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Three members of the South ��ֱ���� State University School of Design have completed a collaborative project with the Brookings School District. 

Instructor of landscape architecture Jeremiah Bergstrom and landscape architecture students Isabelle Plagge and Cerington Jones worked together to assist the Brookings schools. 

With the construction at Medary and Hillcrest elementary schools nearing completion in spring 2024, Brookings School District Superintendent Summer Schultz reached out to the School of Design to evaluate play and outdoor learning spaces, along with landscape plantings at the sites. 

The hope of the collaboration was to enhance the students’ learning experiences. 

“It turned out that there were several needs,” Bergstrom said. “The schools did not have an overall landscape plan to implement following construction at Medary and Hillcrest schools, ideas for outdoor learning spaces were not yet fully developed, and the early childhood playground spaces were only identified and not yet fully designed and developed.” 

“Early childhood was always a component of the facilities,” Schultz explained. “However, it wasn’t until the work with this collaboration started that we could determine the priorities for those outdoor learning spaces.” 

Work for the schools began in June 2024. 

“First, we were asked to develop design alternatives for the early childhood playgrounds that explored different configurations, play equipment and experiences,” Bergstrom said. “Students created layouts that met safety guidelines while promoting active play and social interaction.” 

Their work included a site plan identifying options for the play equipment and play area, along with presenting 3D visualizations. The landscape architecture students had to explore a variety of play scenarios within an already established footprint. 

Jones, a senior from New Underwood, said the goal was to provide a sense of nature play for the children. 

After several revisions and discussions with Brookings school representatives, the playground designs were completed and distributed in July. 

Following the designs, Jones and Plagge completed a survey of all school properties in Brookings to identify tree species and sizes. The information was put into a geographic information system database, creating a map of all tree species at each school. 

The tree map was another important need of the schools. The emerald ash borer, a beetle known to feed on ash trees, has been found in the Brookings community. All ash trees in the community will need to be treated or taken down over the next decade.  

Knowing where ash trees are located on school properties will allow the schools to begin planning for treatment and removal before these trees become a safety concern. 

Project outcome 

“Our goal was to provide opportunities for problem-solving, strategic thinking and decision-making while working together,” Bergstrom emphasized. 

One opportunity was channeling their inner child again to develop a high-quality, safe design space that all children could enjoy. 

“The skill that shined through the most to me was the ability to put myself in my client’s shoes,” Jones explained. “In this case, the client was not the Brookings School District, but the kids themselves. How would I feel if I was 4 years old and let outside to play? What would I want to see? Hear? Or touch?” 

Jones continued, “It was fun to go back in time and think about the places where I used to play and the memories I made on those playgrounds.” 

Along with the collaboration between SDSU and the Brookings School District, a generous donation from Valero funded the purchase of Strider bikes for the early learners, contributing to the playground design. 

The final design proposal then included a Strider bike loop, along with several active play structures like stepping stumps and a communication board near the larger climbing structure. 

The successful project brought joy to all parties, especially the children using the play spaces. 

“We have a video from the first day our learners were able to play on their new playground. The squeals of delight were incredible,” Schultz said. “This project will impact student development in many ways for years to come.” 

Projects like this bolster the confidence and skills of the students involved. 

“This was a great opportunity to apply our design learning and the skills we have learned in the studio at SDSU in a specific place for a specific client,” Jones said. 

Bergstrom emphasized, “Real-world experiences and engaging with community members play an important role in landscape architecture students’ development. These types of interactions and problem-solving efforts provide students with confidence as they engage in pre-professional activities before heading into employment.”