December 2nd was a Saturday to remember for the entire San Francisco Chinatown community as families came out to celebrate the opening of Gordon Lau Elementary's schoolyard! The school's very central yard in the heart of the city would now be available for the everyone in the neighborhood to use on the weekends going forward. 

Everyone was treated to the free and savory chicken drumsticks, chow mein, and fried tofu graciously provided by the Golden Daisy. The kickoff also had over 15 community partners and organizations come out to provide educational resources and games for all the attendees. Community Youth Center provided a disaster preparedness awareness activity; Chinatown YMCA brought arts and crafts for everyone; and Edgewood Center for Children and Families had kids laughing with glee while they pushed and pulled the giant blocks of a life-size Jenga. 

However, the highlight of the opening was definitely when Leung's White Crane Lion and Dragon Association started their procession of drums and lion dancing. Two lions - one in yellow and the other in red - led the crowd of delighted kids to the wider end of the schoolyard before the speaking program began.

Teachers, parents, neighbors, and seniors all gathered around as Principal Gloria Choy welcomed and thanked the whole community for supporting Gordon Lau Elementary Schoolyard's opening. She introduced Supervisor Mark Farrell, who has spearheaded the Shared Schoolyard Project since 2012, to give his remarks for the tremendous occasion. Yi Huang, the Director of Youth Programs at Chinatown YMCA, wrapped up the program with Cantonese and Mandarin translation before the widely anticipated ribbon cutting ceremony!

Gordon Lau Elementary School is now open on the weekends between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The schoolyard will be opened by the San Francisco Parks and recreation Department and cleaned by the San Francisco Department of Public Works. For any questions or specific information about the Shared Schoolyard Project, please contact info@sfsharedschoolyard.org. 

On Saturday, November 18th it proved to be a beautiful, sunny day for a Shared Schoolyard event! Crowds of families from the nearby community streamed into the schoolyard at Daniel Webster Elementary School to celebrate the exciting opening of the schoolyard for public use on the weekends. They were joined by local organizations, community leaders, as well as local representatives from the San Francisco Police Department.

The schoolyard at Daniel Webster was covered with children and adults running from tables to activities. Children had the chance to move around and get active with the help of community partners SF Youth Soccer and their pickup games and Tenacious Tennis organizing matches between children. We were lucky to be joined by a wide array of community partners such as Bricks 4 Kidz, STEMful, SF Children's Art Center, Potrero Hill Library Branch, Girl Scouts of America, Recycle for Change, and last but not least the Oakland Black Cowboys! And the tacos were back, delighting everyone with their deliciousness!

While fun and games were happening on the lower schoolyard, the Oakland Black Cowboys were on the upper yard giving horseback and pony rides to excited youngsters eager to get their chance atop the gentle giants.

We were privileged to have awesome speakers at the event. Principal Carrie Bettie and former President of the Board of Education Shamann Walton, who both spoke about the importance of connecting with the school and community. Supervisor Mark Farrell, whom has spearheaded the Shared Schoolyard Project, also spoke about his motivations for supporting the project.  After the speaking program, a crowd of smiling children gathered around with Supervisor Farrell to participate in the cutting of the big, red ribbon-signifying the official opening of the schoolyard on the weekends.

The schoolyard at Daniel Webster Elementary will be open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. The schoolyard will be opened by the San Francisco Parks and Recreation Department and cleaned by the San Francisco Department of Public Works. For any questions or specific information about the Shared Schoolyard Project, please contact info@sfsharedschoolyard.org.