Bertha Casey Elementary School

2010 Neighborhood Beautification Grant Recipient

Bertha Casey Elementary School campus, built in 1998, in Southwest Austin is relatively un-landscaped besides a few pre-existing natural wildlife areas. As it exists, Casey Elementary is a blank slate just waiting for a transformation into an outdoor learning classroom that serves to educate everyone on how to be better stewards of the Earth. Through surveys, Casey staff expressed a strong interest in going beyond their existing classroom spaces into outdoor learning classrooms where the teachers and children can explore & learn about nature in a hands-on environment.

On October 2nd 2010, Casey Elementary School’s PTA, students, and teachers planted seven large native trees to reduce the heat island effect and to make the playground area more enjoyable for children, as the trees project them from the sun and wind.  The tree planting is part of an overall landscape plan with the goal of bringing the campus in line with AISD’s Environmental Stewardship Envisioning Committee’s vision of “utilizing a systemic approach to inspire our students to become better stewards of our environment, resulting in improved student learning and academic achievement.

Future plans for the campus include raised vegetable beds and native plant beds to accent the school's entrance.

BEFORE

October 1, 2010 Tree Delivery

OCTOBER 2, 2010 TREE PLANTING