A peek at the progress on Chester Arthur School’s STEM playground

The schoolyard at Chester Arthur is getting a complete overhaul. While it’s not ready for the first day of school next week, some serious progress is being made on the STEM playground and learning lab at the combination elementary and middle school at 2000 Catharine St.

This video taken last week shows a time-lapse of the construction crew’s progress to transform the mainly-asphalt playground into something special. Ground was broken for the schoolyard improvements in mid-June.

What all will this playground renovation include? There will be an outdoor classroom space, a running track, art installations, rain gardens, a sundial, an area for climbing and physics and plenty more. The purpose of this project is to create a space that encourages learning and play. Once completed, this revamped outdoor space will serve as a continuation of the classroom space inside of the school.

The $2.5 million project came to life thanks to fundraising efforts from Friends of Chester Arthur, along with additional funding from the William Penn Foundation, The School District of Philadelphia and the Water Department.