• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

12/9/2018 Application Questions: Edit and Submit - Google Docs Bessemer Academy Play Yard Initiative 2018 GOCO Grant Application https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NINhBokK-5nnLntt9RqPth_d5e1-QW1pldkmRcXzFi8/edit 1/24 1 Bessemer Academy Play Yard Initiative 12/9/2018 Application Questions: Edit and Submit - Google Docs Bessemer Academy Play Yard Initiative Application Questions: Bessemer Academy Schoolyard Initiative Community Background Bessemer Academy, originally named Bessemer School, was opened on November 29, 1883, as a small two­room schoolhouse. Bessemer Academy is an extraordinary elementary school that educates 43 preschoolers and 237 kindergarten through fifth grade scholars from varying backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses. Our population is made up of 80% minority students, 90% are eligible for free or reduced lunch, 17% are on an Individualized Education Plan and 4% are Culturally and Linguistically Diverse. Bessemer Academy is a unique school where the mission is to fully integrate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in a Project­Based Learning (PBL) environment so that students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and passion to create positive change in the world. Bessemer Academy has been in Turnaround status from 2012, until recently! With the dedication and hard work from the families, staff, and scholars, Bessemer Academy has successfully moved out of Turnaround status and into Improvement status. The school serves a population of low socioeconomic families and is a Title I school under the Federal, State, and District guidelines. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the Title I Act provides financial assistance to local schools with high numbers of children from low­income families to ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. Bessemer Academy is home to the only Exceptional Student Services (ESS) self­contained preschool within District 60. This preschool serves children ages 3­5 with severe disabilities. There is also a mainstream preschool available free of cost to families funded by the Colorado Preschool Program. The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program currently serves 6 students. There are 16 scholars who are English as Second Language Learners, some of those scholars’ parents speak only limited English. This school year, 9 scholars qualify for educational rights and services for students experiencing a temporary or inadequate living situation due to loss of housing, the Title IX, McKinney­Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Act. According to Pueblo School District 60, 866 scholars are considered homeless under the Title IX, McKinney­Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Act, within the school district. Due to the high financial needs at Bessemer Academy, the school participates in many community outreach programs to strengthen our community and provide families with items for their basic needs. There is a clothing closet available, on campus, to give scholars new jeans, coats, uniform shirts, socks, and more. In partnership with the Family Worship Center, there is also a food and hygiene pantry available for scholars, when needed. During breaks from school in fall, winter, and spring, families https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NINhBokK-5nnLntt9RqPth_d5e1-QW1pldkmRcXzFi8/edit 2/24 2 Bessemer Academy Play Yard Initiative 12/9/2018 Application Questions: Edit and Submit - Google Docs receive a “Backpack of Love” full of food to ensure the scholars will have food while they are not at school. City Councilman, Ray Aguilera, hosts a “Christmas at Bessemer” event at Bessemer Academy for the entire community, annually. This year, Christmas at Bessemer is expected to serve 1,000 children from the community. This event provides scholars from Bessemer and the surrounding area with Christmas presents and holiday meals. The Pueblo Poverty Foundation also used the field to host a Pumpkin Patch to ensure each child received a pumpkin to carve this past fall. The Bessemer neighborhood is nestled in the southern portion of Pueblo, Colorado. The neighborhood is diverse in culture and history. In the 1800’s, the Colorado Fuel and Iron (CF&I) began in Bessemer, making it one of the oldest communities in Colorado. Generations of immigrants from almost every European nation came to Bessemer for employment within the steelworks; African­Americans, Mexicans, Koreans, and Japanese all moved to Bessemer for employment with the steel mill. When CF&I closed, many hard­working families lost their source of income and Bessemer became a high­poverty neighborhood. The Bessemer neighborhood is one of the oldest parts of Pueblo, with nearly 87% of homes being built before 1920 and 50% being built before 1940. The homes are small and were built to house steel mill workers, before children began to populate the neighborhood. Early in Bessemer’s history, the need for a high school was not portrayed. The City of Pueblo Historitecture document