International Community School (ICS) and
Think College Now (TCN) – Cesar Chavez Campus
2825 International Boulevard Oakland, CA

Located in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood, International Community School and Think College Now Elementary School (ICS-TCN) received a complete schoolyard transformation in 2020. Working in partnership with the Trust For Public Land, Miller Company has designed a plan which removed over 10,000 SF of asphalt [which covered 90% of the 1.3 acre parcel] and created a sustainable green environment for the 600 diverse students to enjoy. The new schoolyard boasts a dry creek bed for stormwater capture, a fenced in grass lawn, a learning garden with 10 raised beds for fruits and and vegetables, an orchard, a nature-based playground, 64 new shade trees, native planting, and vegetated swales. ICS-TCN is TPL’s flagship project with Oakland Unified School District and the beginning of a long partnership that seeks the improvement of schoolyards throughout the district’s portfolio.

MCLA Team: Jeffrey Miller, George Loew
Year Completed: 2020
Parcel Size: 1.3 acres
Client: Trust for Public Land

In The News
How Greening California Schoolyards Protects Kids and the Climate
– KQED, June 29, 2023

Cesar Chavez Living Schoolyard in East Oakland Supports Health and Wellbeing
– California Client Investments, June 2023