HOOVER ELEMENTARY

BAY AREA CHAPTER — Oakland, CA

Hoover Elementary, Phase 1

Hoover Elementary, Phase 2

Hoover Elementary, completed!

Big Picture

A full city-block campus of beige buildings were void of personality at Hoover Elementary. The buildings provided education, shelter, and protection, but did not match the rich, dynamic presence with which the students filled them. A series of murals across the campus now bring energy and identity to the campus.

A Conversation About Color

Laura Guido-Clark led the students through a color seminar to demonstrate how different colors make us feel different things. The students responded with enthusiasm, sharing their stories of how color has impacted their lives. Several special moments stood out when students recognized how the cultural and racial diversity of their school is like a beautiful, colorful piece of art.

A recurring theme began to appear the more we spoke with the students. When asked how they want to feel when they are at school, safe and proud were among the top responses. It was clear that Hoover was more than just a place for learning; it is their home away from home, their peace and security, the root of all their dreams and goals.

Over the course of planning the project, students regularly expressed disbelief that Project Color Corps was doing this for them. One little guy said, “When you make our school look like this, I won’t ever want to leave.” How students responded to the fact that we were there to do something for them was moving. And that we were leaving them with these beautiful works of art seemed beyond belief to many.

The Transformation

BAMO and SWA were inspired by the oak groves that once covered Oakland. Mighty oak trees form the basis of the design, with rainbows and streams around. Large leaves emblazon the main school building, fostering a sense of pride over the playground and neighborhood.

Students were asked to vote for their preferred color palette: LOVE PROUD, with colors that express strength and joy, or KIND SAFE, with colors that express caring and security. It was a close vote, but KIND SAFE was the winning scheme. Students said it made them feel wonderful & cheerful, relaxed & safe, calm & comfortable. One student saw the ocean in this scheme, while another saw Candy Land.

Our embrace of color seems to fade as we grow older. It is unwise to dismiss the power of color, as the students reminded us when they said, “This makes me feel not lonely,” “This makes me believe in myself,” and “This makes me want to do good.

PHASE 1: Kinder Yard

PHASE 2: School Building

HOOVER ELEMENTARY PHASE 3

In 2023, PCC returned to Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, California to lead Phase 3 of this multi-phase transformation.

PCC Founder, and Color Expert, Laura Guido-Clark led students through the Project Color Corps color seminar process to demonstrate how different colors make us feel. Students responded, sharing their stories of how color has impacted their lives. Students recognized how the cultural and racial diversity of their school is ‘like a beautiful, colorful piece of art’. When asked how they want to feel at school, “safe” and “proud” were the top responses.

In Phase 1, we completed the Kinder Yard and in Phase 2 we completed the Main Building. We are proud to see Phase 3 bring it all together with the completion of the repainting of the entire Main Building, modular classrooms, Kaboom! Playspace and Eat.Learn.Play sports platform.

WHAT WE LEARNED

Serving Kindergarten through 5th Grade, Hoover Elementary commands a full city-block campus of (formerly) beige buildings. Buildings provided education, shelter, and protection, but did not match the rich, dynamic presence with which the students filled them. A series of murals across the campus and a revitalized school building complement the new playspace from Kaboom! and a sports platform from Eat.Learn.Play that together brings energy and identity to campus.

Being invited into the repainting process by school leadership meant that a routine, repainting of the school’s buildings was an opportunity to expand upon the joy discovered with the Phase 1 Kinder Wall and Phase 2 Main Building. This once-in-a-generation re-painting meant that the students and community could reflect their identities back into their campus.

WE ARE GREAT COLLABORATORS

The transformation was supported by design firms BAMO and SWA, inspired by mighty oak groves that once covered Oakland. Large leaves emblazon the main building, fostering a sense of pride over the playground and neighborhood. Students voted for their preferred color palette: KIND SAFE, with colors that express caring and security. Students said it made them feel wonderful, cheerful, relaxed, safe, calm, and comfortable.

PCC led the collaborative design process and transformed the schoolyard with the support of design firms, community members, Kaboom! and Eat.Learn.Play.