During the wettest rainy season in Puget Sound history, a whole team of little girls had dry shin guards.

The U9 soccer team out of Lacey, Wash. practiced at a few fields around town, but strongly preferred the new pitch at Salish Middle School. Why? It kept them dry.

SCJ’s landscape architecture team provided extensive site development design services for the new middle school including a sustainable landscape, irrigation system, and the esteemed sports fields.

“Salish Middle School opened last fall. So, we’ve had a full year to see how things have grown in and stood up to the elements,” SCJ Principal Landscape Architect Jeff Glander said. “After the rainiest winter on record and the longest dry spell this summer, everything from the soil to the irrigation have been put to the test and passed.”

SCJ designed outdoor spaces across the 18-acre campus including the main entry plaza, student gathering areas, and hard court play spaces. Sports field design included a softball field, a running track, and the football/soccer field.

Landscape Architect Trent Grantham designed the fields. “It’s great to hear our soil profiles are working out,” he said. “To hear it straight from kids who are using it is even better.”

School starts again in just a few short weeks, ushering in a new season for the landscape and new crop of students to test out the design.