May 11th Work Day at Wheelock's Chess Courtyard was a success! Thank you!

To the Medfield Community: 

The Wheelock Elementary School courtyard has been renovated!  The interior courtyard remodel has been a project that has been in the works for many years. What was recently a weeded mess is now a beautiful space for our children to enjoy!

What makes the courtyard so special?  First, it has a very old cherry tree that has grown so big that it forms an enormous canopy over the courtyard thus creating a wonderful shaded space for children to sit under to read.  Second, thanks to a generous Medfield Coalition for Public Education (MCPE) grant, we were also able to add an outdoor life-size chess set and board, a purple crooked/whimsical shed to store the pieces, and three colorful outdoor gaming tables for chess or checkers.  Finally, thanks to the monetary support of the Wheelock CSA (parents), there is a new cement pathway and plants that truly make the courtyard a beautiful, inviting outdoor classroom for the teachers to use and for after-school activities/clubs.   

In addition to the MCPE grant, the courtyard remodel was also made possible by a few local businesses that helped with this project by donating their time and talents.  On behalf of the entire community, I would like to personally thank:

• Doug Kay at Shady Tree Landscaping for donating time, labor and excellent “oversight” skills at the final install (more on that below).  Doug and his crew prepared the courtyard for the final touches by weeding the courtyard and transplanting trees and shrubs and by ordering and delivering all the materials and plants. What a job!
• Monique Allen and her staff at The Garden Continuum for their donation of the beautifully detailed garden plan that they created for the school;
• Lueders Environmental for donating trees and shrubs and for trimming the beautiful cherry tree last Fall;
• Dover Design for transporting some material.

All of this came together on May 11th when the parent volunteers and Shady Tree starting showing up at 8 am on an almost-rainy day to begin installing approximately 100 shrubs and plants.  In addition to that, these tireless workers moved over 30 yards of new dirt, pea stone, mulch and playground woodchips. Since the courtyard is entirely enclosed, the volunteers carried this material through the school and into the courtyard using nothing but wheelbarrows!  Next came the plants, moving the crooked shed (thanks to Denis Folan and his ingenuity, and some strong dads), installing the chess pieces (thanks to Tracey Rogers Johnson and family for filling them all with sand!), and finally, assembling the game tables which required pouring cement footings (thanks to Scott Davenport for spearheading that project with many others assisting late into the day).  There was an incredible sense of community that day and seeing everyone do their part is what makes Medfield special.  I think people had a little fun in the process too! 

Finally, I wanted to thank everyone who has worked on this project over the last 4 years. Hopefully I remembered all of you! Here you are: Anna Mae O'Shea Brooke for being on my "committee of two" and for her help with all the ordering; Donna Olson, Wheelock Principal; Luanne Monahan, Karen Naughton, and Maureen Barrett for their help with POs, emails and general history of the project; Michele Sprofera for writing the MCPE grant; Dick and Collin Judge (and a few more Cub Scout dads) for assembling the crooked shed; Scott Davenport for assembling the tables and watering system; Cristy Godshall for donating bluestone; Paul Norian, the Wheelock custodian; Alan Peterson and Robert Bond from the Medfield schools; and Patty Allen, former Wheelock principal, for her vision of the space.  

Thank you also to the family volunteers at the work day on May 11th, including: the Hissong Family, the Johnson Family, Jim Carnes, Emma & Erin Mascari, Brad Compston, the Madej Family, Mark Bogar, Jason Garverich, Dan Frankel, Dave Dailey, John and Michael Hawley, Doug Godshall, Kate Griffor, Dick Judge, the Carlson Family, the Brooke Family, Amy Ferry, the Boland Family, the Manning Family, Dorothy Redding, the DiNatale Family, Lisa and Ella Thompson, Cathy O'Neil, Fran Corbett, Jen Menard, Martina Spitzer, Chris O'Sullivan, Denis Folan, Heidi Smith, Rich Sullivan, Mike Lawless, and Doug Kay.  My apologies if I missed anyone. We certainly couldn't have done it without you! 

Thank you to the community for donating to the CSA and MCPE to support projects like these.  We live in a great town.  Now, enjoy the new courtyard! 

Sincerely, Minta Hissong, Wheelock CSA Courtyard Chairperson