Students at Sudduth Elementary School will enjoy a newly renovated learning and play space on campus when the new school year begins in late July. Renovation and redesign of The Cafeteria Courtyard, a space framed by Sudduth's cafeteria and two classroom wings, was funded largely by the school's Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and designed and constructed in partnership with the Mississippi State University Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design. Administrators, parent volunteers and MSU partners held a ribbon cutting in May for the official opening of the space, and PreK, kindergarten and first grade students got a first experience of the courtyard's fun features before the end of school.
"We are very proud of this new space for learning and play, and grateful to PTO and our partners at MSU and in the community for their hard work and creativity in helping us create it," said Dr. Morgan Abraham, Sudduth Elementary School principal. "What PTO and MSU Landscape Architecture have built is a much more vibrant and functional space for learning, and I can't wait for all our students to be able to experience it this year. This project is an excellent example of how our community partnerships can create learning opportunities for students in Oktibbeha County that are much more than the sum of their parts."
Sudduth PTO collaborated with MSU's Landscape Architecture program and local contractors to create a renovated space that was more functional for young children as an educational environment and offered unique opportunities to combine play and learning. Landscape Architecture faculty and students developed a comprehensive plan for the space as well as designed and constructed various play elements to be installed. They even engaged one of the Sudduth kindergarten classes to act as a "focus group" and give input on colors and design elements used in the finished courtyard.
Jamey Bachman, one of the Sudduth PTO parent volunteers, used her background in Landscape Architecture to engage Mississippi State's program to help with the project. PTO worked during the year prior to the start of construction to facilitate the design process and to raise necessary funds. Through monetary gifts and donation of services from parents, district stakeholders and area businesses, PTO was able to provide the resources needed to execute the project.
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After a groundbreaking event in May 2024, construction began last summer with the installation of hardscape. Local contractors poured tiered concrete plazas and transitional steps that can also act as seating for outdoor instruction. Hunter Trees of Alabama partnered with MSU LA to provide four new American Elm trees which LA students installed.
The finished courtyard includes an abstract "forest" of green posts with integrated magnifying glasses for students to examine the environment up close. Numbered stepping stones through the forest allow students to practice counting while moving through the space. A four-foot-tall abacus made from river stones provides an interactive throwback to ancient times, enhancing math instruction. The forest is bordered by 55 linear feet of custom curved seating which can accommodate one or more elementary classes.
Funding for the project included new colorful umbrellas for the existing tables, providing an element of shade. Custom flower designs also serve as heads for talking tube "stems" that allow students to speak into the tubes for friends to hear across the courtyard. MSU LA also donated supplies for chalk art that teachers can use on an ongoing basis.
Peter Summerlin, Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator at MSU's Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design, acted as a liaison for the project and spearheaded the department's involvement. As a Sudduth parent, he was also very interested in ensuring the space was a creative addition to campus that would appeal to students like his daughter.
"We challenged our LA students to think about the project both from a learning perspective and from the view of a child. We wanted to get Sudduth students' input on the designs, colors and heights of the talking tubes in particular," he said. " We visited Ms. Paes' classroom for an interactive activity where we brought prototypes our LA students had constructed. We asked kids to vote on designs and colors, and they also drew flowers that we used as inspiration for the final designs."
Summerlin says the project offered LA students a unique and valuable opportunity to execute real-world designs.
"We had two groups of graduate and undergraduate students who were working on the project," he said. "One group worked on the initial design for the paving and the other elements. Last fall, we were able to implement the first phase. Then, we had a second group of students designing and implementing new additional elements. It's been exciting for our students to be able to work on a real-world project that will be used by kids –– a real asset to their experience in our program."
During their classroom activity, MSU LA students asked kindergarteners to practice speaking into prototype talking tube flowers to measure the most appropriate height for construction.
At a ribbon cutting for the project in May, Sudduth PTO president Amy Weiskopf highlighted the importance of partnerships like the one with MSU Department of Landscape Architecture in providing unique experiences for students, and Abraham echoed her gratitude.
"This project is a great example of how our partnership with MSU as well as local businesses really benefits students and enhances their learning," Abraham said. "This has become a vibrant space where teachers and teacher assistants can bring students to engage in free play as well as targeted learning experiences outside the traditional classroom. It reflects our desire to provide opportunities for the sensory-based instruction that research tells us really helps students retain new skills they are learning."
Sudduth teachers have already put the new space to good use, even through some of the construction process. Teacher Assistants often gather struggling students into small group time to review and offer additional practice to master skills. They have used the courtyard space as a place to engage small groups in a more meaningful way and put movement to their lessons. Students may jump up and down steps as they count or speak the sounds found in words, for example, as a way to help them engage their whole bodies in the learning process.
In addition to the learning benefits provided by such an interactive space, the Cafeteria Courtyard meets a very practical need as well. During last week's Kinder Camp, a two-day morning program designed to give incoming kindergarteners a preview of "big school," mud and excess water from rainy weather hindered campers from using Sudduth's main playground. The courtyard, however, provided campers a space to play on hardscape, expend energy running through the "forest" and build friendships with the talking tubes and chalk artwork. The additional play space will only enhance opportunities for recess and outdoor time for a campus that serves just over 900 students.
"Our district enjoys a robust partnership with Mississippi State that has been enhancing learning for our K12 students for many years," said SOCSD Superintendent Dr. Tony McGee. "I'm delighted to see the courtyard project on our Sudduth campus come to fruition from the great work of our parent volunteers and the continued commitment of MSU to work with us. Whether it's the creation of our middle school, the ongoing cooperation on dual credit and science research for our high schoolers, or this play space for our youngest students, the opportunities created through our growing MSU partnership are impacting nearly every child in our community."