An elementary school in sunny California was recently the beneficiary of some generous landscape companies. The volunteer efforts of several professionals turned a potentially hazardous area into a safe haven for children. Wood Canyon Elementary School in Aliso Viejo has a newly landscaped slope near the school playground. "The volunteers did a phenomenal job making this area a safe place for children," said Curt Visca, principal of the school.

Approximately 800 kindergarten through fifth-grade students are enrolled at the school. Staff was recently honored with the California Golden Bell Award for its Support Team Achieving Real Solutions (STARS) program. STARS emphasizes the use of trained teachers to serve as consultants to help "at-risk" students. Visca wanted the special atmosphere created by staff to extend to the physical surroundings of the school. The area near the playground was not the type of environment that Visca envisioned.

Principal Curt Visca (left) and Landscape Manager Dan O'Melveny from Shea Properties wanted to provide a safe environment for children at the school. After the project was completed, the school posted a banner (right) in appreciate of the landscape companies who donated time and materials for the project, including Shea Properties, Artistic Landscape, Land Forms, and Norman's Nursery.

The site contained a 3,000 square foot area that was overtaken by weeds and loose dirt. Since the slope was located close to the main play area, it became a clear danger to the children at the school. "The main goal was to cover up the area so that kids wouldn't walk through the mud and dirt," said Visca. "We wanted them to use the nearby steps instead."

Although the school has a landscape crew, this particular slope was left out of the normal maintenance schedule. "This was one of those areas that was in between because it was behind a building, yet it was still on the property," explained Visca. "Yet, half the school had to walk by that area to get to the playground." Being the curious creatures that they are, children would naturally play in the mud and dirt while walking toward the playground. The result was a walkway covered in slippery and potentially risky material. "It wasn't pleasant for anybody," said Visca.

During a Principal's Day event, a local company called Shea Properties decided to take an active role in landscaping the slope. The team improved the area by completing basic clean up and landscape work. They finished grading the area and completed irrigation installation and planting.

"Shea Properties supervised the job and took the leadership role of getting all materials and labor donated," said Dan O'Melveny, landscape manager for Shea Properties. Contributing partners Artistic Landscape in Lake Forest provided labor, Land Forms in Laguna Niguel provided irrigation, and Norman's Nursery in San Gabriel provided plant material. "The companies that contributed time and material are our Preferred Vendors, who like Shea Properties, believe in contributing to the communities in which we invest, live and work," explained O'Melveny.

The team landscaped a 3,000 square foot area which was overtaken by weeds and loose dirt. The new look of the land is much more conducive to a proper environment for children at the school.

The result is something that everyone can admire. "The area is growing more and more every month," said Visca. "We're grateful to the people who donated their time and products in order to make this location a safe environment for our students."