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The Lakeside Learning Lab is part of a broader Sand Lake Park Makeover Project intended to connect kids and the community to their local place. Sand Lake Elementary school is located in west Anchorage and is adjacent to 5.1 acres of green space (the site of the project) and Sand Lake. It is the largest elementary school in the largest district in the state of Alaska, with over 650 students. According to the school website, 54% of the students come from ethnic backgrounds and 29% are economically disadvantaged. The school also hosts a Japanese immersion program. This project offers children a chance to engage first hand in the development of a park in their local community that will provide outdoor educational opportunities for generations to come.
Since 2015, the students have partnered with the Anchorage Parks Foundation Schools on Trails Program along with Municipal Parks and Recreation Department to improve the park. They have officially adopted the park, replaced damaged signs, built and hung nesting boxes, done monthly clean-up, lead tours, and created a website and digital map of the park. This past year they have been working with design professionals through a series of workshops to design the Lakeside Learning Lab. They created story boards, analyzed the site, drew scale models, and developed concept design plans. The development of the Learning Lab will be done in phases with the involvement of the children and broader community.
The project was just awarded a $20,000 challenge grant from the Anchorage Parks Foundation. The grant requires that they match the $20,000 in dollars and volunteer labor. They have raised $5,000 in individual contributions from the community to date as a match, but still need $15,000 to realize the grant.
The Anchorage Russian Jack Rotary Club is requesting $2,500 from Rotary District 5010 to help the project reach its goal. Additionally, the club is proposing to provide $2,500 as a cash match to the project and volunteer hours. The Anchorage Russian Jack Rotary Club will work with the steering committee, landscape architect, and students to clear the site for the Learning Lab and build a formal entrance and garden areas. The funds will be used to purchase needed materials including: ground cover; stepping stones; fencing; construction materials for the entrance feature, seating, stage area, and interpretive signage.
The project is shovel ready and can begin as soon as June 1, 2017 with expected completion in the summer of 2018.
These are challenging times for Alaska with our economy severely impacted by the decline in oil revenues. Funding for grassroots community development projects like the Lakeside Learning Lab are vital to keep our children engaged and healthy. Thank you for your consideration of our request.
Below are the websites for the project:
http://anchorageparkfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Anchorage-Sand-Lake-Takeover.pdf
https://sites.google.com/asdk12.net/sandlakemakeover/home
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