Westchester Playa del Rey

Cowan Avenue School Awarded Neighborhood Matching Funds Grant

Aug 25, 2001

Cowan Avenue School Awarded Neighborhood
Matching Funds Grant

Imagine your children learning first-hand about science, nature and art in a huge outdoor classroom located at the edge of the bluff at Cowan Avenue Elementary School. This dream has just been made a little bit more possible with a $5,000 grant awarded from Neighborhood Matching Funds this summer. The huge canyon area is currently fenced, and contains a huge batting cage which Del Rey Little League rents from the school. The area will soon be professionally surveyed, and a local landscape architect has initially viewed the area. Exciting ideas are being bandied about, such as:

- planting a butterfly garden;
-creating different ecosystems: i.e. using the existing water drainage to create a creek with riparian plants; and having other ecosystems such as desert plants;
-putting in a path which allows wheelchair access and weaves throughout the area, using informative signs to describe the flora and fauna
-planting a grove of oak trees
-putting in outdoor tables for regular classroom instruction, and more!

The Cowan Avenue Outdoor Classroom will benefit the surrounding community as well as Cowan students. Nature workshops will be provided for all neighborhood children. What a wonderful opportunity to teach our children about science and nature!
Landscape professionals, grant writers and other volunteers are urgently needed for this project. Donations of money and supplies are also needed. For more information please contact the project coordinator, Sheri Weitz at :(310) 670-8824
or touchworks@earthlink.net