A group of Queens high school students gathered in Jackson Heights Friday, June 12, to cut the ribbon at the renovated Playground 90 basketball court, celebrating the completion of a student-led project that saw teens raise over $50,000 in funding.
Students from Voyages Preparatory High School joined Council Member Shekar Krishnan, Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas and community partners at the court on Friday afternoon to unveil the newly-renovated facility.
Efforts to renovate the cours began when students identified Playground 90 as a public space that they wanted to improve for their school as part of a Hire Cause elective, a program that provides students with experience leading projects that address real issues in their communities.
Photo via Emil Cohen/NYC Council Flickr
They then raised $2,100 through bake sales, a carnival and a basketball tournament before creating a video submission for the Every Court Has a Story video contest, a global initiative led by Project Backboard, JDS Sports’ Play with Purpose fund, Local Hoops and Victory Creative Group awarding a full-court renovation to a local community.
The Jackson Heights submission was selected ahead of more than 50 other competing projects, winning a $50,000 grant and becoming the first student-led project to win the competition.
Non-profit Project Backboard then renovated the court in partnership with NYC Parks, with renovation work including court resurfacing and the addition of a large-scale mural complete with colorful flowers to represent the diveristy of Jackson Heights.
Voyages Prep is a public transfer school, serving students who have fallen behind in credits or who are in need of a different pathway to complete high school. The school’s Hire Cause elective aims to connect students’ education to real community need.
William Nevels, a Voyages Prep senior, said the successful student-led renovation highlights how the perception of public transfer schools is “wrong.”
“People might make assumptions about who we are, but when you really get to know students at schools like Voyages, you see people who are driven, hardworking, and capable of doing something meaningful,” Nevels said. “This court is proof that students like us can create something real for our community.”
Photo via Emil Cohen/NYC Council Flickr
Kamrin Jones, a fellow Voyages Prep senior, said the renovation would help unite the local community and give local residents a new space.
“For a lot of us, basketball is therapy. It brings people together, helps people find peace, and gives students a place to stay focused,” Jones said.
Yael Glick, teacher of the Hire Cause class at Voyages Prep, described the project as “so powerful” that transported student ideas from the classroom to the real world.
“They were not just learning about service or career skills in theory. They were organizing events, telling their story, working with partners, contributing to the design, and seeing the impact of their work,” Glick said.
Krishnan, meanwhile, said the renovation provides local children with a “place to play” in a district with the least amount of green space in New York City.
Council Member Shekar Krishnan. Photo via Emil Cohen/NYC Council Flickr
“My office has been supporting the students of Voyages Preparatory High School and the Hire Cause student advocacy class in advocating for this renovation and winning the “Every Court has a Story” grant. I’m proud to celebrate the students and community partners who made this renovation possible,” Krishnan said in a statement.
González-Rojas added that the renovation is a “powerful example of what young people can accomplish” when they are presented with opportunities to lead.
“The students of Voyages Preparatory High School and the Hire Cause student advocacy class identified a need in their community, organized their neighbors, advocated for change, and turned their vision into reality,” González-Rojas said. “Public spaces like this are essential to healthy, connected communities, providing young people and families with safe places to play, gather, and build relationships.”