César Chávez PTO

Wildcats · Hyattsville

Wildcat Way

An outdoor classroom, built by parents.

A green corridor along the side of the school where kids learn outside — designed with the community, funded by grants and neighbors, and built on weekends by people who live here.

The whole school gathered around the first bench at the Wildcat Way groundbreaking
El día que empezamos. Vino toda la escuela.

What it is

A classroom with no ceiling.

Wildcat Way turned an unused strip of ground into a place teachers can take a class and families can use on weekends. Raised beds, native plantings, seating, rain barrels, and signage the students helped write.

For classes

Teachers book the space for science, reading and Spanish lessons. Resources live with the committee.

For families

Open to families on weekends. Bring a book, bring a snack, pull a weed if you feel moved.

For the block

Native plants, shade and stormwater capture on a street that needed all three.

How to help

Community workdays are the whole engine.

Planting, painting, building, hauling mulch. No skills required and no minimum stay — an hour on a Saturday genuinely moves it forward.

  • Workdays — announced in the calendar and the WhatsApp group.
  • Watering weeks — a household takes a week over the summer.
  • Student ambassadors — older kids who show visitors around.
  • Master Gardener workshops and summer yoga in the space.
Help with Wildcat Way
See the calendar
Young students raking leaves and filling bags on a Wildcat Way workday
Nine student design drawings for Wildcat Way laid out on the ground
Parents working at the garden shed and rain barrels on a workday

Los letreros

Lee las paredes.

Ocho paneles informativos recorren el corredor, escritos junto con los estudiantes e ilustrados por Wences Almazán. Funcionan como un recorrido por tu cuenta: empieza donde quieras y lee lo que te llame.

Wildcat Way — the main interpretive sign panel for the outdoor classroom
Look Up — interpretive sign panel at Wildcat Way

Mira arriba

Las copas de los árboles, el cielo, el clima. Lo que pasa sobre tu cabeza.

Look Down — interpretive sign panel at Wildcat Way

Mira abajo

Tierra, raíces, lombrices. La mitad del jardín que nadie ve.

Look Around — interpretive sign panel at Wildcat Way

Mira alrededor

Quién más vive aquí: polinizadores, pájaros, los vecinos.

Learn It — interpretive sign panel at Wildcat Way

Apréndelo

Cómo un maestro convierte una cama de siembra en una clase.

Environment — interpretive sign panel at Wildcat Way

Medio ambiente

Agua de lluvia, sombra y plantas nativas en una calle que necesitaba las tres cosas.

Los estudiantes embajadores dan el recorrido en las jornadas y en ¡Sí Se Puede!. Pregúntale a uno.

Prioridades del condado

Es el propio plan del condado, hecho realidad en un patio escolar.

Wildcat Way no es un proyecto de jardinería que la PTO se inventó. Cumple dos de las recomendaciones prioritarias del Plan de Acción Climática de PGCPS, en un solo plantel y con trabajo voluntario.

  • Recomendación prioritaria n.º 1 — Apoyar la justicia ambiental mediante el currículo climático, la capacitación y las alianzas.
  • Recomendación prioritaria n.º 7 — Comprometerse con un manejo del terreno resiliente al clima.

Lea el plan: Plan de Acción Climática de PGCPS — resumen ejecutivo (PDF)

Built with partners.

Nature Sacred, EnviroCollab, the Hyattsville CDC and PGCPS all put something real into this. So did several hundred families.

Support the upkeep