School Description
Kaiser Elementary School is located in Southwest Denver. Our population is diverse and numbers between 385-400. Males make up 59% of our students and females 41%. The ethnicity of Kaiser students include: 0.51% American Indian, 1.03% Black, 7.97% Asian, 55.01% Hispanic, and 35.48% White. Our attendance report for last year was 96%. Our identified gifted and talented population is 9%, and our special needs students are 10% of Kaiser’s population due to the fact that we are a center school for 3 special needs programs.. Of our teaching staff, 41.2% have a Masters Degree. About 65% of our teachers have been teaching in Denver for over 11 years. Kaiser’s is proud to announce our new principal, Elinor Roller. Elinor has been with the district for a number of years and we look forward to an exciting year with a new leader at the helm.
Kaiser Elementary School is named after Mary S. Kaiser, who was a teacher and counselor in the Denver Public Schools District for more than 40 years, from 1908 to 1951. The school first opened in 1973. We’re very honored to carry on such a great legacy!
Learning Landscapes Description
This master plan predominantly addresses a large steep hill that dominates the landscape making it difficult for the many physically challenged students attending this school to navigate from the building to the playground.
Kaiser Elementary School
Construction Date
2001
Landscape Architect
GPD Land Design
Play Equipment Vendor
Rocky Mountain Recreation
Master Plan
Goals
- Provide adequate and age appropriate play equipment.
- Provide new play areas for structured games.
- Provide areas for self guided play.
- Develop full ADA access for all children.
- Provide shade on the playground.
- Develop turf sport/play areas.
- Develop outside gathering place for the school and community.
- Develop learning areas for hand on learning.
Design Development
Description
After a semester long analysis of school playgrounds the design students at the University of Colorado Denver, had the opportunity to recreate and develop a workable creative play system. Upon analyzing Kaiser Elementary, a problem was presented. This problem came in the form of a large and very steep hill.
Built on top of a drained lake, Kaiser struggled with moving wheelchair bound students down to the bottom of the hill and back. However, every cloud has a silver lining. For Kaiser, this hill has become a dynamic learning and playing environment for the children.
This site opens up the possibilities of many creative innovations. One element is the concept of an ant hill. Because the school has one of the highest percentages of handicapped children, the whole site needs to be handicapped accessible. The ant hill allows for a creative way for wheelchair bound children to access the lower playgrounds, while still maintaining the proper grade and slope. With the help of puzzle piece shaped playgrounds, anchoring the ant path, the children are presented with a fun and creative adventure when descending the hill.
Illustrative Drawing
Design Development Drawings
Presentation Boards
Construction Documentation
Description from Architect
Kaiser Elementary school was designed as a learning landscape, a design concept that incorporates participatory learning elements with recreational play. The site integrates with a neighborhood park enlarging the feel of the school campus. The project scope included design development through project closeout. Elements added at Kaiser include a sodded field, track, shelter, amphitheater, and an asphalt play pad.
Illustrative Plan
Construction Drawings 1
Construction Drawings 2
Play Equipment
Shade Structure