states, when most of the young men in Pueblo were going to high school, Bessemer’s young men were expected to start working at the steel mill. According to the 2012­2016 American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder, the population for the Bessemer neighborhood is 3,087. There are 519 children under the age of 9. The Bessemer neighborhood population has an unemployment rate of 48.8% and 66.2% of Bessemer families earn less than $34,999 a year. Families with female householder with no husband present include 23.8% of Bessemer families, with a median non­family income of $13,727. As reported by the 2015 Census, the City of Pueblo has a population of 108,073. The demographics of Pueblo include 43.1% caucasian, 51.8% hispanic/latino, 2.1% African American, 0.5% American Indian, and 0.6% Asian. The average household income is $43,788 with 19% of families living below the poverty line. Families with children 18 and younger makeup 30.2% of the population living below the poverty line and 30.2% of families have children under the age of 18. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NINhBokK-5nnLntt9RqPth_d5e1-QW1pldkmRcXzFi8/edit 3/24 3 Bessemer Academy Play Yard Initiative 12/9/2018 Application Questions: Edit and Submit - Google Docs Access Bessemer Academy is a 100% open enrollment school of choice, meaning that scholars commute from all over Pueblo County; however, most of the scholars live within walking distance and walk to and from school daily. It is anticipated that the play yard will be used frequently by scholars and the community. The play yard will be open to the public after school hours, Friday­Sunday, and during school breaks. Signage with public use times will be posted on the play yard site. Fifth­grade student, Leah, said, “The playground would have easy access, making it available to everyone. Wouldn’t it be great to have this playground at Bessemer Academy?” As shown in the Bessemer Academy School Yard Initiative Access Map, Attachment 1, Bessemer Academy is centrally located in the Bessemer neighborhood and is surrounded by homes. The playground is in close proximity, within 0.1 miles, from the closest home with children. Shown in Attachment 2, there are 12 crosswalks and multiple existing sidewalks leading to the playground. There is also a parking lot and plenty of street parking. For families https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NINhBokK-5nnLntt9RqPth_d5e1-QW1pldkmRcXzFi8/edit 4/24 4 Bessemer Academy Play Yard Initiative 12/9/2018 Application Questions: Edit and Submit - Google Docs without transportation and outside of walking distance, the Pueblo Transit is available with a bus stop within 0.2 miles of the school. The playground will be easily accessed with no obstacles to the project site. In Pueblo, the majority of residential areas have access to a park within one mile and most trails within the city are accessed by car. There are three parks within the Bessemer neighborhood, neither are accessed by the cities trails. The small playground, adjacent to Bessemer Academy, is owned by Pueblo District 60; however, it was built on January 1, 1994 and is unsafe and impractical for the school to use. Bessemer Park, is not within walking distance to the entire community or Bessemer Academy. Stauter Field has basketball courts and a baseball field but does not have a play structure. In the image above, “Bessemer Academy School Yard Initiative Access Map,” shows Bessemer Academy, in red, and the surrounding parks, in green. None of the other parks are within walking distance to the school. Also, none of the other parks are inclusive. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NINhBokK-5nnLntt9RqPth_d5e1-QW1pldkmRcXzFi8/edit 5/24 5 Bessemer Academy Play Yard Initiative 12/9/2018 Application Questions: Edit and Submit - Google Docs Need Bessemer was developed in 1886 as its own municipality without any city ordinances for parkland dedication requirements. There is no remaining land in the Bessemer neighborhood for future parks and there are currently no inclusive playgrounds (Pueblo City Planning and Community Development). The only location option available for a new playground in the Bessemer area is at Bessemer Academy. Not only do the Bessemer Academy scholars need a playground, the entire community of Bessemer does. Based on the Parks and Recreation Assessment and Implementation Plan, from November 2008, Bessemer neighborhood parks are below National Recreation and Park Association standards for parkland. Attachment 3, shows the park adjacent to Bessemer Academy. This park is a 24­year­old metal play structure with two small slides and monkey bars. It is currently maintained by Pueblo Parks and Recreation, in return, Park and Recreation use Pueblo City Schools gyms and grounds for various programs such as basketball practice. According to Lee Carstensen, Pueblo Parks and Recreation Supervisor, if the city owned the park, the structure would be removed due to age and safety concerns. Unfortunately, District 60 nor Pueblo City have the funding to replace this playground.

Load more

  27

Copy Link