Phase one of the Field Elementary school playground is set to open Sunday, April 7th. Please join the Friends of Field, the kids, and the Houston Dynamo street team for a fundraising auction and soccer event from 2-4pm. The first phase of the playground design includes a new soccer field and walking track. Phase two includes natural areas, a frogland with rainwater harvesting, native plantings, and a stump jump.

Press Release: The SPARK Park at Field Elementary was first dedicated in November 2000. The re-SPARK effort is a cooperative venture of Field parents, students, and the neighborhood community. The park includes a new artificial turf soccer field and crushed granite running track. The re-SPARK design was under the direction of landscape architect Falon Mihalic of Falon Land. The general contractor was Athletic Design Group. The total cost was $80,000. The project received pro-bono support from Kaleidoscope Design, Kate Cairoli, Gullett & Associates, LJA Engineering, and Keegan Pieper. The project was funded in great part through the financial support of local residents and parents including the Peche, McNeil, Mahmoud, McGrail, McKinnon and Szczepanski families. Additionally, support was received from matching grants by Capital Group Companies and donations from Zabel Freeman Attorneys at Law, Soccer Shots Houston, Hunter Dance Center, Spanish School 4 Kids and Lisa Cabral of Prime Texas Properties. A number of events to support the project were coordinated by the Field Elementary PTO and Friends of Field, including the fundraising kickstarter in April of 2018 hosted in the indoor soccer facilities of the O Athletik Gym. Additionally, volunteers were involved in beautification efforts, including ExxonMobil volunteers and a matching grant, PTO parents and local businesses such as Jeff Weems LLC AND Sharkey’s, that helped support events throughout the year. The project has recently received a $10,000 grant from the River Oaks Garden Club in order to continue landscaping improvements to the playground. The April 7th celebration will include youth skills activities by the Houston Dynamo and Dash street team, O Athletik youth programs, and Soccer Shots Houston. Pure Barre Houston will offer an adult fitness class. In honor of the occasion, Martha Hernandez from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s office will present a United States flag that has flown over the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Those helping Principal John Hendrickson dedicate the new SPARK Park are: Martha Hernandez, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s office Elizabeth Santos, HISD Board of Trustees Patty McGrail, Friends of Field Linda Peche, Field Elementary PTO

Link to RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/2580663598844309/