Pulling off a major project for any organization is not easy, especially for schools. Many different elements need to come together, to name a few:
The Vision & Game plan: What are we trying to create? How do we gain support?
The money! How much? Where's it coming from? How do we raise it?
The Team Players: Who needs to be involved, both inside our organization and outside?
The Execution: Timelines, funding, roles and responsibilities of all the different people and organizations.
The contingency plans: What do we do when/if something goes wrong, or the unexpected happens? (Like, I don't know......a pandemic?!?!)
I took a fun little field trip yesterday to Haddonfield Memorial High School in NJ. This school is the latest among a long line of schools we have been honored to work with at PAVERART over 17+ years. Haddonfield is extra special, because we have a real LOVE for their mascot: A BULLDOG!
Many years ago we did a PAVERART design for Killian the Bulldog. Since than we've done other bulldogs, and when a cute boy shows up at Leonardtown Wharf with his bulldog.....and a 40' Compass Rose we made years ago, we knew the bulldog carries great karma for PAVERART!
So anytime a school calls and their mascot is a bulldog, we can't help but smile.
Haddonfield Memorial High School in NJ had all the makings of a successful project. Again, back to the key elements we learned about early:
A space that gets transformed from "bare" to functional and visually appealing
Paying tribute to the past with honoring past athletes in a "Legacy Hall Of Fame" area
A Fundraising component with Engraved Pavers
A visual anchor that lets all people know "who's house your in!"
This came together in the following rendering:
The Starting Point
Some Snapshots From The Field Trip
Walking through the space, I couldn't help but envision what this will feel like when sports start up, what the opposing teams will feel like, as well as, the home team. First thought that came to mind: "WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE!!!" In a hyper competitive sort of way.
From the PAPER TO PAVERART
What a fun project! Hats off to the team at Haddonfield Memorial High School for staying at it, and battling through the challenges nobody could have predicted with the Covid-19 Crisis.
All projects have their ups and downs, and unique challenges. But it is extremely rewarding to see our partners pull together such a beautiful space and honor their past as they look forward to the seasons ahead.
We are thrilled to play a small role at PAVERART.
Update: March, 2021
Sometimes discovering "happenings" of our clients provides great joy. I just discovered that a key leader of this project, the school and community at large, Dr. Joe Serico was named Haddonfield's citizen of the year!
Great write-up in the attached article,
"Creating energy around a campaign to look at our high school facilities as a campus, and engaged thousands of people to give time and money to build “an aesthetically pleasing campus environment for students, faculty and community that encourages reflection, inspires creativity, promotes community and respects the environment.” Courtyard plantings and beautification of the front of the school were completed in 2020."
It's always a thrill to see people we work with get recognized for their achievements and broader impact. Congrats Dr. Serico!