Renovated playgrounds SPARK social connection for children

On a balmy morning in Houston, Texas, more than 50 adults and children gathered in an elementary schoolyard. The group included a State Senator’s representative, school administration officials, Boy Scouts, investment bankers, mothers and eager-to-play children. 

They had convened for the dedication of a “reSPARK,” or renovated park, at Browning Elementary School. The park was originally built for Browning back in 2002 by SPARK, a nonprofit organization that develops community parks on public school grounds. At the dedication following a recent refresh of the park, brand new red swings glistened, rows of monkey bars were flanked by a freshly-mowed green field, and a small grove of loblolly pines towered, presiding over the schoolyard just as they likely had since the school was founded a century ago. There was an undeniable energy of unity and excitement, all thanks to SPARK.

Since 1983, SPARK has been enhancing existing school grounds with new amenities and opening the resulting parks to the public after school hours. In a city as vast and diverse as Houston, creating a wide array of safe spaces for children to play has far-reaching benefits. 

Each of the SPARK parks is unique and formatted to meet the needs of its respective community. Take, for example, the park at the Mandarin Immersion Magnet School, which features mosaics entitled “Wonders of China,” depicting the Great Wall of China, rice fields, zodiac characters, and other elements of Chinese culture. Houston artist Rose Toro collaborated with the school’s students to design the murals and built the mosaics out of colored glass and clay.

SPARK is run by powerhouse Executive Director Kathleen Ownby and Assistant Director Elizabeth Howley. Ownby has been a part of the organization since 1988, and at the helm since 1991. She has personally overseen the conversion of over 240 parks. With Howley’s help, Ownby has maintained a successful and impactful organization whose scope of ambition continues to grow. In celebration of the organization’s 40th anniversary, they are currently well on their way to raising $10 million to build 20 new parks and renovate 20 others over the next four years.

In addition to tenacity, these two women also exude kindness and passion, both for the parks and the communities they work with. While explaining how the organization uses data to inform park placement, Ownby couldn’t help but cross the room to proudly pull out photos of children’s artwork from over the years. 

Once a school has applied and been approved for a SPARK park, students and the community get directly involved in the design and building process. The first step involves the school principal forming a SPARK Committee to guide the design of the park. SPARK asks that the committee include relevant school staff members such as art teachers, coaches or physical education teachers, as well as PTO members and maybe a local business leader or two. The students are given an opportunity to draw pictures of their “dream park,” which are then submitted to landscape architects. The children, their parents and the school’s teachers then vote on what the park will look like and contain. Some have expansive green fields, while others feature small wooded areas, playground equipment, benches and walking trails. 

While the parks receive equipment upgrades, the public art component stands out as the most notable component of the “reSPARK.” All of the parks feature art installations: murals, mosaics and, in one case, a massive dinosaur sculpture — all depending on the preferences of the community. Sometimes, if there isn’t an art teacher to sit on the SPARK committee, they’ll hire a local artist to help out. Importantly, the public art component is where the kids get to help the most. Ownby likes to say that it provides a way for the students to “leave their mark on the park.”

While SPARK does most of the heavy lifting financially, they encourage the schools to fundraise and contribute $5,000 to the renovation. This brings the children and community a sense of ownership over the space. Regarding student involvement in the process, whether through a bake sale or book drive, Ownby said, “We want the students to feel like they bought the park. This helps them want to take care of it, which brings them a sense of pride.” 

SPARK’s goal is to ensure that all of Houston’s children have greenspaces within a ten-minute walk from their homes. To accomplish this, SPARK strategically chooses locations that eliminate “park deserts” – places where kids can’t easily walk to a park. Oftentimes, these park deserts intersect with low-income communities or areas with high-density living where it is especially important to provide a welcoming, outdoor community space.

Houston Independent School District board member Elizabeth Alba Santos understands the importance of these spaces on a personal level; when she was growing up in the very neighborhoods that she now serves, there weren’t safe parks for her and her siblings to visit. “Without SPARK parks, many low socioeconomic families wouldn’t have access to greenspaces at all,” Santos reported.

Destinee Alowde, a youth service specialist for Community Youth Services, a program of Harris County Resources for Children and Adults, explained, “SPARK parks help it feel like neighbors are neighbors, rather than some form of opposition.” 

In her line of work, Alowde encounters youth who are struggling to integrate back into society after spending time in detention centers, who may be on probation or who often fall between the cracks. “These parks give kids a place to explore their autonomy – it helps them to learn who they are outside of their home,” she said. The freedom and safety offered by the presence of a park can change a city, starting at the individual level. 

Frank Gonzalez, special projects coordinator for U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston), explained, “If you’re having fun, you’re not out there doing something you shouldn’t be doing. SPARK parks are very important to our community.”

A consistent theme when talking about the parks with parents, educators, and the children is the importance of social connection. When children feel connected to their city and to their neighbors, they are more likely to thrive and grow. 

Arturo Gutierrez, the father of two elementary school children, a lifelong resident of Houston and a proud first-generation Mexican American, said, “Once you create a safe space, children flock to it — and there is less bullying, more imagination and more development.” 

When asked why outdoor spaces are necessary for this — why the same thing can’t be accomplished in a building or through a lighted screen — Gutierrez emphasized that when children have access to safe greenspaces, “there’s no home-field advantage. It’s a level playing field for children.” 

Local parent and former educator Amy Gutierrez said, “During the pandemic, I could see the difference between the kids who had access to the outdoors and the ones who didn’t. Socialization is heavily impacted when students are confined to indoor spaces and screens.” The parks not only provide spaces for children to interact with each other, but they also provide zones that are intended to be shared, and that are understood to be inherited rather than fought over.

“Parks have become a real refuge for people to just be outside,” Ownsby explained. “In some respects, the pandemic helped raise awareness for how important these spaces are.”

Thanks to SPARK’s efforts, the Houston of the future will have more greenspaces than it has today.

Santos summed it up nicely, saying, “These parks help children connect with their friends, their community, and their world.” 

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