With some luck, and the support of online voters, officials at St. Mary’s Catholic School here are hoping to transform the schoolyard into a fun and safe play area with some much needed shade.
Parents, teachers, and community members have come together to apply for a grant under Aviva Insurance’s Community Fund to help pay for a play structure and green space.
They are hoping their “Shade and Play” proposal will receive enough votes at www.avivacommunityfund.org to make the project a reality.
“We’re trying to create a playground that is conducive to both active players and non-active players,” said Kristen Drexler, a member of the parent committee.
Drexler and French teacher Heidi Reitzel started the committee after learning in a recent workshop that students spend 25% of their school day – or 2,000 hours between Kindergarten and grade 8 – outside.
“It’s a pretty dull and boring playground for the kids … It’s been neglected for a long time,” said Drexler of the current situation at the school.
In addition, there are few trees in the school yard to provide shade and help cut down on driving winds in the winter, she explained.
Drexler found out about the Aviva Insurance Fund a couple of years ago, when the school of her friend’s children secured funding through the website contest.
“It was one of those things I definitely wanted to be involved with,” she said.
In her submission to the Aviva contest, Drexler wrote, “We want this new yard to be a place for [students] to safely play but would also love for it to be a new classroom to learn from. We want this space to be a place for all the children of the school and surrounding neighbourhoods … But the wonderful bi-product of all of this will be a heightened sense of community and collaboration.”
In order to put the plans in place, which include new play structures, trees, and improved drainage, the St. Mary’s committee needs its project to be in the top 10 of voting in its category in the Aviva contest.
As of Monday afternoon, the Shade and Play project was in 24th place in the “small” project – up to $25,000 – contest. Voting ends at noon on Nov. 26, with the top ten in each category advancing to the semi-finals, where voting starts again on Dec. 2 at noon.
To vote for the St. Mary’s Shade and Play project, visitavivacommunityfund.org and search for idea 9787.
For information on the project, or to support it, email shadeandplayproject@gmail.
