Jackson Magnet

Amigos de Los Rios led the green schoolyard transformation at Jackson Magnet STEM Dual Language Academy. Jackson is a K-5th grade school in the Pasadena Unified School District, located at the base of the Angeles National Forest in Altadena, CA. 

Amigos de los Rios removed 21,000 square feet of asphalt and concrete to reduce the playground’s heat island effect. We installed pervious pavement, bioretention planters, bioswales, to manage stormwater, improve drainage, address vector issues, protect water quality and conserve water. The Amigos team also created five outdoor classrooms and learning areas using boulders and recycled urban lumber for seating. The project also improved ADA access throughout the green schoolyard.

Other features include a pervious concrete path around the perimeter of the sports field for enhanced physical education, engineered wood fiber instead of rubber for safety zones around play areas, multiple nature-based play areas include a “sideways tree,” log couches, log throne and log stump cluster, the planting of 36 new trees and 600 shrubs. A phase two Safe Clean Water Project will address stormwater challenges in the streets surrounding the school and Emerald Necklace Watershed signage.