Miner Picnic Tables & Benches

The Miner Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is excited to announce completion of the installation of campus-wide picnic tables and benches, just one of the multiple outdoor campus improvement projects happening at Miner. 

Thanks to grants from the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6A and the Capitol Hill Community Foundation (CHCF), private donors and PTO funding, Miner now has picnic tables and benches located across the campus to foster community and support outdoor learning:

• Two universally accessible (i.e. ADA-compliant, wheelchair compatible) picnic tables adjacent to the K-5 playgrounds. 
• One pre-school sized picnic table in the Peace Garden. 
• Two benches on the Early Childhood Education (ECE) playground. 
• Six benches and two tables in the Peace Garden, to be used as part of an outdoor classroom.

​These investments are an important part of the ongoing improvements to Miner’s campus and surroundings. Other successes include: 

• The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) awarded Miner a $35,000 grant in fall 2017 which in part will be used to upgrade our garden spaces, including an outdoor classroom.
• The Department of General Services (DGS) installed a bike rack on the west side of the school in May 2018.
• DCPS and DGS have nearly completed a full renovation of Miner’s ECE playground. As part of this project, DCPS and DGS installed eight permanent metal benches at two locations: six around the new ECE playground and two along the north side of the school outside the gymnasium.
• Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen secured $1.5 million in the FY2019 budget for major outdoor improvements, including a new K-5 playground, revitalized recreation spaces and security features.
• Miner was accepted into the 2018-2019 RiverSmart Schools (RSS) cohort  to transform the green space in the ECE playground into a new, watershed-friendly “Discovery” garden.
• The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is working on three traffic-calming projects surrounding Miner. One project is complete: a new stop sign at Tennessee Ave and F St; and two are in work: the alley abutting the south side of the school, and the intersection of 16th and Rosedale St.

The PTO is incredibly grateful for the amazing support received from our Capitol Hill and Ward 6 neighbors, as well as numerous city agencies, during this multi-year effort to transform Miner’s campus into a truly wonderful learning environment. Our students deserve no less!