Recess for kindergarteners at King George VI elementary school in Sarnia used to be an issue.
Advertisement 2
Article content
Teacher Freya Bartelen recalls youngsters climbing fences in the cordoned-off yard section that turned mostly to mud in rain and melting snow.
Thursday, pupils were scaling a climber, pushing each other on swings, and riding teeter-totters atop artificial turf.
“It’s been amazing,” said Bartelen about no longer having to bring out toys from a shed for pupils to play with, or having to keep them inside when weather turned foul — with the turf helping keep mud at bay where grass wouldn’t grow .
“Now they’re active, they’re running, they’re playing — it’s been a game-changer,” she said.
Thursday was a celebration at the school, marking nearly $50,000 fundraised for the project that went in phases over the summer and in 2022, said principal Adam Carswell.
Advertisement 3
Article content
School campaigns, a $10,750 Sarnia Seaway Kiwanis club donation, and personal contributions from all school staff helped reach the goal, he said.
“I don’t think that happens a lot in schools,” he said of all staff contributing.
The school board also covered costs, including installing the turf, he said. Total project cost wasn’t available Thursday.
Accessibility features, like ramp access to lower activities on the climber, are also important, Carswell said, as the school started an Alternative Learning and Life Skills program for special-needs pupils this year.
“A lot of them are non-verbal, special-needs students,” he said. “Having this enclosed playground for them is really important.”
Carswell noted Seaway Kiwanians Joy Seibutis and Dana Hero, who helped run a Builders Club leadership program for seventh and eighth graders at King George VI, encouraged the school to reach out to the service club for funding.
Advertisement 4
Article content
Helping with playground projects is part of the club’s mandate, to help children, said past president Dave Satram.
“Our joy that we get is watching these kids when they hop up there and start having fun,” he said.
There’s more to come, with more fundraising, Carswell said, noting more than $10,000 already has been raised toward creating outdoor classrooms, building a tricycle track around the playground, and buying guitars for school lessons.
The school is eyeing two outdoor classrooms — one out front, one in back — with rock seating and wireless internet, he said.
Three teachers at the school also want to teach guitar, he said.
“We’re looking at buying a class set and (making that) a really signature piece for King George school.”
School council has also been key in fundraising “and creating opportunities for the community to come together,” he said.
Article content