John W. Cook Academy, located in Chicago's Gresham neighborhood, is a renovated schoolyard that prioritizes physical activity, outdoor learning, green infrastructure, and community engagement. The play space features a multi-purpose field, running track, basketball court, playground for ages 2-12, game tables, orchard, native gardens, Chicago's longest hopscotch, and "Lake Cook," a dry runnel that captures stormwater from the school grounds.
Cook Academy is part of the Space to Grow program, a joint collaboration between Chicago Public Schools, the Healthy Schools Campaign, Openlands, and Landscape Architects to transform Chicago schoolyards into beautiful and functional spaces to play, learn, garden and be outside.
