Crocker Riverside Brick Campaign
May 2024
Update on Crocker/Riverside’s “Brick Campaign” project:
The C/R PTO undertook this massive project in the before times
and it came to fruition over the Summer of 2022. But YOU can
still be a part of it all! Bricks are for sale from now until the
last day of school (6/14/24) for $150 each. You can fill out the
form here.
(Please, PLEASE make sure you use ALL CAPS when filling out the wording on the order form. If you don’t, it will cause delays.)
If you are interested in a bench sponsorship, please contact Anna Molander Hermann at 916-216-2492 or afmolander@hotmail.com
What was the Brick Project?
The Crocker/Riverside Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) unveiled its multi-year project to transform an unused front lawn into a climate-friendly community space. Working with Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD), Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), Sacramento Tree Foundation, Teichert Construction Company, South Land Park Construction, Capital Metal Works, and Northern California Construction Training (NCCT), the PTO installed nearly 23,000 bricks to form a permeable courtyard, 14 benches, 3 new climate-friendly shade trees, and mulch. The new courtyard will provide a community amenity as a shady meeting point and much-needed community space.
Benches include metal art plaques with inspirational quotes and life lessons. Generous Crocker/Riverside donors, such as Giannetti & Booms and The Quail Family, made the initial bench installation possible, while the families of Crocker/Riverside raised funds for the brick courtyard. SCUSD will install the restored historic Crocker/Riverside sign that has been missing from the site since just before the March 2020 COVID-19 shutdown.
Spring 2022
Hello Crocker/Riverside Families!
In an effort to keep all stakeholders aware of the status of the
Brick Campaign, a quarterly newsletter will be made
available with updates.
What have we done so far?
We currently have raised $13,000 and have sold 85 bricks for the
school entry renovation.
Our goal is to raise $180,000 in order to accomplish all 3 Phases
of the beautification projects.
When will we see the changes?
Phase 1 will begin soon. With help from Northern California
Construction Training, we anticipate laying the groundwork
for the first phase of engraved bricks, flanking the main entry.
Also included in Phase 1 is the installation of footings for
benches and concrete planting bed borders in the front
of the school.
Once we have raised money for Phase 2, we will fix the playing
field irrigation and other problems . The permanent soccer
goals and backstop will be removed and replaced with multi-sport
flexible use equipment. Phase 3 will including building a
“track” around our field and various learning
gardens throughout the grounds.
Spring 2021
Dear Friends and Neighbors:
The Crocker/Riverside PTO is kicking off a much-anticipated campus upgrade and beautification (CUB) campaign and we are excited to share the details with you!
Over the last year, our children have borne the brunt of a pandemic that has left them isolated and thirsty for a return to in-person learning. To prepare for the return of running feet to C/R, the PTO would like to fix what has needed fixing for over a decade – the declining areas of our school site. But we also want to recognize the many, many ways our neighbors have sacrificed to make C/R such a great school, even with our very limited space. So we have a three phase plan to CUB Crocker/Riverside.
PHASE 1 – SPRING 2021:
Fix the irrigation, remove divots and other hazards, and replant hardy grass on the playing field. Remove the existing backstop and goal posts; replace with moveable/modifiable backstop and goals. Install a recycled rubber path around the field. Install potted trees on blacktop areas to increase shade coverage. Install mural on the exterior wall of Mrs. McAfee’s room (the eastern-most wall, facing the corridor leading from the office to the cafeteria).
PHASE 2 – SPRING/SUMMER 2022:
Install personalized bricks, benches, and a flagpole in the front of school. Make it a space that welcomes the whole community in and provides a comfortable meeting spot before and after school. (See renderings by C/R’s own Amber Hildebrand – both an alumnus AND a parent – at https://www.crockerriverside.org/post/crocker-riverside-brick-campaign!)
PHASE 3 – TBD:
Build a geo garden, butterfly garden, all-weather outdoor classroom, and ninja course. Build out area for a solar-powered STEAM bus makerspace. Update and upgrade the kinder playground and Big Toy. Plant additional trees and plants to provide shade throughout campus.
How can you help?
The PTO is offering several ways for you to support this project financially AND leave your mark on our amazing campus.
Benches – $5,000
We are offering four(4) benches in the front of school with your message on a plaque. Please contact Anna Molander at 916-216-2492 if you or your business are interested.
Flagpole – $20,000
We can’t use the existing flagpole in front of the 4th R portable and we can’t remove it because it is historic so we’d like to put a new flagpole at the entrance to school as part of our welcoming new patio. Your name will be commemorated on a plaque at the base of the flagpole, which, if history is our guide, will remain in place long after we can’t use it anymore. Please contact Anna Molander at 916-216-2492 if you or your business are interested.
Why a private campaign?
The C/R community is lucky to have so many resources at our disposal that other schools simply do not. Because of this good fortune, we do not receive the fiscal support other schools receive. But… our field isn’t safe for the kids to play on. So the PTO Board decided that, rather than take away resources needed by other schools, we’d build it ourselves with fundraising and sweat equity.
Why now?
We’d like the return of children to campus to be, well, magical. It’s been a world-altering year and we want our children to know that we appreciate their incredible sacrifices, flexibility, and heart in this year of pandemic. What better way to do that than to make their learning space as beautiful and engaging as imagination allows.
Thank you for your support – day in and year out – in the C/R community! And, please, stay safe until we are all able to safely gather together again.
With Cubs spirit,
Bryan Baldwin
Former C/R PTO President
Anna Molander
C/R CUB Campaign Chair