A brief introduction
Esperanza Elementary is an LAUSD public school located in the Westlake neighborhood of central LA. The school serves 620 students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. Several small-scale greening projects have been successfully implemented on campus, including a habitat area and a reimagined nature courtyard.
In 2020, the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust partnered with LAUSD and community organizations to initiate the Esperanza Elementary Green Schoolyard Project. This comprehensive project aims to create multi-benefit green spaces that promote both physical and mental health, as well as the social and emotional well-being of students and communities. This project also supports climate resiliency goals: mitigating extreme heat, providing quality play spaces, expanding outdoor education, and increasing access to nature.
We spoke with Principal Brad Rumble, students, and parents to learn about how they enjoy nature and their hopes for the campus renovation.
Can you please introduce yourself?
I'm Brad Rumble, principal of Esperanza Elementary. I've been here since July of 2014, so I can't believe it, but more than a decade. My entire career of 35 years in this school district has been spent on three campuses in the urban core of Los Angeles. I think it was the absence of nature which really got me interested in nature. Over time, I started to realize that what was good for me was good for students. And that's where this work really began.
Can you tell us about how green space has evolved at Esperanza Elementary?
So when I came here, I noticed that there was a parking lot for employees where the curb ended, but the asphalt continued beyond it, right to the edge of Wilshire Boulevard. There was no reason for that asphalt to be there. So we worked together with community groups, students, families, and the school district to remove a piece of asphalt, 122 by 10 feet, and we called it the rewilding of Wilshire Boulevard. We planted native plants there, and to this day, that's a habitat strip.
I'm grateful to work for a school district that really does embrace creativity and innovation. We now have, instead of a large square of asphalt, a living laboratory for students where any class at any time can go out and explore whatever scientific concepts they're studying—whatever phenomena— right there, surrounded by native plants in the shadow of the skyscrapers of downtown.
That really was the first work. We also took on the empty tree wells on the sidewalks around the campus. We planted native Palo Verde and Coast Live Oaks in all seven of those empty wells. Through the school district, we received a SEEDS grant, and we were able to reimagine our courtyard. We took out a lot of concrete and replaced it with soil and with native plants. That courtyard now is much more like one you'd find on a university campus. There's a lot more shade. At lunchtime, you'll find teachers at tables in the shade of coast live oaks enjoying their lunch. On the other side of those oaks, there are children who choose to spend their playtime at recess playing a board game or reading a book, and they do that surrounded by living things.
Why do you think integrating green spaces into schools is important?
Many of our schools, including Esperanza, are in park-poor communities where you simply can't get on your bicycle and run down to the community park. It's much more challenging. Schools serve a greater good by integrating green space into the lives of students and their families. And what's happened here is nature is part of our school culture.
The children bound outside to look at what's around them. It could be a sowbug or a butterfly, it could be the house finches above. And here at the school, they have places to explore that. They can get out there and just be a kid. One of my favorite things I see is during recess, you'll see a child go to that bench at the back of the habitat, plop down, and exhale. And it’s just enough.
The social-emotional part of this work cannot be overstated. It's such an important thing for children to have that space to get away from it all and have that time alone in nature. And we have a natural forum for that to happen. No child at this school needs to get on a yellow school bus and head to Griffith Park to experience nature. They just step outside their classroom door.
What kinds of species have you seen on your campus?
We've been trying to document, through eBird and iNaturalist, the incredible biodiversity that's showing up here. We are actually an eBird hotspot. Yes—Esperanza Elementary is an eBird hotspot—and we have photo and sound documentation of species, including Willow Flycatcher, Burrowing Owl, Vermilion Flycatcher, I could go on. Incredible things are showing up. We've had an endangered bumble bee, the Crotch's Bumble Bee, and regularly during the springtime and summer, we host bumble bees that aren't ever seen downtown. Truly, build it and they will come.
Ximena, 5th Grade (center)
“In third grade, I had classes with Ms. Williams, only on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Those classes were about nature and flowers and birds. Now, I think it has changed my life. There are some beautiful birds that are here and also some flowers. I had an idea to just buy a notebook and write many, many bird facts.
In the nature at my school, we always see house finch, we see some ravens, we see some hawks, but only sometimes, and also some woodpeckers.
In the habitat, I see bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, birds, and I think moths also. I like learning outside, because I can see birds that are one of my favorites. Whenever I see some beautiful flowers or birds that are there, I usually write them or just draw them, like sketching. And then I can put the inspiration for that. I just like going somewhere that is more fun than the normal classrooms.”
Brandon, 3rd Grade (left)
"I like being at the habitat because it's refreshing, and you can sit down and read a book, and there's a lot of animals with their beautiful tunes and songs that they do.
I'm excited to see where [the new green space] is going to be and the plants we're going to see, and maybe new birds could come."
David, 3rd Grade (right)
“Learning outside is when you can look at the things you’re learning, and I prefer learning outside because I can see a lot of different types of plants and animals.
Having nature is important because the trees clean the air for you and you can explore mother nature. A lot of the trees give us air for us to breathe, and we can sit in the shade because of the trees."
Eduardo, father of kindergarten student Alexandra
“Many of us got the connection to nature. It’s in our DNA. We come from farmers.
Our kids can learn about the nature, hold the plant, the plants grow up and develop. The school is a very good environment to do that in, because you learn from books. But outside, you get the experience to see for yourself.”
Jeovanny, father of 3rd grade student Brittany
"We are learning, also, with them. It's important because, like Mr. Rumble has mentioned, we have gone on field trips, and now that we have seen these plants over here, sometimes we could recognize them and add them to the list. So it's really important to be able to connect with nature, especially at a young age."
Amberlee, mother of 3rd grade student N'yah
"Whenever we're outside of school, we always do nature activities, so at the park or the beach. Any time she's outside of the classroom, we do want to have that in our lives. She just has a better mood when she plays outside, especially when there's other children around. Play is a really big part of learning social skills, so being in nature just boosts her mood."
What does the future of school greening look like for Esperanza Elementary?
Principal Brad Rumble:
"I believe the 21st century playground must look different than the 20th century playground. I believe that we know more about the importance of nature and shade, conservation of water and biodiversity. We know more about nature deficit and urban heat island effect. There are really complex problems out there that can be addressed through a project like this.
We know that softscape is better for children than hardscape, and we have the opportunity through this project to bring softscape onto our campus for these children. I never quite knew what we could do to change the vast asphalt playground here. It's an incredible challenge, and Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust is taking this on.
Children have already been involved in sharing their ideas of what they would like to see on campus, and as this project breaks ground and moves forward, the children will see right in front of them the transformation of this playground to one that truly is the best thing for them in the 21st century. It's a win for children and families and educators, and it's a win for the local flora and fauna."
Read more about the Esperanza Green Schoolyard Project Below:
As 55,000 SF of green schoolyard is built, 30,000 SF of asphalt will be removed. In place of this asphalt will be 20,000 SF of California Native planting and 35 California Native shade trees. To keep these green spaces thriving, the project includes a high-efficiency irrigation system.
The students will also have expanded and improved areas to run, play, and learn. These amenities include a new running track, a 12,800 SF flexible lawn for multi-use play and stormwater infiltration swales, two outdoor classrooms with nature-based play structures, and 11,700 SF of solar reflective asphalt coating.
This project broke ground early in the Summer of 2025 and anticipates completion in the Spring of 2026. LANLT will be working with community-based organizations such as Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) and Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC) to provide the community with project updates and engage in artful interactive activities, including a tree giveaway, closer to substantial completion of the project.