Rosa Parks Elementary School Chicken Coop & Garden

The Rosa Parks Chicken Coop and Garden is part of an ongoing all-volunteer effort towards improving the school’s outdoor education program. With a fundamental goal to provide a model for stewardship and foster a deeper understanding of the natural environment, the project includes a chicken coop, a rainwater catchment system, solar powered irrigation system, water garden, and other interactive displays of sustainable agricultural.

The resident chickens offer lessons in animal care and nutrition, development of empathy, and a deeper connection with the natural world for the school’s urban students. The chicken coop utilizes donated cedar for its resilience to pests and weather. Its roof is designed to collect rainwater for the garden while evoking a sense of flight. The rainwater collected by the roof is directed into a tank that serves the solar powered irrigation system for the edible garden, with any excess water diverted to the water garden. All is designed to showcase exemplary storm water management in a simple, legible and exciting way.

The project strives to bring excitement to the outdoor education program while acting as a beacon to the surrounding underserved community. It represents a modest step towards mending a community that has suffered from displacement and cultural degradation since the WWII internment of its Japanese American citizens and worsened by the 1950’s throughfare redevelopment that displaced and divided a predominately Japanese and African American community. Visible from Japantown’s Peace Plaza, the chicken coop visually reconnects the two sides while providing inspiration for children and passersby.