The Al Raby High School, located on West Fulton Boulevard, received $15,000 from the Prince Charitable Trust organization this past year. The Center for Neighborhood Technology, chosen because of expertise in urban greening, was contacted by school officials to plan a unique project to design a garden to enhance the main entrance of the school and to be utilized for Environmental Science classes. The final project outcome, however, went above and beyond expectations.

Members of the school and surrounding community spent months clarifying diverse objectives for the school garden including the design, installation, and sustainability. F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen became involved in the Al Raby High School beautification project in April 2007. Our company was sought out by the Center for Neighborhood Technology because of our active involved with the Chicago Public Schools, community connections, and our history of meaningful projects. Approximately 1500 square feet of concrete pavement was sawcut and removed along with approximately 30 cubic yards of unsuitable soil for the garden. “We took special precautions while at the school. Trucks were staged outside so the construction debris could be immediately removed with out affecting day to day operations,” Frank Mullaghy, Project Manager said. “We also coordinated with Al Raby and CNT to recycle manageable pieces of the concrete pavement to be used to construct walkways in each garden.”

F.H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen’s support has enabled Al Raby High School to provide education and unifying opportunities for not only their students but also surrounding communities.