Hyattsville school opens outdoor learning space shaped by students

At César Chávez Dual Language Spanish Immersion School in Hyattsville, a campus project that began during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic ended as a student-shaped outdoor learning space named Wildcat Way. The June 16 opening put a finish line on five years of work by parents, school leaders, volunteers and community partners, turning what started as a response to disconnection into a permanent part of the school’s learning environment.

The project came together with help from dozens of parents, three PTO boards and hundreds of volunteer hours. Board of Education member Pamela Boozer-Strother helped connect the school with community resources, giving the effort the kind of support that often determines whether an idea stays a wish or becomes a built space. For Prince George’s County, the result was more than a ribbon-cutting: it was a sign that a neighborhood school can pull together public, private and volunteer backing for a shared investment in children.

Funding came from multiple sources. The school received $125,000 in grant funds through a partnership involving the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, along with $70,000 from Nature Sacred for construction, design and project management. Nature Sacred said the final design, named Wildcat Way by the fifth grade class, includes an outdoor classroom for nature-based learning and a separate area where students can take mindful or meditative breaks.

That student role matters. Instead of adults simply handing children a new space, students helped shape it, including naming it and offering ideas about how it should function. In a county where many school facilities compete for attention and dollars, Wildcat Way stands out as a project built around student voice, wellness and hands-on learning rather than a standard facilities upgrade.

César Chávez Dual Language Spanish Immersion School, at 6609 Riggs Road in Hyattsville, already has an identity tied to bilingual education and environmental learning. Prince George’s County Public Schools identifies it as a Maryland Green School for 2015 and 2019 and as an International Spanish Academy recognized by the Spanish government. Wildcat Way extends that profile into a physical space meant to connect academics, nature and community, while raising the larger question of how many other Prince George’s schools have access to anything similar.