District 

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome by Erica Fine, Green Schoolyards America
7:37 Introduction of speakers by Erica Fine
9:34 Presentation by Brian Montez and Juanita Chan-Roden
27:27 Questions and discussion
40:52 Closing by Erica Fine

Resources

• The Trees of Rialto Storymap - GIS Tree Data Collected by Students

BERKELEY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Berkeley, California

Guest Speakers
–   Stephen Collins, Facilities Maintenance Manager
Berkeley Unified School District 
– Sofia Peltz, Sustainability Coordinator
Berkeley Unified School District  

Webinar Timing
0:00 Welcome by Lauren McKenna, Green Schoolyards America
1:36 Introduction by Sharon Danks, Green Schoolyards America
15:10 Presentation by guest speakers Steve Collins and Sofia Peltz
36:07 Questions and discussion

Panelists

– Sharon Danks, Chief Executive Officer, Green Schoolyards America
– Alejandra Chiesa, California State Director, Green Schoolyards America
– Andra Yeghoian, Chief Innovation Officer, Ten Strands
– Juan Mireles, Director, School Facilities and Transportation Services
Division, California Department of Education (CDE)
– Lesley Taylor, Education Administrator, Facilities Planning Policy and
Standards, California Department of Education (CDE)
– Julia Gowin, PhD, Urban Forestry Supervisor, Northern Region,
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)
– Walter Passmore, State Urban Forester, California Department of
Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)

Webinar Timing

0:00 Welcome and introduction — Sharon Danks
13:35 Building a solid foundation — Alejandra Chiesa
20:20 Transforming schoolyards to support the whole child
— Juan Mireles and Lesley Taylor

27:35 Environmental and climate literacy and
climate resilient schools — Andra Yeghoian
30:30 Overview of the new CAL FIRE Green Schoolyards
Grant Program — Walter Passmore
37:05 Questions and discussion — Julia Gowin, PhD
with Alejandra Chiesa and Sharon Danks
55:52 What is next? — Alejandra Chiesa
58:13 Closing — Alejandra Chiesa and Sharon Danks