The award, which will be presented to student representatives May 21, recognizes the students for their years-long dedication to a project that will transform their asphalt playground into a park for the entire neighborhood.

It also honors students for their January protest march staged to show school pride after their play structure was destroyed during a Christmastime arson fire.

"They stood out mainly because of their commitment to improving their area in their neighborhood," said Naomi Torres of the Crissy Fields Center. "Hopefully their experience there will get them to support public parks in the future."

Crissy Fields Center, a San Francisco community center that focuses on urban environmental issues through the National Parks Service, honors five individuals or groups each year with the award.

Deborah Schoenbaum, director of the Bay Area Urban Program for Trust for Public Land, nominated the students for the award.

"We thought it was really important to let them know what they did make a difference," Schoenbaum said of the January march.

Former Councilmember Danny Wan's office has provided the money to replace the burned play structure.

Trust for Public land has been working with Bella Vista students and community volunteers Friends of Bella Vista Park to rebuild the 1.1-acre park behind the school into a space both students and the community can enjoy.

Students use the park, which is owned by the city, as a playground because the school play area is crowded with portable classrooms.

The post-fire march was designed by Bella Vista Principal Shannon Yip and teachers to turn the criminal act into a lesson that strengthened Bella Vista students' school spirit.

Along with an awards ceremony, the kids will be depicted in an interactive exhibit at the Crissy Fields Center, which will be on display for a year.

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