"Not a Terrace"

On Wednesday, November 2, Falk Lab School students gathered to dream up ways the school might transform its second-floor terrace. 

Dubbed “Not a Terrace” in a nod to October’s “Not a Box” activity, the project asked students to split into groups and brainstorm ideas for the outdoor space, which boasts beautiful views of lower Oakland and of Falk’s rooftop terrace. Unlike that terrace, which is used daily for recess, the upper terrace is not utilized as frequently. 

For its Pitt Day of Giving campaign, which will take place on February 21, 2023, Falk Lab School plans to raise funds to develop the terrace space. Tasking students with dreaming up ways to use the space is an important way to solicit input from the entire community on how the terrace might be used and enjoyed by all. 

And tapping into the imaginations of Falk Lab School students is an excellent way to generate lots of exciting ideas.

“Grown-ups can be constrained in our thinking,” says Sarada. “An area where children have lots to teach us is in imagining without those constraints. They can dream of things that we might not even consider and help make our thinking more expansive.”  

The day began with all students filing into the gymnasium and listening as director Jill Sarada read The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Manus Pinkwater. In the book, an accidental orange “splot” on the roof of Mr. Plumbean spurs him to transform his house from a neat one that perfectly matches his neighbors’ homes to an eccentric and colorful place that inspires his neighbors to reimagine their own homes as expressions of themselves. 

Next, Middle School art teacher Cheryl Capezzuti explained the assignment: after brainstorming separately, each group member contributed an idea to the team’s design, which they sketched on worksheets that gave a bird’s-eye view of the space and a two-dimensional side view of the terrace. 

Groups were set to work, and for more than an hour Falk students dreamed, discussed, and drew a dazzling range of ideas. 

Visions for the space broke into a few categories, says Sarada, who went through every group’s designs. These included: 

• An observation space with telescopes and binoculars; 
• An adventure zone with water slides, bouncy castles, mazes, ball pits, and even a rollercoaster (labeled “Falk Coaster”); 
• A relaxation space with chairs, a hot tub and pool, and a game room equipped with a ping pong table, arts and craft space, and a reading nook; 
• An animal habitat with attractions such as a turtle island, giraffes, and a cow pen; 
• A racetrack area where students can race go-carts; 
• A green garden space with a rooftop garden and greenhouse; and 
• An athletics space with soccer field, football field, and zip line. 

As with the “Not a Box” activity, part of the value of the “Not a Terrace” lay in bringing the school together for the communal experiences of seeing one another, greeting friends and siblings, and listening to a story together. Working together in groups that paired students of different grades—including groups made up of Kindergarteners, third-graders, and eighth-grade students—was also an important part of “Not a Terrace,” one that underscores Falk’s values of community and cooperation. 

But just as valuable, says Sarada, is getting input from Falk Lab School students on the changes they would like to see made to their school and how they imagine the terrace space, which they will use now and for years to come.