At Sitton School in North Portland, a partnership between the Estuary Partnership, Depave, and the school community gave students a greener schoolyard.
North Portland’s Sitton School had a lot of outside space, but they didn’t have a good place for students to learn about environmental science topics like native plants or how polluted stormwater affects the nearby Willamette River.
The photo to the left is what the area looked like before the project.
In 2019, we worked with the school and nonprofit Depave to remove around 3,000 square feet of asphalt from their schoolyard. Many community members and school families pitched in to help rip up the pavement together.
The Oregon Landscape Contractors Association donated their time and the materials to prepare the depaved area for planting, and built a path through it so that students would have more access.
The area was also planted with native trees and other vegetation to provide shade, filter stormwater, and provide an area for students to learn about native habitats and green infrastructure on their school grounds.
In addition, trees were planted elsewhere throughout the Sitton schoolyard thanks to Portland Parks and Recreation's Urban Forestry Learning Landscapes Program. Kindergarten students even got to pitch in!
2025 Refresh
In April 2025, the Estuary Partnership teamed up with Depave again to lead community members in some needed revitalization work on the storm garden. Volunteers weeded and planted an array of Oregon grape, spirea, Oregon iris, slough sedge, juncus, as well as special pollinator plants like lavender and creeping thyme.
We were fortunate to be joined by Congresswoman Maxine Dexter (OR-3), whose district includes Sitton, who could see firsthand the importance of school rain gardens like this one on the school community, in addition to water quality. The Congresswoman also pitched in alongside the community to help with planting!
Project Partners
+ Sitton School and Sitton School PTA
Project Funder
