High Peaks/BCSIS Elementary Schools in Aurora7 Park

Climate Resilient Schoolyard

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A watercolor illustration of a large tree with green foliage, a brown trunk, and visible roots.

How can we make our schoolyards and park landscapes resilient to climate change,

while creating opportunities to engage students in outdoor learning,

and meet community needs?

A woman planting a small tree in a garden area with wood chips, using a shovel. She is wearing sunglasses, a hat, a tie-dye T-shirt, shorts, and colorful socks. Behind her, there is a wooden fence and a school building with a sign that reads 'Boulder Community School of Integrated Studies & High Peaks Elementary.'

Project Overview

High Peaks and BCSIS Elementary Schools face challenges, like many other schools in our area, with low levels of tree canopy, limited landscape irrigation infrastructure, and constrained maintenance budgets.

Through key partnerships and grants, the schoolyard in the Aurora7 park area will undergo a landscape redesign and update to address these challenges. This pilot project will generate critical learning and guidance that can be applied across the school district.

Who is involved?

  • The City of Boulder and Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) have partnered to organize this pilot project with support from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and we can’t do it without you!

  • This project is shaped by the students, parents, community members, and neighbors surrounding BCSIS/High Peaks Elementary and Aurora 7 Park.

Children sitting on grass outdoors listening to a woman giving a presentation, with trees and mountains in the background.
A classroom filled with young students sitting on the wooden floor, raising their hands to answer a question. Two women are standing at the front, one near a projector screen displaying a presentation. The classroom has large windows, colorful banners hanging from the ceiling, and shelves with supplies.

What is the timeline?

  • Our first planting day happened on September 17! We added trees and native plants to the strip in front of the drop off lane.

  • The collaborative community design process occurred in Fall 2025 through Growing Up Boulder-led engagement with 3rd grade classes, engagement with staff, and design workshops open to the whole community, including one in-person and one online.

  • In Winter 2026, the community voted on which areas of the design to prioritize using stickers on poster boards at pick-up and drop-off.

  • You can add your name to our email list to be notified about upcoming events by clicking here.

What will it look like?

  • A community-design process has informed the creation of plans for four distinct areas of the schoolyard, including hedgerows, tree groves, native plants, an outdoor classroom, nature-play and den-making, a mini-orchard, and pocket prairie!

Aerial view of schoolyard

Image: Draft climate resilient schoolyard plan for BCSIS/High Peaks Elementary.

Project Email List
A group of children sitting on grass listening to a woman giving a presentation, with trees, houses, and mountains in the background on a sunny day.
Children sitting on the wooden floor of a classroom, raising their hands during a presentation, with two women at the front near a projector screen.
A group of children and two adults standing outdoors near a garden, with a wooden fence and green trees in the background on a sunny day.
Three children sitting on grass looking at a large outdoor informational poster with images and text, engaged in a presentation or discussion.
A woman giving a presentation to children seated on the floor. The presentation slide displays a garden scene with children and trees, and a list of next steps related to community gardening. Several large posters with landscape designs are in front
A group of people, including children with backpacks, gathered around a booth at an outdoor event in a park with green grass, trees, and a tent with the logo 'Cool Boulder.org' on a sunny day.
A woman planting a tree in a community garden, with a school building and parked cars in the background.
People planting trees in a community garden with a school building and parked cars in the background under a cloudy sky.
City street with sidewalk, traffic light, parked cars, trees, mountain view in the background, a building with solar panels, and a flagpole with an American flag.
People viewing design displays at an indoor event with a mountain mural wall in the background.
Group of adults and children attending a presentation in a community center, with display boards and mountains painted on the wall.
A family participating in an indoor activity includes two young girls, a man, and a boy, sitting at a table with papers, a blue pouch, and a yellow box. An adult woman with glasses, wearing a name tag that says 'Rebecca,' is seated nearby. A child is
Group of adults and children playing a card game on a wooden table in a community center, with informational posters in the background.
People sitting around tables playing a card game, with children and adults, in a room decorated with paper art and posters on the wall.
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Boulder Valley School District logo
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